I was trying to find a word document where i stumbled upon an essay i wrote for English lesson back in sec 4.

I realised how irritatingly lengthy my sentence structures have been through Secondary and JC. Netherless, i really like the plot of this story i wrote. Doubt i can come up with this twist again. Haha. So, here it is. For your pleasure :) And, please do not laugh!

*Minimal changes made in the process of copying and pasting here (Although i really feel like snipping some parts of it. ) Story not meant to depict anyone or anything in reality.*

This story is an original product from Sheena.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Title: I shall always remember last valentine.

I shall always remember my last valentines' day, where, on the same day I could feel so blessed and yet so tormented. I would never have expected that day to turn out this way.

My boyfriend, Sam and I were having our fifth valentines' day together. We, like many other couples celebrated at a restaurant with candle-light dinner, roses and music which found its own way to fit romantically. I would say that if I am compared to the other girls, I was fortunate. Sam was the perfect guy many girls dreamt to have. Being at the young age of only twenty-eight years old, he was dashing and the heir to his father's international company which he had helped expand to five different countries. Having a millionaire father but yet not a bit spoilt or arrogant by the fact he was rich, showed his humble character.

So, last Valentine’s began with us going separately to my favourite restaurant, which was on the sixtieth level of the building. Having the magnificent view of the city from above, the restaurant which was often fully booked was not only well-known for its mouth-watering deserts but also its lovely ambience. However, to my surprise, the restaurant which was normally buzzing with people was entirely empty except for Sam who was already seated down on a chair, with a cheeky grin spreading across his face and some waitresses just standing around. Settling down in my seat with my clutch in one hand, I was greeted with flowers from eleven beautifully dressed young girls. I was so touched, touched by the fact that Sam had booked this entire restaurant as early as in last May and even personally decorated it himself.

I had a magical time, feeling like Cinderella with her Prince Charming. I knew the menu for today was specially prepared by the cook for this extraordinary day. They were completely different from the normal menu, especially for the desert which was changed to warm chocolate with banana on chocolate fudge cake. Enjoying my favourite course of all, Sam looked at me with much anticipation which left me extremely suspicious.

Suddenly and to my surprise, I bit into something hard and round. Shocked by what I had bitten, I took it out without any idea of the upcoming proposal. The very next instant was the best moments of my life as Sam kneeled down to ask for my hand in marriage. Tears of warm, sweet feelings ran down my pinkish cheek while I speechlessly nodded my head in agreement, with classical music accompanying the magnificent mood. In that instant, I felt that I was the luckiest woman on earth.

Time passed as fast as an aeroplane flew and it was time to go home. However, an impending disaster awaited us. At the struck of eleven o'clock, the fate of my life turned around. Strong lights headed towards us as the car swung towards the left and skidded on the damp road before crashing into a lamp post. Everything blurred after that. Being half conscious, I overheard the news which crashed my world. In a deep, solemn voice, I heard a man saying, "He's dead. Time of death is twenty-three hours… Seventeen minutes and fifty-one seconds. How’s the girl? Is she alright?” Instantaneously I felt strong hands lifting my body up before falling into complete darkness.

Worried voices could be heard as the shadow of light shone through my eyes. I opened my eyes and immediate exclamations of “She’s awake! She’s awake!” were the only things I could make out of all the excitements.

Faces crowded around me. I hoped for the best, trying to find the face which last left my eyes before the accident, but Sam was nowhere to be seen. A commotion started and everyone started asking me simultaneously whether I felt alright. Tears flowed uncontrollably and I knew that very instant, I would never see Sam alive again. Emotions came overwhelming me as scenes just before the crash replayed in my mind like a non-stop video. But before I could think of anything else, my world became pitch black again.

Everyone did not talk about Sam or anything related to him for a long time as much as they could, I could tell from all the nudging the moment something related to him was conversed. Perhaps these were what made me sank even deeper into my thoughts as all that were in my mind were only scenes from that night, automatically replaying like a spoilt video. My heart felt heavy as if there were rocks weighing it down to the ground. I knew clearly that Sam had swayed the car towards the left to protect me from the lamp post and the upcoming vehicle which was out of control. No one, including Sam’s family had blamed me for what happened. Instead, they looked after me like I was a part of the family but the guilt in me was eating me up.

“It’s entirely my fault!” the thought overtook my mind though I knew that my life was finished if I continued to let it conquer me.

It felt like the end of the world. The will to live was gone. All day, I would just lie and hide under my blanket running away from reality. I felt so lost and crestfallen that each time I moved a part of me, it was like I had to use all my strength to weight-lift fifty kilograms. Everything seemed to whiz past me. Everything lost its colour and looked the same. All the food that went into my mouth tasted bland and even my all-time favourite hamburger tasted like white rice. All this time, I never spoke a word.

The struggle to stand up again lost to my conscience and the loss of Sam. I gave up on myself and never went for work. All day, I would silently stare at the photos of us, weeping at it as memories flooded back into my mind. Though I was taken for counselling sessions every week, I never did open my doors to the psychologist. For months, this was all part of my life. I never expected to be able to stand up again.

I stepped into my house again and the emptiness and quietness was deafening. Right then, Sam appeared in front of me. A sense of excitement and bewilderment rushed to me. I just could not believe my eyes. I was so confused by the fact that I could see him again but he seemed so real that he frightened me. The thoughts of me hallucinating him went through me. I stood there still, terrified that if I were to run up to him and hug him, he would disappear into thin air at once. His eyes winced a little as they inspected me and an indescribable agony was all that I could notice in his expression.

Tears collected and found its way down to my chin again. The thought of him standing in front of me was driving me insane and the conflict in my mind of whether to believe that he was standing right there began to build up. The debate inside me seemed to trust that he was merely an illusion but secretly in one corner, my heart hoped otherwise.

It seems hours that we stood there looking at each other into the eyes trying to determine if what we saw was real, but I finally convinced myself to face reality. So, I turned my back with all my might and walked towards the bar counter. There, in the mirror, I saw a reflection, a reflection of an unfamiliar lady staring back at me. With unkempt hair, face so pale and looking so frail, I could not believe that the girl was me. The once so confident and cheerful face was gone. A tear of pity for myself dropped on my feet and I looked at it fall gradually. Trying to catch it but to no avail, I then compared it to myself for the past few months. Everyone tried to catch me from falling but I simply shut them off. I knew then, I had faced reality and in my heart, I had stood up again. A weak smile found its way on my face again, a smile of happiness because I had just won the battle of getting my will power back.

Instantly, a familiar voice rang in my head. Sam hugged me and held me tight from behind. “I was in coma fighting to see you again. I miss you so much.” he whispered excruciatingly into my ears. Then subconsciously, I came to a realisation that maybe the bright light I saw when my eyes fought hard to open was the lights of the hospital instead of the tall street lamps, as I was moved onto the emergency bed next to the late up-coming vehicle’s driver. My mind raced, questioning all that i had believed in the past few months. Almost immediately, my heart skipped a beat.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
~

---