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I woke up to a start as the sharp ring of the alarm pierced my ears. It was 5 am. in the morning.
I slammed my hands on the device with a loud sigh and rubbed my eyes grudgingly. I had barely slept for four hours when the alarm rang.
I had spent a large chunk of the night working on some office files that needed to be done. I didn't want to have a backlog because I had to visit somewhere important.
I felt so tired, and I knew I'd have to spend the rest of the day with a sleepy face.
I pulled my thirty-three-year old body from the bed with a groan. I walked to the window to pull up the curtain folds. I couldn't help but be captivated by the work of nature staring right back at me.
It was still dark outside, but the serenity of the environment captivated me, and the reflection of the moon over the giant-sized swimming pool behind my window had me in awe.
You see, I have always been an ardent lover of nature. Little wonder I fell in love with Mark. Mark was like a beautiful piece of art. His oval-shaped face is adorned with the most beautiful brown eyes I've ever seen. They shone bright like the sunlight, his lips thin and alluring. When they spread into a wide smile, revealing a set of snow white,they softened the stone I called a heart.
We met at a beach party that my friend invited me to. Come to think of it, I didn't want to attend the party. Elena spent two hours convincing me to go, and I never regretted making that decision.
I was jolted back to reality by the presence of someone in the room. I turned around to meet a pair of cute brown eyes standing before me. Mimi, my five-year-old daughter, is a pure replica of her father, and she is the only reason I have to live right now. Her cute brown eyes twinkled as she stared at me.
"Hey baby!", I sang as I scooped her into my arms, and she giggled as I tickled her. "Good morning, princess", I said amidst laughter. "Good morning, mam"good morning mama".
I put her on the bed, and we stared right at each other. There was silence.
My chest tightened and my stomach churned as I anticipated the question she was going to ask. Today is Mark's death anniversary.
"Mama, are we going to see Papa today?" She asked with her lips pouting. "Yes, baby", I answered. The tears were almost falling out now. "Mama, is God really taking care of Papa up there? she quizzed. I couldn't help but burst into tears at this point. I sobbed bitterly as the memories flooded in.
On September 21st, two years ago, Mark was given a two-week leave of absence from the construction firm he worked with. He planned a couple's weekend getaway for us, and we had Mimi stay at my mom's for the weekend.
I was so excited. Since Mark got that high-paying job at the construction firm, we barely had time to have fun with each other. The last time we had time for a vacation was before I had Mimi. I remember that he had taken his time to pay attention to my interests and booked a flight to my favorite beach in the country, Rio Beach, which harbored some of my childhood memories. I and my parents visited the beach twice a year while I was growing up.
It was a delight to see that Mark booked a trip to my favorite beach and made sure we had our vacation there.
The whole vacation was eventful. I tried a lot of food that I ate as a child. We spent most of our days loitering on the beach, surfing, sunbathing, and bonding.
On our last night at the beach, Mark rented a yacht for a romantic evening with me. There were candles and red wine. It was a beautiful experience; the atmosphere felt like the day he proposed to me. I smiled coyly.
He pulled my chin closer to him and said "Erin, you are the most beautiful thing that ever happened to me". I blushed.
He always knew what to say at the right time. That was what he did at the beach party where we met for the first time. I was visibly irritated by the noisy environment. He walked up to me and said, "Do you know you look cute when you're annoyed?" accompanied by his charming smile, I forced a smile at him, and we ended up talking throughout the party.
It was a shock to me when I woke up the next day and realized that Mark was no longer with me. I had woken up the next day; we had a 10 a.m. flight to catch, and I needed to pack our suitcases. I walked into the bathroom to freshen up, came right out, and he was still in bed.
His face looked so calm, and he had a faint smile on his face. I blushed. I nudged him to wake up; no answer. I called out to him, and he didn't budge. I screamed out in despair. I ran out to the balcony. I was terrified; my head was spinning. I made for my cellphone and managed to dial 911.
My whole world crumbled within the twinkle of an eye, but I was consoled by the beach memories I shared with my husband.
"Mama don't cry", Mimi soothed as she wiped my face with her tiny hands. I turned to her and said, "Baby, let's go get prepared to see Papa". She nodded meekly and walked out to her room. My eyes fell on the red carnation flowers sitting pretty on my dresser. It's time to go see Mark again,I muttered. I walked out of the room.
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