Chapter 2. Losing Someone We Really Cared About

10 years later...

Sam was with his friends. They graduated college, yet he still didn’t see Mika, not even once. He was in a crowded bar, feeling a little out of place. He was never really into the whole bar scene, but he had decided to come out with his friends for a night of fun. As the night went on, the drinks kept flowing, and Sam found himself feeling more and more adventurous.

“Bro, what happened to that friend of yours? Did you see her again?” Anthony asked him, but he stopped and went silent. He didn’t know what to say. He wanted to see her once again, but how?

Sam was still unemployed after his parents died. He didn’t have any plans for his future. He was lost in track and didn’t know how to get back to his feet again.

“Are you okay, bro?” Mark asked him as he noticed that he was preoccupied.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

His friends dared him to go up to a random person and kiss them. Sam didn’t want to do it; he was still waiting for Mika to come back so that he could tell her how much he missed her.

“I think I can’t,” he said to them, but his friend kept on pushing him, and Sam, feeling bold and a little tipsy, accepted the challenge. He scanned the room, looking for someone who caught his eye, and his gaze landed on a beautiful woman sitting at the bar. He thought it was the best way to forget about Mika.

Sam took a deep breath and walked up to her, trying to ignore the nervousness he felt.

“Hey,” he said, trying to sound confident. The woman turned to him, her eyes sparkling.

“Hi,” she replied, smiling.

Sam took another deep breath and leaned in, closing his eyes as he kissed her. It was a short kiss, but it didn’t have anything on him. He felt that something was not right. He pulled back, feeling a little embarrassed, and looked at his friends, who were cheering him on.

He went back to his seat and realized that it was a mistake. “I think I need to go,” he uttered, and they seemed surprised.

“Dude, we’re just having fun.”

“I don’t think this is fun anymore. I need to go home,” he said and started to walk away from the bar.

Sam sat alone inside his family’s house, feeling the weight of their absence like a heavy burden on his shoulders. It had been years since his parents had passed away, yet the pain was still fresh, and the memories of their suffering still haunted him.

“I miss you both, Mom and Dad. Look at your son. I’m a failure. I don’t have a future ahead of me. I am still trapped in the past, and I can’t help myself to get moving forward,” he stuttered, and tears continued to fall from his eyes.

As he looked around the empty house, he remembered the happy times when his parents were still alive, and the house was filled with their love and laughter. They had been a close-knit family, and Sam had always felt their presence around him, even when they were gone.

But it was the memories of their final days that still brought tears to Sam’s eyes. His parents had both suffered from illnesses and watching them suffer and deteriorate had been unbearable for him. He had tried to be strong for them, to be there for them as they faced their pain and suffering, but it had been too much for him to bear.

As Sam sat in the living room, he remembered the countless times he had held his mother’s hand as she lay in bed, her body wracked with pain. He remembered the tears that streamed down her face as she begged for relief from her suffering. He remembered feeling helpless and powerless, unable to do anything to ease her pain.

And then there was his father, who had also suffered from illness. Sam had watched as his once-strong and independent father had become weak and frail. He had watched as his father struggled to get out of bed, to walk, to do the simplest of tasks. He had watched as his father had lost his dignity and his sense of self.

As Sam thought back to those days, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of guilt. He had always wondered if there was more he could have done for his parents, whether he could have eased their pain and suffering in some way. But the truth was, he had done everything he could. He had been there for them, he had held their hands, and he had comforted them in their final moments.

But the pain and the guilt still lingered, and Sam knew that it would never truly go away. He would always miss his parents, and he would always feel their absence in the house they had once called home. Yet, he also knew that they would want him to be happy, to live his life to the fullest, and to remember the happy times they had shared together.

As Sam sat there, lost in his memories, he realized that his parents’ memory would always be with him, guiding him and giving him strength. He knew that he would never forget them and that he would always honor their memory by living his life with love, compassion, and kindness.

And so, Sam sat there, alone in the house that had once been filled with his parents’ love, with tears streaming down his face. But he knew that he was not truly alone. His parents’ memory would always be with him, and in that, he found comfort and solace.

For months, he watched as his parents battled the disease, going through rounds of chemotherapy and other treatments. He did everything he could to support them, but in the end, it was not enough. They both passed away within a few weeks, leaving Sam feeling lost and hopeless.

The grief and sadness that Sam felt were overwhelming. He couldn’t imagine life without his parents, and he struggled to find meaning or purpose in anything he did. He became withdrawn and isolated, pushing away friends and family who tried to reach out to him.

Sam’s days were spent in a fog of depression and grief. He would wake up each morning with a heavy heart and go through the motions of the day, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something important was missing from his life. He felt like he had lost a part of himself when he lost his parents.

He felt like he didn’t want to live alone. As the days turned into weeks and months, Sam’s despair only grew. He found it hard to find joy in anything, and he struggled to find a reason to get out of bed in the morning. He felt like he was drifting aimlessly through life with no real direction or purpose.