Chapter 1
Was, Is and Will be
Chapter 1
The medieval times… How it makes me dream… I dream of being a princess; coming from a long line of Kings and Queens and princes and princesses. My imagination carries me further in time. You know, people always said I had an amazing imagination; they didn’t understand where it came from. My mother, for example, said I should be a writer later on because she likes my stories. Yeah, sure. Why not?? I am starting to consider it anyways. I do have a great talent in that! Okay, okay. I’ll stop bragging but, I do have a talent for it.
I put my pen down while staring at the lines I had just written and sighed. It was just a journal entry, so why did I think it wasn’t right? I know I always want everything to be perfect but as far as my journal, isn’t it a little pushed? I slid my hand to the top of the page and passed my fingers under it when there was a knock on my door. I turned on my chair to look at my white door over my shoulder and spoke:
“Yes? What is it?”
The door opened just enough to let my sister’s head pop in and look at me with her brown eyes.
“Supper is ready, so come downstairs and don’t forget to wash your hands, okay?” she asked with a sweet voice.
“Yeah.” I finally breathe out and she was gone. I looked back at the darkened page of my pink and fluffy journal, sighing once more. I closed it and locked it. I then stood up and pushed my chair before turning around and walking on the carpet in my pink bunny slippers.
Okay, this I have to explain. No, my favorite color isn’t pink. As a matter of fact, I hate pink. Those are gifts from mom; they’re the only things I have left from her. I lost my parents in a plane crash two years ago. So now I live with my sister and her boyfriend. I have so say I feel some times out of place. But I know now when I need to leave then alone.
I walked to my door and opened it. I walked out and made my way to the stairs but I stopped. It was quiet, which was unusual. I walked down the stairs, entered the living room and froze again when I saw my sister. She was standing up, the phone on her ear listening to whoever was on the line with her. That’s not the reason I stopped. The reason was: she was crying. Tears were gently rolling down her cheeks as she hung up. She fell back in the armchair behind her and buried her head in her hands to sob some more.
I walked slowly to her and dropped down to my knees in front of her. Taking her in my arms and stroking her hair gently - like our mother used to do to us - I whispered sweet words to her ear until she was calm once more. I broke free from her and she looked at me.
“Thank you…” I barely heard her say but I smiled as I heard it.
She laughed a little, stood up and led me to the kitchen. She took two plates, which I found odd but didn’t say anything about it; she placed them on the table before serving us food.
We ate in a surprisingly heavy silence. I tried to lighten up a little the mood many times but she always made it heavy again so I gave up after a few tries.
I didn’t ask whom she had been talking to or ever mentioned it again. She would probably tell me later but I was still curious about why she had placed on two plates.
At the end of this pretty awkward supper, I stood up and walked to the sink. I turned to find my sister lost in thoughts with a sad gaze. I walked to a chair and pulled it up next to hers. I took her cold hands in mine.
“Mary? What’s wrong? Why are you sad like this?” I finally asked her, letting out what had been burning my lips.
She looked up as her tears filled her eyes once more and spoke quietly:
“It was Gerald on the phone, you know, the army General…” she began.
Yes, I knew him well. He was Hector’s commander. By the way, Hector is my sister’s boyfriend; he’s in the army.
That’s when I remembered her lover had gone on a mission a few days ago. I didn’t know what Gerald had told her, but I could very well guess!
“He said… He said Hector had been… He had been…” but she trailed off and I couldn’t hear the rest of what she was saying. I didn’t know Hector all that much to say I would miss him but there would be a hole in this house.
Mary stood up and walked out of the room as I was still sitting there trying to process all that I had been told. I got up once more, pushed the chair back in place before walking out as well.
In the living room, my sister was looking at some pictures of her and Hector. I just stood there a while before continuing to my bedroom. I sat in my chair, opened my computer and started to do my homework.
I knew too well what was to come; preparing the funerals, the reading of his Will, the funerals and last, the burial of his body. I knew my sister would add a step to it though; not all people chose to do what she did: mourning. She would what it meant to be married with a soldier but she had never been prepared for this and I wasn’t prepared for what was to come for me next.
