Interracial Short Stories

Keep Breathing

A few people she knew came to view her body. They all wore black with a red rose pinned on their clothes to the left. Sasha loved roses. They were her favorite flower. When everyone had viewed her body and left. There was only Jonathan and Olivia left. Olivia stood up and walked to her mother's white marble casket. She stood by it, looking down at her beautiful mother. A sad smile touched her lips as she admired her. She was beautiful. She was strong. She was a great mom. All the memories of her childhood crept upon her. Her heart felt heavy. Heavier then it's ever felt. As soon as she felt like she would cry, she turns away from the casket. Her eyes were closed and she began to take deep breaths. She quickly walks from the casket to the back of the church.

Jonathan follows her. He finds her in a private room for the family.

"Olivia.. Are you-"

"Yes. Yes I'm fine. I just.. need a minute." she says, pacing back and forth. She had one hand on her hip, the other hand frantically rubbing against her stomach. Jon stands there, his hands on his hips.

"Olivia, just talk to me."

"There's nothing to talk about Jon. I'm fine. I'll be fine. Just as soon as this water stops dripping from the fucking ceiling." she says wiping her face with the palm of her hands. Jon looks up at the ceiling, noticing the ceiling wasn't leaking. He looks at her, his face softening.

"Liv, the ceiling is not leaking."

"Oh yeah? Then what's this on my face?" she says turning to him, tears falling down her cheeks.

"You're crying, liv."

      ~Two Months Later~

It's been two months since the death of Sasha Reed. Olivia wasn't getting better. She drowned her sorrows with work. She never wanted to be around her close friends, especially Jonathan. She didn't want him to see her so weak and vulnerable. She cried herself to sleep every night. Her conscience nagged her. It was a weird feeling. She missed Jonathan. She wished he was near her. He was her best friend after all.

Olivia kept her mother's ashes in a beautiful cabinet adorned with red roses. Her picture sat beside it as well and it was placed in the room her mother would sleep when she came to visit. Everyday for the last two months, Olivia would go into the room and sit on the bed. It was peaceful and quiet. And she could almost feel her mother in the room.

The letter her mother wrote her was in the night side table. She hadn't read it yet. She was scared to. She knew she would have to let her mother go if she read it. As she lay in her mothers bed, watching tv like they would do when she was sick, she found herself falling asleep.

"Did you tell her? About the party?" Iris asks Jonathan. He shakes his head.

"No. She won't talk to me." He sips his tea, putting the cup on the table as Iris grabs her phone. His hand goes up, stopping her from unlocking it.

"Please. Don't do that."

"Oh come on Jonathan! It's been two months. She has shut us out. Completely. She needs to come out of that house before she goes crazy."

"I know that, Iris. I also know that she just lost the only blood she's ever had. And we can't interrupt her grieving. She's never dealt with this before, so.."

"You love her, don't you?" Iris raises her eyebrow. He clears his throat. Of course he loved her. He's loved her for as long as he could remember. And he knows her better then anyone.