Walking home, on the moonlit street, I glance at the
brightly lit houses. Hedges perfectly trimmed and tiles polished until they
glimmered under the pale blue moon, everything was spotless. I stop for a brief
moment, just long enough to take a deep breath of the cool crisp air, and then
I hurriedly rush home knowing I will be in trouble if I am late again.
"I'm home",
I said. There was no reply.
"I'm home", I said with a louder voice
"Welcome home honey, your dinner is on the
table", replied Janice.
I took off my shoes and went into the dining room. She
was already dining with her father, or I should say, my boss, Mr. Evans. I
greeted him with a little bow, but his eyes remained focused on his meal and
did little to notice me.
I quickly went into my
room to change; I did not want to upset him even more by standing there. He
used to be such a cheerful man I recalled, but ever since I set my foot inside
this house, his attitude towards me changed.
After taking a shower,
I go back into the dining room. I carefully take my seat in front of my meal,
and start eating the cold pasta which seemed almost tasteless. There was an
eerie atmosphere; silence dominated the room and the only sound that could be
heard were metal forks clanking against the glass plates.
“James” said Mr. Evans
finally breaking the silence. “Your work quality lately has been . . .
declining; I suggest you start stepping up, unless you wish to find a new job,”
and with a cold stare, Mr. Evans took off.
I sat on the table frozen
still; I did not know what was going on.
“James!” Janice suddenly
shouted. She got up from her chair. “Why can’t you be a man, why can’t you
fight back?” She was in tears now. “How long are you going to let my dad take
control over you?” With that, she ran back into her room, leaving me dazed on
the lonely table where I quietly sat alone.
It wasn't until few
months ago that I had met the love of my life. It was a casual morning; I woke
up with the sound of my alarm buzzing inside my ear. Living alone, I was never
really good at taking care of myself, so as usual I skipped breakfast and went
straight to work.
My boss, Mr. Evans,
although different today, was a very charming man. He was a type of a leader
that you would look up to. He would always greet me with a smile, and I would often
respond, “Hello Mr. Evans, how are you doing today?” Although I had only known him for two years,
he seemed to have great interest in me; he would often treat me to a dinner or
give me a day off. It was as if I was his son.
Later that evening,
Mr. Evans introduced me to his daughter, Janice. She was a woman in her late
20s. She had a long, silky, golden-brown hair, and eyes that seemed to seduce even
the most handsome men around. Her beauty was incomparable. After having a nice
conversation with her, I realized that I was deeply in love with her. I couldn't let this chance slip away. So I decided to visit her often and buy few
presents just to impress her.
Few months have passed
since I've first met Janice. We've went out on plenty of romantic dinners, just
the two of us, and it seemed that Janice was finally falling for me. So I
decided the next time we went out, I would give her a little surprise. I've prepared a simple yet dazzling engagement ring that had a small diamond embedded into it; it was the perfect ring for her.
So the next day, right
after work, I brought her to her favourite restaurant. My hands were trembling
from the excitement, and I nearly dropped the spoon I was eating with. Waiting
patiently for just the right moment, I could feel my heart pounding. I was half
afraid that this might not go as expected. Just then, I saw her take the last
bite from her meal. “This was the chance,” I thought, and as planned, I knelt in
front of her with the ring in my hand. I asked, “Janice, will you do me the
honour of marrying me?” Her face was frozen, and tears started to flow down her
pink cheeks. For a second I thought I had done something wrong, but then she
said, “James, I wouldn't marry anyone other than you,” and continued to cry.
It was settled, we
were finally engaged. Our marriage was planned to be in three months, enough
time to prepare for the bright future ahead of us. At least that’s what I had
thought.
I stood up from the
table, as I reminisced about the past. I wondered, “What have I done wrong?” In
such a short amount of time, two of the people I trusted the most had turned on
me. My mind was whirling. I was starting to lose conscious as anger and hatred
filled inside me. The next thing I knew, I was running outside in the dark,
trying to rid of all the bitterness inside me. I didn't know what to do, but
all I knew was that I did not belong in that house. As I ran, memories of the
past were seeping into my mind, the ones that I did not want to remember. I
tried to take my mind off of it, but it only made them stronger. I couldn't take it any longer.
Just as I slowed down
to catch my breath; I saw bright lights that illuminated the night sky. I
had ran all the way to the Brooklyn Bridge. Spellbound by the array of lights,
my legs seemed to move on its own taking me closer and closer to the bridge. I
observed the speck of lights that lit up the city, as marvellous as it is, it
gave me the feeling of being home.
I had approached the
crest of the bridge. Without any hesitation, I grabbed on to the nearest
railing and heaved myself on top of it. Ignoring the distant shouts and beeps,
I said to myself, “Well, this is it James.” With that, I leaped forward into
the black sea, and faded with the stars in the night sky.
A month has passed; a
grave has been prepared for James. Janice and Mr. Evans were both there along
with James’s family and his friends. Tears were visible on the cheeks, and
everyone was silently mourning.
It started to rain, but no one minded. They let the
small drops of water seep into their dark clothes, just like the precious
memories of James seeping into their heart. Sadness and sorrow filled the air,
as each person took turns saying their last words to James. When it was finally
Janice’s turn to speak, she carefully knelt down beside James’s grave and cried,
“It was all my fault, I never hated you James, neither did my father,” She
paused for a moment, “We only wanted you to become accustomed to any
difficulties situations because my father was planning to give you his position
when he retires.” “ I'm sorry James,” said Janice, and she continued to weep.
The rain suddenly stopped and the sky began to clear.
The mood seemed to lighten up as if James had received their message. Looking
up, each and every person bid farewell, leaving only their painful memories
behind.
