XAVIER’S POV
I came out of my bathroom surprised to see Sarah, lying on my bed. Her hair sprawled across the bed sheet like a wild tangle, framing her sleepy face and cascading down the pillow. The cute-looking innocent girl has grown up to be a fine woman. I vividly remembered her younger sweet smile she usually gives me every time I visit. I walked over to wake her up but I stopped in my tracks when I noticed how peaceful she was while asleep. I chuckled as I recalled our earlier conversation, I never knew she was this hilarious and playful. ‘Video game,’ just the thought of that was inching me to burst into laughter.
While I covered her with the duvet, I saw one of her hands hanging at the edge of the bed. I slowly leaned forward to position her hand properly on the bed before clearing the cutlery from my bedside table. The sight of the cutlery induced my mind to recall the umami taste of the food she prepared for me. She sounded serious when she said she would be my personal cook; her arrival will certainly bring changes to my lifestyle.
I placed the cutlery on the kitchen sink and turned on my laptop to contact Sarah’s father, William. We have been close friends since childhood; we grew together, attended the same college, and even got married on the same day. But unfortunately for the both of us, life’s taunted us with unexpected surprises. His wife’s drastic death ten years ago made the exuberant man I knew turn somber for years. I stood by him all those years comforting him while he grieved. Finally, he moved on, but I, on the other hand, got my own share of melancholy.
When he informed me of his job transfer, I never predicted he would entrust Sarah to me. Ever since a terrible incident, I had been drowning in my lonely world, slowly mending the pieces of my shattered heart, and yet they were still broken. Every day, I deceive myself, pretending to move on but inwardly delving into my darkest moments. Surprisingly, I laughed, after a long time, not only that, I ate at home. Can I still remember the last time apart from yesterday I sat at that dinner table to eat?
“Good evening Xavier,” William’s voice jolted me from my thoughts. It was a video call, his face was lively, just like mine was back then before my world crumpled down.
“It’s morning here,” I informed him.
“Oh, yeah. I forgot to keep track of the time zone. How are you and Sarah doing? I hope she isn’t giving you any troubles.”
I smiled at the word ‘trouble,’ she certainly won’t give me trouble. “Not at all, she is a good kid,” I told him and his face scrunched.
“Let me give you some heads up, she’s a pest. When she asks for something, she makes sure she gets it.”
“Well, there are many ways to restrain a pest,” he laughed at what I said.
“She is not your typical pest…”
“You don’t have to worry, she is behaving,” I assured him. “Take care of yourself, and also make time to contact Sarah.”
He twitched his nose, “I won’t contact her, she said she won’t miss me. I’d like to see how long she can live without contacting me.”
I didn’t reply to that because I knew he would surely contact her before the end of the month. I myself would like to see how he could relax without chatting with his daughter.
“Take care of yourself.”
“I will.”
The video call ended, and I returned to my room to get dressed for the day’s work.
When I got into the room, Sarah was at the brink of falling off the bed, her head was hanging downward, her legs were spread far and wide taking up the whole space, the duvet was rumpled. I shook my head at her sleeping posture and the smile on her face after turning my bed into a jungle. Even the sight of her sleeping was hilarious. She is indeed a heavy sleeper; even after flipping her to the side of the bed, she didn’t jolt awake by the disturbance.
‘This girl is one of a kind,’ I thought and closed the door behind me.
After the big turn around in my life, I decided to focus more on my career. I left the military hospital and established my privately-owned venture. I immersed myself in my work to distract my mind from those daunting memories that keeps seeping in.
“Good morning, sir,” Erin greeted with her usual tone of voice.
I responded with a hum and grabbed my car keys. “Erin, don’t clean my room today.”
She nodded. “Yes, sir… Sir… um…”
I halted my movements to listen.
“I want to request your permission to miss work for the rest of the week.”
“Is there a problem?” I asked; she usually doesn’t request to take the day off.
“My mum is sick.”
“Oh,” I felt touched. “Taking care of her should be a priority.”
She smiled, “Thank you, Mr. Clinton.”
“Nothing is more important than family,” I smiled, slowly drifting away to the sharp, sudden painful moments of my life. “I should get going.” I walked with heavy steps, pushing those awful thoughts away, reminding myself that I am in the present, encouraging myself that I should make good memories with the present instead of sinking into those past memories.
I slammed my car door and pummeled into the steering wheel. With a huff, I tucked back the strands of hair falling to my face. I get riled up whenever those flashbacks appear in my head; they haunt me too deeply, forcing me into a state of depression.
I heaved a deep breath and started the car. ‘With time, everything will slowly turn into a blur.’ This was the assurance I kept giving myself when I know very well it’s never possible. Or perhaps when a miracle opens its arms to envelop me in an embrace, things might change. That’s if it even exists…