I hope you like it. Note: I still can't decide on a title, therefore if you think of anything, let me know, as I will take it into consideration.
Peace of Mind (Gloria Bennett)
By: harcyMill
Meet Miss Gloria Bennett, a woman that can be described in many ways, one of which is, emotionally unstable. Of course, according to different people, they might not see it like that. They may just think of Miss Gloria as a person who happens to be, overprotective, a little too sensitive, fragile, as well as hesitant, and possibly, a wallflower. However, all these descriptions fit Miss Gloria Bennett immensely. Upon meeting Gloria for the first time, it would be hard for someone not to assume that she appeared a little nervous or agitated, maybe even tearful. What could be the reason for Gloria to behave in such a manner?
Truth be told, she wasn’t always like that. She wasn’t always excessively cautious; she wasn’t always Miss Gloria Bennett. Years ago, she was known as Mrs. Gloria Bennett. She used to be a wife, married to a wonderful man, James Bennett. While no marriage is perfect, their marriage would be the closest to perfection, no doubt. In fact, it would be no exaggeration to suggest that their love for each other was like wine, growing deeper and richer with age. Most marriages whither with the curse of time; however, the unity of Gloria of James only grew stronger as time passed by. Soon enough, what started as two, which turned into one, became three, and then four. They became a family. Gloria was now a mother with two lovely little girls. The first born was named Abigail; the second was named Emily. As the years swiftly flew by, Gloria gained many cherished memories, each and everyday. She had everything she could have asked for and then some.
Sadly, all good things must come to an end and Gloria was no exception. James Bennett was killed in a tragic and devastating car accident. His death was not instantaneous; he died very slowly on a hospital bed with Gloria by his side, helplessly and hopelessly watching. First it was head trauma then a brain hemorrhage followed by internal bleeding to the brain, which led to his death. The doctors did the very best they could, but even then, it wasn’t enough. It was never enough. As Gloria watched James’s body be placed in a six feet deep hole, she realized that the only thing in the world that gave her joy and peace was stripped away from her. She was now a widow, a single mother with two children, a nine-year old and a seven-year old. Gloria fell into a deep chasm of sadness and isolation. She could not compose herself nor could she contain her sorrow, the pain within her. The children were also thrown into devastation, but not as profound as Gloria, her tears were relentless. She felt completely overwhelmed, almost as if she was unable to breathe, but then suddenly, she felt the squeeze of two soft little hands. It was Emily, giving her mom a tight hug. It was Emily’s way of saying, that everything would be okay, eventually things would get better.
Gloria could feel the assurance of Emily, and strangely she could also feel a certain kind of love that only James gave her. As Gloria lifted her face, expecting to see the gentle face of Emily; however, she was shock to see the eyes and smile that once belonged to James. It was as clear as day. She could see and sort of feel a physical connection with James. She felt like this because Emily possessed several characteristics of James. Gloria felt as if, all her sorrow and pain were taken away, all the misery in her life, gone. Gloria hugged Emily back and consistently spent time with her since. She would talk with her, walk with her, stay up late with her. Together, Emily and Gloria formed a bond thicker than blood. The only way for Gloria to live through each day of hardship was by clinging onto everything she had of James. Every moment, every photograph, every faint memory, but the only possible way for Gloria to feel even feel a small sense of peace was with Emily. Unknowingly, Emily gave Gloria a way to feel the presence of James.
As the bond of Gloria and Emily deepened, Abigail was slowly cast aside. She felt as if she was being constantly forgotten. Day in and day out, Abigail would watch Gloria with Emily, and never once was she called for or mentioned or included. It was almost as if she didn’t matter to them. With each passing day, Abigail felt all the more invisible, expendable, and neglected. She tried to be the best at everything, in hopes for some recognition. She got better grades, she helped around the house, she was very athletic and talented, but all her attempts did little good. To say that Abigail was never loved would be a complete lie. However, how could Abigail even begin to realize that, when she didn’t feel any love? Whenever Abigail tried to do something to get noticed, she was unsuccessful. Soon enough, Abigail was forced to live with it, she couldn’t deny it, and she couldn’t fight it. Therefore, she wore a mask, concealing her anger, which kept on accumulating over time. A mask that hid her relentless jealously, to be noticed and cared for like Emily.
* * *
Years have passed since the death Gloria’s loving husband, but Gloria was still grieving, still clinging onto Emily. Abigail was still gripping with envy. Even though it had been several years, almost nothing changed. The only difference was that Abigail was now 19 years of age and Emily was 17 years of age. Other than that fact, time had placed no major difference in the household.
It was the second Friday, in the month of September. It was late in the afternoon, and Gloria was eagerly waiting upon the arrival of Emily, coming home from her senior high school. Gloria was pacing back and forth, even though her feet were hurting, she was too anxious to stop. She would continue, until Emily came home. At last, Gloria heard the door open, her heart nearly jumped out of her chest.
“Emily?” she asked, rushing to the front entrance. However, her heart sank, once she saw, it was only her daughter Abigail.
“Hi, mom, take a look, I got an A on my biology test, in my college class,” answered Abigail showing her mom a paper covered in big red letters: Awesome Job! A! “Isn’t that pretty cool?” asked Abigail hoping that Gloria would notice.
“Good for you,” replied Gloria in a daze, “Do you know where Emily is?”
“She’s still outside, still talking to her friends. She’ll come soon enough,” said Abigail in a heavy sigh, to which Gloria was completely oblivious to, all she could think about was Emily. Then, the door swung open, with Emily walking inside the living room.
“Hello everybody,” she said with a big grin, just like James. When Gloria saw that smile, the tension inside of her was melting away.
“Welcome home, Emily,” said Gloria with glee, “Did you have a nice day at school?” she asked giving a tight hug. Emily looked cheerful as usual, she was always the innocent kind of person, nice to everybody, but sometimes naïve. Abigail rolled her eyes in frustration, while crumbling her biology test and tossing it to the floor.
“It’s good to see you too, mom. Abby and I were invited to a super big party.”
“How was I invited? The only time I go to school, is to pick you up,” stated Abigail with a somewhat irritated voice.
“How true,” said Emily with great appreciation, “However it is required of every guest to bring a date, so Abigail Bennett will you be my date, please,” begged Emily using some sort of cute puppy face. Emily could tell that every so often, Abigail would feel left out; however Emily was unaware of the extent of loneliness Abigail felt. Nevertheless, now and then, Emily would try to include Abigail in her frequent social gatherings.
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