MAY 08, 2016
"Keep yourself up, young man." I heard my dad whisper to me in such authority.
I sighed in annoyance as I came back in my soberness. I glanced at the priest on the altar. He's still preaching nonsense that I'm pretty sure he just memorized while glancing back and forth at the bible.
I can't wait to get out of this hell. I mean this awful chapel that my dad funded and built on the wooden part of Camden Town. It is the first catholic chapel in Camden. Religious people were so elated by this chapel when they heard the news about this being built. Because they don't have to go to other places anymore and pay for a transportation fare just to visit a chapel every Sunday.
Well, me and my older brother Bryon were the opposite. We always hated our father's idea of building a church. And the funny thing is, that was the first time we agreed on our entire life. Well, on the contrary, he just built this for publicity. He's a corrupt mayor of Camden Town. I admit, but I am not proud of it.
It has also been a while since the last time he did something for this town. Heck, I can't even remember the last time he used the people's money in the right way.
Well, he still went straight to this idea. It'll not cost him a lot of money, plus the holy religious people here in Camden have been asking for this for years now. So it's a good go to cover up his misdeeds.
He's been a mayor here for five years. It's now his second term. People in Camden are just born stupid. Even when it's too visible that my father is just fooling them right in their faces using his sweet flowery words, people still continue to support him. And the funny thing was, there were no other candidates in the last election other than my father. Just proves how stupid the people of Camden are for trusting my father and our family until now. That's also the reason Camden never improves.
"And I hope we see each other again next Sunday!" I blinked several times when the priest bid his goodbye to us.
Well, if I'm not mistaken, his name is Joseph Walter. From what I've heard from the rumors, he was a priest from another chapel before he assigned here; I remembered hearing that he used to take advantage of nuns. But seriously, I hope that's not true or I'm going to puke on his face right now.
I lost count of the time. My father forbade me to open my phone because I kept looking at it the whole time.
The people stood up afterwards. Most of the people are greeting each other while bowing with such respect while the others are already leaving in a hurry. Most of them are teenagers like me, that were forced to be here. They probably don't want to attend masses either. I don't get why parents need to force their children to be religious or to have a religion as if it defines their humanity. But in my case, it's acceptable because even though we're not a religious family, at least we are a family who fools people in Camden Town and we're getting loads of money from doing these kinds of things.
"No sir, we are more than grateful because you finally built a chapel here. The people have been asking for this for a long time now. And I'm more than grateful to be assigned here. We can finally hold masses every Sunday and help straighten the lives of many." Father Joseph said, trying to sound holy and sincere in front of my parents.
My parents are faking their smiles at him, of course. My mother's face is so tense and looks si uncomfortable I can't help but stifle a laugh. They all looked at me in confusion while my father's face was telling me to stop showing my actual personality. And now that's my cue to leave the chapel.
I left my obedient older brother behind. Since he wants to follow in my father's footsteps in politics, I let him suffer alone by showing plasticity to people; which is tiring. My parents expect me to be like them too, but all I ever wanted is to compose music and be a well-known musician. But if I said and forced it on them, they'll surely get mad at me, disown me, or maybe abandon me without leaving me money.
The moment I stepped out of the chapel, I heaved out a sigh of relief. The warm sunlight shines through my face. It's summer, but the temperature is warm. Which I like the most out of all the temperatures.
I can't help but smile as I look up at the sky. The tall trees are almost covering the blue sky. I can hear the chirping of the birds and the people's voices around me and even though chapels and churches are not my comfort zones. The scenery outside seems to calm the war in my head. Maybe it was because of the relaxing and comforting vibes that the greenery gives to me.
When I slowly put my eyes back on my surroundings, one girl caught my eyes.
In a split second, everything turned into slow motion. As cliché as it sounds, everything around me and even the noises seemed to disappear the moment I saw her standing a little farther away from me. Only the loud beating of my heart are the only sounds I can hear.
Her fringe fell and covered her cheeks. That made her look more adorable. She's talking and having fun with the children, plastering a genuine smile on her face. Her smile is so contagious that I can't help but to smile, too. She has long, wavy ginger hair that is tied in half ponytail letting her remaining gorgeous hair fall perfectly down her waist. I notice the beautiful freckles on her face that look like little shining stars when sunlight hits them.
I have never felt this way before. Never in my life have I thought that a person could be that beautiful.
I don't believe in angels. Hell, I don't even know what they look like or if they ever exist. But for me, she's the illustration and definition of my imagination of angels. A bright, joyful face of innocence and perfection.
In Camden, a small town with only 400 people, how can I just notice such beauty that she holds? When, in fact, I am familiarized with all the people here...
I swallowed hard when she suddenly noticed me. Panic, accompanied by embarrassment, hit me like a punch. I even felt sweat threatening to come out of my forehead. I don't want her to think that I am such a lunatic creep staring at her.
But what she did next made me flinch. She sweetly smiled and waved her hand at me.
She noticed me. And she smiled at me! I swear, that was the purest smile I ever saw in my entire seventeen years of existence.
Because of what she did, my heartbeats became even faster. I couldn't move my body, I became a statue suddenly, I even thought that I'm going to have a heart attack. I didn't expect that an angel like her would notice a simple person like me.
If attending the mass in this chapel would be the only way to see her every Sunday. Then I'd throw away my laziness and procrastination just to see her again.
"Love at first sight, huh?"
May 08, 2016"Love at first sight, huh?"I came back to my senses as the noises in my surroundings came back as well, when I heard Everson's voice behind me. I turned to him in annoyance. He's wearing an all-black attire as if he'd attended a funeral instead of a church mass. There's a soccer ball in his hand that he swiftly kicked back to the younger boys who were playing a mess-up soccer game.There are a handful of teenagers here outside the chapel. From what I've heard, the Camden Public School is holding a recollection and retreat for all of their students. They're also going to split the middle and high schoolers. We're not allowed to join since we don't go to that public school.When I turned back to the girl's direction who caught my attention, I couldn't find her anymore. She's already gone. I sighed in disappointment. It's all Ever's fault."I never thought you'd attend the mass," I said, changing the topic. I don't want him to m
August 21, 2021When Sierra vanished from my life, I lost everything. My friends, my interests, my studies, and even myself. My will to live simply disappeared into thin air. It wasn't until then that I came to know that without her; I was nothing but an empty soul. She was my motivator, encouraging me to start and finish each day and the one who inspired me to do everything I want without fear of my parents' thoughts. Ever since my father dictated my future, I lost my will to dream for myself. I imagined that my life would revolve around politics as well, that I would be like them—a boring person who makes empty promises.But then Sierra entered my life. She resurrected my old little self, who used to fantasize about impossible things, and she taught me how to dream and believe in myself agai
"And so we meet again."Sierra surprised me by appearing and slamming a book on the desk before me, which brought me back to reality. She's dressed formally in a light blue dress with a black ribbon in the middle of her collar, and her long ginger hair is braided into three strands. She looks great today without even trying; in fact, I believe she always looks great.Blinking often, I double-checked that I was the one she spoke to by peering around the corner. Everything in Camden town's most central public library is brown from the walls and down to the things around inside here, and every corner of the room exudes the intoxicating aroma of books."Hey, I'm talking to you." She whispered and smiled sheepishly at me.Withou
August 21, 2021When I followed Sierra into the mall parking lot, she walked inside and drove a black car by herself. I suddenly remembered how difficult it was for her to practice driving when she was trying to earn her driver's license. She had no prior driving experience. She didn't even know how to pedal a bicycle. Sierra told me about how her mother used to chastise her as a child for how dangerous it is for a young lady like her to ride a bike. As a result, she never learned to ride one.But now I've learned that Sierra has grown brave and can now drive a car without my help. Because I've always been the one to drive her wherever she wanted to go.I sighed. I'm sitting inside my car, watching Sierra enter her apartment on the second level of a building meters away from me. She removed her cap before going insi
October 19, 2016It took me several days to regain my sense of sanity. And the moment I opened my eyes and had the strength and courage to speak once more, I had no idea that Sierra was already gone once I saw the four corners of the room."I know it will be difficult for you to accept what I'm about to tell you, son." The older man in the policeuniform began, his eyes sympathetically looking at me as if I were a stray pet.He's seated in front of my hospital bed in a white plastic chair. And I spotted another cop standing behind him with his hand on his chin, looking at me with the same sympathetic expression.And here I am, helpless on my bed, perplexed and worried. But I've never given them the impression that I'm about to burst out in tears because of wha
May 22, 2016Today is Sunday. The sun is shining brightly, and the temperature is higher than last week. We're back in Camden's chapel for another mass. I keep telling myself that I need to concentrate on the priest's sermon when he begins, since I don't want my father to reprimand me again. But I can't seem to stop myself from wandering around the chapel, hoping to see Sierra.I was very excited about going to mass last Sunday. I even told my family to hurry up, and they were all taken aback by my unusual actions because it was just not me. They looked at me in disbelief, as if they couldn't believe what they had just seen in me. But, in the end, Mom praised me for beginning to be diligent, and Dad even smiled at me, which is rare to see inhim. Bryon, on the other hand, simply sneered at me. Maybe he believed I was merely putting on a show to receive pra
May 22, 2016"Archer, let's talk." Ever popped out of nowhere at such an inconvenient time? And he's not asking me; he’s commanding me.I gazed at Ever, a frown on my face. Sierra and I were both caught off guard by his unexpected appearance. While he continuedto stand there with no evident expression on his face,I noticed Sierra moving in her seat from my peripheral vision; I didn’t want our conversation to stop abruptly, especially since I waited a week to see her. However, Ever is still standing in front of us, waiting for my response. Even though I'm irritated by his lousy timing, I know I need to talk to him about our misunderstanding. But does he really need to confront me in front of Sierra and interrupt our talk? Can’t he wait until we come home?
June 13, 2016I took a deep breath after glancing at myself in the bathroom mirror for about a minute. I strapped my backpack over my shoulder and brushed my hair using my hands. I made my way to the living room and slammed my bathroom door shut. Once I reached the ground floor of our house, with great heavy footsteps, I was about to turn the front doorknob when suddenly I heard Mildred, our maid, calling me from the dining room.“Archer! It's still early, so get some breakfast first!" She yelled, and as I turned around, there she was, racing out of our dining room's archway, holding a paper bag of food. "And here's something for your lunch," Mildred added.Mildred is a single lady in her fifties. Since we were kids, Mildred has been Bryon, and I'spersonal maid since we were kids; she acts more like our