A Glow in the dark 2

GARY, CLARA

Just like newlyweds, they were inseparable. When she wasn’t working she was in his office chatting and laughing with him, when he wasn’t too busy he was with her, helping with the patients. They had a perfect life here on Keriola. They became popular, everyone knew about them and it amused the little people of keriola.

Things started to go bad when natural disasters began to occur in neighboring villages. They were floods and earthquakes. Keriola was the only one not affected. They were more patients due to the many accidents so they didn’t have that much time to spend with each other anymore. There was a strain in their relationship then.

After work that day, Gary sat outside thinking; he wanted to leave the island. He couldn’t bear seeing all these people hurt and he wanted to leave with Clara. He knew she wouldn’t want to abandon her patients but he still decided to give it a try. He went down to her room that evening and found her sleeping, he guessed she must have stressed herself out but he still woke her up. He told her about his plans to leave with her. That got her really pissed; she began to raise her voice at him.

“Gary, I can’t leave this island, my life is here now. I owe it to this people to save them. You are so selfish, you care only about yourself. Fine! Go ahead if you want to but I’m not moving an inch. I regret the day I fell in love with a selfish coward like you.”

 Her words hurt him so much. He had things to say all planned out in his head. But all he could mutter out was “I love you” then he walked away.

Back in his room for the first time in a long while he cried. He felt like a baby that needed his mama. He cried himself to sleep.

Clara couldn’t help the tears; she regretted everything she had just said to Gary. She understood the point he was trying to make but she was just too stubborn to listen. She decided to go back and apologize, talk to him calmly to explain why she couldn’t leave. As she stepped outside, it was so windy. Leaves and dust were in the air, she feared it was a tornado. The wind got stronger that she couldn’t walk properly, it was pulling her. She heard screams form different angles and she realized a tornado was coming. The earth beneath her feet was shaking. All she could think of was Gary. She pushed aside every fear and began running towards his room. Few yards away from his room, right before her eyes she saw the tornado destroy the building. The tears that touched her cheeks were so hot, she began to run with all the strength she had in her until something hit her and she fell to the ground, and passed out. At that moment she thought she was dead and it hurt her so much that she didn’t get to apologize to him.

CLARA

She opened her eyes and all she could see was just unfamiliar faces. She realized she was on a hospital bed and her leg was badly hurt and tried to remain calm. Remembering what she saw before she passed out made her loose her cool, she started calling out for Gary but there was no response. Looking around all she could see were badly injured people and dead people. Sudden fear crept up on her when she thought of the possibility that Gary could be dead. When she finally saw a doctor she knew, she asked about Gary, it was really sad to hear that they were the only survivors’. She broke down in tears and cried all day. Different thoughts ran through her mind, she blamed herself for his death and kept on regretting why she said all those hurtful things to him.

That night she had the usual dream but she was hearing Gary’s voice. She couldn’t really understand what he was saying but she was so sure it was his voice. She felt something rising from within and immediately she woke up and began to puke, she felt so dizzy that she fainted. There was vomit everywhere when the doctor came to check on her. The nurses cleaned her up and sent her to the relief plane taking people off the island. She tried to struggle, she didn’t want to leave the island because she had a feeling that Gary wasn’t dead; but she was too weak.

Arriving at Briga, her parents were waiting for her at the airport. Her mother had a look that was a mixture of anxiety, sadness and hope. She had heard that her daughter’s condition was bad, she was so anxious to see her but she was hoping she wasn’t badly injured. Immediately they brought Clara out of the plane her mother pushed through the crowd and ran to her daughter, she hugged her so tight that it hurt Clara. She looked sad but she was happy to see her mum. When she met her dad she felt so much at ease because he didn’t have that I told you so look on his face.

Everyone at home was so happy to see her; she got so many visitors and was tired of telling the story over and over again. She told her dad about Gary and he promised to hire a search party to go look for Gary again.

Days had passed since her father had sent the search party; she noticed she was always dizzy and hungry. She thought it was because of what happened to her. She was on her bed that evening when her dad knocked on the door, immediately she saw him tears filled her eyes because she knew that he had just bad news. He hugged her so tight and sat with her until she slept off. She had the same dream again but this time she got to the glow and when she touched it, sudden happiness came upon her, she was filled with hope and she began to hear a baby cry and then she woke up. She touched her tummy and smiled. She told herself that Gary wasn’t dead and promised to keep on searching until she found him.

Everything that happens has already been planned by God.  And when we feel everything is perfect, don’t take that perfection for granted, don’t say things and do things you’ll regret later. We never know what tomorrow brings. And even when the bad things have happened to us, there’s no point remaining in sorrow, comfort yourself.