The first time they met.....

Brigitta cried, staring at the letter her mother Hattie gave it to her, soon the letter became the most precious thing to Brigitta, Brigitta stood there and watched gusts of rain latched down on the floor. She stared at the letter again, all she could see the tears pouring down on the letter. ''I would never tear this paper, I would take care of this paper just like how I always wanted to take care of my mother," Brigitta thought

Father, I wanna see her face," Brigitta turned around and look at her father, she always loved her father, a man who is always motivated to do anything but all she could see in her father now was the tears, a sad man. Her father dawdled. "Come here," he said, Brigitta followed him as he walked with his head down, they both reached the room where Hattie was lying, waiting to be put 6 feet down. Aldric held Brigitta's hand and removed the white cloak from Hattie's face, Brigitta was staring at her, her gorgeous eyes being closed, her blonde beautiful hair chignon, she knew that her mother had done her hair like that before her death, Brigitta holds her fingers, her hands were slender, beautifully slender, she grabbed her phalanges, a tight and strong grab. "Don't be sad Brigitta, your mother would never want you to be sad." Aldric said as he grabbed her shoulder, "Father, mother is not in pain anymore, am I right?" She asked with tenacity as she turned around, she had accepted that her mother had gone, she knew that her mother was not in pain anymore and it was the only good thing for Brigitta that day. Atticus sat in his car, thinking how he would go in front of his son and tell him the news, he quickly got out of his car and dawdled to the house. "Mother, can you call uncle Aldric? Brigitta is not picking my phone," He heard Arlo, Atticus walked inside the house and sat down on the sofa, Arlo had noticed his father Atticus saw the hate in his eyes. "What happened? Why do you want me to call Aldric?" Cassia asked "Briggita hasn't come here yet today," 

"Oh god, can't you just stay for a day without your girlfriend? She could be studying for the exams," Cassia said again

"But we promised that we will study together, you know her, she will never study alone, she's just so bad when it comes to studying so I want you to call uncle Aldric and tell him to send Briggita here,"  Arlo said again

"Arlo and Cassia, you both come here," Atticus said as he stood up, the scent of meat and potatoes filled the room, Cassia was about to ready the lunch for all. "I have something to tell," Atticus looked up at Cassia, the grief was vivid in his eyes, Cassia could feel her heart wanting to come out, she understood that something bad happened. "It's….. it's about Briggita,"  Arlo had been not talking to his father for almost a year or so but then when he heard his father talking about Briggita and even so with his head down almost the whole time, he could not stop himself "What is it? What about Briggita?" Arlo asked his father, Cassia never tried to make the two of them talk, she wanted them to sort everything out by themselves but they were not trying at all. Cassia always used to think that she would be so happy when they both sort everything out and start talking to each other just like a normal son and father but at that time she could not feel the happiness inside of her, she knew that something happened to Briggita and that though was eating her alive

"Son I want you to sit down first," Atticus said "Come here," 

"Just tell me did…. Did something happened to Briggita?" Arlo asked again, he could feel the tears gathering up in his eyes, waiting to latch down from his eyes. "My love, everything's fine, right?" Cassia asked as he saw the tears rolling down from Atticus's eyes

"Briggita... Briggita is no more!" He said, staring at the floor with his wet eyes, he felt his heart, crying, wanting to protect his son from everything which is going to come, from everything that would come as a change because of the death of Briggita, the bad changes, he was disappointed with himself, he never realized that he's just a coward who can't even look at his son's face when he needs him the most. "I am sorry." He said again as he starts to waddle inside his room, he shut the door closed. "Thank God she's gone now," Aida hummed to herself, sat in the room alone and practicing how to react to the death of her stepdaughter in front of everyone, she was so happy that Briggita is gone now, she always hated Briggita, "What a bitch she was, now Aldric would want to have some kids with me and then he would focus his attention to my kids and not that bitch Briggita," Briggita was 8 years old when she first met Aida, one night her father Aldric came home from work with a girl beside him on his arms. "Father, who is she?" Brigitta asked, she saw a damsel white beautiful in the arms of her father. She was so pretty and young, it had been four years since her mother died, she had not forgotten a single thing about her mother and she would never forget. Brigitta was a smart girl, she had been growing up faster than other girls and noticed her father was drunk that day. "Tell me father, who is she?" Brigitta asked again. "She's the love of my life." Suddenly she imagined her mother, how could he forget her? That's the thought that hovered her mind, she started to remember everything about her mother, her gorgeous eyes, her beautiful slender hands, her fingers, her gorgeous hair. "C'mon baby, let's go inside." Aida said to Aldric. They both went inside as Brigitta stood there with the thoughts of her mother. Brigitta never intended to stop her father whatever he's doing and she did the same at that time too even though she wanted to stop him. The next morning when Aldric woke up, he went to Brigitta's room to talk to her, he stood there in his room and examined his beautiful daughter, "My wife Hattie, I thank you so much for this beautiful daughter, and I still grieve for you, I am still sad." He hummed to himself, he could see his daughter waking up, he sat down on the bed. "Brigitta, are you awake?" He asked, Briggita smiled at him "Listen, I know that it would be difficult for you but I want you to accept Aida as your mother," Briggita respected her father so much, she loved him. "Okay father if you say so," Briggita replied. She had been a good daughter and been nice to everyone and so she thought "My father loves her so I should be nice to her too," it was so hard for Briggita to accept her and she knew that no one can replace her mother. It had been a week, Aida walked inside the house as if it was her house. For the last week, Aida had been coming into the house with a bottle of wine every day, Brigitta knew that she's making her father an alcoholic and it would ruin the family but she could not do anything about it. "I am sorry mother, I can't stop my father." Briggita cried while staring at her mother's photo. She took her head up and walked to her father's room. She stood in front of her father's room and courageously tried to knock on the door but all she could hear was the sound of Aida. "Ah baby, faster….. faster," Brigitta peaked inside the room with the gap between the door and the wall, all she could see was her father on top of Aida, it was so weird and scary for Briggita, she dashed to the door and ran away from the house. "Adults are so bad," she said as she ran, she could feel her eyes getting wet, her tears floating with the gust of her speed, she ran and ran to the beach where she collided with Arlo a boy the same age as her 8 years old, she saw his face, filled with tears, Arlo was crying too and got a cut on his leg because of the collide but the tears were not because of the cut but because of his father. "Father, we will go to the amusement park tomorrow, right?" He asked to Atticus his father, Atticus had promised Arlo a few days back that he would take him to an amusement park but then Atticus got a pile of work at his office, Atticus never wanted to make his son sad but it was nothing he could do about, for Atticus the work was more important than everything else. "I am sorry Arlo but I got some work to do tomorrow." Atticus replied, the smile had long gone from Arlo's face, Arlo was sad, he was looking forward to enjoying his time at the amusement park

"But you promised," 

"Sorry, next time we will go," 

"No, I wanna go tomorrow,"

"Try to understand son, it's not possible, I have to do my work,"

"No, I don't care, I wanna go,"

"Son, that's enough, go to your room now!" Tears gathered in Arlo's eyes. All excitement of him vanished, the sadness hovered above him, he stood up as fast as he can. "I hate you, Father!" He ran away from the house. Cassia came to the room, she heard everything and saw Arlo running away from the house, she tried to go and take him home back. "Let him go, he will be back as soon as his anger gets down," Atticus stopped her.

"I am so sorry," Arlo said as he bowed down to Brigitta, although it was the fault of her but still he was the one apologizing. "What a weirdo," Brigitta thought. "It's alright, I am fine," Brigitta said to him, Arlo looked up at Brigitta, the smile of her, the warmth of the smile, the gorgeous face filled with tears, and yet there was a smile. "What a beauty," Arlo susurrated