Sometimes there are some things in life that we usually take for granted. We may fail to realize some of them but sometimes it is the little things that matter more than the big things...
DISCLAIMER: Any similarities to situations and names of existing people is a mere coincidence. This short story is a product of both my imagination and somewhat my past experiences. I did not write this short story to tell everyone of my sad life story but rather I wrote this because it had a moral lesson that everybody should know of in the end. This might be able to serve as a warning or probably something enlightening. It all depends on how you take this all within. Happy Reading!
"Look at me. Acknowledge me."
She wept as she craved for her father's attention. She looked at herself in the mirror that night. Seeing her reflection, her eyes swollen and red from all the crying, her hair a mess and her complexion pale. The little girl that she used to be is gone and now she's a teenager and yet, she has never felt appreciation nor love. Angry at what she sees, tears continue to fall from her eyes as she punches the mirror in front of her. A part of the glass cracks and then shatters into many pieces. Blood oozed from her knucles, she decided to clean herself up and the mess she's made. After getting everything sorted out, she heads to bed to finally get some rest. She closes her eyes only to dream about her childhood.
Life wasn't always awkward and miserable in their house. She used to love spending time with her parents as a kid. They would laugh, hug, go out somewhere and just have a lot of fun together. She was close to them as they were to her. Back then everything was so perfect. Too bad that sometimes some things do come to an end. As her parents had to leave her to work in another country, she was forced to live with her grandparents. She loved them too but they could never replace her parents. As the years passed and they just kept on visiting, she wished they would take her with them but all her pleas did not work on them. Instead, she continued to grow without them. Harboring no hatred for them, she decides to just do her best in life.
The time came when she heard that she will finally be joining them. Excited for this, she was naive to think that nothing has changed but unfortunately it has. She arrived at her new home to greet them. She was happy but as time flew, she realized that things will never be the same again. The loving father she once knew was now cold and stern. He rarely smiled now as he is almost always angry and annoyed with almost everything. She wanted to understand him and so she tried. As he kept on ignoring her, she realized that she needed to get his attention. But how? She decided that the best way to make him notice her was to show him that she could be good in something.
She endured the changes. She missed her old friends and her other family members back home. Most of all, she missed being in the country where she grew up but she coped. She wanted to show him she could achieve something for him to be proud of her. She tried many times but like what they say. You can't win everything. So, she won some and she lost some but despite all her hard work, her efforts, her time, her devotion, her passion and her cause, she still did not get anything from him. At times when she lost, she even remember him being angry at her. She was confused and didn't know what to do. What could she be doing wrong? She was miserable and she was clueless. She had nothing else in mind but to please. Unfortunately, what she did was never enough. She cried in her sleep that night.
The next day, she talked to her mother about her dilemma. Her mother knew of this so well as she is his partner and have been living with him for many years. She consoled her and told her how much he loved her. She said that he just doesn't know how to express how he feels so sometimes instead of acting like he cares, he accidentally hurts that person in the process through the words that he uses or the action that he shows. She wanted to ask her if he loved her but she knew that her mother would just tell her that he did. There was no point in getting the same response over and over again. So despite his indifference, she still went on with her conquest. She joined every single competition she knew, studied hard and did every other extra curricular activity she could do that can help her be busy and achieve something at the same time.
As the years flew by, she had grown into an intelligent young woman, strong and opinionated. She was filled with dreams of grandeur and hopes of becoming more than what she was. She continued striving hard and giving everything her all. People thought she was doing everything she could for herself but little did they know that she was actually just trying to seek her father's approval. It may not matter to anyone else but she knew it mattered to her a lot. But after many years nothing really ever changed. She felt defeated. She didn't know what to do anymore. She wanted to felt loved and appreciated. She wanted him to look at her and smile. She wanted him to embrace her, praise her or better yet show her that he was proud of her for once. She knew it wasn't asking much. She kept on trying to impress him but all she ever got was him telling her things that would eventually hurt her and harden her up. She wanted to open her heart to him but how can she when all he ever does is turn her away?
After feeling like a failure, she decided to quit as none of it matters now as he never really cared. As she was about to go to her car that night to drive back to her home, an accident happened. As she was about to cross the road, a car went speeding by. It swerved from one side to another and before she could react, it was too late. The car hit her hard and it sent her flying to the pavement. With blood in her hands and all over her body, she knew it was the end for her. It was midnight and there was no one there to help her. She would die alone and miserable and for what? She closed her eyes and felt warm tears fall from her bloody cheeks. It is too late now. She can never go back and aim to please for this was her last night to live. Breathing her last, she grabs her phone from her bag and sends out a message to both her parents. With her last strength, she tells them that she loves them. As she closed her eyes once more, she felt her heart beating slowly now. Her breathing was becoming weezy and she was becoming weak. Will she be appreciated now that she is gone? Only time will tell. Then, she suddenly hears a siren approaching to her but alas it was too late. She was already cold and dead when they got there. Without a pulse and having lost so much blood, she was declared dead on the spot.
Her parents did know of the said tragedy and was surprised as they were woken up by someone at the door. Her mother suddenly felt weak in the knees as she heard of the grave news. Her father held on to her mother with tears starting to form from his eyes. He felt guilty and he regreted not being able to tell her how much she meant to him and how proud he had been. Nobody saw it coming and nobody knew that it would end that way. He gave her tough love despite all her kindness and this is what happens next. As her mother finally tries to realizes what really happened, she sees him breaking down in tears. He cllutched his chest with his hand, beating it hard with his fist. It was too late for regrets now or for apologies. She was no longer there. She is nothing more than a memory now and there was nothing he could do to console himself off his grief. If only he had changed sooner maybe there would have been a better chance. If only he didn't drive her away, maybe she would have been alive today.
Life is short and it can never be filled with regrets. If you love someone, tell them about it and never let a day pass by without doing so for you will never know when you will be able to say it last. It was a hard lesson that he learned that night and there was no turning back.
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