Just Like That

Chapter One

I looked up and saw his face. From that moment onwards I knew he was the one for me. I instantaneously fell in love. Just like that, as instant as Polaroid. I looked up and saw something new. Something miraculous. Something dainty. Something I have never came across before. Something perfect. Something like… love. If that’s what it was.

He was not someone new. He was a friend – one of my closest. For as long as I could remember, he was always that guy everyone just adores in school. He was the first one in the list of any social events, and I was the total contrast. That was why he was always so familiar. He was always in my life. It was always Amelia, he and I. It was never Amelia and he or I and he. It was always us three. At least that was the assumption. I just never saw him for what he truly was. And today, of all the days, I got pass everything, and saw him.

It was the last day of school. We were signing yearbooks.

I was staring too long at his face before I started to blink ferociously. “Sorry” was all I managed to say. I must have looked stupid.

He pushed my yearbook back to me, and smiled. “Here you go.” His voice. Oh, his voice was soothing. Soft, silky, just like silhouette. He cleared his throat, and said, “This is your pen, right?”

Again, I was gawping at him.

“Hello,” he said, and waved his hands over my face.

I shook my heads, and said, “yeah, my pen.” I glanced longingly on the page where he signed his name, and giggled idiotically. Enjoy your summer! From, Joseph, he scripted beautifully. I had fully descended into madness. I was insane.

“Here, sign mine.” He gave me his yearbook.

I put the book on the table and bent down. Have an awesome summer! From, Delilah, I scribbled over the page, as careful as I could.

As I was still writing, he said to me, “So, where are you going this summer?”

“Home. No plans at all,” I said, monotonous. “You?”

“Same here.”

I flipped shut his yearbook and handed it to him. “See you around, Joe.” I tried my hardest to be emotionless. I turned on my heel and walked away.

“Yeah, you too, Delilah,” I heard as I walked through the door.'

I tottered my way to the bathroom. I leaned on the sink and took a good look on my face. Blank. I sprinkled some cold water on my face and shivered from the coldness. I tucked my hair behind my ears, and smiled. I took a deep breath and plodded out the revolving door.

I dawdled over the hectic chaos, without taking my eyes away from my locker. I shifted my bag over my right shoulder and pulled down my jacket. The bell had rung but the hallway was still occupied. Familiar faces darted by. Farewell and goodbyes bounced against the royal blue walls. Smiles and frowns collided.

I put in my combination and pulled my locker open. We were told to clean out our lockers on the last day of school. I tore down the class schedule. I tossed all the sheets of paper into the bin. The bin was already full of the bunch of stuff I busted my ass to do all year. I looked at them thoughtfully. I spent all these years to work on them and now they were in the trash? I sighed profoundly.

“What’s with the sad face, Delly?” Amelia boomed in my ears. “You’re supposed to be happy. It’s the last day of school, for heaven’s sake!”

“I should, shouldn’t I?” I asked myself, and drifted away. “Hey, don’t you ever call me Delly anymore. My name is Delilah. Now, say it with me. De-li-lah.”

“I know, I know,” she shrugged. “But it’s so long,” she whined. Now that she was putting it like that, my name did sound a little bit longer. “And, everyone, Delly, everyone is entitled to freedom of speech.”

“Okay, fine. I guess I could call you buttface then. Okay, it’s settled. You can call me Delly as much as you want and I’ll call you buttface for the rest of your life.”

“Okay, fine. You win.”

“Thanks. Hey, I bet my dad is already waiting in the car. I’ll catch up with you later.” I shoved the rest of the papers in the bin, and stomped across the hall to the door. I could feel like sunlight of summer already. My pace got faster. I longed for the heat. I missed the heat. I have been in school’s deathtrap since forever.

I took my final glance of the chaotic hallway. I pushed against the big door and raced down the worn- out steps. I looked around the school compound. People were hugging each other, bidding their goodbyes. I was sick of goodbyes by now. I just wanted to get out of this place already.

I was ready to run to the park and just watch the sun go down. I was ready to leave Biology behind. I was ready to read pages and pages of fiction and get out of the real world. I wanted to stay up late. I wanted to stay in bed, but my dad was not there yet so I sat on the lawn and waited.

I kept my eyes on the road. Dad, where are you? kept running across my mind. I closed my eyes and pushed everything behind me. I drifted away.

It was not even five seconds before a jovial “hey” brought me back to life. I frowned and listlessly turned around.

It was Amelia. Oh no, here we go again. “I thought you have to go or something. Why are you still here?”

“If I knew, you think I’d still be sitting here?” I shot back at her.

Before she even opened her mouth to answer, my dad zoomed by and stopped in front of me. I wistfully waved goodbye to Amelia and climbed into my dad’s car. My dad’s car got into ignition and strode pass by the school.

“How was the last day of school, kiddo?” My dad said. The speakers of the radio were loud enough to hurt my ears. I leaned forward to turn it down. I had enough chaos for today.

“Usual.”

“Are you going to miss your friends?”

I flashed a weak smile. “They live here, don’t they? If I miss them, I would just walk across the street, knock on their door and give them a big hug,” I said, boring.

“You’re right.”

I closed my eyes and lay my head back. I let out my huge sigh. I saw my dad’s head jerked to my direction, but he was smart enough not to do anything. He knew me very well. I did not like to be bothered.

“We’re home.”

I scrambled out of the car and dragged my bag on the floor. My mom was in the living room, watching some ancient soap opera. “How was school?” she said, without taking her eyes off the television set.

“Fine,” I said and trudged up the stairs.

That night, I craved for stars so I slept without pulling my blinds down.

Ten o’clock, in the morning and daylight was already burning. I gulped down some warm chocolate milk. I went out to the patio and sat on one of the straw armchairs my mom put outside. I just sat there and did nothing until I actually felt bored.

I could feel like sunlight in my hair. It made me smile. I could feel the heat feeding on my skin, and I loved it.

My eyes blinked and night fell. The sky was empty that night. It made me sad. I needed the stars to shine and twinkle before my eyes. I was fed up of the roaring sounds of airplanes and helicopters hovering over our neighborhood. I shut my eyes, and covered my ears with my hands. I fell asleep by then.

The shrilling sound of my mother’s scream woke me up. I rolled over the bed and hit my head on the floor. I sunk my knees in the floor and tried to stand up. As soon as I stood, I shuffled against the cold hard tiles of my room. I made my way through the door and across the hallway to my parents’ room.

I could see the door was open wide.

Next came, my dad’s deafening shout. What the hell is going on? I asked myself. An uncomfortable frown appeared upon my forehead. I walked faster, anxious to reach my mother’s room.

I peeped from the edge of the door. My mother was on the other side of the bed, facing her back towards Dad. I didn’t understand any of this. I was confused. My father stood across my mother. I just craned my neck at the doorframe.

My father sighed intensely. I carefully took a whiff of the atmosphere. All I could feel was the humidity of the tension. I didn’t understand. My mother was sobbing now. Clothes sprawled all over the floor. By now my father had sit on the other edge of the bed.

“How could you do this to me? To Delilah?” My mom started to speak between her sobs. “Why, Frank? Why?”

What? Do what? I said to myself, in my mind. What is happening?

“Rose,” my father started. “It’s not you. It’s me.”

“But why?”

A intense thud caved upon my ears. My mother suddenly fell on the floor. I ran in, burst through the door. “Mom! Mom!” I screamed then looked at my father. “What did you do?” Subsequently, I turned my attention to my mom, who seemed helpless and powerless on the floor. “Are you okay, Mom?”

My mom whispered, “I’m okay. It’s your dad I’m concerned of.”

“What did you do, Dad?” I demanded. My dad did not seem to budge. He was not about to say anything. “Mom?”

“I thought you loved us?” My mom murmured, now sitting upright. “I thought you loved me,” my mother said, defeated.

“Rose…”

“Who, Dad?” I screamed. They both ignored me. “What is going on? I insist you to tell me. Mom? Dad?”

“Ask your daddy, Delilah.”

“Dad?” I said.

“Come with me, sweetheart,” my dad pulled me by the waist and led my outside the room.
“What is happening, Dad?”

“Listen to me.” He looked into my eyes. “I’m leaving, honey.” He sighed.

“Leaving? Where?” I sputtered out. “Where are you leaving to, Dad? This is your home, is it not? Our home.”

“That is the thing, Delilah. I can’t stand living here. I am tired. Tired of this cycle. This cycle of coming home from my office and repeating it all over again. I want adventure. I hate this town. I hate this life. I hate it.”

“You. Hate. Me.” I felt tears stinging at the corner of my eyes.

“No, no.” My dad sighed. “Not you, baby. How could I hate you? You are my daughter.”

“Why are you leaving then?”

“I am fed up of this kind of life.”

“But you chose this life. Don’t you love Mom anymore?” I gulped and continued, “Don’t you love me, Dad? I am your daughter. I love you, Dad. Please love me and don’t leave me, and Mom. Mom loves you too.”

“No, honey. Love is nothing. Love does not exist. It’s just like fairy tale.”

That did it. I bolted across the hall to my room. I shut the door at once. I ran to my bed and screamed into my pillow. This was not happening. I know it was not. Just before this, I lived happily. Well, not exactly happy, but it was all right. Better than this. I hid my face in the pillow. The scent on my pillow, the scent of my shampoo was suffocating me, but I did not want to leave. Maybe I’ll die like this, I thought.

I could hear my dad knocking my door. I ignored it. It was not locked, I said. Why didn’t he just turn the knob and save him all the time? “Delilah.”

“Go. Away.” My voice was muffled as I was talking through the pillow.

“Delilah, honey.” It was Mom. “Please open the door.”

“No.” It was not even locked.

“We’re not leaving until you get this door open.”

Oh now it’s we. I hate parents. They are so twisted. And old.

I sighed and trundled over the floor. My feet were weighing the weight of my whole body. I twisted the knob and let them in. “It was not even locked,” I mumbled. I sat in front of my dressing table and brushed my black hair. I looked horrible. My hair was out of place. My hairpin was somewhere, lost in my hair. “What?” I said, finally, and looked at them.
“Honey,” my mom started. “Are we upsetting you?”

“Oh no,” I exaggerated, hoping they would read the sarcasm.

My dad chuckled. It was melodic. I knew why my mom fell in love with him back then. “We’re sorry,” he said, and kissed my head.

“Whatever, Dad,” I sighed. “You’re leaving anyway.”

“Honey,” my father started.

“Dad, if you don’t mind, I’m tired. I just want to get back to sleep, and hope to wake up from this nightmare.”

“This is not a nightmare. It is real.”

“Good night to you too, Dad.” Right then, I pulled the duvet over my head and hid myself under the covers. I was fighting with tears but they won. Triumphantly, tears came running down my cheeks.

“Good night.”

I heard them closed my door. I waited for a nanosecond before I pulled down the duvet. I reached my little black phone resting peacefully on the bedside table. I punched in Amelia’s number.

It was long enough until I came to a conclusion to put the phone down. It was obvious she was not going to answer it. I redialed and waited for what seemed forever. I waited and waited. She still was not answering anyway. I glanced over the digital clock on my bedside table. 4:19 AM. I slipped down the bed and pulled the duvet over.

Honestly, I was not in the mood to talk. I just wanted someone to keep me company. Looking that it was summer, the night was surprisingly cold. My skin blanched. For once in my life, I felt lonely. I wished I had brothers and sisters or I would not have to face this problem caused by my moronic parents alone. I would let my older sister do the thinking and I would just sleep, drift away to wonderland. Yes, my dad said it was not my fault, but I would like to believe they were clever enough to figure out how kids tend to blame themselves for any family dysfunction. They watched the 10 o’clock news every single night of their useless life and they should know this.

I stared at my phone, finally grabbing it and browsed through the phonebook. I thought hard before I actually pressed the green button to call. I decided to call Joe. I did not know why, but of all people I thought he would understand. I knew he would. He just looked like the kind of guy who would know what to say and when to say it.

I waited. Just before I felt like giving up, a weary “hello” rumbled at the other end of the line. It was before the second ring even ended.

“Hey” was all I could say. My throat was suddenly frozen. My tongue jammed. My breathing stopped.

“Who is this?” Despite the fact that it was in the middle of the night, (well, early morning) he sounded polite and friendly. I could fall asleep back again and forget everything just by the tone of this angelic voice.

“Hi Joe. It’s Delilah. I know it’s late but I just wanted to talk. I called Amy but she didn’t answer. Some heavy sleeper, she is. I would totally understand if you want to hang up. I guess we can talk tomorrow…” I droned on.

“No problem, Delilah. No problem at all,” he chortled. “What’s wrong? You can tell me everything.” I love him, I thought to myself.

“It’s my dad,” I sighed heavily. “He made up his mind to leave this town. And me, and my pitiful mother. He said he wanted adventure. This life is apparently too boring for him. I don’t know what to do. There’s nothing I could do anymore to make him change his mind. I feel so bad for my mother. I don’t know what to do.” Tears came rolling down my cheeks. “I don’t know what to do,” I sniffed. “My mother. She’s devastated,” I continued to whine.
“Delilah. First things first, you have to know that this is not your fault.”
“I know but why do I feel so horrible?”

“Of course you feel horrible. After all he is your dad. But you know, people changes, promises are broken. That’s life. But remember this, things always change for the better. Believe me, something good is coming your way,” he said.

I let the words dissolve into my saturated mind. With all the things that were already reeling inside my head, I found it hard to concentrate on his words. I tried so hard to focus, but I couldn’t. I closed my eyes. My head became heavier and it spun around. My room revolved before my eyes. My head was hurting. It throbbed. It was as if my head was about to explode.

“Hello? Hello?

I held the phone in my hands. My palms were sweating. My whole room came caving down on me. Then I drowned into a pool of black darkness. Everything stopped. A long and winding coma was exactly what black pool of darkness was.
Then I died. The end.

Oh how I wish this would end here, but no, it did not. The worst had yet to come. Had yet to come, in a sweet, sweet disguise.