A Better Tomorrow ✔️

The girl with hazel eyes and chestnut hair watches as the many cars pass by her open window and into the small city she claims as her home. She listens intently to the faint voices coming from the few people walking on the sidewalk below and imagines the possible ideas of what these strangers' lives could be like. She wonders if they enjoy the smell of fresh coffee, cold air, and smoke that is mixed into the atmosphere and if it is so distinct that they can almost taste the scents on their tongues that occasionally scrape the fall air. She wonders if they enjoy watching the different colored leaves fall off of the many dying trees and onto the frosted ground or if they simply enjoy walking in the frigid November wind that grazes against their pale skin. Or maybe they're just like the young, seventeen year old girl sitting on her window ledge and enjoy not just one factor of the busy city, but all of them. Maybe as darkness sets in they listen to the distant train and fall asleep to its many promises of a better tomorrow or maybe, they too, enjoy watching the residences of the preoccupied town in curiosity and wonder. However as the once familiar voices continue their journey down the almost vacant sidewalk, the chance of her ever knowing walks away with them and she is once again sitting all alone.

The sudden sound of a light tapping on her bedroom door quickly sounds through the unembellished room and echoes in the petite girl's inquisitive ears. Usually, the tranquil child is never bothered throughout the day and is left to herself and her many thoughts. "Asha?" a gentle voice calls from the other side of the white painted door and she instantly recognizes it as her often too detached mother. "Asha, may I come in?" her gentle voice calls once again and this time the solitude girl hastily stands from her comfortable position over the barely lit street to open the door for her waiting mother.

"Yes?" Asha's quiet voice asks once there is no longer anything preventing the two women from seeing each other. Her mother doesn't answer her, only gives her a soft, wavering smile in response before carefully pushing her daughter aside and walking into the small room. "Did you need something mother?" Asha questions louder than her previous statement, worried that the older woman's ear might not have picked up her low in volume voice.

"No, no," she says dismissively with the wave of her hand. "I only wanted to check in on you, see how you were doing." Asha's light brown eyebrows furrow in confusion at her mother's hesitantly spoken words and she looks at her mother in a way of asking her to further explain. The woman misses the curious gaze from her daughter because of her flickering eyes from one object in the room to the other. Asha decides not to question her about her words and that it is not an unusual occurrence for a mother to worry about her child.

"Well, I'm fine," Asha reassures with a shy smile. Her mother instantly stops looking around the practically empty room and turns to face her child as the softly spoken words fill her mind.

"Yes, you are," she says with a sad smile and pulls the smaller girl tightly into her arms. "You'd always be fine if it were up to me." Asha tenses at the sudden contact, but quickly allows herself to relax into the loving embrace of her mother. "I love you," the mother whispers brokenly into her only daughter's shoulder.

"I love you too." Asha doesn't allow herself to think about the confusing events that are currently happening, but decides to savior the brief, loving encounter with her mother instead. Of course the encounter is much more brief than she was hoping for and when her mother begins to pull away she only holds on tighter.

"Asha, sweetheart, I need to go downstairs and finish making dinner for you and your brother. Please don't make this harder than it already is," she begs and the crestfallen girl reluctantly lets go of the only parent she's ever had.

"I'm sorry," Asha mumbles while stepping to the side and watching longingly as her mother gracefully glides out of the not often visited room. "I'm sorry," Asha whispers once more before sliding down her bedroom wall and sitting with her knees against her hurting chest.