I finally finished packing all my bags and set them on the bed, I took out my phone and texted my uber to pick me up in ten minutes, during those ten minutes I was going to say goodbye to my landlady. Miss Yang was such a sweet lady, when mom and I first moved into our apartment we were the awkward family because of our skin tone, being brown-skinned around here made you stand out more than you wanted to.
I walked out of my apartment and left the door half-closed, no one stole around here so it was ok. I walked downstairs and made my way to miss Yang's room, she lived in a room downstairs and rented out her top floor for cash. I knocked on her door three times before I heard her sweet voice.
"Steph my dear, I was trying to hide so I couldn't say goodbye to you", she said with a sad smile on her face.
"I wouldn't be able to go in peace if I didn't say bye to you", I smiled at the short Chinese woman in front of me.
"Words can't express how sorry I am, it's been a year but I know you're still not over it", she held my hands.
"I read online that to get over grief you need to be with someone that understands the pain you're going through and that's exactly what I'm going to do", I smiled.
"I love that about you Steph, always looking on the bright side, just like her, I'll miss you", she brought me into a hug.
"I'll miss you too, but I'll always remember you thanks to the cookbook and assortments of teas you gave me", I hugged her back and laughed.
"You'll never know what illness is thanks to those teas", she pulled away and winked.
"Well I should get going now, my uber is probably outside already", I kissed her cheek.
"God bless you, my dear, I'll always be here in case you need a quick getaway", she smiled.
"I know", I winked, "JESS GET OUT HERE!", I yelled.
I heard stomping from upstairs and Jess was at the top looking down at me.
"What the hell do you want?", he scowled.
"I'll miss you least of all", I smiled, "help me get my bags will yah". I walked up the stairs and past by him to get to my apartment.
"Do it yourself, I've got better things to be doing", he said walking into my apartment.
"Like what admire fictional anime characters and wishing they were alive so you wouldn't be single?", I raised an eyebrow at him.
He scowled and took two of my bags, "I really hate you", he walked out and I grabbed the remaining two bags and followed him.
Jess was an awkward fifteen-year-old boy, we bonded over anime, I'm not as hardcore as him but I knew my characters, I even had a naruto and Hinata phone cover which Jess has been begging for but I obviously refuse.
I gave miss Yang one last wave and walked out of my apartment building, Jess loaded my bags in the boot and I put the others in the back seat where I'd be sitting, if there's one thing I avoided in life was sitting shotgun in an uber, it just didn't feel right.
"Well kiddo I guess this is goodbye", I said to Jess.
"Yeah yeah don't get sobby on me", he looked away from me trying to hide how sad he was.
I took off my naruto phone cover and handed it to him, "here you go kid, don't miss me too much", I winked and played with his hair.
"Thanks, old lady", he grabbed the phone case, kissed me on the cheek and ran inside.
I took one last look at my apartment building, the all too familiar street, the shops, and street lights and entered my uber.
Goodbye Steph...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I had my ear pods in my ears and I scrolled through my tracklist, it basically consisted of bands and few solo artists like H.E.R and Jorja Smith. I clicked on twenty-one pilots and played the song that somehow always brightened my mood, stressed out. As the song played I leaned against the window and watched the moving scenery, I took this moment to review my past suckish year.
Flashback
"Are you sure there's no cure for my mother?", I asked the doctor in tears.
"I'm sorry miss but this is the strangest case I've ever seen, no one knows what's wrong, I even asked my friends abroad but nothing", the doctor replied.
I cried my eyes out in the hospital hallway, in the room just across me my mother was dying. How could it be possible that she has an illness that no doctor can cure, she was fine three months ago.
I walked into my mom's hospital room and she looked at me with those sick eyes, eyes that once had life but now are constantly fading by the minute.
"Steph my love don't cry", she said in a low voice, her once brown skin now looking pale white.
"Don't ask me not to cry, I'm about to lose you", I cried more.
"I know baby but you'll be alright, you're not alone", she took my hand.
"Who else do I have in this world except you?", I squeezed her hand.
"Your...father", she squeezed back.
"I don't even know him, mom".
"You will promise me you'll go and stay with him".
"No, I can't go, you won't die".
"Baby please....just promise or I'll cry", she threatened, she knows how much I hate seeing her cry.
"I promise", I smiled with tears down my face.
"Thank you, baby, be good now", she smiled then put her head down. The machine started making a weird noise.
"MOM!!".
"MOM WAKE UP!".
"MOMMY!".
The doctor came in and pushed me out, I waited for any news and when it came I broke down and cried uncontrollably.
"I'm so sorry young lady, but...she's gone".
"She's gone".
"She's gone".
Present
The memories were just too painful to remember but they always replayed in my brain. After that tragic day, my life was just meaningless, I refused to go outside, to eat and even sleep because whenever I tried moms face would pop up and I would wake up crying.
I unlocked my phone and scrolled through my music again, the trip was long so I had to keep myself busy somehow. I opened a Hollywood undead album and picked my favourite song 'lion', the song was cool it felt like it was supposed to be in a movie.
I grabbed my backpack and opened the medium zip, I took out my drawing pad and favourite black pen and started drawing, at first I didn't know what I wanted to draw then it hit me, a dragon, I was in love with dragons, not just them I was in love with many supernatural creatures, I didn't believe in them but I thought they were really cool.
I drew a rough sketch then started adding more detail, on this particular dragon I was going to use green, I opened my bag again and looked for my pencil case, I moved some books aside and found it, I also found the letter my dad sent me a few months after mom died. I took it out of my bag, opened it and read it again.
Dear Stephanie...
I know you'll probably find it strange that I decided to send a letter now, and even more strange that I'm sending a letter instead of an email like all these modern people but I didn't know how to approach you.
When you sent me an email about Emilia's death I didn't know what to do but now I do and I'm asking you to come and stay with me, we only have each other now.
I'll be waiting...
Sebastian ♥
I closed the letter and put it back in my bag, that was the first letter I received from him and the last, after he sent it I thought he would send one every month to persuade me to go but he didn't, maybe he was giving me space to think or maybe he was just trying so no one can call him a bad father for not.
I started drawing again but with a half mind, half was trying to focus on drawing and the other thinking about my father, mom would tell me about how he looked every day, she said he was really handsome and tall, she also said he was a mix on French and Spanish so that was an interesting blend, because of that mom made me sit through French classes every day since I was eight, she wanted me to impress him when I first saw him.
While I was thinking the uber driver called out to me.
"Hey missy you sure this is the right way?", he asked.
"Huh...yeah I'm sure, why?", I replied.
"It is just it looks like we're going nowhere".
"There should be a dust road somewhere around here, you're supposed to turn into it".
We drove a little longer and finally saw the dust road, he turned into it and continued driving. I was starting to freak out, why was my fathers house in the middle of nowhere? Was he a shady business dealer?.
~~
We drove further down and it felt like we'd been driving forever. We finally saw some light, we drove up a driveway to an insanely huge house, it looked like a museum. Now I'm almost certain my dad is in some shady business.
I looked out the window and saw a huge ground where a bunch of guys stood, some shirtless and some in tank tops, what was this place?
"Are you sure I should leave you here? This place looks a little bit shady", the uber asked.
"I'm not so sure myself", I replied.
"What are you doing here if I may ask?".
"This is my new home, I'm still deciding".
"Looks way too shady to me, I'll call the cops if you need them".
I laughed, "its cool...James", I saw his name on the dashboard.
I looked out the window again and saw a man looking at the uber, due to the description my mom gave me I knew that was my father Sebastian, tall, bleached white hair, that was all I could see from the distance I was at. I took a deep breath and opened the car door, I paid the uber then I stepped out of the car and walked towards the man that is my father, he walked to me too and we were face to face now.
I looked at him in silence, I wanted to say something but I felt a strange pulling feeling, it felt strange because I've never felt it before, I looked over to the crowd of boys and one stuck out more than the rest, his eyes, what color were they? He looked back at me and we were now in a staring contest.
"Stephanie?", my father asked and snapped me out of my stare down.
"Yes, and you must be Sebastian", I gave a small smile.
He looked at me for a long time and I could see him get emotional.
"You look so much like her", he smiled.
"Not all of me, I got my eyes from you", I smiled back. I thought I was going to feel uncomfortable around him but he felt so warm.
"Can I...give you a hug?".
"It wouldn't be an awkward reunion if you didn't", I extended my arms.
He smiled at me and bent low to give me a hug, he was really tall, he embraced me warmly and for a second I almost cried.
We broke the hug and continued looking at each other.
"John, can you please take care of my daughter's bags? We have a lot to talk about", he said to a tall boy with brown hair.
"Yes sir", John replied.
My dad led me to the insanely huge house, I turned around and looked at the guy I was just staring at, it was weird because I've never been boy crazy before.
What's this feeling?...