New Life

The next day I graduated, the day after that my dad asked me to be heir. Clearly I said yes. I don’t really have much story to tell that would interest you, so I’m going to jump a few years ahead. More specifically, to the day Layla went into labor.

I knew about the pregnancy before my dad did; I knew before Kevin. Actually, I was the very first person that Layla told. She was afraid of what would happen. If Kevin would still love her, if dad would be upset. Everything worked out, though, and she and Kevin got married. My dad was so excited that he bought them a house and visited them every evening when I went to work.

The night that Layla went into labor, Kevin called and said that Layla wanted my dad there. He took off running down the street instead of waiting for a taxi. It wasn’t a far distance, but it was a good run for an old man. I changed out of my work clothes and ran after him.

When I got to their house, I found Layla in the living room screaming. My dad was curled into a ball on her floor. When Layla saw me, she ran over and cried.

“He was here. He was so excited for the baby to come. I started walking around to ease the labor pains and when I turned around he was dead!”

She rambled on but I didn’t hear much of what she said. My eyes were filling with tears. I knew I had to be strong for Layla, so I tried to comfort her; pushing back my own heartbreak.

“Layla, you need to go to the hospital. I will take care of dad. I need you to focus on this baby right now. I know it’s hard, but you gotta be brave for your child. Dad would want you to.” I ushered Kevin and Layla out and watched as they drove away.

I called the morgue and asked then to come pick up my father’s body. May he rest in peace.

I headed for home, I knew my mom would need to know. However, I took my time walking home. My legs felt weak, and my heart was aching. The early morning air felt cool on my skin, and I looked to the sky. Above me, a lone crow flew. Maybe he carried my father to heaven on the back of his wings.

I arrived home, and stood before the front door. I was nervous, but I knew it had to be done. Quietly, I opened the heavy door. I heard soft sobs and followed them into the living room. My mom looked up at me, her face puffy from crying.

“He is gone isn’t he?” She muttered through her tears. ”

“Yes.” I looked down in attempt to keep myself from crying. My mother wailed loudly. It could not be easy to hear that your life time lover was no longer with you. I tried to comfort her, but I knew there were no words to heal her broken heart.

“He came to me. He told me that he loved me and would see me in heaven. I thought I was going crazy again. Now I know that it was real.” A tear slid down her face, glinting off the dim light in the room. She wiped it away and looked me in the eyes. I didn’t know what to say, so I just pulled her close to me and held her.

My phone started ringing. The caller ID said that it was Kevin so I quickly answered it.

“It’s a boy!” He shouted. My mother heard and started to smile. We told them we would be over right away.

My mom and I took a taxi over to their house. With her heart condition, there was no way I would risk her walking over there.

We arrived at their house and mom immediately ran over to the baby and picked him up.

“We named him Zackary Paul.” Layla told us proudly.

“He looks just like you Layla.” My mom said. She cooed at the baby. “Where is his bottle? I want to feed him.”

Kevin ran downstairs and came back with a bottle. He, too, was smiles from ear to ear. Mother took the bottle and began to feed her grandson. She sand him a quiet song as she rocked him back and forth in her arms.

We spent the whole day with them. Zachary was a quiet baby and was the center of attention the whole time. No one talked of what happened to dad. We all seemed to be trying to get it off our minds.

With death comes new life. I guess the saying it true; a new baby can fix the broken heart of a lost soul.

A week passed, we visited Zackary every morning before I went to work. Dad’s funeral came and went. We had a special section of our land turned into a small graveyard and dad was buried there. We made a special memorial for him and left a spot for mom. It was painful to see the empty holes in the family graveyard, spots left for me and my kin. We all die sometime, despite whether or not we are ready.

What was even more disturbing to see, was my mother going out to the grave every day and crying. She didn’t want me to know she was out there, but I saw her from the window.

Her heart was shattered, and she was ready to go. One day, after spending hours crying, she put her hand over her heart and said, “Dear creator, know that my life has been lived. My only wish is to be back with my one true love. The only person who kept me alive all these years, I now wish to die for him. I miss him, I miss his touch, his kisses, his smile. I just want to be back in his arms. Please, don’t make me go on any longer.”

My eyes filled with tears. I knew my mom was sad, but I never though that she would pray to die. I didn’t want her to go, but it’s all she wanted anymore. I wished under my breath that the creator would take her, just because I wanted her to be happy again.

That night, while standing in my father’s wilting garden, I saw my mother pass on. I couldn’t believe that I had just witnessed my mother’s death.

While she went peacefully, it was still overwhelmingly hard to see her go. She had made her deal with the creator and he had accepted.

I called up the morgue and asked them to come get my mom. While I waited, I sat on the couch in the living room.

“Where do I go from here?” I wondered out loud. Not like anyone could hear me.

A soft breeze came through the opened window, it felt like someone sat down next to me and I swear, to this day, a voice said, “Legacy.”

It was probably just a crazy, broken-hearted, weird coincidence that happened. What if it wasn’t though? Could there really be such thing as paranormal activity?

Chapter Three: First Concert