Chapter 31 Falling Plastic Roses

Chapter 31 Falling Plastic Red Roses.

April 3, 2042. 

12:00am

"It's my birthday again. This means it's my dad's death anniversary again…huh. As of today, I'm already 38 years old, and 30 years have already passed since that accident. The accident that changed my life as a whole." I said while standing on the balcony of my 50 story condominium unit and gazing at the night sky while holding a glass of wine.

I felt my cell phone vibrate, and when I looked at it, it was full of notifications and messages from fans wishing me a happy birthday. 

"Happy Birthday Arian Suazo! We love you."

"Happy Birthday Arian!" 

"Wishing you all the best for your birthday!"

"May all your wishes come true, Ms. Arian!"

"We wish you a wonderful birthday Arian! We all love you!" 

"It's also my birthday Ms. Arian! I love you, and please marry me!" 

Notifications after notifications, messages after messages.

My doorbell rang. 

Cring~ cring~

I opened my door and saw the condominium staff carrying gifts, flowers, and much more from my fans. 

The condominium staff also greeted me with a happy birthday. "Happy Birthday Ms. Arian Suazo! These are the gifts that your fans gave you. They really love you, and they wait to give you gifts and greetings right at the time of your birthday!" 

I smiled the seemingly brightest smile I could. "Thank you very much! Please just leave the gifts here." 

He put all the presents in my room. 

"Maam, for you."

 He handed me a flower of plastic red roses. 

"I'm sorry if I only gave plastic red roses. It's embarrassing; that's all I can buy." He said while scratching the back of his head. 

I put on the usual grateful face. 

"Thank you so much for the flowers. I really liked it, and it's nice because it lasts longer and also, it smells so good." 

"I'm glad you liked it, Ms. Arian. Well, then I will take my leave now. Once again, have a wonderful celebration of your birthday." 

"Yeah, thanks also for bringing my gifts from my fans."

He left my condominium unit. 

"Plastic red roses, huh…." 

He seemed so familiar… No, I've already know him. I may have seen him for a long time, but only now have I noticed him. Whatever, he was the first person to give me a fake flower.

I looked at the gifts my fans gave me. I saw expensive watches, rings, necklaces, cakes, I even had a portrait, and there were more letters. I looked at the notes, and they only said one thing. 

All they say is that they really love me.

"They love me…."

I went back to the balcony holding the plastic rose. I could see from my backyard the glowing sky scrappers, cars on the road, and lights from the street lights, and I could feel the cool breeze of the night air. 

"It's chilling..."

"They say they love me. But is that genuine?"

"What do we call genuinely in this world? Is it family? Friends perhaps? People who love you, yourself? Can we call them the real thing?"

"I'm sure the ones that said they love me overlooked my facade. After all, I'm not a multi-awarded actress for nothing. Their love for the fake me is true. 

I looked at the plastic flower that the staff gave me.

"I'm like these flowers. Beautiful, fragrant, and elegant in look. But no matter how good or fragrant it is, the fact that it is unreal cannot be changed."

"I'm nothing but a plastic, a pretender. Everything about me is a cute mix of forgery and misdirection, my smile, my emotions, and how I speak with everyone. It's a fraud of me."

"I don't know what's genuine anymore."

"Yet in my life, I have received something real. It wasn't long before it disappeared from my grasp. My father. Him. Those two genuine people were taken away from me."

"Why were they gone so fast? It's disappointing. How short I'm able to feel something real. They were very true to me."

I climbed the balcony balustrade and stood there.

Why can't I make myself happy? Why can't I make Mom happy?

I hate this. I'm...tired.

 I… want something genuine.

Then I let myself fall while holding the plastic roses.

I'm now free-falling.

Is this what he saw? 

When he was falling...

I can already see that I'm soon to hit the ground.

So this is the end for me? Huh.

I want to see him again.

The moment I was about to hit the ground, everything seemed to stop, and I was floating.

I looked at the surroundings, and it looked like time had stopped. Leaves stopped falling, cars stopped running. I saw the frozen shocked face of the people on the ground where I was about to fall. 

What happened?!

Then everything turns into bright white slowly. 

So this is what happens when we die?

It looks like I'm in a void, but it's bright white.

Where am I?

I'm now able to stand on my feet. 

I heard footsteps behind me, and when I looked up, I saw a person walking past me.

Who is he? Wait… no way. 

I somewhat recognize that person. There's no doubt about it. IT'S HIM!

"Wait!" I shouted. 

Then that person looked back. That time I confirmed that it was really him. It's Harry.

I rushed towards him and hugged him tightly while crying. 

All those years, my grief had accumulated over his loss. All my feelings poured into the tight hug I gave him. 

"Finally, in the many years that have passed since you died. I have finally seen you. I thought it would be impossible to see you again, but here you are. I'm delighted to see you again!" 

"I don't want to lose you again. After all this year, you're the only one I loved. You're the only one who's in my mind. You're genuine, and I know I will never ever be found someone like you again!" I blubbered. 

He patted my back gently. "Hey, Arian. It's okay now." 

I replied. "Yeah, now that you're here, I'm already more than okay!" 

He wiped my tears from my eyes using his fingers. "Alright! You're much more beautiful when you're not crying." Then he smiled at me. 

His voice, his touch, and his smile. Those are the things that I longed for. I can tell those are genuine. 

"I'm delighted to see you once again, Harry."

He responded. "I'm glad that you're happy to see me, but… you need to let me go.

"Huh?"

He slowly pushed me away while his hands were on my shoulder. 

I beseech him. "W-what are you talking about? I WON'T LET YOU GO ANYMORE! 25 years ago since I lost you too. Do you think I'm gonna let you go anymore? No! You and my father were the only genuine people I know. Since my father's accident, My entity as a whole has become a sham. I feel like I'm not a real person anymore. Everything about me was fake, emotion, smile, and personality. I felt that I'm not myself anymore."

"Ever since I met you, I feel like I've been true to myself again because someone has been true to me, and that's you. In the short days, I have been with you, you have changed my life. In the days I was with you I was really happy again. All my feelings came true again, and I knew I wasn't just acting. I'm not pretending anymore just because of you!"

"I loved you, and you are my genuine someone. I-i can't let go of you! You are the only one I love, and you are the only one I will love, so, please, stay with me! 

"I'm glad to hear how you feel, but Arian, you need to let me go. Don't close your heart because of me because I'm sure you will know the one who will truly love you. If you just trust me, it won't be long, and you'll get to know him too. I know it's hard to believe, but I'm telling you the truth. I'm not your something genuine because others are even more true than me."

"Many years have come, but I haven't met someone like you again!"

"Believe it or not, Arian, you already met that genuine person long ago. You just didn't notice him. All you need to do is open up your heart again, and you'll know that he is the real thing. Not me. So again, please let me go. Okay. I'm already irrelevant from you, and I'm already gone. Just be true to yourself, and you'll be alright. Trust me."

Before I even replied to him, he had already started to walk away. I want to stop him, but I can't. My body doesn't move, and I don't know why. I want to chase him, but I can't move. I tried to reach him using my hands, but he was already far away from that.

"Stop."

"Please."

"Don't go." 

"Don't go anymore."

"Please stop, don't go anywhere."

I forced myself to chase him, but I still couldn't 

I begged him, "Hey! Please stop walking away!"

"I don't want to lose you anymore. Now that I finally see you. Please don't go! 

Seconds by seconds, he slowly faded into my sight.

"Wait!"

"Don't leave me here!"

"Please! Just Stay!" 

I forced myself to reach him using my one hand, but he was already far away.

"Wait, Harry!"

"Wait!" 

I finally lost sight of him. I screamed as hard as I could.

"WAIT!

"WAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Then I woke up on my bed screaming, and my hand was still trying to reach him.

"Where am I? This is not my room, but it looks familiar… wait. No way."

I heard footsteps heading to my room. Then, someone suddenly opened my door. It's my mom looking worried while trying to catch her breath. 

"What's the problem, Arian?!" My mom asked worriedly. 

After that, I heard another running footsteps then someone peeked at the door. It's my dad. Both of them have worried faces.

"What happened?" My dad asked, then both of them approached me.

What's happening? Why are they both here? Why is dad still alive? Wait ... I think my memories flashed back to me after I died. I didn't know that it was confirmed that memories really flashback after death... but it's not bad either. I saw them again for the last time, even if they were just fragments of my memories. Last memories of a happy family. 

"It must be a nightmare." My mom said, then she hugged me gently

My dad also hugged me. "It's fine now."

Why do they seem so warm? It must be a flashback, right? So how does it feel so real?

"You must be excited now, right?" My dad asked enthusiastically.

"About what?"

"It's your birthday right? Me and your dad promised you that we will take you to the theme park on your sixth birthday." 

W-what?! Don't tell me… it's the day that embarked me. There's no way right?

"As we promised, later on we will take you there to that newest theme park. It'll be so much fun!" my dad said. 

This feels like a dejavu. That's right, it happened 30years ago before the accident. These are my memories. 

I looked at my hand and moved it close, open. I can… move my hands. I looked at my surroundings, I looked at my mom and dad's cheering faces. 

"It feels like… real" I I mumbled. 

My mom heard me. "What real?"

"Ah hahaha It's nothing." 

Anyways this feels way too real than a dream. It almost feels like a reality. What's going on?

Don't tell me… 

I got up from my bed and quickly went to the Bathroom

"Where are you going?"

I ignored my mom's question and I ran towards our rest room

Based on what I remembered from our old house, our Toilet was here and It's still there. 

After I entered our Comfort room, I immediately looked at the mirror and there I saw the kid me. 

"No way." 

I quickly opened the faucet and washed my face assuming that I'm just dreaming, then I looked at the mirror again and I'm still a kid. 

I can't believe this! Did I just return back to time 30 years ago? No way, there's no way it's true right? After all this all just a thing of my past. I don't want to experience that again! 

My mom knocked on the door. "Arian? Are you alright?"

I didn't answer my mom's question. 

But if today is my 8th birthday then this will be the day that that accident will occur. At that theme park. Maybe I can do something to prevent it. 

CHAPTER 31 -END-