She was a lone star forced to stay away from the sun.
She learned to keep quiet and sit in the back.
She forced herself to stay hidden and unseen because she was only a star pushed out of the constellation.
He was the planet that moons were captiv...
"No one prepared me for just how much love I would have for my child."
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Aloura was fast asleep when I tucked her into bed-or more practically mattress. I slowly tiptoed out of the room and looked at the mattress with the small body under it, breathing and safe.
I remained staring at my daughter feeling a myriad of feelings before sighing and waking into the combined kitchen, dining room and living room.
Aloura and I had dinner outside so there was nothing to do. I had already cleaned up and washed the dishes before heading to work and Aloura didn't have school because I couldn't afford it.
So I walked over to the slightly worn sofa and collapsed upon it, slowly running over my day. It was great. Aloura and I had fun together and it was long overdue. We played in the playground, blew bubbles and we lay on the grass pointing at the clouds and giggling at their shapes.
And then I remembered the park and the man who had saved Aloura from another fracture.
I sighed in sadness at the thought of how Aloura was so weak. She wasn't even six yet and already had a disorder for the rest of her life.
My heart pounded in my chest and I pressed a hand to the tips of my eyes willing myself not to cry. I had plenty of that when I got to know about Osteogenesis Imperfecta. A brittle bone disease which caused her to have bones which fracture easily along with having feeble muscles.
It was apparently a genetically passed disease and since it wasn't from my family, I knew it had to be from her fathers side. It was a chronic disease and there was no cure. Which meant Aloura had to live with it her entire life.
I breathed in, squeezing my eyes shut and blocking the other dreadful memories away. Before I knew about her condition, she used to fall and break her bones so many times. Her cries still echo through my head like a nightmare on repeat.
I walked over to the window, still dressed in my work attire as I gazed upon the park in front of my house. The same park where I met the handsome and kind man.
I recalled his face and frowned at the image. There was something familiar about him. I felt like I had known him but couldn't place where. Which was weird because I don't usually forget easily.
I walked back into the room and changed swiftly before walking to my sofa and pulling out my laptop, googling Elijah Sudeen.
Of course there'd be a hundred results. I rolled my eyes and typed in this town name and clicked the search button.
This time the search was narrowed down to a couple thirty. But they weren't that accurate because a link to one of the biggest restaurants, The Cravat, popped up first.
Silly ads.
I scrolled down and clicked on a facebook link which showed me Elijah Sudeen's pictures. I blinked at the first picture. It was that big restaurant that I had heard everyone gushing about; even sweet Mrs. Winston. I looked at the caption where Elijah had commented. It was posted nearly a year ago.
