A turn of events

Today I was in a spectacular mood. I received a raise from the manager and Mia came home with an A. It is expected for her to come home with amazing results, but even gifted children want to see their parents proud even though it is predictable. I took the paper and pinned it on the fridge. I smiled at Mia and ruffled her hair which she giggled in return. Having a gifted child has its perks but I always make sure I tell Mia how proud of her I am, even if the great result is expected. I looked at the window lost in thought. Even due to the circumstances, I am glad I had Mia. She was a mistake, but I should own up to it and live my life happily with her. Though deep inside I always wondered what my life would have been like without her.

How I would have been like. Would I have been happier or not? Would I have stayed rich? Would I have stayed friends with Rihanna for 4 years? Would I have never met Miguel, Alex, or Sebastian? These thoughts have constantly flooded my mind whenever I think about my past. I told this to Sarah. Her answer was simple.

'There is no sense of thinking of 'what if'. You should be thinking about your present and your future. There is no way to go back to your past and there is no reason for you to think about it. Accept your past. Accept your results in your present and live happily with them. All you should be thinking about is how to better your future with Mia, you, and the people you love in it.'

I took what she said to heart. I gazed at Mia who was staring at the paper. Now, I have no regret of having Mia, and the love I have for her grew even more.

I wished that my life would stay like this, peaceful and happy. I thought I realized by now, bad luck never stopped following me. It only rested to wait for the perfect moment to strike, to take the most important things from me.

***

I dressed in a pink spaghetti dress that was strapped by my waist. It had a tie knot that was wrapped. It ruffled at the hem by the front. The dress reached my knees, and I wore a toe lace up, ankle boots.

I wore light make-up and smiled at my reflection. Mia entered my room wearing a bright pink floral dress. We heard a knock on the door and Mia dashed downstairs. I giggled and followed her. Mia was too small to reach the doorknob, so I had to open the door. Alex greeted me with a bright smile.

"You look nice," I complimented. Alex sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. He composed himself and said I look nice too. He wore a brown tracksuit. It was a fitness casual sport outfit. The trousers had the shape of overalls, a short-sleeve and underneath the pants were small feet, which was the current trend of clothing. Alex was a muscular man and wearing the outfit made him look incredibly attractive.

"What about me, uncle!" exclaimed Mia. She always vied for Alex's attention. Alex ruffled her hair.

"You look like a princess."

Mia in response blushed a tint of pink. She loved being complimented.

"Well let's get going. Today we'll have lots of fun! Right Mia?" he turned to her and in response she squealed in excitement.

Today Alex, Mia and I were going out to have fun in this beautiful Saturday. We were going to the zoo, a restaurant to eat and finally the amusement park. I was also excited to have fun. I wanted to forget my worries and focus my attention on Mia and Alex.

***

Mia was busy staring at the animals in awe and excitement as Alex and I talked.

"It has been a while, huh. Do you remember when we came to the zoo, and you caused a ruckus that animals shouldn't be caged up and be free?" he asked in a teasing manner.

I groaned. "Yeah, I remember. I also remember someone telling me stories of how lonely the animals were!" I refuted. Alex lifted his hands in surrender.

"It's not my fault you believed me. It was always easy to get you to listen to me," he said. I wrapped my hands around his elbow. Alex tensed at the contact, but I disregarded it.

I stuck my tongue out, "Well I won't be fooled by your persuasion anymore," I said and let go of his arm.

Alex chuckled and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. We continued our talk and followed Mia close behind.

***

After we were done sight-seeing, we went to a fast-food restaurant. I was glad to have fun with Mia and Alex. We chatted endlessly in the restaurant and to outsiders we looked like family, which we were. However, an old woman mistook Alex as my husband and thought that we got married young and as a result had a baby, Mia.

I flushed at the woman's mistake and corrected her. Mia shrugged it off and Alex didn't seem bothered at all.

Our last stop was the amusement park.

"Yes! Mia always wanted to visit the amusement park," babbled Mia. Alex and I faced each other and laughed.

There were many rides to choose from and Mia tried to persuade me to let her ride the roller coaster. I, at once, said no to that. I am not going to let a 4-year-old ride a roller coaster! We chose the ferries wheel and horse rides. Mia at first was disheartened she couldn't take the roller coaster but as soon as she went on the horse ride, her mood lifted.

I sat on the bench with Alex as we watched Mia bargaining a wholesaler to sell her a balloon with a cheaper price. It was quite funny to see the wholesaler overwhelmed by a 4-year-old who acted like an adult in front of his eyes. I stared at the sky.

I had a pleasurable day. I spent quality time with Mia and Alex. All my worries and stress evaporated.

I could never fathom that my pleased mood would turn upside down. In slow motion Mia with a smile took the balloon from the man…

The balloon escaped from her hand and flew away…

Alex eyes widened in shock, and jumped up…

The wholesaler reached his hands out…

"Mia!" I screamed and ran to Mia who fainted.

A trail of blood appeared on her nose.

***

Sorry for taking long to update!