Sitting in the safety of the shade from the swaying trees, I recall the past events of my life. Though what sticks out the most in my mind is the accident of my parents from when I was eight years old. My entire life was affected because of it...
Rain poured down the street, drowning every bug that landed in it and pushing every piece of litter into the gutters where it would later flow into the ocean. Thunder cracked overhead of our roof as stray lightning sparked in the distant. A few moments later, the action repeated.
Inside of my room, I laid on my bed. My body temperature was higher than normal, and even though I tried to kick to off the blankets, my brother would cover me over again. Niii-san was always looking out for me as he was, now, feeding me the soup.
Ringing vibrated around the house.
"Ah, that must me Mommy and Daddy," Nii-san told me as he set the bowl aside. "I'll go answer it. Would you like to talk to them also?"
"Please, Nii-san," I said. In all honesty, I did feel a bit weak, but my brother didn't need to worry so much. It was simply a cold; it isn't going to kill anybody.
A bit later, Nii-san re-entered the room, handing me the telephone. "Misaki! Oh, how is my baby doing," I hear my mother call out to me. I don't know why she treats me like an infant, because I can do lots of things by myself. I don't always need someone watching me.
"I'm fine, Mommy," I say, coughing a little afterwards.
"You don't sound that well. Don't worry, honey, Daddy and I will be home shortly. Until then, hugs and kisses. Feel better, sweetheart!" She hangs up. My mother is a lot like Nii-san: always concerned and protective. Maybe that's where he gets it from.
"Okay Mommy! Be safe, and, please, hurry home!" I can't wait to see her. Usually, my parents are working late, so I don't see them before I go to sleep. Sometimes, I don't even get to see them in the morning. Lately, it has been just my brother and me. I tend to miss them a lot.
"Do you feel any better, Misaki," Nii-san asked me once he put the phone back.
"Maybe just a little better," I said before I wheezed again. These recent coughing fits are making my throat raw.
"Okay. Well, why don't you rest so you can get even better?"
"Okay, Nii-san." I closed my eyes, listening to my brother as he left the room, careful to be quiet. I love Nii-san. I love Mommy and Daddy. I hope that they're always with me.
"I feel guilty," the mother said as she hung up the cell phone.
"Why is that," the father asked, careful not to lose attention of the road.
"We never see the kids. It's as if we're pushing them out of our life. Plus, we're always pushing our responsibilities onto them," the mother sighed.
"I agree, but they have to learn how to clean and cook some time," the father responded as he applied his foot on the brake.
"Still, we should give them a break now and then. They're living a life without us. I would have hated to have grown up without the support or love of my parents."
"There, there." Keeping his eyes glued to the street, the man placed his hand on his wife's shoulder as reassurance. "We're off this weekend, so starting then, we can enjoy lots of more time with the kids." He placed his hand back onto the steering wheel, speeding up as the traffic cleared.
"I hope you're right," she said, looking out of the window. The rain started to pour down in a quicker pace. Noticing that they were already going sixty miles per hour and that they were only gaining speed, she suggested, "Dear, I think you should slow down a bit."
"I've been trying, but the car won't-" He was cut short as another vehicle shot out of an unseen road and rammed into them. Their car spurred around in circles before sliding down the street, hitting a few more cars. Shards of glass were digging into their skin and poking their insides. The father opened his door, when a truck slammed into them. The two were crushed inside of the vehicle.
Takahiro answered the phone as it rang for the second time that evening. Expecting a worrywart of a mother, he was shocked when he heard a police officer.
My dream was cut short as Nii-san crept into my room and gently woke me up. "Misaki, Mommy and Daddy are hurt. We need to go to the hospital, okay? Please, wake up."
"Okay, Nii-san." I yawned. He left and started slipping on his rain gear. "What's wrong," I asked as I slid on my boats and coats.
"They were in a car accident. Now, we must go."
I never thought that would be the last day I saw my parents. I guess I took them for granted. If I could take those words back, I would. I would take them back a million times, but I can't. What was said was said, and what has happened has happened. You can't ever change anything.
I guess I should head inside. School's tomorrow, and everyone knows just how much fun that is.
I didn't mean to, but I think it's pretty funny. Maybe it's because my sense of humor includes the morbid kid. I unintentionally put two pieces of verbal irony in here. Can you spot them?
Thanks, as always, for reading. hope you enjoyed.