1 Stage 1: Shock Part 1

I woke up to soft sunlight. My body still sluggish from the exhaustion of the previous day and uncomfortable sleep, yet I get up to make my way to the bathroom. From where I sat on the toilet, I stared at my tiny one room apartment blanky. It was messy and neglected. I was meaning to clean it today. I also had to do the laundry, fold up the clothes I left astray on the floor, and wash the dishes. My mind began working on arranging my tasks for the day. Sleep slowly left my body, and I found myself wanting to get to work.

After washing myself, I look for my phone to check it for messages. To my surprise I find multiple missed calls and messages asking me, "Are you ok?"

I frown in confusion, and immediately felt dread. Why wouldn't I be okay?

Multiple missed calls from my mom and my brother.

Something was wrong. What happened?

My mind raced and my heart tried to catch up to it. What happened? Did someone get sick or admitted to the hospital? Did my brother, Iven, get in an accident? Did someone fall and break a bone?

As if to answer all my questions, a notification popped up from my church group. My breath caught in my throat as I read the banner notification, "Let's pray for the Barrons Family..."

That's my family. What happened to my family?

My frown deepened by the second as fear took a tight grip of my heart. I clicked on the banner notification hurriedly. My mind was a mess and I could barely comprehend the letters that made up the sentence that would change my life forever.

"Let's pray for the Barrons family. Sir Benjamin Barin passed away last night due to heart attack."

"WHAT?!"

My dad..?

What...

Did I read that right?

I read it again.

"Let's pray for the Barrons family...

I was sure my eyes were tricking me. I read it a third time.

...Sir Benjamin Barin passed away last night due to heart attack."

My mouth jaw dropped to the floor wth my heart and my stomach. I suddenly couldn't breathe as I opened the rest of my unread messages. They all asked if I was okay, that they were sorry for my loss, and that my dad was now with God in heaven.

My mind simply couldn't comprehend it!

I juat spoke to him the other day throught the phone! He was alive! He was okay! He was chatting through our family's group chat just last night before I closed my eyes to rest!

Now everyone is telling me he's dead? What kind of cruel prank is this? Was everyone from church in on it? Why would even our head pastor join in? They were joking about death for christ's sake!

I was taken out of my thoughts when my phone rang abruptly. It was my mom.

"Mom?! What happened?" I yelled as tears started creeping out of my eyes.

"Wey..." My mom said weakly.

My heart quivered. I could hear the exhaustion from her voice. I hear the worry in her voice. I hear the tears in her voice. I hear the brokenness in her voice, the loss in her voice.

My body went numb.

NO. I was not ready to hear this.

I felt my entire body pray that she doesn't utter the words that I knew were coming. I wish time would've stopped then. I wish I would have woken up from the nightmare then. And I would be back at home, waking up to my dad's cooking and the sound of my mom singing praises as she did the laundry.

I wished so desperately and intensely as I clutched the phone to my ears, but it couldn't stop time from moving forward.

"You're dad is dead..." My mom utterred next, her voice quivering with the weight of her words. The weight of her words, comepletely shatterring the ground I was standing on, and I began to fall.