A Step Closer to Love

Everly’s journey to the hospital was shorter than usual as she prayed that everything was all good with her friend. Everly and Ava had been friends since high school. When they both went to college they lost touch and contact.

One day Ava moves in next door and met her high school friend. They rekindled the friendship and their family join in too. Everly had Kieran while she was in her first year of college which was what made the age gap in their children pronounced.

They entered the emergency room with urgency. They saw Ava sitting in one of the chairs. Arabella rushed to her mom book still in hand. Both girls had disposed of their ice cream after hearing the distressing news from their mom.

“Mom,” Arabella said holding her hands.

Ava’s head was bowed and tears rolled down her cheeks. She did not know the best way to tell the girls that she was now a widow and that they were now fatherless.

A young man who looked like he was just in his twenties staggered towards them and went down on his knees. Both girls and Everly watched the man as he knelt. Ava was kind-hearted but it was the first time that Everly saw her not taking pity on the young man.

Under normal circumstances, Ava would not allow the young man to kneel as she would make him stand up and comfort him warmly.

“It’s my mistake,” the young man said silently.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

Ava looked up at the man. If it was possible for a fire to breathe out her eyelids then she would have sent fire to consume him immediately. Why was he drunk driving in the daytime? Why did he not call a driver to drive him? Why did he have to kill her husband of all people? All those questions swirled in her mind.

“I am sorry,” the man said again. Tears went down his face.

“You should be,” Ava said her voice shaky.

“Why were you driving drunk at noon? You’ve taken away my husband bring him back” she added crying. She knelt beside him and held his collar.

“Why why why?” she asked continuously as the years fell uncontrollably down her face. She hated the situation she was in.

The gravity of the situation settled in the mind of Everly’s mind. She could not believe what she was currently hearing. It was very unbelievable.

“Ava, what do you mean?” Everly asked crouching down to her friends level.

“This monster ran down my husband as he was trying to cross the street,” Ava said pointing to the man in front of her. Her sentence was not coordinated but Everly, Seraphina, and Arabella could get the message very clearly.

“Impossible” Seraphina screamed.

Arabella felt tears going down her face. It was hot and she looked down at the man in front of her.

“What did my dada do so wrong?” Arabella asked in a gentle voice looking at the man.

“I am so sorry,” the man said again and again.

Arabella ran out of the emergency from toward the hospital road. She sat there tears in her eyes and with a tight chest.

Her father was gone and she never got to say goodbye

The Bishop family felt like someone removed the sure boat they were on and now they were sinking deeper than they could imagine. It could only take a huge float boat to save them now.

It took them all they could to put together the burial ceremony. The family of the driver had made the family lose their precious family and had come around multiple times to ask for forgiveness and beg on behalf of the son.

Ava had promised herself that she was never going to forgive him. She knew that she might try to forgive me but the fact that he was let off with a measly fine that can never bring her husband back to life because he was a first-time offender would haunt her for the rest of her life.

“What do you mean you are moving back home?” Everly said in a whisper.

“I have thought it through and I’m moving back for the girls and myself. I am not possibly taking care of these girls by myself and most importantly I can not take care of myself” Ava.

To Everly, it felt like Ava was overdoing it. She was rushing the decision because of the pan she felt at the moment. When she had time to think about it deeply then she would know she wants to stay.

“I can barely walk down the street without thinking that few blocks ahead my husband was killed right beside our house” Ava adds.

“I want you to still take some time over it to think it through. You don’t want to add shake the girls up for no reason” Everly said.

Ava was glad to have Everly at this period. Everly handled everything like a pro. Everly had been with her on the nights of uncontrollable years that turned to late night fevers.

“I have made up my mind. I would let the girls know tonight” Ava said.

“Are we moving to Japan?” Seraphina asked standing at the door frame.

Until the burial ceremony ten days ago both girls believed that their dad was still going to stand up and say it was all a prank. After the burial both girls them can to terms that their dad was gone and won’t be coming back anytime soon.

They both refused meals as cried all day. The break the school had given them to heal from their dads death was drawing to a close but both girls were not near ready to go back to school. These were part of the reasons that Ava decided to move.

She was mentally unrelated to take care of her girls and they were slipping further into depression. Seraphina even said a few sentences per day but Arabella who was closer to her dad barely uttered a single word.

“It’s going to be all fine” Ava said assuring her daughter. She was not sure it was going to be all fine. She just wanted hope and to give hope to her.

“Move to Japan?” Seraphina asked again.

“Yes Darling. In a few days we would be going” Ava answered.

She was not fully sure but seeing that her daughter was in worse shape than she imagined. She had barely changed her clothes not has a her taken as bath in days she made up her mind on the spot.

She was changing environment for her kids. Everly who saw Seraphina for the first time in ten days also mentally agreed with her friends decision. Maybe a change of environment would do them all good at the end of the day.

“I am sure your mom was the best for you” Everly said squeezing her friends hand. She was going to keep in touch to ensure that her friend was golf enough and fine wherever she was.

True to Ava’s words she moved her girls and herself back to her hometown to live with her parents.

They were going to heal there.