Bernadette, Wife For A Year

𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 1

Chapter- 1

Introduction

"Life is a roller coaster ride."

This is a phrase, we all can relate to, isn't it?

Well, in my case, I relate to it daily. For me, life was a field of battle, the battle to prevail to the next day. Sounds a little overstated, doesn't it? But believe me, when I say, this was the very truth of my life. It has been like this from the time I can remember.

"Why?" you may ask. Any guesses?

To begin with, the woman who gave birth to me thought it was for the best if she just abandoned me in the washroom at an airport. I was only a day old when I was left crying on the bathroom's tiles, neatly covered with a soft blanket.

Now, it has been eighteen years since that dreadful event and I somehow learned to live with it.

Maybe she was a single mother who didn't know how to live life ahead with an infant? Or possibly, she was a teen mother? Or perhaps my parents did not have enough money to raise me? I don't know, all of these are just possibilities, but I'll never know the truth.

Growing up in group homes, residential homes and foster cares isn't exactly what anyone would want to be a part of. At least, willingly. But I had to live my life that way, unfortunately. And one thing about it- Life there sucks.

Growing up, I never knew where I belonged for I never had a home I could call mine. It was challenging and the grind was real. But that's how life is, challenging and hard with tough situations at every step. Every day I would promise myself to work hard, no matter what to have a satisfying future life. I decided not to let my past mold my future, I'll write my future with my own hands.

There's never a night where I sleep without dreaming about a future in which I don't need to fret about starving or how to stay warm in winters.

And today, here I was, honorably holding my high school diploma passing with an exact GPA of 4.0.

Eventually, school life was over. My much-awaited moment. I was elated, not because I didn't have to attend school anymore, but because I was finally free from the incessant bullying which started on the first day of middle school. I would get bullied about my scruffy clothes, dirty shoes, tattered backpack, gaunt appearance, and the list goes on. But it's not like I was living a luxurious life, so I just dealt with it and moved on, only focusing on my goal and studies.

"Ready to go, Bernie?" I heard my only friend Nick ask as he tapped my shoulder.

"Yes," I lifted my head to look at him and replied.

"What's cooking in that pretty brain of yours?" he questioned as we walked towards the café we worked at.

"Just life," I said, heaving a deep sigh.

"Tell me when it's not," he grumbled under his breath, fed up from hearing the same answer I have been giving him.

"I heard that," I declared as I huffed.

"You were meant to,"  he shrugged with a smug smirk.

"Ouch, that hurts," I cried and faked a hurt expression, placing my palm over my heart.

"You are impossible to understand. Anyway, tell me what do you want to do after our shift gets over?"  he asked, excitedly.

"Nothing, we have another shift, remember?" I stated as I raised a brow at him.

We worked two part-time jobs to make ends meet. The first one starts from 1 p.m in the afternoon to 5:30 p.m in the evening. And then again the second one was at a local bakery run by an old lady named Amelia.

"Oh come on! it's your day. You don't graduate high school every day, after so many years of torture, you're free from it so that's a thing we must celebrate," he urged, making hand signs dramatically.

True, it's something we need to celebrate but we could not afford to miss a day at work. We were paid on an hourly basis. Furthermore, I have to visit Mama Jones too.

"We can't skip our shift just to celebrate Nick and I also need to go show my diploma to Mama Jones, remember?"  I said, tilting my head to the side. He nodded as we came near the Cafe.

Mama Jones was my foster mother. She was the kindest soul I have ever known, of course, besides Nick. Agonizingly, she passed away three years ago from breast cancer. She was the only mother figure I have ever known.

After Mama Jones's death, I met Nick. He was 16 at that time, just a year older than me. He lost his parents in a shark attack while they were off on a vacation. We crossed paths at a big café, where we were hunting for a job. It was as if God gave me Nick as a replacement for Mama Jones and I'm so thankful for it.

We hit it off instantly. We worked in the Cafe we met at for almost a year as a part of the maintenance crew before landing our current jobs. Our job included doing dishes, cleaning tables, windows, doors, and machines, and mopping the floor. In short, we were responsible for all the cleaning duties.

"Do you want to visit her now? We have almost an hour left before our shift starts," he suggested softly as he took note of the time.

"Yeah, I think I would like to do that now," I answered back as my mood went down a bit. I missed her a lot. Her death left a void in my heart, and the void was going to stay all my life. She was a wonderful woman with a wonderful soul who deserved the world.

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