Nerd Paladin, Level Up! | File 006 (Lv. Remix): Premonition

I read a quote today.

Those we love don’t go away,
They walk beside us every day…
Unseen, unheard,
But always near.
Still loved, still missed,
And very dear.

Four years ago, I lost my father to ischemic heart disease. It was the worst morning of my life. I remember trying to contact my brother over and over again, leaving messages that begged him to get to the Toronto General Hospital as soon as possible. The more messages I left, the more angry and upset I was. I remember my mother doing everything in her power to be strong. She was holding him in her arms and I saw tears fall down her face.

On this light rainy day, the flowers were rested along the back seats. This was my brother’s second drive to our father’s grave. Apparently, my mother checked on me early in the morning and Victor told her that I cried myself to sleep at four in the morning. She didn’t want to disturb my sleep, so she and Zachary went to visit father by themselves. When I finally woke up, Victor hugged me tight and served me a cup of English breakfast tea. I was finally ready to go in the early afternoon, and even though I could drive, my brother insisted.

Slowly he pulled into the usual parking spot and shut off the engine. Despite his attempt to put on a strong front, I knew he was hurting. There was regret in his eyes. The night before that horrible morning, he got into an argument with our dad. He stormed down the stairs and left the house without looking back. Before I could react, I heard my mom calling out to me for help. Dad had episodes of coughing fits. He had battled heart disease many times before and he always won. But this time, he collapsed and we called nine-one-one immediately. The EMT’s arrived as soon as they could and drove him to the hospital. They did everything they could. Unfortunately, Dr. Elliot Andrews and Dr. Anthony Edwards informed us that there was nothing they could do… By the time my brother finally arrived, our father was already gone.

“Stop blaming yourself.”

I broke the silence. He tried to feign confusion, but there was no deceiving me.

“It wasn’t your fault. Dad wouldn’t want you to feel that way.”

He dropped the feigned confusion and shook his head.

“You un our mother said ze same thing, but neither of you understands. I ran away like a coward. I chose to spend time vith my girlfriend and our friends over my own family. I vas too late. I didn’t even get to say goodbye. If I had not argued vith him…”

“Stop. Dr. Andrews and Dr. Edwards both said…”

“I know vhat they said, Jessica. Is something I cannot forget, ja? But even still, I…”

Shaking his head, he unfastened his seatbelt, opened his door, and stepped out of the car. I followed suit and we opened the back doors to retrieve the bundle of flowers. They were freshly picked from mom’s garden. Even with her ALS, she was still tending to her garden and doing everything she could to live her life to the fullest. I picked up one set of flowers. My brother picked up the other. We locked the doors, closed them, and made our way towards the hill. I wanted to help my brother let go of his regret, but I wasn’t sure how. He was very stubborn, just like mom. Once their minds were made up, hardly anything could change them.

“Oof!”

Why did my brother stop all of a sudden? I staggered back after I bumped into him, but I made sure to balance myself.

“You could’ve told me you stopped…”

I wasn’t exactly paying attention either. My thoughts were racing, memories of dad rushing through my head. I always tried to think of the positive. Four years… it was never going to get easier. I looked up to Zachary and he still wasn’t moving. I walked around him and I was surprised to see someone kneeling before our father’s grave, a bouquet of flowers in their hands. They wore a blue raincoat with the hood drawn up, a pair of black leggings and black fuzzy boots. A lot of people knew our father. He was a very respectful and popular doctor at the Toronto General Hospital. Perhaps they were being polite and paying respects? My curiosity drew me towards them and I couldn’t help but speak up.

“Um… excuse me…”

There was a slight turn of their head, but I saw shocks of blonde hair and fair skin. As they gently lowered the bouquet beside the other sets of flowers, I noticed their hands were feminine. Slowly she rose to her feet and turned towards us.

“Oh, hello. You must be Jessica and Zachary.”

She knew who we were, but we didn’t know her. Softly biting my lower lip, I tried to offer a gentle smile and I nodded.

“Yes. I’m sorry, but I don’t know who you are--”

“How did you know our Vater?”

Zachary’s commanding voice resonated through the rain. I glanced back as he stepped forward, his hands trembling slightly as he carefully held his set of flowers. Looking forward, I watched the woman brush at the remnants of grass from her leggings and she took a step towards us.

“I… was not fortunate enough to know him the way you two did.”

“Vhat do you mean?”

My brother was a little impatient, but my curiosity grew. Was she one of my father’s patients? A co-worker? Maybe a friend he was never able to introduce us to?

“I only knew him through letters, photos, and the occasional international phone call. But no matter the distance between us, he was so important to me. I wondered why he stopped contacting us four years ago… Now I know why.”

She raised her hands and lowered her hood. Her blonde hair, her piercing blue eyes, her fair skin, her regal stance… It was almost like I was looking at…

“My name is Everalda Ziona Sears-Theron. Franz was my father.”

...my sister…?