Leslie’s Last Sin
You may have read this story before but for the benefit of those who haven’t, here you go. Enjoy and do follow me. And I’d follow back. Love You!
Leslie Richards was the last child of her parents. She had two older siblings, a boy and a girl. Gabriel was 29, much older than her by six years, while Darnell was 27, four years older. With her brother and sister away from the house, she had the whole house to herself. Gabriel was in Denmark, working while Darnell was touring the world as a model. None of them had time for her since she was the sibling they were not so fond of. Her parents on the other hand, tried to be there though they were always away on business trips. Her sins started when her mom died, two years ago…
It was a cold evening when Rebecca, Leslie’s mom, returned home, accompanied by her aides, who held her like she was going to faint any minute. Leslie had just gotten back from school. She attended California State University where she was studying Psychology. She was having lunch on the dinner table when the aides rushed into the house, carrying her mom along. She sprang up from my seat and followed them upstairs to her parents’ room. One of the aides told her to quickly call the family doctor which she did. She ran downstairs to pick her phone to call the doctor. He arrived shortly after the call and ran upstairs as well. While he examined her mom, Leslie called her dad to tell him what was going on.
The doctor, after examining her mom, told Leslie that he needed to talk to her dad. As she tried asking what was wrong with her mom, her dad, Steven, trudged in, looking miserable. Leslie felt there was something she was missing or unaware of. Her dad shared a knowing look with the doctor. Her dad didn’t even acknowledge her and walked back into the room, with the doctor, leaving her standing like she was invisible.
She tiptoed to the door and tried to eavesdrop. “She hasn’t been going for chemotherapy,” the doctor said. Her dad sighed, “She said the cancer had gone…” She covered her mouth in shock. The doctor replied, “I am afraid there is nothing we can do now. She stopped chemotherapy which gave the cancer enough time to multiply and now, it has spread all over and can’t be undone. I am sorry, Mr. Richards.” Steven let out a whimper as did Leslie. She quickly ran to her room which was two rooms away from her parents’ as she heard footsteps approaching the door. The door of her parents’ room opened immediately she shut her door.
Leslie stayed in her room all night. She did not go down for dinner and no one came to call her for dinner. Her dad didn’t come to tell her that her mom was going to die. Leslie and her dad were not close. He was always away on business trips but he always got her gifts and money. On the other hand, Leslie and her mom were quite close but she felt bummed that her mom hadn’t confided in her to tell her she was sick. She wept herself to sleep. The next day, she woke up with bloodshot eyes from crying too much. She brushed her teeth and washed her face before going to check up on her mom. Her movements felt labored, like she had a huge weight on her. Well, she did because her mom was on her death bed. She swallowed all the pain she was feeling as she knocked on the door before walking in. Rebecca was awake while Steven was dressing up for work.
Leslie had a lot to say at that point but couldn’t. “who prepares for work when their spouse is about to die?” she thought. She greeted her dad coldly before approaching her mom. She sat on the bed and gave her mom a weak smile which she returned. She asked,” How are you?” Rebecca nodded her head in response, like she was okay. She then asked again if she already had breakfast and she said she was not ready for breakfast. Leslie told her she was going to stay with her all day and forfeit school for that day. Rebecca shook her head in disapproval, saying she would be fine and that Leslie’s siblings were coming later in the day.
Reluctantly, Leslie left the room to prepare for school. Her dad had already gone to work. She got ready for school in a red T-shirt that read ‘My Life Sucks’ and black ripped jeans with vans sneakers. She had her blonde hair in a high ponytail and didn’t bother about makeup. She picked up her school bag, phone and car keys to her black Camaro which her mom had gifted her on her 19th birthday. She checked in on her mom to inform her that she was going to school. Rebecca smiled at her daughter and blew her a kiss.
While at school, Leslie tried to concentrate on what the lecturer was going on about but couldn’t. She kept checking her wristwatch for the time the class would end so she could go home to her mom. She had very few friends in college for obvious reasons. She was not friendly and could be a bitter bitch plus she loved her privacy. Immediately the class ended, Leslie dashed out to the parking lot and zoomed off. While she drove, she kept thinking about her mom. She almost hit another car when she trailed off in her thoughts. She arrived home and parked her car in her space in the huge garage and dashed into the house. When she entered, the house was eerily quiet. The servants could barely look at her face as their heads were faced down. She ran upstairs and dreaded opening her parents’ door. She gathered courage and opened the door.
Her worst fears were confirmed when she saw her mom covered up like a dead person. Her siblings had already arrived as her mom had said. Gabriel was looking sad while Darnell was sobbing uncontrollably. Her dad was present as well with his arms around Darnell as they both sobbed. She walked to Gabriel who had beckoned on her. He gripped her tightly, trying to console her. One thing she noticed was that she had not shed a single tear at all. She knew her mom was dead without anyone telling her and she was hurt but no tears came out. She wanted to reach out to Darnell who was still crying when the ambulance arrived to take mom’s corpse, but couldn’t.
Weeks later, Rebecca was buried. Her burial was attended by the high and mighty of the State of California. They were all dressed in black. Leslie wore a black knee-length gown and a pair of black flats. Darnell wore a short dress that was way above her knees then she donned it with fish net tights and black high stilettos. Steven and Gabriel wore black suits. The atmosphere was somber. Darnell was weeping when her mom was lowered into the ground. Her dad held her close to him like his favorite daughter that she was. Leslie had still not shed a tear even after they left the cemetery for the internment at home, nothing came out of her eyes but she was sad. The days after the burial was spent with everyone minding their business. Leslie went back to school. Darnell travelled to Paris for a photoshoot while Steven went back to work.
Leslie had just got back from school and went to sit in the pool area with her headphones fixed in her ears. She was lost in her thoughts that she didn’t notice when Gabriel came and sat beside her. She immediately pulled off her headphones and gave him a smile which he returned. She missed times like this with her brother. He started, “So, how was school?” She shrugged, implying that it was normal. He asked again, with more concern,” How are you doing, Les?” He called her Les which was a short form of her name. She knew what he was driving at with the question so she answered with a sigh, “Honestly, I feel so empty but I am trying to be fine.” she said with an assuring smile which was more to convince herself than him. He pulled her to him in a side hug and said, “I know you miss her and I know I haven’t been the best brother since I moved to Denmark…” suddenly Leslie started crying.
She cried so much because she missed her mom and didn’t have a chance to tell her how much she loved her. She cried because she missed her brother who seemed close yet so far. She cried because she had no sister figure to tell all her problems when they came. Darnell barely acknowledged her as her sister. She cried because her dad did not acknowledge her as well, since she had not achieved something tangible like the fame and success which her siblings had but she was an A student who was part of the honor roll in college. She cried because with her mom’s death, everyone was already separated. She cried because she knew she had already lost herself without knowing it. After a few minutes of crying, she went inside for dinner with Gabriel. The next day, Gabriel went back to Denmark, leaving her in an empty, loveless mansion…
To be continued. Tell me if you enjoyed this and I’d post the concluding part. Ciao!
