Beautifully Broken

21

Ron

I hear wailing in the auditorium. I walk slowly, looking through the doors.

I don't see anyone.

I walk through the aisle until I see her on her knees, her face on the ground, her back moving as she sobs.

I step closer and decide to settle for sitting on a chair near her.

I don't say anything, waiting for this girl to sit up.

Once it's been officially twenty minutes, I clear my throat and pretend to be rearranging the chairs.

She sits up fast and holds her hands to her head.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I thought I could just be here and-"

I look at her and we both stop. It's like we're frozen in time.

"Ron-

"Mina-"

We breath again after speaking at the same time and I sit down again.

She hesitates but sits at the end of the row. We're only a few seats apart.

"What are you doing here?" We ask at the same time again.

We laugh softly.

"I just needed to think and let go. The treehouse and my usual run didn't seem good enough." She says softly.

I nod and take a while before answering. "I work here."

She stares at me in shock before she can compose herself. "Y-you work here."

I nod and smile. "The pastors thought it would be good for me. And, it's a way for me to prove myself and work on myself."

She nods slowly. "You do know that it'll take more than working in church to make things better."

"I know. I'll never fix or make things like the way they were. I can only try to start again." I say softly.

I follow her gaze and stare at the stage. A verse is lit up on the screen and we both digest it.

"Make sure you forgive the faults of others so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you." Matthew 6:14

Love as Jesus did.

"Mina, we were working on it and we found ways to take Topen down. Since I quit, there have been so many rescues and girls and women who were spared from abuse." I share. "I don't know why it took so long for me and the other guys to come around."

She laughs coldly. "You were given alcohol, money, and body pleasure. Three things that can tempt any unstable man to do anything he wants."

"Mm."

I steal a glance and she's staring into space.

"How bad was I?" I ask softly.

It's like after time in jail I se things clearly. And I don't get what I'm supposed to feel. It's a good thing though. I think.

"Um, I watched Descendants three the other day with Charity and the guys." She replies softly. "And um, I didn't think I'd cry over a Disney movie the way I did but- I related to Mal on a different level. She said that having no dad was fine. That she learned to survive on her own with an evil mother. He said her daddy issues made her stronger."

She takes a deep breath. "I didn't realize how true it was. I-I didn't have an evil mother. I just had an absent one. I didn't have an invisible father. Just a crazy one."

I squirm at the last line.

"And so yeah. I may hate you and may have thought of unhealthy and revengeful thoughts but I can't deny the fact that I still need a- father." She breathes out like she's been keeping in this secret for all her life. I guess she has. "It's been so hard. Without anyone to really lean on. Every competition I'm supported by uncles or aunts or the Ramsey's. And then I had to pretend and join along with kids who had good and functional families throughout my school years. I skipped meals, burned myself out, but was wise enough not to resort to things you did to keep myself sane."

Ouch. Truth does hurt. And yes, she's wiser than I was in making decisions.

We talk some more and it feels good. Letting out the things that have been weighing me down.

We're not fully forgiven nor ready to make things work again. But we're trying. And that's what matters.

"As for mom," She says, knocking me out of my happier thoughts. She looks at me with a stern look. "You have to win her over again. Then you'll have won me too."

I regard with newfound pride. "I know. I'll try."

She shakes her head. "Don't just say you'll try. Do it. Put in all the effort and thought you can. Use all those remaining sane brain cells."

"Hey, I'm sane now." I argue lightly.

She rolls her eyes. "I'll believe you after a few months."

I chuckle. She's a smart girl. I wish I'd been there. Not just physically but- oh, well. I'm too late for that.

I really need to get my act together. She needs me. She's growing. And so is Clarissa. We promised to grow old together. I can still make it work.

We end our conversation with more comfortable smiles and she jogs back out, heading to the house most likely.

I continue cleaning the auditorium and the rest of the church building, a brighter smile on my face. There's hope yet for us to become a family again.

Clarissa

Mina's panting when she walks in. "Gotta shower."

She hurries up to shower and change then comes back down to give me a hug.

She sits in the living room with her laptop, working on homework.

"What's with the smile? Don't tell me Cole proposed or something." I call out, watching her expression change with amusement.

She laughs outright. "Definitely not. He's not even my boyfriend."

I shrug. "Yet. Not your boyfriend yet. But anyway, what's up?"

She rolls her eyes. "Nothing. I went to church after school. It was good."

I nod slowly. "And you realized that you left your stuff at school, so your bag over there was brought over by Cole. He was worried. Is worried I guess. You didn't update him and as your protective friend and bodyguard, he got all- you know."

She laughs softly this time, looking at the bag. "Yeah. I'll thank him."

I watch as she places the call. I don't hear anything but I see it all on her face.

He makes her happy. He's been there through thick and thin, never backing down no matter what she faced. He's perfect for her.

Just as Ron was for me. Before all this happened.