"Hey Logan, hey Gem!" I jogged towards the ocean as Logan waved at me and Gemma craned her neck upwards. I was breathing heavily as I stood inches away from Logan and whispered, "I'm here.""Are you okay Joy?" Logan's eyebrows furrowed, his eyes searching. "Do you want anything?""What happened JJ?" Gemma asked curiously.I brushed them off, "It's nothing really, I'm fine. I walked from my home to the flower shop, but grandpa said you were here so I came here. It was just a long walk and I quite enjoyed it. I want to be on my feet as much as I can."Logan nodded slightly, but Gemma asked again, "Why is that?""I told you earlier Gem, I won't be able to walk soon," I said gently and noticing that she was going to ask more questions, I added quickly, "Maa was looking for you, why didn't you tell here you were here?""I told her, I told maa," she said indignantly. "I never leave home without telling her.""Yes I know, I'm sorry. Maa must have forgotten---""Baby, come here!" I was cut of
I had been cooped up in my room from the past three days doing the only disgusting thing my body allowed me to do- throw up. Any food that went in my stomach came out within minutes with it's consistency changed. So I didn't eat anything and drank liquids as much as I could (without puking it out) since I couldn't risk dying of dehydration.My mum was home all day tending to my needs. She would check my temperature constantly, give me food and medicines at the correct time, frequently clean the vomit filled bucket, help me get to the bathroom and change my clothes, change my bedsheets, put a mild air freshener so I didn't feel suffocated and still managed to do the regular chores of the house. The sentimental part of me didn't want to leave home, but the rational part of me knew that once I shifted to the hospice care centre, my mum primarily wouldn't have to be my carer. She could be free.Logan dropped by whenever he was free from his jobs and helped my mum around. He would give me
Jamal took me to the dance floor leaving Logan alone by the table. Initially, Logan didn't seem to mind as he ate quietly, but then he retrieved his phone. He turned rigid as I saw him staring at the screen like he had witnessed a murder or something. His glazing eyes nearly popped out, the blood draining from his face. I wanted to enquire if anything was amiss, but Jamal didn't let go of me.Logan noticed me observing him because he gave me a brief smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, but I decided to let him be by himself for some time.Jamal and I danced wildly, swaying our hips and wiggling our arms. His encouragement was enough to push my limits and dance till I literally dropped down. The loud beats gradually transitioned into slow songs which made Jamal and me giggle excessively. We held each other's hands and tried to move slowly, but we kept stomping on each other's feet. He moaned about my sweaty hands and I fired back about his sweaty smell.Suddenly, tears flowed down J
Uncle Desmond asked me to dance so I danced with him. My body was stiff and my head was spinning since I couldn't stop thinking about Logan. He worried me to extents that I never knew I possessed- the care, the protection, the love for him was overflowing my boundaries. All I wanted was to run into his arms even when he confused the hell out of me.But as Uncle Desmond whirled me around, my anxiety started to dissolve slowly. The music calmed my nerves and I found myself focus on his smiling, wrinkly face. He asked me over the booming of the song, "What's the matter with the lad?""Do you mean Logan?" My forehead creased as his smile only widened. "How did you know?""That look of despair, I have seen it a million times on young faces like yours," he said wisely.I was partly awed as I nodded. "It is him . . . Well, he's acting strange and I don't like it. He's never been so ambiguous since t-the early days. He shares everything with me, but now I don't know what's bothering him. Did
I viewed the landscape, the sun drenched streets with ice cream coloured houses transitioning to less vibrant houses and eventually to grubby apartments. The quiet streets changed to the busy and noisy streets of the market. My ears pricked from the overlapping voices of the shopkeepers and the consumers. The restaurants were more compact and cheap here, the people more loud and excited.My mum wanted to bargain for groceries even though there were much nicer convenient stores near our house. She had said that the fruits and vegetables were more fresh here and she was probably right. Anyway, I had got an easy ride to Logan's apartment which was exactly in the middle of this chaos.I told my mum to drop me off few steps away from Logan's apartment since I didn't want to get her worried about the condition of the building. It looked like it would collapse by the next blow of wind. I entered the lift which still produced the helicopter like sounds and had a strong stench of bleach. I tri
I knocked on Gemma's door, drawing her attention to me. She was hunched over her desk and as I advanced towards her, she scrambled from her chair. She was trying to cover a paper on the desk and her eyes were wide in alarm. I smoothly took the paper from her before she could oppose, suspicious of what she was doing.I was awed by what I saw- a simple half-finished painting of a seashore with an orange sky filled with stars."Give it back," Gemma said flatly.I gushed in delight, "It's sooo good Gem!""You're not supposed to see it," she said loudly, reaching for the paper and I let her take it. "You shouldn't have seen it."My forehead creased in confusion. "Why?""I was making it for you as a surprise," she admitted, her gaze averted to the floor. "Maa said it would be a good idea.""It's okay---""No, it's not okay," she interrupted impatiently. "I wanted to do something for you and you ruined it.""I'm sorry, I didn't know." I gave her a helpless look. "You can still finish the pai
I was dressed in a mango flowy spaghetti top with my denim jacket and blue jeans. I wore my white sneakers and went downstairs. I found my mum on the couch typing methodically on her laptop."Joy wear your shoes outside. I just got the carpet cleaned," she said gravely, watching me from the corner of her eye as she continued typing. "You look nice. Finally, you wore that top.""Uh yeah . . . I was saving it for a special day . . . Not that today is special---""I know you have a date with Logan." She removed her reading glasses and took a good glimpse of me. "If you feel---""If I feel uncomfortable, I will tell him," I finished her sentence. "Don't worry, I feel particularly energetic today."She smiled kindly. "Should I drop you?""No, Logan's picking me up. He didn't tell me where we're going though," I replied, making my way towards the door."Have fun and call me after you have eaten something.""I will." I bade her goodbye and shut the door. Before I could retrieve my phone to c
Third Person's POV [Logan's POV]Logan and Gizmo, the chocolate coloured Labrador jogged towards Joy's house. Logan had got this dog from his friend who was going out for a two weeks' vacation. Perfect timing. He had offered to look after him since he knew that a dog would provide some sort of protection against what his uncle was plotting for him. He wasn't going to drag the poor creature into his mess, but he knew that a dog could threaten any man at least a bit. However, he wasn't sure about Gizmo. Although, he was sturdy, he was quite friendly with people. Gizmo had already warmed up to him.He threw a biscuit at Gizmo who ate it wholeheartedly. Logan felt his lips twitch upwards against his will at his eager eyes. He was too warming up to Gizmo, it was impossible to stay sombre around him. Joy's mum was just leaving for grocery shopping when he arrived at her house. She laughed when Gizmo tugged at her skirt, patted him affectionately and then welcomed Logan kindly. Logan retur
Third Person's POV [Logan's POV]"What the hell do you mean you have a baby? Shaun, what on earth are you blabbering about?" Joy's mum was yelling on the phone as Logan stood outside at the door. "Who's Marilyn? What do you mean you have a baby? Don't cut the call- damn him!" she cursed and looked wearily at Logan. "He cut the call! He's been talking nonsense about a baby and this-this girl Marilyn- If he's implying what I'm thinking . . . Logan dear . . . I think I'm going to faint . . . "She did pass out then and there and Logan quickly held her before she fell face down.He half dragged her inside and laid her down on the couch. Gemma who was eating by the dining table hastily rushed to him for assistance. She asked nervously, "Did she die?""No, no, Jesus no," Logan muttered, reaching for a glass of water from the coffee table. "She heard some shocking news from your brother.""Yes, Shaun told me he became a father. I can presume why that is shocking, but considering the time he
Third Person's POV :Jamal slipped into Joy's signed Katy Perry sweater, wore bunny flip flops and ignoring his stepmother's incessant pestering to eat his lunch, he headed to his mother's dingy apartment. There he found her sprawled haphazardly outside the door in the empty corridor, wasted. It was one in the afternoon and he wasn't surprised to find her knocked out. He fished for the duplicate keys from his pocket and opened the door. He picked her squirming body up with difficulty and carried her inside."Antonne you asshole . . . Fucking that white ass girl would get you nowhere . . . I curse you and that-that bitch---""Mamma, I'm your son, Jamal," he said in a clear voice, placing her on the unmade bed. "And it's over now. He's married to her, you can't do anything.""Fuck you! I can! You know nothing about what lies underneath this . . . " she slurred and Jamal tiredly averted his eyes at the ceiling when she unabashedly pulled her dress up. "Look here Antonne, look what your b
Shaun's POV :It had been five months since Joy passed away and here I was, back in the city of lights, Paris. It was late in the night, but the people were acting wild in the pub like the night had just begun. I didn't even know why I was here instead of editing some clips in my small hotel room. All I could think of was . . . Why exactly was I here? What was my purpose? I should have been with Joy all those weeks I came here . . . I should have stayed at home. I should have fought for Marilyn. I shouldn't have let two strong women slip from my life just like that.From across the room I saw Alice who was seated on the couch, one of my many friends I had made here. Without thinking twice, I glided to her with a cheeky grin and ruffled her platinum blonde hair from behind. She glanced up at me confused and then bit back her smile. Feigning irritation, she exclaimed, "Hey, ne touche pas mes cheveux!"'Hey, don't touch my hair! Keep your greasy fingers away!' Joy would say the same and
Marilyn's story began on this muddy land where twenty three years earlier, her single mother- Emilia gave birth to her in presence of a midwife and no family. Emilia's partner had disappeared as soon as he learned she was pregnant. But Emilia's spirit never broke, she raised her baby with all the love she had never got.Marilyn remembered her childhood days as fun and carefree where she got everything she desired with either tantrums or buttering her hardworking mother. She wasn't allowed to do any chores so she could play and study with her friends. Not a day went by without her belly filled with food and her body in the most comfortable, warm clothes.Emilia with her meagre salary as a waitress could afford only sufficient food, but still she bought her daughter all the toys and pretty dresses she had never got as a child. She only wanted her daughter to grow like all the other kids. Her life's purpose was to keep her daughter happy, to keep the only person who loved her close to he
Third Person's POV [Logan's POV]Four days after Christmas, Logan was trying to sleep in the sleeping area, but his eyes remained wide open. He tossed and turned on the bed, his thoughts drifting to Joy. He hadn't slept a wink in the last three days and had stayed next to Joy, talking to her until her mum asked him to rest. Logan curled himself in a small ball, forcefully squeezing his eyes shut.Sleep. Sleep. Sleep.Dream. Dream. Dream.Suddenly, he heard unsteady footsteps approaching him and he held his breath."L-Logan . . . J-Joy," Shaun said forcefully, barely spilling the words out.He immediately shot up from the bed and stared aghast at Shaun who nodded mutely, his eyes red-rimmed.Logan didn't recall the next few moments vividly- he had followed Shaun to Joy's room and his arms and legs felt like they weren't his. They felt oddly heavy as if he was dragging himself to face the inevitable. They quietly entered the room where Joy's mum held Joy's bluish hand and talked softly
Third Person's POV [Logan's POV]Logan adjusted his costume, took a deep breath and barged in through the door. "Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas!"A deafening silence followed and in his head crickets chirped at a distance. Everyone in the room- Joy's mum, dad, Shaun, Gemma and grandpa's eyes darted from him to Joy bemusedly. Logan awkwardly tugged at his fluffy, red sleeves, wanting for the floor to open and swallow him whole.Finally, Joy's mother cut through the silence, "Oh my God, it's Santa!"Everyone broke into a wild cheer, grabbing Logan and patting him on the back. Logan's cheeks flushed in embarrassment as he shyly glanced at Joy. She was wide awake, laid on bed with blankets draped over her and an impish smile slowly formed on her dry lips.When he had walked in this place, the nurse Jasmine had winked at him. Joy had made it.Logan shuffled closer to her when she beckoned him towards her. He leaned down and she rasped, "You're the skinniest Santa with the biggest heart I have
Shaun's POV :I was delaying to go back to France. Joy wanted me to go, but how could I leave her? She was so frail like a china doll and all I wanted to do was snatch her pain away, bundle her up in the thickest blankets and take her safely home."Gem, maa will come to pick you up before bedtime," I said softly, concentrating my attention on her after taking a glimpse of my watch. "Grab your things, we don't want to create a mess in this place."Gemma nodded vaguely, her gaze travelling the liquid trickling in the tube next to the urine catheter."Can I stay please?" she asked suddenly in a pleading tone."Yeah . . . Okay. Maa will understand, I'll tell her," I said gently, not wanting to say no to Gemma. She had already suffered through many mental breakdowns this month and it hurt me to see my other sister go through so much misery. It hurt me to be rendered useless, not knowing how to help them.She murmured, her voice sounding lost, "Thank you."I didn't say anything, only reache
Third Person's POV [Logan's POV]Logan met Gizmo on the way to the hospice care centre, bought him snacks and petted him for a while. Then he strode to meet Joy- at the hospice care centre. She had been in there for many days now and Logan didn't know what to feel anymore. The dread and impending, heart-wrenching end was close. Too close, he forgot how to breathe sometimes.He greeted the nurse politely at the lobby area and knocked on Joy's room. Joy said, without looking, "Come in Logan.""You have superpowers wow," Logan jested, advancing towards her. She was seated on the plush sofa by the window with her long skirt tucked under her legs, gazing at the harsh ocean. He kissed the top of her head and inhaled deeply, her hair smelled of herbal shampoo. "You look nice today."Gemma who was seated beside Joy stood up abruptly. "I'm going to the library to bring your books."Joy clicked her tongue. "You can stay here Gem, it's only Logan.""No, I'll go." Her eyes darted between Logan a
Third Person's POV [Logan's POV]Logan was discharged from the hospital and although the doctors advised him to rest, he barely could afford to do that. He had to make frequent trips from college (to catch up on notes), his job, police station for enquiries and Joy's house where he finally felt like home. At the station, the cops were searching for the criminals based on Logan's descriptions about them.Logan wanted them to be punished, but he didn't care any longer. He knew karma wouldn't let them get away or his cruel uncle. He also knew that because of the police investigation, his uncle wouldn't dare to touch him for some months now. Besides, he felt invincible, like no force on earth could even blow a strand of his hair. The power in him was more spiritual than physical and all the events leading him to the brink of death taught him that stressing out caused him to only die a little bit everyday.For the first time in his life, he truly believed that he was strong.Logan ate the