Rom-antics

  “How wonderful! All the colours!” marvelled Lucinda.

  It was Easter Sunday; Lucinda was hiding the Easter eggs whilst admiring the colours.

  “Look at them, aren’t they pretty?” Lucinda asked.

  “Yes, dear. I’m sure the kids will love them,” answered Landon.

  The Sextons had three children, Cosmo, Lexie and Sherrie, in order of their age from youngest to oldest.

  Lucinda and Landon were hosting an Easter Hunt. The neighbours were also partaking. It was a tradition for the Sextons to host an Easter Hunt every year.

  “Let’s begin the hunt!” declared Lucinda.

  The children had all set out to find as many Easter eggs as they could. Sherrie had collected at least 14 eggs with Lexie whilst Cosmo only had 4. Cosmo started to sob. He wanted more eggs.

  “Waaa! I want more! I want more!” cried Cosmo as he banged his head against the wall.

  “Stop banging your head, you are going to hurt yourself,” said Sherrie.

  “No. Give me eggs and I stop.”

  After much reluctance, Sherrie relented.

  “You can’t do that!” shouted Lexie. “We put in a lot of effort in finding them!”

  “Cosmo is little brother. We should let him have the eggs. Besides, we can always find more.” Sherrie said.

  “I’m sick and tired of giving way to Cosmo. Why must I pamper him just because his younger?”

  “But Lexie...”

  “Don’t ‘but’ me! I have had enough! If you want, you can give Cosmo your share of the eggs but I’m keeping mine,” hissed Lexie.

  “Come on Lexie. How old are you? Your already 12 and Cosmo is only 7. You are behaving like a child.”

  “You aren’t my mother!” said Lexie. “I hate you!”

  Lexie’s words had hurt Sherrie. Surprisingly, Sherrie had snatched the Easter eggs that she gave Cosmo back.

  “Gimme back!” Cosmo demanded.

  Sherrie was at a lost. She wanted to keep her friendship with Lexie while being a good sister at the same time but, things wasn’t going the way she wanted. Anyways, Cosmo was still young, he would forget about the incident altogether in time but, Lexie was a different case.

  “Sherrie!” shouted Landon. “How could you steal Cosmo’s Easter eggs? I would never have thought you to do such things. You’re supposed to be the sensible one.”

  Lucinda looked on. She didn’t intervene with any of their meddling mainly because she felt Cosmo shouldn’t have been part of their happy little family in the first place, Cosmo had always torn the girls apart. If only she hadn’t given birth to such a mirthless child.

  “I...” Sherrie stuttered. “I am sorry. I don’t know what I am doing.”

  “Sherrie, go back to your room.”

  “Sorry?”

  “Walk home.”

  “What?”

  “Go home now!”

  Sherrie had started tearing. There were times her brain fried up. It's no excuse she knew.  She owned her behaviour. She tries to help, tries to be good, and then a trigger is flicked and she acts on impulse.

  Lexie watched in the shadows. What had she done to Sherrie? She broke her. Sherrie was always the one with the marbles. Now she acted as if she were a different person. Had she, Lexie, really meant so much to her?

  Sherrie dragged her feet as she made her way home. What had she done?

  Lucinda proceeded on with her day as if nothing happened.

  “The colours. Love the colours! Remember kids, save the foils. They are pretty so keep them!” Lucinda said. She wanted to save the pretty little foils on the Easter eggs.

  Sherrie was at home sulking to herself. Why had she done what she had?

  Cosmo was greedily feasting on the chocolates hidden in the Easter eggs, Lexie watched as he stuffed his mouth full. Had he not feel remorse about what his actions had caused Sherrie not only a scolding but to be sent home?

   Lexie made sure no one was looking and started to kick Cosmo.

  “Ouch!” cried Cosmo.

  “Are you sorry for what you’ve done?” taunted Lexie as she continued to deliver a furry of kicks to Cosmo.

  Crying, Cosmo ran to Landon.

  “Daddy! Daddy! Lexie kicked me!”

  Landon confronted Lexie. “Lexie, what have you done to Cosmo?”

  “Nothing.”

  “She beat me!” Cosmo said.

  “Did not.”

  “Have you, Lexie?” questioned Landon.

  “No. I have not.” Lexie said. “Cosmo is probably just fibbing again. It’s his word against mine.”

  Cosmo was a known liar. What Lexie said had some truth to it but, in this case, it was pure irony. Lexie was the one lying this time, not Cosmo.

  “Cosmo! What have I said about lying?”

  This time, Cosmo would have to bear the blunt of his reputation. He shouldn’t have lied about the time superman ate all the sweets at home. Or was it the time he lied about alligators flooding the toilet when in reality, he clogged it up with toilet paper?

  Lucinda was gazing upon the rainbow that had formed in the sky. It hadn’t rained that day. How peculiar, she thought.

  The day had ended. The Easter hunt had ended as well. The Sextons, excluding Sherrie, had returned home.

  “Sherrie? Are you okay?” asked Lexie as she creaked open the room door.

  As siblings, Sherrie and Lexie had shared a room while Cosmo had a room to himself. Lexie wasn’t jealous or anything, she was rather glad. At least he didn’t have to share a room with that ape of a boy.

  Lexie crept around the room to find no Sherrie. She checked the closet, under the bed, and everywhere she could think of. Not a sign of Sherrie anywhere.

  Lexie thought that she could have went out to buy a meal or something. Must have been, so she thought.

  It was late, closing on to midnight. Neither their mom nor dad had noticed Sherrie’s disappearance, they must have thought she was in the room and hadn’t bothered to check on her.

  Lexie’s phone started to buzz. It was Sherrie!

  “Hello? Sherrie? Where are you?”

  “Do you not care about me anymore? All of you. I’m gone and none of you have even started to search for me.”

  “Sherrie, what do you mean?”

  “I ran away from home! Have you not noticed?”

  “You what?”

  “I’m going to kill myself now. Figured I might as well remind you of my existence!”

  “Don’t! Where are you now? I’ll find you.”

  “It’s too late now.”

  The phone call ended. Lexie was going crazy! Without saying a word, Lexie mysteriously left home at midnight. Her parents noticed her departure; the sound of the metal door opening woke them up from their slumber. Where was Lexie going?

  Landon had enough troubles. With the disputes between the kids and Lucinda... Lucinda was a romantic. When he first met her, her personality was like a rainbow, colourful. Now, he noticed how childish Lucinda was, always loving sparkles and rainbows.

  The two parents got dressed and set out to follow Lexie.

  Lexie had gotten on her bike. She was going to cycle to the park she used to play at with Sherrie. She had a hunch. A hunch that Sherrie would be at the park.

  An hour had passed, Lexie wasn’t sure if Sherrie had given up ghost yet, it had been so long.

  It was at the park, a pebble was thrown onto the lake, ripples formed. Lexie stood by, trying to hold back her tears. Sherrie wasn’t there.

  Landon had just gotten off the car, along with Lucinda.

  “I don’t want to go. I want to sleep,” complained Lucinda.

  “We can’t let Lexie go out alone in the middle of the night. We have to follow her.”

  “Just stop her.”

  “That’s why we are here!”

  “But, you were driving a car. Surely you could have caught up with her. She’s on a bike!”

  “Don’t you want to know where she’s headed off to?”

  The two had stopped arguing when they heard a scream. They rushed into the dark, cold park.

  It was on that chilly night, at the park, had the Sextons changed forever.

  Sherrie had died. She drowned herself in the lake. Lexie had followed the ripples as they formed to the other end of the lake. On the side of the lake laid Sherrie. Lexie had shrieked at the gruesome sight. Landon and Lucinda had followed the sound of her screams to witness the same scene.

  Days had past; the terrible night was etched into the Sexton’s minds forever.

  “Where is big sister?” asked Cosmo innocently.

  Lexie stood there, not answering. She was at a loss of words. What was she to say? Sherrie died. What more to say?

  “She is...”

  “Not coming back any time soon. Sherrie went abroad on a holiday,” Landon interrupted.

  It was a lie. This time, it was the parent’s turn to fib. A white lie. That was what it was.

  Soon enough, Cosmo grew up and matured, did he learn of Sherrie’s death.  Six years had passed since that fateful day. The day the Sextons were to be without Sherrie.

  The family had split apart; Lucinda would not even acknowledge Cosmo as her son. Landon and Lucinda divorced. Landon took custody of Cosmo while Lucinda took Lexie. The next six years since Sherrie’s death had been hard.

  “You have to throw her things out! It’s driving me to hysterics!” Lexie shouted.

  “Whose things?” asked Lucinda.

  “You know who I’m referring to.”

  “I won’t.”

  “The sight of Sherrie’s stuff reminds me of that day. You know what day I’m talking about!”

  “I won’t throw them out.”

  “If you don’t, I will.”

  “No!” screamed Lucinda. “You will not touch any of them! You hear me?”

  “It pains me. It hurts me. Can’t you understand?”

  “I’m keeping all her things!”

  Lucinda slammed the door shut. She retreated into Sherrie’s and Lexie’s old room. The room was kept as it was years ago, not a thing out of place of its original position.

  Cosmo was 13 now. His father finally told him the truth behind the Sextons’s estrangement.

  “Sherrie, she never went on a holiday.” Landon confessed.

  “You mean she...?”

  “Died.” Landon said. “That was what broke up our family.

  Years back, on the night Sherrie had gave way of all flesh, the Sextons were in the middle of processing Sherrie’s death.

  “It can’t be. My darling daughter.” Lucinda said.

  “That jerk of a big sister, she left us.” Lexie said.

  It took awhile for the police to arrive. By then, the tears on Lexie’s face had dried up. Lexie didn’t cry anymore, not because she got over it but because she couldn’t. She cried out all she could until not a drop of tear was left.

  At home, the Sextons had cried their hearts out. Cosmo was confused at the sight. Why were they crying and where was Sherrie?

  The funeral service was horrible, Cosmo was the only one spared of misery, left at home with a baby sitter.

  “Sherrie was a very sensible girl,” said Lexie. “She drowned herself, not because she had gone crazy but because she was a sensitive soul. I failed to realise that when I refused to listen to her and as a result, she killed herself.”

  “No!” shouted Landon. “It was my fault. If I didn’t send Sherrie back home by herself in the first place, this would never have happened.”

  “Well said. You’re at fault. Why I married you in the first place is a mystery beyond me,” said Lucinda.

  “I should be asking that question, not you. You childish beyond childish. Rainbows? Sparkles? That’s all you think of.”

  “Me? Nuts? You’re crazy!”

  “It’s my fault!” shouted Lexie. She was firmly ignored as the two parents continued fighting.

  “You are crazy! That’s what you have always been. When will you pull your act together? Crazy woman, no, crazy girl, that’s what you are.” Landon said.

  The other people whom attended the funeral service were dumbfounded. This was a funeral, not a place for debate. It was a time for mourning, not debate.

  “I want to divorce you!” declared Lucinda.

  “You will regret that. No one else whom is sane will marry you.”

  “You are implying you aren’t sane?”
  “If I was I would never have married you!”

  Lexie started to pull her hair and cry. “I hate all of this nonsense!”

  Everyone turned to look at Lexie. If anyone was nuts now, it would be her.

  Cosmo, with his newfound information, decided to contact his sister, Lexie. He had regretted being as naughty as he was years back. If only time could turn back, he thought.

  In Sherrie and Lexie’s old room, a depressed Lucinda laid on Sherrie’s bed, crying. What had she done wrong as a mother? What had she done to deserve this? She wanted a happy family but was now left with barely half a family.

  Lexie was lamenting the fact that she couldn’t make it in time to stop Sherrie from drowning herself. If only she had started looking for her when she noticed Sherrie was missing. If only she told her parents. Sherrie’s death was all her own lousy fault and she knew it.

  Landon was working overtime that night; his boss noticed something bothering him, something disturbing his closest colleague. His boss was one of those rare few bosses whom sympathetically cared for their workers.

  “Landon, you seem troubled.”

  “I’m alright.”

  “My friend, I know when something is up. What’s the matter?”

  “I just broke the news of my daughter’s death to my son.”

  “Didn’t she pass on six years back?”

  “Yes. But I told my son she just went on a holiday and wouldn’t be coming back soon.”

  “Ah, you lied to him? How did he react?”

  “He took it well.”

  “So what exactly is bothering you?”

  “My son took it too well.”

  Lexie had just taken a shower when she heard a beep from her phone. It was an text message from an unknown number, it read: Lexie, its me, Cosmo. Dad just told me about Sherrie’s death. I want to talk to you if its okay. Call me back please.

  Cosmo had received a call from Lexie. They were meeting at the park. The park where Sherrie died.

  “I found her here.” Lexie said.

  “You? Alone?” Cosmo asked.

  “Yeah. Mom and Dad came a tad bit too late.”

  “You seemed to have moved on.”

  “Moved on? Maybe. I don’t think so.”

  “You speak so calmly. Most people can’t even come here in your situation.”

  “Being here reminds me of the time me and Sherrie played here. No matter the sorrow that this place brought me, I still come here every morning.”

  Cosmo changed the topic at hand.

  “How has mom been?”

  “Bad. She’s probably at home now having a break down in Sherrie’s and my old room.” Lexie said. “How’s dad?”

  “Dad became a workaholic now. Trying to stay from home, I guess.”

  Cosmo and Lexie had been apart from years, Cosmo had only obtained her phone number through their dad’s contact list.

  The two had returned to the shabby flat they used to live in together.

  “This isn’t a good idea.” Lexie said. “She hates you.”

  “I want to see my mom again.”

  “Its best you don’t. At least you have memory of her pretty self still, you don’t want to see the state she’s in now.”

  Before the two could make any further discussion, a familiar voice screamed. ‘You! Go away! I don’t want to see your face!”

  Cosmo gazed at the woman standing before him. The woman looked old enough to be one foot in the grave. Her gait was unsteady, Cosmo could tell as she walked towards him. It was his mother, Lucinda! He felt like removing the mask of age to see the person behind it, the girl she was all those years ago.

  “I said go away!” Lucinda continued shouting.

  “You were right when you said I wouldn’t want to see her.” Cosmo said.

  “You go back to your dad!”

  “Mom.”

  “I’m not your mother! You aren’t my son!”

  It was hopeless. No matter what Cosmo had said, Lucinda would not be swayed. Eventually, he decided to go back home.

  The bond between the Sexton family had been torn. The relationship was sour. If only Sherrie was still alive and well. The Sextons learnt one thing, time may never mend the wounds that the past inflicted.

  A year had gone by; it took the loss of another loved on to bring the family together.

  “Go back home. You have done enough work today.”

  “Boss, its fine. I can work overtime.” Landon said.

  “Please, go back. Talk to your son.”

    After much persuasion from his boss, Landon finally agreed to return home. He plugged the car key in and turned on the engine.

  Landon was on his way home when he suffered a severe headache. He was in so much pain and agony he instinctively put his hands onto his forehead. This meant putting his hands off the steering wheel. Landon realised his mistake and attempted to control the car but, it was too late. The swerved off the road and slammed into a tree.

  “Are you Lexie Sexton?” asked a voice over the phone.

  “Yes.”

  “Your father had been in a car accident. He is currently in intensive care.”

  Lexie was put into shock. She thanked the operator after milking out information about Landon’s condition and which hospital he was in before calling Cosmo.

  “Cosmo! Go to Ortown Hospital. Dad is in intensive care!”

  ‘What?”

  “Meet you there in 15 minutes.”

  With that, Lexie ended the call. Cosmo made his way to Ortown Hospital as quickly as he could.

  “Lucinda? Kids? God, it took a tragedy like this to bring us all together in the same room.” Landon said.

  “Hell, you still can joke,” complained Lexie.  The Sextons were finally all in the same room again. It took Landon’s impending death to bring all of them together.

  “The doctor has already said, I am going to die soon.” Landon said. “I have a tumour in my brain. I have cancer.”

  Landon stared at Lucinda as if it was going to be the last time he ever saw her. He tried to memorise every detail of her face. It was indeed, the last time Landon would ever see her.

  “Lucy...” Landon muttered.

  Landon used to call Lucinda, Lucy. It was the pet name he gave her.

  A tear was shed. It belonged to Lucinda.

  “Lance, I love you.” Lucinda said.

  “Lexie, Cosmo, I’m sorry. Sorry that I wasn’t the best dad in the world as I promised.”

  It was a distant time back, had Landon made a promise to his children.

  It was a father’s day.

  “Daddy! Daddy!” the girls shouted in excitement.

  Lexie and Sherrie handed Landon a card that read, ‘Best Daddy Ever!’. It warmed his heart. He sat with his three children, Cosmo still a toddler at the time.

  “Kids, I promise you I will be the best daddy ever. If not, this card wouldn’t belong to me.”

  “You already are!” the girls shouted in unison.

  Now, Landon lay in his death bed, unable to fulfil any promises he may had ever made before.

  ‘You are, the best dad we can ever ask for,” Lexie said.

  “Yeah. You are dad,” Cosmo added.

  “I love all of you.” Landon breathed his last.

  Landon closed his eyes. Tears flowed like an eternal spring. The beep sound echoed throughout the enclosed white room. The doctors rushed into the room and started to perform CPR on Landon.

  “His gone,” one of the doctors said.

  Lucinda stood up. She finally spoke after a thick silence. “Landon was a great man, he was my man. Breaking up with him was the biggest mistake I made. The colours I used to embrace turned to a dull black and white when I was separated from him. The kids I had with him, are my greatest joy. This man, Landon Sexton, had been my husband and always will be.”

  Lucinda sat down.

  “Great speech, mom,” praised Cosmo.

  “Thank you. A great speech is only deemed fit for such a great man.”

  The Sextons, or what was left of the Sextons, paid their final respects to Landon. Landon was buried six feet down next to Sherrie’s grave.

  With all of this, Lexie left two bouquets of flowers on the two tombstones.

  The family was finally reunited. Lucinda now bursting of colours once more, Cosmo finishing up his studies and Lexie finally moving on over Sherrie’s death.

Epilogue

   It was spectacular, Lexie and Lucinda made their ways to their seats. Cosmo was finally graduating. It was all smiles when Cosmo collected his certificate. It was time for him to soar like a bird in the sky in his own way when it came to a career.

 “It’s my entire fault.” Landon’s boss ranted. “Damn, I killed off my best worker indirectly now my company is busted. Lack of manpower now, curse my bad luck!”

  Cosmo overheard Mr Muckle complaining to himself in his office. It had been a few years now and Mr Muckle had refused to take down his company after Landon’s death and now his company was full of debts. Cosmo finally mustered up the courage to knock on the door.

  “Come in.” Mr Muckle said.

  The two had been locked in eye contact for the last few minutes when Cosmo finally broke the silence.

  “I would like to have a job here.”