Ever since the accident time holds no essence. Life holds no meaning. Today is the day of my parents funeral. I don't even remember how I got here. I feel like a spectator in my own life.
Kaidaira stood before the mirror, her reflection a pale imitation of the vibrant girl she once was. The hospital had discharged her a few days ago, and since then, her aunties had been busy making arrangements for the funeral. Today was the day. Her parents were coming home for the last time.
Her aunties had laid out a simple yet elegant black dress on her bed, a gesture that brought a lump to Kaidaira's throat. They had thought of everything, trying to make this difficult day a little more bearable. She took a deep breath and began to get dressed, the soft fabric a gentle caress against her still-healing skin.
As she dressed, Kaidaira's mind wandered back to the countless times she had gotten ready for special occasions with her parents. Her mother would help her pick out the perfect outfit, and her father would tease her about her choice, making her laugh. Those memories seemed like a lifetime ago.
Kaidaira's hands trembled slightly as she fastened the last button on her dress. She felt like she was going through the motions, a spectator in her own life. Her aunties knocked softly on the door, their voices gentle as they asked if she was ready.
She took one last look in the mirror, her eyes welling up with tears. She wasn't sure if she was ready to face today, to say goodbye to the people who had loved her unconditionally. But with a deep breath, Kaidaira steeled herself and nodded, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'm ready."
Her aunties enveloped her in a warm hug, their tears mingling with hers. Together, they made their way downstairs, where the rest of the family was waiting. The drive to the funeral home was a blur, Kaidaira's mind numb as she stared out the window.
As they arrived, Kaidaira's eyes widened at the sea of faces gathered outside. Friends, family, and acquaintances all came to pay their respects to her parents. The mourning crowd parted, and Kaidaira saw the caskets, adorned with flowers and her parents' smiling photos. A sob caught in her throat as she stumbled forward, her aunties holding her upright.
The service was a blur of eulogies, prayers, and mournful music. Kaidaira's voice cracked as she tried to speak, her words lost in the silence. But as she looked around at the faces of those who had come to mourn, she felt a sense of gratitude. Her parents had touched so many lives, and in this moment of sorrow, Kaidaira felt a sense of peace knowing they were not alone.
As the caskets were lowered into the ground, Kaidaira felt the earth beneath her feet give way. She screamed, the sound ripping from her throat as she fell to her knees. Her aunties held her close, their tears mingling with hers as the reality of her loss hit her like a tidal wave.
The sun beat down on the gravestones as I stood at the edge of the grave, my heart heavy with grief. My adopted parents were being laid to rest, and I was surrounded by friends, family, and acquaintances who had come to pay their respects.
But then, I saw them. My biological parents. Standing at the back of the crowd, their eyes fixed on me with a mix of sadness and trepidation.
I stood tall, my eyes blazing with a cold, calculated fury as I gazed at my biological parents. They looked so out of place among the mourners, their faces pale and uncertain.
"You think you can just show up here and expect forgiveness?" I sneered, my voice dripping with disdain. "You think you can just waltz in and pretend like you care about me, after abandoning me all these years?"
My anger boiled over. How dare they show up here? How dare they think they had any right to attend my adopted parents' funeral?
I strode towards them, my heels clicking on the grass. "What are you doing here?" I demanded, my voice low and furious.
They exchanged a nervous glance, but my biological mother spoke up. "We wanted to pay our respects," she said, her voice trembling.
"Respects?" I laughed, the sound bitter. "You don't deserve to be here. You don't deserve to pay your respects to the people who raised me, who loved me, who gave me a home."
My biological father took a step forward, but I cut him off. "No. You don't get to be here. You don't get to pretend like you care about me, like you're sorry for abandoning me."
My biological mother took a step forward, tears welling up in her eyes. "We're sorry, sweetie," she began.
But I cut her off, my words slicing through the air like a knife. "Don't call me sweetie. Don't call me anything. You're not my family. You're just strangers who happened to contribute to my existence."
My biological father looked like he'd been punched in the gut, but I didn't care. I was beyond caring.
"You know what you are?" I continued, my voice cold and detached. "You're just donors. Biological donors. And now, you're trying to cash in on your investment."
I turned to the funeral attendees, my voice ringing out across the cemetery. "These people don't belong here. They don't deserve to be here. They're just...spectators in my life, people who chose to watch from the sidelines while I was raised by others."
The crowd around us grew quiet, watching the drama unfold. But I didn't care. I was too busy unleashing my anger, my hurt, my betrayal.
"You don't get to be here," I repeated, my voice firm and final. "You don't get to mourn the loss of people who loved me more than you'll ever understand. You're just...interlopers. And I want you gone."
With a dismissive wave of my hand, I turned my back on them and walked away, leaving them to pick up the pieces of their shattered expectations.
The burial was a hazy, nightmarish sequence of events. Kaidaira remembered little except the overwhelming grief that threatened to consume her. As the mourners began to disperse, she remained frozen, her eyes fixed on the graves. Her parents were gone, and she was left behind to pick up the shattered pieces of her life.
In the silence that followed, Kaidaira whispered a final goodbye, her voice lost in the wind. She knew it would take time to heal, to learn to live without the people who had defined her world. But for now, she allowed herself to feel the depth of her sorrow, to let the tears fall like rain.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting the graveyard in a warm orange glow, Kaidaira slowly rose to her feet. Her aunties stood beside her, their arms wrapped around her waist, holding her close. Together, they took a step forward, into the unknown, the weight of their grief shared but the road ahead uncertain.
The drive back home was quiet, the only sound the soft hum of the engine and Kaidaira's muffled sobs. As they pulled up to the house, she saw the familiar facade, now empty and still. Her heart ached, knowing her parents would never cross the threshold again, their laughter and love silenced forever.
Kaidaira's aunties and uncles helped her out of the car and into the house, where a warm meal and comforting words awaited. But Kaidaira's mind was elsewhere, lost in memories of her parents, of the life they had built together. She knew the days ahead would be long and hard, but with her aunties by her side, she felt a glimmer of hope.
As she lay in bed that night, Kaidaira's thoughts drifted back to her parents, to the memories they had shared and the dreams they had yet to fulfill. She whispered a final goodnight, her voice barely audible, she swore to her self too make them proud