155 comments

Drama

I woke up floating and saw my own body lying down on the back, eyes tightly shut, and hands put together on top of the flat stomach.

Filled with curiosity, I flew around, observing my body that was in a black dress. The long sleeves covered my entire arms, hiding all the scars. The scars that were also on the pale face, making me stretch my hands to touch it. Yet, I couldn’t feel a thing. 

Letting out a deep sigh, I had no choice but to keep observing my own body. 

Until this one man came.

A man that I knew very well. The man who wore the black robe, the one whom I always saw for the last eighteen years. The man who gazed at the body lying inside the nicely engraved wooden box with neither a smile nor words.

I stared at the man, knowing very well that he couldn’t notice my presence. I observed his wavy red hair and dark brown eyes; the same one as mine. I examined the shape of his lips, his nose tip and his high nose bridge, then turned to see the face on my lifeless body, only to realize how similar we were.

Yes, similar, in terms of physical appearance. Ironically, our relationship wasn't that great.

I remembered that he was a busy man. He wasn't there when I needed him, even from when I was a kid.

"Papa, play with Bella, please?" 

"Maybe later. Papa is busy preparing a sermon."

"Sermon? What's that?"

"Papa's work. Now, go and play by yourself, okay?"

Change the sermon to midweek worship practice, church leader meeting, morning prayer, group bible study, Sunday service, and funeral service. You get the point: he was never available to spend time with me.

Also, he was overly strict. He expected me to obey everything he said, although he was asking for something unreasonable, to the extent that it annoyed me.

“Pa, just letting you know I’m going to a party with my cheerleader squad tonight,” I messaged him during my lunch break.

“You are going nowhere tonight, my dear. Stay at home.” In just a few minutes, the man had sent me a text back. The text that made me boil in anger. The text that made me excuse myself from my friends, walked to the secluded area behind the school building and dialled his number.

“What? Why can’t I go to the party?” I spoke as soon as I heard his greetings.

“I just feel it’s going to be unsafe. I can imagine your friends getting rowdy, drinking all night until you’re all wasted.”

“I can assure you it’s safe, Papa.”

“Hm…, well, I’ll let you go as long as you come back home by 10.”

His reply made my jaw drop in disbelief. “What? You're unreasonable, Papa! The party is going to start at 8, and you want me home by 10? They're going to call me a loser! I might even get bullied for this, you know? Do you want me to suffer?”

“You're the one being unreasonable! You’re comparing me to your friends; some strangers over a family member who took care of you since you were born?” He continued his nonsense preaching about my ungrateful behaviour. I rolled my eyes at his long reply, cursing him inside my mind, waiting for him to stop talking.

“Ugh, you never understand me! Fine, whatever you say, I’m still coming to the party tonight!”

Change the party to trivial matters like my cheerleader uniform, the length of my shorts, my newly bought swimwear, and the new piercing that I got. You get the point: debates, arguments, and fights were common occurrences between us.

To top that, he didn't even bat an eye when I told him I got a boyfriend.

“Sure, Kevin has a good attitude and looks trustworthy,” he commented, then glued his eyes back to read his book as if it was nothing special.

This reply made me realize a lot of things about our relationship.

This man never worried about my feelings; he only paid attention to how I acted toward him.

This man couldn’t care less about what’s going on with my life; he didn’t put me as his top priorities in life.

This man simply didn’t love me, his one and only daughter. At least that’s how I felt.

But what I saw today proved that wrong.

Because the man in front of me stretched his hands, gently caressing my pale face, slowly moving his fingertips from one cut to another.

Because the man who never looked sad for as long as I could remember, removed his hands from the cold body, covered his eyes with his right elbow, and started shedding tears. 

Because the man finally calmed down, dried his tears, then took the powerless hand of the girl into his and started talking to the dead body in this white-walled room.

“I never thought you would pass away before me.” Oh, neither did I, Papa.

“The past four days after the car accident, I started to think more about you, and realized that I knew nothing.” Same, Papa; I also feel I knew nothing about your actual feelings.

“Life introduced us. Yet my busy lifestyle was stopping me to know you more.” I’m partly at fault; I was busy partying with my friends and going on dates with my boyfriend instead of getting close to you.

“I’m sorry.” I’m sorry too, Papa.

“Pastor Gerald?” A familiar voice called the man in front of me. My eyes followed the source of the sound, only to see my sweetheart, Kevin, dressed in a black shirt and pants.

The man gave a faint smile to the boy, gestured him to wait at where he stood. The man then kissed the weak hand, placing it back, and looked at the girl inside the coffin for one last time.

"Goodbye, Bella, my beloved daughter. May God be with you until we meet again in Heaven.”

And the man in the black robe twirled the purple sash around his neck, walked towards Kevin, ready to start my funeral.

And with a heavy heart, with an inaudible voice, I muttered a reply.

Goodbye, Papa.

August 28, 2020 01:58

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155 comments

Akshat .
06:28 Aug 29, 2020

Wow! It's a nice sequel to the Color series! Before I read this, I thought that your Color stories weren't related, that they just had a color title. Then I read this, and I'm like, "Ohhh! They're all sequels with different POVs!" Once again, great job, and I hope you don't get finished with the Color series, it's so good!

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Deborah Angevin
09:40 Aug 31, 2020

Thank you for enjoying the colour series, Akshat! Yes, they are all related (previously, I submitted them not in chronological order of the event though :'D)

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Akshat .
10:12 Aug 31, 2020

You're welcome!

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Deborah Angevin
06:46 Jun 08, 2022

Hiya Akshat! I'm back with new updates on colour series - in case you're interested to read the continuation of it!

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I love this story a lot! So sorry for commenting this late though...XD

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Deborah Angevin
11:15 Jun 25, 2021

Hiya Laila, no worries, I'm just happy that you enjoyed it :D

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01:06 Nov 25, 2020

Hi! Great job. This story is very well written and full of vivid description. Your writing style is really good and unique. I loved this story and cant wait for more!

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Deborah Angevin
11:17 Jun 25, 2021

Hi Blair, thanks for reading and I'm back on Reedsy!

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Sia S
09:31 Sep 07, 2020

Da Colour Series is backkkk wow, i felt the emotion in this. Good job! But i think that the ending was a lil hasty...

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Sunny 🌼
23:03 Aug 28, 2020

OOOOH~ So THATS what the green-eyed girl saw when Bella was on the phone! Wow its all coming together huh, these stories are so beautiful and sad. Amazing job Deborah!

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Deborah Angevin
09:41 Aug 31, 2020

Thanks for checking this one out, Sarah! Glad that you enjoyed the continuation from the stories :D

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Sia S
04:33 Sep 12, 2020

I have a new story out. After writer's block. Would you mind checking it out ?

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21:51 Sep 01, 2020

Love how its all coming together, your creativity is amazing like I've probably said over and over. But it is soooo true. I love the color pattern. Seriously how do you think about all this? I have never seen anything like it. But anyways this was so good and sad..and that one sentence from the phone with her Father just really shows how misunderstandings can start. She only heard one conversation and assumed the worse which eventually caused to Bella's death. That was very interesting and sad to me. Great Job Deborah!😭and I'm so sorry it ...

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Deborah Angevin
06:47 Jun 08, 2022

Ahhhh, I don't know why I missed this comment, Ugochi! But thank you for enjoying the story so far - I'm back with new updates on colour series, in case you're interested to read the continuation of it!

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Sarah Freeman
17:07 Sep 01, 2020

Hi! I came her per your request, and was not let down! So cool! From the last one of yours I read, Bella fell off a cliff? Right? But then Kevin would be dead too? I’m not quite sure how the Kevin-and-Bella stories you’re doing connect, but I liked it anyway! Nice take on the prompt, too. Keep writing!!!

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Hello Debbie! *I think I've been on this page too much!!!

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Deborah Angevin
10:47 Jun 25, 2021

Hello Silver Serpent, Come and read some more - I'm back from hiatus!

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Hiiii! Sure :)

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Honestly, the way you make each of your characters have a say in your story is amazing. I like the fact that there are no "black and white" characters because I'm not taking sides on any character because everything is shown on their opinions so well! I loved this, and so far, I still want to continue reading this series although I am no romantic person! Keep Writing, I hope to see more of your work! ~SS

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Deborah Angevin
10:50 Jun 25, 2021

Thank you Silver Serpent! I'll post my new work shortly :)

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Welcome, Debbie! I'm so looking forward to it!

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Noor Ahmed
22:38 Sep 19, 2020

This is so good! Deborah, you have a masterpiece here. The words flowed and created a vision in my head. I could almost hear and see the characters. Wonderful job!

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17:37 Sep 14, 2020

AMAZING! I love the mood you wrote in. Awesome job!!!

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Deborah Angevin
06:47 Jun 08, 2022

Thank you for enjoying the story :)

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Lani Lane
04:13 Sep 14, 2020

Hi, Deboarh! First of all, I have to say that your use of dialogue here is fantastic. I'm so looking forward to meeting more of your stories! Also, I saw in your bio that you're an aspiring writer in your 20s. Same! :)

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Deborah Angevin
06:49 Jun 08, 2022

Hi Lani, sorry I've missed your comment - been hiatus for a while but I'm back here! High-five from your fellow 20s writers - how has your story writing going, btw?

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Jamela Faye
08:51 Sep 13, 2020

Back from writing and this story's awesome (like always but it's up my alley) Great job!

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Deborah Angevin
06:49 Jun 08, 2022

Thankyou Jamela! I'm glad you enjoyed the story :D

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Evelyn ⭐️
20:33 Sep 08, 2020

Another great story Deborah! Great job!

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Deborah Angevin
06:49 Jun 08, 2022

Glad that you enjoyed it, Evelyn :)

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12:51 Sep 07, 2020

Very nice. Great job at capturing the emotions and feeling in this piece. I really enjoyed it.

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Amogh Kasat
07:55 Sep 07, 2020

It's a wonderful story! Please read my latest story

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Barbara Eustace
10:54 Sep 04, 2020

Oh, this is so sad. Continuing the colorful saga of Bella, Kevin and how they were ripped apart.

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Deborah Angevin
04:44 Sep 05, 2020

Thank you for reading and indulging in the tale, Barbara :)

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Hriday Saboo
06:18 Aug 31, 2020

Beautifully written Deborah Angevin. Would you mind checking my stories as well

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Deborah Angevin
09:41 Aug 31, 2020

Thank you and sure, will do :)

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Hriday Saboo
09:48 Aug 31, 2020

Thanks

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Akshat .
12:34 Oct 05, 2020

Hi Deborah! I was wondering when you'll post your next story because it's been *checks contest number* 6 weeks since you've posted one!

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Deborah Angevin
11:19 Jun 25, 2021

Hi Akshatatal, it took me more than 6 months but I'm back now!

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