I like to write, so, I started my first book. I haven’t figured out the book title yet, but I thought I would give you guys a sneak-peek of it anyway. I hope you enjoy Life, the first chapter of my book.

Life

Chapter 1

                The teardrops drizzled slowly down her smooth cheek, but as the horrible tidings began to sink in, torrents revealed her deep sorrow. She slid to the floor, her knee’s failing to hold the weight that had seemed to increase tenfold.

                “Daddy…Mommy…” Twenty-year old Annette whispered.

                She would never understand. How could someone kill the two kindest people in the world? How could they be the victims of the dreadful car wreck?

                Annette sucked a breath of air into her lungs, the ache was nearly unbearable. How could the ones who had raised her from birth be gone? It seemed impossible. They were too young to die, it wasn’t fair. No, life wasn’t fair. She swallowed as more tears filled her eyes.

                      Annette knew that she would have to move on in life, but she dreaded it. Dreaded enduring the funeral of her beloved parents, dreaded the sympathetic comments that would release a fresh stream of tears, dreaded resuming her courses in college, going on as if nothing had happened.

                Hours had passed before Annette had gathered the strength to pull herself up from the hard floorboards, and walk to her small room, where she flung herself onto the bed. She cried herself into a troubled sleep, with many thoughts of her great loss.  

*^*^*^*

                Annette gazed into the mirror through swollen eyes. Her face looked like a huge mess. She sighed and turned away. The last few days had been miserable, filled with restless weeping and sleepless nights. The double-funeral was to start in less than two hours. Her grandparents had taken care of everything, from the reservation of the funeral home, to the burial service.

                The very next day after Annette had heard of the deaths, she had packed her suitcase and took the six-hour flight to Florida, the place where she had spent her childhood. Her grandparents received her with a tearful reunion.

                Annette brushed the wrinkles away from her black dress. That day almost seemed like years ago. How was she to endure the next few hours? Would her life ever get better? When would the hurt go away?  She sighed; she had no energy left.

                 Annette grabbed her purse; her grandparents were probably ready to leave. Departing from her room, she entered the hallway and walked the old floorboards once again, one step at a time, through the gallery of memory. Portraits of her small family lined the wall. Her parent’s faces glowed with joy in each picture. Blinking back tears, she turned from the images, and made her way to the kitchen. Her grandparents were there, they were both ready.

                “Ready?” Annette’s grandmother looked toward her, concern in her pained expression.  

                Annette swallowed and nodded.

                The drive was uneventful, yet much too short to take in what was to come. Annette sucked in a deep breath and blinked back her tears. Oh, how she missed them so much already.

                Stepping out of the car, she hurried to enter the funeral home.  Oh, why was it so hard to take every step, breathe every breath, endure every hopeless thought? Her body ached from lack of sleep and her soul longed to be relieved from the pain of remembering.  Tears could not ever show her inward feelings of brokenness.

                     Annette fumbled to find her seat in the front row to await the service. Two hard grey caskets were aligned just before the stage, flowers covered them completely. In those coffins held her beloved parents. The ones who had loved her as their own, had taken her in when she was without salvation.   

                 Her mind dazed as she gazed upon the two smooth caskets. She barely observed the people filing in to find a seat in the crowded auditorium.  

                Then came the pictures, the heart-wrenching pictures. Her parents, from their childhoods to their seemingly short adulthoods. She could hold it no longer; the waterworks began.