LOVING A MANNEQUIN

Chapter 4: Everybody was Gone

I barely opened my eyes when someone incessantly patted my shoulder and called my name. 

"Barbie! Barbie! Wake up!" The male gentle voice said. 

I blinked my eyes a couple of times because the bright lights irritated my eyes. In the next minute, the figure of the gentleman I met towered on me with a wide pure smile. 

"Sir?" I whispered as I sat up, confused. 

"Why are you sleeping on the ground? Aren't we going to the hospital?" 

I cried out loud. "I hate you! I thought, you die."

"Silly girl." He knocked his index knuckle on my forehead. "How could I just die? I never left my words undone. I agreed to help you with your father's medical expenses. So I surely will." He stretched out his palm on me. "Here, take my hand."

I reached out his hand joyfully but strange, I was unable to hold it. My hands were just passing through to his big palm. 

"What is happening? Why can't I hold you?" I wailed in fear, staring at my palms. As I looked up again, the gentleman was already walking backwards and he was also far.

"Barbie. Let's go." He waved at me and then smiled again. 

"Sir. Wait me! Sir! Sir! Where are you going? You are heading the wrong way. Sir? Sir? Sir???"

I got up from the bed while screaming, grasping my breath and sweating terribly.  

"Miss, you are having a dream." A girl wearing all white came near me.

So I was in the hospital… 

I clutched the nurse's arm, "How did I get here? Where is the gentleman with me? How was he? He is fine right?"

"Miss, sorry but there's no gentleman being sent here with you by the road passers." The nurse rubbed my back to calm me down. 

"That is impossible. I was with a man when the accident happened and he was seriously injured. You are lying. Please nurse, bring me to him." 

"This--" The nurse scratched her head for not knowing what to do about me.

"She is right, Ms. Heavenward. You were sent here two days ago alone." Came by the female voice from the door.

"Two days ago?" I blurted out as I looked at the direction of the voice and I saw my father's attendant doctor walking towards us with her hands resting on her white coast's pockets.

"Uhmm!" She hummed and nodded.

I let go of the nurse's arm lifelessly. I couldn't believe it. Where did the gentleman go?

Recollecting about what happened on that night, I doubted that it wasn't a pure accident. It seemed the truck intentionally hit us because he didn't even bother to rescue us after we got hit. Could it be that it was the gentleman's enemy and want to kill him? If yes, who exactly that gentleman was? He, being selfless towards me, how could he have such an evil enemy? What if that driver took him away?

"Ms. Heavenward, are you okay?" The doctor waved her hand in front of my face.

"Doctor, was the accident being reported to the police?" I asked.

"Yes! Why?" 

"Then, did they catch the truck driver who hit us?"

"No. There's no one in the area when you are spotted unconscious on the ground and sadly, there's no CCTV footage being taken because at that time, it was broken."

"What? No. No. No."

"Ms. Heavenward, don't think of anything else for now. Just get well!" 

The doctor was about to leave when I suddenly remembered my father.  "How about my father? How is he?" 

I saw the doctor's face darkened. She took a deep breath before she answered, "Ms. Heavenward, I originally planned to tell you the matter about your father but seeing you so devastated after the accident I changed my mind. But since you ask it, I don't think it is right to hide it from you." She paused for a while, eyed me. "I am so sorry Ms. Heavenward but your father---he died after several hours you sent here from the accident."

Hearing the news that I hated to hear the most made my body weakened. I was unable to say a word. My mouth was shaking and my eyes became blurry for the tears began to form. And my heart, it was like being hammered with a million nails in so much pain.

"Ms. Heavenward, I am really sorry."

My entire body was shaking as I finally let out my pain and whined.

"Where's my father's corpse? Bring me to him." At last, a word managed to escape from my throat.

"He was taken away a day ago by his sister. She said she was going to bury him right away." 

That time, I whooped in anger. "Aunt!!!!!" Without caring the outcome for myself, I pulled out the needle tube thing injected in my veins and ran off.

*********

I was still wearing a patient dress and didn't even wear shoes as I stormed in at my Aunt's boutique. I dropped by at her house but the maidservant said she was there, visiting her shop. 

"Barbie, what happened to you?" The kind supervisor asked, meeting me immediately as she saw me coming in.

I just passed through her and straightly went to the counter where I spotted Aunt sitting like a queen.

Her face instantly sour as she noticed me.

I clenched my fist in rage. "Where is my father?" I yelled upon I arrived, making the boutique's staff and several customers gathered around to watch a good play and gossip. 

She mocked, "Why are you still looking at a dead man on me? If you want to see him, go to the nearby cemetery and dig him out. Or better disappear along with him. Don't bring bad luck in this shop."

"You ugly witch!" The only words I courageously said and turned my back to exit.

"Wait!" She shouted so I stopped without looking back. "Starting today, you are no longer welcome to return to work here and most importantly, go to the house and pick up your trash. Someone will buy it tomorrow. Understand?"

"Don't worry. I am not my father. I will definitely won't linger on things that belong to pathetic people."

"What did you just say?" She shouted as I already stepped out of the shop.

"Barbie!" The powerless voice of my supervisor called my name. 

*******

Forgetting my own health and ignoring my feet got blisters all over, I desperately dashed in the cemetery and searched my father's grave. 

Jesus! As I found my father's tombstone, I felt badly sorry for him because he didn't even have a decent grave. He was just casually buried in a space. They didn't even remove the tall weeds around the grave.

I fell down on my knees and asked my father for forgiveness. While tears continually dropped on the ground, I pulled out the weeds. 

Soon after, the rain dropped angrily again. Since my body hasn't fully recovered from the last time and after the accident, again, I collapsed.

Seems I really destined to suffer from the pain of losing loved ones for the rest of my life. Though, even in my dream I begged Him to take my life but still, with the chilling breeze of night wind, I woke up covered with mud.