Time. Time is such a funny thing. How long until it will rain again? How long until I meet my best friend? Or, when are we going to say our last goodbye to our loved ones? No one has the answer to these questions, what I know is how long until I meet my soulmate. Strange, I know, but when a person turns 15, somehow everything starts making sense.
A few years back, I had my 15th birthday and like everyone else, on the same day, I went to get my timer implanted on my left wrist. Let me tell you, it hurts like hell! I was in pain for about 2 days because of the implantation. At first, it was just a piece of plastic, but after 24 hours or so, it wasn't just a piece of plastic attached on my left hand any more. That piece of plastic turned out to be one of the most important thing to anyone including me. It tells you when you're going to meet your soulmate by counting down the years, months, days, hours, minutes and seconds.
It takes around 24 hours to get it "installed" into your system and starts functioning properly. A lot of people tend to forget that quite easily. In fact, I did too. The first time I glanced at my new timer, I started panicking because I had thought that something was either wrong with me or my soulmate, or that the timer was malfunctioning. Thank God the doctor was still there in the room otherwise I would have had a panic attack. But when she explained to me that it needs time to settle and get "installed", I calmed down just a tiny bit. I mean I was still scared that something could go wrong with the timer, you know?
Let's fast forward to a few hours later shall we? I woke up in the middle of the night by a beeping sound coming from my wrist. I thought I had fallen asleep wearing a wristwatch or something, but it didn't take me long to figure out that it was coming from the timer. Turns out that when it gets "installed" to your body and it starts to work properly, it informs you by making annoying beeping noises for 2 minutes straight. Something which the doctor forgot to tell me.
545: 4: 57: 19
I had over a year to meet him and I knew it was not going to be easy for the fact that I had started wondering about him a lot. What colour are his eyes and hair? Is he tall and handsome? How old is he? What's his name? I had a feeling that he was blonde, and had green eyes for some reason. I also had a feeling that he's older than me at least a year or two. Whether he would be tall - taller than me for sure since I am relatively short.
The day after, I told my dad about how long I had before I met the one. Before I finished talking, he was already tearing up because according to him, I was "growing up too fast" and also because he started reminiscing about all the little things he and my mum did and how it started all out.
Mom and Dad met when they were around the age of 15 and 17, in a park around noon. When mom was still alive - almost 10 years ago, she used to tell me the story of how they met before going to bed, I used to love it as it was - well, still is, even nicer than a fairy tale. She used to tell me that my dad was such a charmer when she first laid eyes on him.
My dad's timer has mom's name on it now. Only because when I was only a five year old, mom was giving birth to my brother, but unfortunately, there were some complications and none of them made it.
After mom and Danny died, all I've had left was my dad, my first love which did not come with a timer. He decided that it was more convenient if we moved to Vancouver, near my grandparents - his parents. He found a job as a plumber and tried to move on. But let's face it, it's very tough to lose someone you love, but it's even tougher if you lose your soulmate. My dad was strong enough not to lose his mind during the process of moving on like many others have. He stayed grounded because of me.
153: 3: 06: 51
Time was passing by. I lost my dad about a year after I got my timer due to a heart attack. It was one of the hardest moments in my life, not only did I loose my mom and my little brother when I was only 5, I had to loose also my dad. He didn't get the chance to meet my soulmate, or walk me down the aisle like most fathers do.
From that moment onwards, I moved in with my aunt and grandparents since I was under age. If it weren't for them, I don't know what I would have done. My dad wasn't just my father, he was also my best friend - the one I would go to whenever I needed to get something off my chest.
I started to zone out quite often due to the fact that in about five months my timer said I would be meeting him, meeting my soulmate - the other half of me. To be honest, I was overreacting about that fact. Every time I closed my eyes, I started picturing us not liking each other. I wanted my meeting with him to be like my mom and dad's or like my grandparent's. I remember them telling me that they fell in love at first sight.
What if he did not like me, or even worse did not want to be with me? What if he's a jerk, or a criminal? What if the timer got it all wrong?
When I talked to my aunt about this and about all the bad feelings, she said that it was all normal, and that it had happened to her too when she met my deceased uncle. My aunt and uncle were both around the age of 20 when they met. I remember him telling me the story like it was just yesterday.
My aunt and grandparents moved to Vancouver from Montreal back in the 80's or so, and it took them about a week to get settled and get acquainted with the neighbours. On Thursday, 18th of July 1984, my uncle thought it was funny to prank the new neighbours with his lads.
Around 11 o'clock in the evening, he broke into the house. My aunt heard the noises he was doing, so she decided to see who the intruder was, taking a frying pan along with her - just in case. It turned out that my aunt used to get scared almost of everything. So, when she saw his silhouette, she started swinging the frying pan aimlessly. Seconds later, the timer went off, leaving them staring at each other like two idiots.
22: 12: 59: 42
I think my friend is more excited than I am at the fact that I'm about to meet my soulmate in less than 23 days. I was getting scared by each passing moment. Last month, he was just like me. He even got quite a few panic attacks.
He met his soulmate around Christmas time while he was raising money for charity outside the mall. His former partner was sick. So instead of him, another one took his place until he was feeling better. The new partner turned out to be his soulmate. I remember when he called me at 5 in the evening, just a few seconds before they met - panicking like it was the end of Earth, because he was scared how he would react when they finally meet. They have become inseparable ever since, just like two peas in a pod.
When we came back to school from our Christmas holidays, everybody started talking about them, since they were both the same gender. Some people were hating on them and even bully them, because they can't stand people like them. Let's face it, none of us have a choice in choosing our soulmate. The one always gets chosen by the timer and the system. But, the majority of the people were all cooing at how cute they were together.
Both of them had started deciding on what I would wear, and how to do my hair and make-up, for 23 days later. They were both fashionistas and one of them was studying on the make-up artist area, hence the reason they were planning on that stuff.
00: 01: 29: 59
At 9:41 in the morning, on a Saturday, the timer told that I had 1 and a half hour until I met the one, the one who I was going to spend the rest of my life with. If only my mom and dad were there...
Even though time had flown since the day I got my timer implanted, that day time seemed to be frozen. I was anxious to say the least, so I decided to go for a walk since it always calmed me down.
I walked mindlessly to the centre of the city, each step with each passing second brings me closer to him. To be honest, I had no idea why I had started walking towards the lively and the busiest side of the city. Maybe the timer was - somehow, controlling me.
I decided to stop in front of a vintage coffee shop, which was one of my favourite shops in the city, to get a hot chocolate and try to kill some time.
As you walk into the coffee shop, the sound of small-talk fills the air along with the warm, and welcoming smell of coffee. It had a very small library with best-selling books and also classics; like 'Pride and Prejudice' or 'Wuthering Heights' for instance. The walls were made with different shades of bricks, apart from the wall near the counter which had a wallpaper with a lot of coffee beans and also the names of coffees and teas. On the wallpapered wall, there was a medium-sized blackboard with the day's special, and the quote of the day.
The tables were circular and made of wood with black iron stands. The chairs were very similar to the surface of the tables. The surface of the counter was also made of wood just like the chairs and the tables. On the front of the counter, there was the name of the shop, which happened to be 'Vintage Coffee'. On one side of the counter there were different types of desserts; cinnamon rolls, muffins, brownies... Meanwhile, on the other side, there were shelves with all the products they use to make the beverages, and some mugs with different colours and patterns, and the shop's logo stamped on them that were on sale.
At 10:55, I felt myself start walking again to an unknown place, somewhere in the city. I stopped walking when the timer stated: 00: 00: 04: 32, in a crossroad near the museums, and I waited patiently. When there were only seconds left on the timer, at 11:11, I heard a loud crash, and saw a red 1965 Mustang Fastback crashed in a red Mini Cooper 2015 convertible.
For some reason, I felt a huge pain in my chest and my left hand. Ignoring the timer, I waited for him to show up. I wanted him to hug me or sweep me off my feet, just like the movies, when we find out that we would be spending our lives together.
I don't remember what happened after I glanced at my timer because I fainted. I woke up hours later at home thinking that it was all just a nightmare and that everything would turn out great, and I would get my happy ending.
Unfortunately, the news stated otherwise. The reporter was talking about that morning accident that I had witnessed. One of the victim's name was Ash Carter, a 17 year old boy, with light brown hair and hazel eyes.
The name on my timer read: Ash. He died at 11:11 - on Saturday, 17th January 2006, at the same time we were supposed to meet.
On the 19th January 2006, was his funeral along with the other 5 victims. I decided it was best to go and pay my respects to him and his family. I never met him, neither heard of him before, but some tears were shed, because deep down I loved him even though I didn't know him... he was my soulmate after all.
At the funeral, I met his mother, the only member of the Carter's family left. On the same accident Ash was in, Mrs. Carter's husband and daughter also died. When I introduced myself and she saw my timer, she gave me a long, tight hug that said a lot even if we didn't say anything.
~~ Present: 2016 ~~
Today is his 10th death anniversary. His mother and I went together to the cemetery. We've made these visits every year since his death. Claire - Mrs. Carter, and I became like a family, after everything that happened.
Nana passed away from old age, a few years after Ash's death. Meanwhile, Gramps was diagnosed with Alzheimer due to stressing a lot about Nana. My aunt decided it was best to stay and take care of Gramps, even though he barely remember any of us, and sometimes would kick us out of the house.
A few months after my grandma died, I decided to adopt a child from an adoption centre, since I always dreamed to be a mother. When I went to the adoption centre, I met this cute newborn baby boy. Apparently, his mother put him up for adoption instead of having an abortion because he was a "mistake". The mother wanted nothing to do with the baby, she didn't even give him a name!
After lots of paperwork, meetings, placements and trial, I was finally able to call the baby mine. I thought it was a good idea if I named the baby, Ash - for Ash Carter, and also because I happened to love that name too.
Now, 5 years later, I have a cheeky, energetic, little boy, with light brown hair and bright, green eyes.
I glanced at my timer, thinking about Ash Carter. Although I didn't get the chance to meet him in this life, maybe - just maybe, I'll get the chance to meet him in the next life.
From these past years, I learned that when one door closes, another one opens. The day I adopted little Ash, I closed the door to my past - somehow, and opened the door that lead me to this day and the future.
Goodbye for now, Ash Carter. One day we will get the chance to meet, but until then...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fin
A/N: First of all thanks for finding some time to read this short story, and I hope you liked it. I want to thank my cousin Kim-theHuman for helping me write this especially for the first paragraph and for writing the poem.
I would appreciate it if you leave some feedback so I will know who's reading. Thank you so much for reading!
Kylie Xxx