Ella Loses Her Parents

It was already 3:30 p.m. inside film production class. Everything seemed peaceful around here.

Michelle, Ella and I were sitting together candidly discussing about the art of script-writing. But just as we were about to deliver our presentation to the whole class, Ella's mobile phone suddenly vibrated and she promptly left the classroom for a brief moment.

When she returned, however, her face was teary-eyed and a terrible feeling of sadness lingered inside her heart.

"What's the matter Ella?" Michelle summoned her. "Why are you crying?"

"I bear some bad news, friends," Ella tearfully replied. "My parents Edward and Ericka were tragically killed in a car accident."

"What?" Michelle harshly reacted upon hearing the news. "Your parents are dead?"

"It's true Michelle," Ella continued grimly, tears rapidly falling from her eyes. "I'll give you more information later. But let's focus on this group presentation first, shall we?"

I gently held Ella's hand in hopes of consoling her. Unfortunately, the tinge of sadness on her heart was too much to overcome and my eyes began leaking with tears as well.

"It's all right Ella," I positively assured her. "We two will take over from here. You're clearly hurting too much. Let Michelle and myself handle the class presentation for you."

Ella promptly nodded as Michelle made her way to the desk. I followed shortly after.

We promptly kept Ella's personal matter to ourselves as the presentation began. But it was obvious our emotions were getting the best of us.

"Christine, Michelle, what's the matter?" the professor questioned. "Is there something wrong?"

"Nothing sir," Michelle responded cautiously as she gently wiped the tears from her eyes.

Upon finishing the lecture, we sat down to find Ella in some clear discomfort. She was still inconsolable, unable to accept the cruel reality of her parents' tragic deaths.

When class ended, Ella requested us to accompany her to the funeral home. Michelle and I humbly accepted her offer, but only after informing both of our mothers regarding the tragic news.

At the funeral home, Ella walked uneasily towards the morgue and saw two covered bodies lying on the gurney. She slowly walked inside, uncovered the sheets and looked at the mutilated faces of her deceased parents.

"Nooooo!!!" Ella tearfully screamed upon identifying both Edward and Ericka. "I can't believe you're both dead."

Meanwhile, Michelle and I talked to the mortician and a few policemen about the horrific accident. They revealed Ella's parents were driving on the highway when a delivery truck collided with their car and ram into the concrete barrier.

Fortunately, the truck driver was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter. But the damage had been done.

A short time later, Karina and Charissa arrived at the funeral home. They rushed directly to the morgue and saw Ella mourning the loss of her parents.

Karina and Charissa walked inside and embraced a hurting Ella. Within minutes, her relatives also arrived and ran towards the morgue to mourn alongside her.

Since Ella could not afford the funeral expenses just yet, her relatives willingly pitched in to handle the costs. Even Karina and Charissa shared their contributions.

The following afternoon, Michelle and I attended the first day of the wake. Wearing a black dress, Ella sat down with us and poignantly reflected on both Edward and Ericka.

"My parents were the source of strength and inspiration for me," Ella narrated. "They supported all my endeavors, and I was extremely grateful for their undying encouragement and motivation. My parents can be strict sometimes, but other than that they were very happy to see me succeed."

As Ella continued speaking with me and Michelle, her eyes once again sprang a leak.

"But now they're gone," she sobbingly continued. "Who can I turn to at this point? I don't know what to do, friends."

Unable to control her emotions further, Ella inconsolably wept in front of Michelle and myself. It was not like her at all; Ella was one of the toughest and strongest people I have ever known, but on that particular night, she endured the lowest point of her life.

"Ella, don't worry," Michelle whispered to her ear. "Christine and I will ask our parents regarding your financial needs."

"Wait a minute Michelle," I interceded on their conversation. "Ella does have some relatives to aid her. Why not them?"

"Unfortunately, they chose to live a simple life in the province," Michelle replied solemnly. "Ella and her parents moved to Manila just to experience a better standard of living, which they undoubtedly did. Now that they're gone, Ella realized it would be more convenient for her to be adopted and supported by close friends in the city."

"It's true," Ella regretfully admitted to us. "My relatives won't have the time and space coming to Manila just to support me. Michelle is right. Karina and Charissa would be better off acting as my adopted parents."

Just then, Karina and Charissa arrived at the wake. After offering their sincere condolences to Ella's close relatives, they walked towards a visibly emotional Ella and hugged her.

We remained at the funeral home for the rest of the night. While Michelle and I returned home to prepare for the following day's class, our dear friend was excused from attending school in order to grieve the loss of her parents.

On the second day of the wake, we were joined by Francesca and Claire who offered Ella their heartfelt condolences. Shortly after, Taylor and Erin arrived and did the same thing.

Thursday afternoon, Michelle and I were supposed to have video class. But just as we were walking towards the classroom, the professor suddenly came onto us for an important announcement.

"We regret informing you there is no video class today," the professor uttered. "But I'll still give you a compensatory assignment this week."

"What about our other classmates?" Michelle questioned.

"Don't worry, the professor responded. "I'll message them tonight with regards to the assignment. Just do whatever you want with the video, as long as it is presented in a compelling manner."

"We're okay with that," I nodded back. "After all this one was for our dear friend Ella."

"Speaking of, what happened to her?" the professor humbly asked.

"Her parents were tragically killed in a highway accident," Michelle revealed. "We're on our way to the wake tonight."

"Dear Lord," the professor shockingly reacted at the tragic news. "I can't go to her funeral but please inform Ella that your professor is offering her sincere condolences."

"We will do so madam," I gratefully accepted her offer.

With her trusted camera on hand, Michelle prepared to properly document the funeral of both Edward and Ericka. Upon arriving at the wake, she brought out a tripod, carefully placed her camera on top and began recording the video.

Mass was about to begin. As the priest opened the ceremony, we sat solemnly and harbored some deep thoughts on our beloved friend.