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Creative Nonfiction

It was a slightly cool summer's night in Toronto, which was very compensating for dreadful scorching afternoon. The Brensten's, a family of 5 came back to their home after spending the afternoon with their friends.

They had celebrated their annual group barbecue at Centennial park. After packing and cleaning up, they got ready for bed.

The parents Kenzi and Eric headed to their bedroons to quickly change and just settle in their room. After freshening up Kenzi walked to each of her children's bedrooms; Colette, Giselle, Flynn. Yes, Kenzi grew up with the fascination to name her children after Disney Characters, despite her husband Eric's displeasure with Disney movies. Eric was named after "Prince Eric '' by his parents who loved "The Little Mermaid". Eric was not too happy growing up with the disney inspired name although it was a generic name his community especially loved the movie. He was often called out for either stealing the 'Princes' name, ditching Ariel, not being enough of a gentlemen that prince Eric was. Thus, assisted in his developed hatred for Disney movies.

After checking up on her 2 younger kids, Kenzi was just about to knock before her older daughter Colette abruptly opened the door. Both were surprised at the others sudden appearance. Kenzi looked up to her daughter since everyone except her was over 5”4, while she was sitting at 5”1, she saw that her daughter looked upset. “Collette, sweety are you alright?”Kenzi askes her. “No, I am not mum. Why do I love someone who actually wants someone else, but told me he liked me?”. Collette did you find a boyfriend? Were you both Official? I'm Sorry, you're going through this. would you be able to tell me the whole story? “Mum, I can't cause you wouldn't understand, you have always been with dad and this is different”, Collette elaborates. “You’d be surprised honey, I do know what is like for one’s heart to be broken/hurt by someone. After all, your father was not the first love of my life.

Ethan, my first love. We met both at the sweet age of 20, we were togetehr for a few months. It was wonderful, yet bittersweet. I wasn't looking for anything special, maybe a new friend but I gained so much more. Loving someone that I knew I could never be was burdensome, but made every moment; priceless, adventurous, exhilarating. I met him, at my lowest point at a time where I was unkempt unfortunately. Despite my unkempt appearance, he at first kept stared intently at me. Shocked by his continuous need to stare at me, I did not know whether to feel flattered or scared straight. I prayed hard that he was not a serial killer, like that character Joe Goldberg on the tv show "YOU", who developed weird obsession-like tendencies to the girls he crushes on. But... I just had a hard time believing I was remotely pretty, or even somewhat "Easy on the Eyes". Growing up, I've always had trouble in the romance part of my life. I was never, the girl anyone would have a crush on since I was the loner girl. people knew me as the one that was constantly bullied and was called "fat" since I was curvy as a child. I never thought I would be admired, or look attractive to anyone. To my surprise; he told me that I had a beautiful smile, and my dark brown eyes were gorgeous. He had to convince me several times, but he won. I was finally able to look at the mirror, and not hate how I looked at myself. The time we had could not be defined or labeled because it was priceless. That time, I thought about how I could be with a person who was very attractive. I then realized that I made myself feel less than I am worth, which no woman/girl should feel.

Kenzi takes her daughters hand“Collette, although Ethan my first love was not great, and the fact he was also promised to another. It's important in any relationship or encounter to take the positive to become knowledgeable of developing a greater sense of your self-concept.” Kenzi then showed a picture of a young girl and boy smiling, but they were distanced from each other. Collette looked hard at the photo then realized that it was her parents but maybe from when they just met which was 35+years ago. “You know, you’re father and I were frenemies. We actually grew up on the same neighourhood, but never talked to the other because we were constantly trying to compete againsist each other. We absolutely hated each other and we wanted the other to suffer. But overtime, his overbearing motherly attitude wore me down to marry him, he promised that I would be treated like a queen. He has from that day never broken that promise. There is many great things that have happened, the life we have now was the result of my heart break from my first love which made me wait for the right guy and so you and your siblings came into eixistence after”.

The words 'Don't be afraid to love' by her mother resonated with Collete, she now felt that she was ready to have her heart broken. It would be tough and scary, but she flt she was stronger and soon fell asleep. After Kenzi watched her daughter fall asleep, she walked up her and husband room. She tried to slowly walk to not wake her very tired husband, but her husband having the ears of a bat "Sweatheart, you know I can hear you. You do not need to tiptoe its pointless at this point."Kenzi now walked normally to their bed. . . Kenzi just felt the need to whisper out “I’m glad my first love broke my heart, so that I met you.”

February 15, 2020 04:58

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