The Search
16th of September 2015, 3rd's POV:
She exhaled deeply, her eyes flickering up to the artic sky and they bounced around, taking in the bustling crowd, the overflowing shops, the delighted faces of children and the smiling faces of adults of different sizes and colour. The sun was a beautiful lemon colour, symbolising the most dominant emotion pulsing through her veins. A tear tumbled down her warm, caramel cheek, as a shy smile settled on the 17 year old's face. Her eyes finally landed on the cinnamon-coloured male stood in front of her.
"Hey dad. Looks like I kept my promise, huh?" she whispered, biting into her trembling lip.
"I found you," she choked out, collapsing into his outstretched arms and they both wept, clutching onto each other tightly. The girl had spent the last two months restlessly tracking down her father and when she was just about to give up, she stumbled into him. Literally.
Flashback: 22nd of July 2007, 3rd's POV:
It was a gloomy night; the sky was a dark flint with shadow-coloured clouds. Inside the Murphy household, the 9-year-old girl was hiding behind her mother's legs, as all hell broke loose.
"Get out!" the mother screeched; her shrill voice pierced the deafening silence. The father flinched.
"Now!" the mother hissed, tears cascading down her cheeks. The young girl stepped out from behind her legs and tugged on her father's jumper, making him crouch down.
"You did a bad thing, daddy," she pouted, "but I will always love you and this is my promise; I will find you." She kissed his cheek and his arms engulfed her while his own kiss landed on her forehead. He stood up and allowed small chubby hands to push him lightly out of the door.
22nd of July 2015, 3rd's POV:
"It's been 8 years," Christina stated to Will, her boyfriend of 2 years, and he nodded understandingly, also watching as she fiddled with the straps of her black helmet in her lap.
"You should look for him, you know," he murmured and her head snapped up as she inhaled sharply.
"After 8 years?" she asked incredulously, confusion overtaking her facial features.
"Uh huh," Will responded simply.
"I agree. After all, you don't make promises, just to break them," Tris, her best friend, edged into the conversation. The trio, and a few others, were sitting in a cerulean room that overlooked the go-kart track as they waited patiently for their 2pm slot. Her eyes flitted between the two and she furrowed her eyebrows before sighing.
"Okay." At that moment, the buzzer rang through the room and the group stood up, strolling through the automatic doors. Before Christina could fully put her helmet on, Tris spoke lowly in her ear.
"It won't be easy." Oh, how right she would have been if she actually said that. Instead, she said the total opposite. However, it was not easy. At all.
Present time- 16th of September 2015
"It was such a struggle," Christina mumbled, staring into her father's chocolate eyes. Her own were a sparkling sapphire.
"I had to weasel out your old numbers from mother, and, gosh, I see where half of my stubbornness originates." The male laughed and she rolled her eyes, a smile playing at her lips. She glanced out of the window of the Costa she was sitting in before continuing her story.
"I hit too many dead ends. Turning up to your three old apartments that were either vacant, occupied by another resident or scheduled for a knocking down. I visited your old workplaces, only to be surprised and find people who knew me. From your memories and pictures. I also resorted to scrolling through social media to find something and anything. I eventually got tired. I placed the thought of you not wanting me to find you into my head and the next thing I know, I am colliding into you outside McDonalds. I should have known. After all, it wa-still is our favourite junk food restaurant." They both chuckled and began to share stories. Let us not include how he blew up at the news of Will. If she did not promise, she would not have found him. If she had given up any sooner, she would not have found him. If she had not accepted the push her friends gave, she would not have found him. She was finally free from the guilt implanted into her by her mother and had found her father. Just like she promised.