The Darkest Days

The hibernal winds were screaming outside the fragile windows so fiercely, Bryan was lightening the chimney, to avoid deadly freezing weather in December. It was his last day working as a merchant – actually he did not want to continue this tedious job any longer. The economic depression in the U.S. has seriously affected his family; he was the only person to earn a living. His wife, Landry, has been experiencing acute breast cancer since Hillary was born – their adorable daughter. All their expectations were put in Hillary, with a mellow face, like a miniature version of Venus. Ironically, the mediocrity of Nebraska made them disgusted – hypocrisy, lack of education, bureaucracy, and social evils. Hillary’s parents had to struggle with the apparent injustice of the malicious authority here. They have been living in this absurd state for thirty years. At some point, they have already got used to it, with the mundaneness of human beings. Hillary, however, did not feel any weird stuff of this f*****g place; at least she had the motives to live, unlike her miserable parents. In January 1991, Landry recovered from continual pains tormenting her so hard. Those prescriptions just mollified her pains actually, not completely treat this breast cancer. She made friends with pills and therapy. No matter how scary the disease was, she chose to sacrifice it for Hillary. Bryan, otherwise, got stuck in a financial burden. He was no longer a merchant, which gradually killed him somehow. For some reason, Bryan did not want to get into a groove like his father – being a soldier in the military. They treated him as a slave, and it became worse when his father had to cut a leg because of serious caseation. Bryan was really obsessed with what had happened before. His last hope was definitely for Hillary. Hillary was lying on her beloved couch, swiveling her head towards the documents on Bryan’s desk. As soon as she found out something strange with her portrait in it, her father came in. Surprisingly, she was about to enter the first class ever in her life, but she did not know everything about that registration paper. Fatal winds continued to blow as if they were extremely furious, and aggressive. Landry got a call from Texas. Her aunt, Kathy, offered a special remedy for her disease for no charge. The obvious fact is that she had no support from anyone, even her husband. Hillary’s family only had enough money to survive for a week, with their meager budget. Even though Hillary would become a student someday, they must make another decision – taking her to the cathedral for free education. The despair, anyhow intervened Hillary’s mind, by picturing the most tragic scenario of her life, even when she was just a ten-year-old girl. She almost realized the adversity of living in Nebraska. In every dream that Hillary had gone through, she invariably visualized a path full of roses and daisies, as her highest aspiration for life. Bryan and Landry were on the same wavelength though, they wished her daughter would have a better life. The national anthem was echoing from somewhere to console and assuage the destitute life of this family. Some officials had pressurized Hillary’s family for not being able to pay taxes monthly. “Everything will be better soon, honey”. Bryan whispered. He tried to conceal his melancholy and despair in his bottomless thoughts. Then, he clenched his wife’s scrawny hands, attempted to hide his tears. “Bryan, you are the only man in this family, so your ultimate mission is protecting two little beings here.” He was questioning within some minutes, then waiting for his wife’s response. “For how long?”. Landry asked, with a tremulous and soft voice. Her speech seemed tuneless by virtue of her sore throat. She slowly touched her husband, kissed him tenderly as usual. Landry used to be an eminent student in Literature at University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Therefore, she understood every single word that her husband had said. She absolutely comprehended Bryan, for his attempts to embrace this tiny house without ease. “Trust me. We will overcome this hard time, and let our daughter do what she aspires to.” “But you know, just eight dollars left, enough for this week. Sometimes I wish I could end my life to avoid being a permanent burden.” She started crying as a child. She cannot hold her tears anymore because of what was happening at that moment. “Don’t torture me by your death, stop mentioning death, it just made me worse.” said Bryan. His face was reddished with repressed emotions inside him. Two little soulless beings were crying, and hugging each other, in a pitch-dark night. The moonless sky presumably eased their inner wounds, as a temporary salvation. There was no actual remedy for their mental breakdown, since it had squeezed into every nerve. Hillary did not know anything until she was fifteen. She was nurtured by nuns in a nearby cathedral with other peers. Timothee, one of her soulmates, perhaps she was the only one who has been willing to converse with Hillary. Throughout her childhood, Timothee has taught her everything about the surrounding stuff, like folklore, formulas to calculate circumference or area, captivating books, or habitats of insects, birds. There was a special bond between Hillary and Timothee, when most of her peers were poles apart in perspective towards particular subjects. Whereas, Hillary’s parents were struggling with finance. Some montrous dignitaries in Nebraska worsened the situation more and more. They held a bunch of luxurious parties and lavished a huge amount of money on recreational purposes, whilst Bryan and Landry had to spare no effort to pay previous taxes. The former governor of Nebraska, had been assassinated in an extreme protest even though he had already secured his eminence in the inhabitants’ hearts. As a result, a new figure took over his position. Some found out that he was corrupted to construct several meaningless statues, or parks. When the waves of indignation proliferated, this meant a deluge of protests would commence. That hypocrite governor eventually had to resign, and that milestone was established when Hillary reached the age of fifteen. These halcyon days were just about to begin after sinking into darkest ones. Antiorganization was not considered to be sinful, when civil rights had to be put on the top. Hillary parents have been received aids from the new authority weekly. Finally, they were satisfied with what they had at that time. Hillary returned to her warmest whereabouts, then she told her parents about what she had learnt from others at school. Of course, they missed her so much. It has been ten years since they sent her to the cathedral. Years gone by, Hillary changed a bit, yet still had the silhouette of Venus in her mysterious eyes. She was cynical whether or not her parents would recognize with ease. She was more mature than before with the temperament of a would-be teacher. She had a craving for being a renowned professor in Literature like her mom, to follow her footsteps. There were some pictures of her, they remained newly-taken. Perhaps she was nostalgic some wonderful memories. Her father, Bryan, has finally found a new job – a worker in the power plant near his place. Landry had warned him of this fatal job, but it did not work actually. Working from 6 a.m to 8 p.m drove him crazy, yet he tried his best to cover all existing and arising expenses. It was virtually a pride for his family. He was on the verge of being promoted to management position one day. Bryan was deepening in unrealistic dreams himself – dreaming for his wife and daughter to have a wealthy life, and no longer worried about possessions. The infinite stream of thoughts governed him for days, as it drew a flawless path to move forward. However, Landry’s disease became severe when she encountered acute pains lasting for weeks. Hillary and her dad had to cancel everything, then taking Landry to the infirmary. The expenses for treatment were extravagantly exhorbitant, which hindered Bryan’s dreams. His mere aspiration was totally for his beloved wife. They have gone through countless difficulties in life almost twenty years, so Bryan himself cannot accept the merciless truth that his wife would pass away, regardless of efficient therapies or medical treatments. Landry’s agony broke his heart; he went to the cathedral where his daughter had studied, to pray for Landry every day. Everything seemd against him, and drove him into extremity. The moment when Bryan exhausted his money, he heard that Hillary has got a scholarship from University of Nebraska – Lincoln, for her devotion and achievements in literary research. And Hillary was just seventeen years old. She definitely had the privilege to enter one of the prestigious college in Nebraska, and followed her wishes. Timothee, also, was her peer in university period again. “Dad, don’t worry about me, I’ll take care of myself, earning money to pay for tuition fees on my own.” said Hillary. She attempted to calm her father with a warm tone, in fact, she always looked up to this reverend father by all of her respect. There was something ineffable to confess. She would be waiting for an important occasion to reveal. “But you’re just eighteen, with nothing. I’m afraid that you’ll got burnouts, and depression when having to deal with trouble.” He almost cried, cried for his daughter’s life, and cried for himself. “I have Timothee support me if needed. You know I got a scholarship to charge tuition fees and other expenses.” She consoled her father again. He was doing a taxing job, and had to manage everything in order to ensure that it would be in its orbit. “I absolutely know that you’re a tenacious student, but when you need a favor, letter me in any circumstances.” said Bryan. As his last words for her, he was able to unclench his daughter’s arms. “You’re always a little child in my eyes, Hillary.” He murmured, then giving a mellow kiss on Hillary’s forehead, as his best wishes ever. “I have to catch the train now, Dad, I promise to write letters every week to keep in touch with you and mom.” She was reluctant to leave. She suddenly ran toward her miserable father and held him, then bursted into tears. “I will miss you a lot.” Both of them began sobbing, his daughter now left his protection to enter a whole new threshold full of opportunities ahead. She was his only optimism, beside Landry. The tepid crowds ignored his sadness as a common sense. Nobody cared of his presence. The billowy sea was mourning for his biggest loss. He walked step by step sullenly. He wished he could give Hillary an eternal squeeze, he did not want to let her go. The upcoming sequence of days were waiting for Hillary, a naïve student from remote region, who was inclined to approach further education and become a well-known professor in the near future. She showed her zeal for completing her bachelor’s curriculum so as to support her parents in terms of financial facets.