My Better Days

"Thank you," I said with a smile to the gentleman who adjusted his seat so I could sit in the crowded train. The Easter holidays just ended and everyone, including me, seemed to be heading to the big city, for work was calling. I am currently the advertising manager of one of the top fashion brands in the world.

Many people came to Greenville to spend time with family. I, on the other hand, came to remember them. Studying the different types of passengers, there were some bickering about how awesome the holidays had been. Others just stayed relaxed with earpieces on, like me. A few workaholics were busy arguing over the phone on how the rate of profit for the business had dropped drastically.

Little by little, my mind drifted away from the train to my life story and the sudden twist the holidays brought. My parents and I constituted the poorest family in Greenville. We lived on the little earnings mother made from her little vegetable garden and had a little more whenever dad finally got called to do a plumbing job. However, thanks to his inability to afford more efficient tools, that rarely happened. Despite our struggles, my parents always managed to make me smile. They always did their best to make me feel special and worthwhile.

Unfortunately, I got home one-day from school to meet the shock of my life. I managed to go through basic school with the help of an old friendly neighbour. One Friday afternoon, in ninth grade, I got home to see that the front door to my little wooden home was wide open which was very unusual. I assumed mum or dad was nearby, probably somewhere outside. I called out severally but got no response. Getting closer to the open door, I saw red stains on the ground. I looked around me and noticed that there were few of similar stains behind me.

I panicked as many thoughts started to rush through my mind. Just when I was about to run into the house, I felt two strong arms hold me back. I turned hoping it was dad...but it wasn't. It was the grandson of the old friendly neighbour. "Please let me go. I want to see my mom and dad," I cried, struggling to free myself.

But my struggles were in vain. The young man merely carried me over his shoulder and carried me to his grandmother's house. The sweet old lady comforted me and assured me that all would be fine. She claimed mum wasn't feeling well and dad simply took her to the doctor. I was really confused. 'If it's not so serious, then does it mean those stains weren't blood?' I thought but preferred not to ask, afraid of the answer I would have got.

The next morning, I rushed to the house. The place was in a total mess and the stains were still there. I quietly and fearfully walked to the little bedroom. Finally, a little bit of relief rushed through me and I couldn't help but sigh in relief with a satisfied smile. From the door, I could see dad lying down on the bed, asleep. I got closer, hoping to see mum in his arms from the other side. My body tensed up when my eyes didn't fall on her but rather a pillow and stained sheets.

"But where's mum?" I whispered to myself which was surprisingly enough to wake dad from his slumber.

He immediately got off the bed startled by my presence which confused me. The traces of dried tears were visible on his face and his brown eyes were red and puffy. He knelt before me and held my shoulders, forcing a smile. "Your mummy wanted you to know that she loved you very much and that she'll continue to love and watch over us from the skies from now."

I was shuttered and felt very cold all of a sudden. I felt like I was going to die. I couldn't breathe, neither could I move. Dad realized and started panicking. He shook me vigorously and began weeping, begging me to be strong for him.

Ever since that day, things had never been the same. Mum had died due to the complications from the abortion she committed. Things were already extremely tough and she knew that an extra mouth was something this family couldn't afford to feed. What hurt me most was the fact that we hadn't been so close during her last days, probably month. I was so focused on preparing for my final exams to get a scholarship to high school that I hardly told her how much I loved her. I hated myself for not showing her how much she mattered to me. I never expected that that morning would be the last time I saw her alive.

Regardless, I managed to pass the exam and got a scholarship to attend the best high school in Greenville. My motivation was mum, to make her proud and her sacrifice worthwhile. They say high school is hell. No doubt about that. I experienced it first hand. As expected, I was the main victim of bullying. Being such a big school, many believed that I wasn't fit to sit in class and mingle with elites. I was treated like an outcast. Even those who seemed to have no time to bully me disregarded me like I was nothing but a ghost. Others gossiped about me, fueling the rumours claiming that I was hooking up with others girls' guys when their guys were the ones harassing me. In the beginning, some teachers would pick on me, asking me questions they seemed sure I would answer wrongly. After proving them wrong on multiple occasions, they stopped giving me much attention. I was miserable and cried every night, doing my best to hide my tears from dad.

One Monday morning, things just suddenly changed. My major bullies, Toby, Remie, Andy and Olivia, saw me and just passed, not even sparing me a threatening glare. No one even bothered to come near me and I wondered why. This went on for days until finally I got to understand, partly.

I was getting a book out of my locker when Toby suddenly came from behind me and shut the locker, almost injuring my fingers. "Hey rag, missed me?" he asked, cornering me against my locker with his hands at my side.

Before I could say a word, someone pulled him back by his shirt.

"Back off," Calvin said through gritted teeth and a frown. Toby glared at me and walked away. It was then that I realized I had been seeing Calvin around a lot often.

Calvin was the son of the mayor and the most respected student amongst both students and teachers. He was gentle and sweet but barely paid much attention to anyone. 'Was he the one scaring my bullies away or was this just momentarily?' I thought as he turned to look at me with a soft smile.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he took my books from my hand. I merely nodded since I was too stunned to speak. "Let me walk you to your class."

That was the beginning of our friendship. Since then, he always waited for me at my locker and would usually accompany me to most of my classes. We sat together during lunch and he'd usually drop me off near my home. Despite this, we barely spoke to each other. I still wasn't sure why he was helping me out, especially being my senior. One thing I was almost certain of was that he pittied me but I was okay with it because I couldn't blame him. Besides, at least I was safe from my bullies.

Things suddenly changed one lunch break. As usual, Calvin and I were having lunch together in the cafeteria when Toby and his followers joined us. In confusion, I looked at Calvin and saw that he was glaring at his food with his jaws clenched.

"Well..." Calvin grabbed our bags and my hand and pulled me out with him, even before Toby could continue his speech. "Oh come on Calvin. The bet is over. You won. Now let that rag go," Toby shouted, managing to get everyone's attention. 

By the time we were a bit away from the cafeteria, his words finally registered in my head. I immediately pulled my hands out of Calvin's grip in realization. He was speed-walking but stopped immediately I let go, standing a little ahead of me, without daring to look back. "So that's why you started hanging out with me. Because of a bet?" I asked extremely hurt and humiliated.

"It's not like that. I..." he started explaining, finally turning to me, but I ignored. I snatched my bag from his hand and walked away. I never expected that from him and to be honest, it felt awful. I was more than ready to cut ties with him even if it meant being left to the mercy of my bullies.

Despite what happened that day, Calvin continued to approach me but I always avoided him. Once, I was in the bathroom and heard a sound at the door which startled me. I got closer and overheard a conversation between two guys.

"I warned you to back off," I heard Calvin say angrily.

"Relax bro. I wasn't going to hurt her. Besides, why're you still protecting her? The little rag wants nothing to do with y..." Before Toby completed his statement, I heard some more voices saying "Relax", over and over again.

"I won the bet so you better keep to your side of the deal or don't say I didn't warn you," Calvin said.

Out of curiosity, I stepped out, expecting that my ears had probably deceived me. They hadn't. It was really as I heard. Two other guys were standing next to Calvin as though ready to hold him back. All attention fell on me when I walked out. Calvin's angry expression grew mild while Toby's fearful one turned to rage, looking down at me. I was speechless and just walked away, not daring to look back.

That Friday afternoon, I got home to find dad in the best of moods. He was singing and dancing while cooking. He explained to me that by some miracle, the mayor heard he was quite good at writing and invited him to his office. Dad showed him some of his works and he was impressed, immediately hiring him to be in charge of his speeches. Although confused as to how that information got to him, dad was still excited and grateful.

I, on the other hand, had an idea as to how the mayor got to know. I had once shown Calvin one writing dad did for me as a form of encouragement. He was surely behind this and I needed to thank him for that.

The next day, dad left early for the mayor's office. I did my chores and assignments and headed for the lake near my home. I sat on the floor, clenching my knees close to my chest as I inhaled the fresh breeze, enjoying the scenery. Memories of my childhood came rushing to me. I started to reminisce moments my parents and I spent together right there. We sometimes chased each other around and sang songs. I remembered mum used to tell me, "Take heart my sweet girl. Better days are ahead of you. One day, God will make you great and you'll be a blessing. I know it," she'd say and hug me tight. It was such a pity that poverty had to take her away so early. She had been pregnant and had a risky abortion on her own which claimed her life. She knew very well that an extra mouth was something we could not afford to feed. I could hold my tears back no more. They simply rushed out as I rested my forehead on my knees.

Suddenly, I could hear sizzling from behind me, like someone was approaching. It was immediately followed by a familiar voice which startled me. I lifted my head to see Calvin standing next to me, taking his phone away from his ear, busily watching the beautiful scenery before him. 

"This place is beautiful," he said as he slowly sat down, next to me. I knew for sure that my old neighbour directed him her. He finally turned to look at me and the smile on his face suddenly turned into a little frown as he wiped my tears. "Don't cry. Something tells me better days are ahead for you and your dad so smile."

That was it, the exact words I needed to hear, words I was sure mum would've said had she been there. I started to sob harder, giving Calvin a tight hug which he immediately returned. I thanked him over and over again. He had become my knight and shining armor.

Since then, we often went to the lakeside. We'd play games, swim, have picnics, listen to music and sometimes, Calvin would use his great artistic skills to make beautiful pictures of the lakeside and memories we had made there. Unfortunately, such wonderful moments came to an end when Calvin completed high school. He got admission into one of the best colleges in the big city. His father got appointed as a member of parliament and he and his family left Greenville completely. In the beginning, we kept in touch but after awhile, it became harder to contact him.

I also completed later on and got a partial scholarship to a good college in another city. Dad got a good job there thanks to his experience working with politicians. He was even about to publish his own books, making a name there for himself. 

I completed college with good grades and became the personal assistant of the owner of one of the best fashion brands in the world. She sponsored me to further my education by doing my Masters. A year after I was done, dad fell severely ill and died some months later. 

Being so dedicated to my job, studies and dad, his death rendered me lonely. I barely had anyone I could lean on as a friend. That's why I decided to go back to Greenville, to at least feel their presence again. To reminisce moments I spent with mum, dad and even Calvin once more. I felt that was the only way to feel close to them once again. 

I got to my usual spot at the lakeside. It was a little bit different with the trees looking quite bigger but it still looked beautiful. I could remember the times I spent there and it made me even sadder and lonelier. My tears started to flow like a river. I sat down and clenched my knees close to my chest, with my forehead resting on my knees, like I used to do back when I was younger.

Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice call my name from behind. In the beginning, I thought I was hearing things. But then the sizzling sound of leaves been stepped on got louder. I slowly lifted my head, still afraid my ears were deceiving me.

"This place is still beautiful...but not as beautiful as you," he said finally looking down at me, meeting my teary gaze. It was him. It was really Calvin. I was so shocked that my lips parted but not a sound came out. He knelt in front of me with a little frown. "I know this is almost a Déjà Vu of what happened years ago but I'm still gonna say it," he said and both of us chuckled. "Don't cry Lily. Your better days have come..." I didn't let him continue what he was going to say and hugged him tight which he returned immediately, "...and I'm going to be your better days from now onwards," he assured.

We sat there together for hours, watching the sunset. The skies had turned purple and orange and reflected beautifully on the lake. "Promise me we'll never lose contact again. Promise we'll be friends forever," I said to him, with are fingers locked in each other's, still enjoying the scenery before us.

"I promise I'll never let us lose touch but regarding our friendship..." he was saying and paused. I looked at him expressing my confusion but he simply chuckled. "Regarding our friendship, I was hoping for something more," he said as his piercing emerald green eyes shun beautiful thanks to the the sunlight. He leaned in and covered my virgin lips with his.

"Excuse me. Sorry, coming through," I heard an unexpected voice said, pulling me out of my daze and back to the train.

"Calvin?" I said when I saw him approaching my seat. He intended to leave Greenville the next day because of a his foundation's project which he started four years ago, dedicated to and name after me, supporting the needy there. 

He explained that he left it to his assistant to take care of so he could be with me like he had promised.

He swiftly stole a kiss before looking away. I could feel my face burning from shyness when I spotted the gentleman who was sitting next to me smiling at us. He immediately offered his seat to Calvin. 

"Thanks bro but I have a better idea," he said humbly rejecting. Before I knew it, Calvin was in my seat. He swiftly pulled me, causing me to sit on his laps.

We looked out the window, watching the beautiful trees with blooming flowers as the sun rose. All this time I refused to admit to myself that I was in love with him but now I can. My better days have finally come mum, just wish you and dad were here to see it.