After The End

1. Thanatophobia

Thanatophobia* : fear of death

Alma Pov:

"But mommy I don't like sitting in the back !" I heard a little girl whining to her mother. I looked up around the bus and saw no other vacant seats but the back ones and the one next to me.

"Umm, ma'am," The words came flying out of my mouth with no forethought. "You can have my seat if you like." I winced internally as I offered.

Gosh, I hated the back seats; They made me car sick. Why was I so eager to please others?

"Thank you, miss." The mother smiled gratefully. I picked up my grocery bag and with a heavy heart hidden by a polite smile, I headed to the back of the bus.

I settled down in my seat and again smiled politely at the old man sitting next to me. After I placed my grocery bag between my legs, I put my earbuds on and took my new book. Soon the bus took off.

The words on the page became blurry as my eyes started to tear up from nausea when suddenly the music in my ears stopped and was replaced by a high ring. Nana's name lit up the screen.

"Where have you been, you lazy girl?!" A grimace crossed my face as her loud angry voice boomed in my ears. I had to take the earbuds out of my ears for a second so I wouldn't lose my hearing. Why did she have to yell all the time?

"It's Saturday Nana, the supermarket is busy..." I trailed off, biting my tongue. As if she wasn't the one who woke me up on a Saturday morning complaining that the fridge was empty.

"Excuses, excuses that all you're good at. In what world does shopping for a few items take the whole morning? .." She kept on nagging and nagging never tiring. I rolled my eyes, after living for eighteen years with her, I knew better than to answer, she would take it as an insult.

As the bus driver announced my station, my eyes lit up. Finally the right excuse!

"Nana, I gotta hang up. I'll get off the bus..." Before I finished my sentence she hung up. I blinked my eyes, staring at my phone screen in shock.

I waited until the crowd of people pressing against each other got off before I followed them out. My eyes closed in bliss as I stretched my numb limbs and the soft spring breeze brushed my skin.

"Alma?!..Alma!" I heard a male voice calling my name, and automatically my head snapped around to follow the source. I saw a Tall bulky man beaming at me, waving his hand gently. My eyes narrowed to slits, thinking where the heck do I know this handsome man from.

"It's Alma right?" His grin only got wider when I nodded my head slowly, still confused.

"It's Lyle from middle school. Remember me?" My eyes widened, and my mouth opened and closed like a fish. Lyle?! Woah, Puberty did wonders for him.

"Alma!" Just as I parted my lips to respond, a shiver ran down my spine when I heard a very familiar voice. I turned around and found my furious grandma right behind me, her face red as tomato and steam almost coming out of her ears.

"You stay away from my granddaughter!" She raised her forefinger in warning before she grabbed my arm and dragged me behind her. Heat rose to my face and my whole body trembled in embarrassment.

"Is that why you're wearing those skimpy shorts? To attract boys' attention? Didn't you learn anything from your mother at all?.." Every time, in every situation she had to mention one of my parents and remind me of their past mistakes as if somehow I was responsible for them. How could I, when I can't even remember what they looked like? A single tear rolled down my cheek and I wiped it before she saw it.

She went on and on, from how short my clothes are to how I never appreciated her sacrifices in raising me when she should have been enjoying her retirement instead, then back to how I was like my parents: ungrateful.