A Step Closer to Love

"Ara help me set up the table" Ava screamed from down the stairs.

She moves back to the kit hen and pushes towards her boiling pot of soup. She stirs vigorously going it doesn't cuddle to the sides of the pot. She sighs when she noticed her daughter had not paid attention to her at all.

She puts off the stove in front of her and wipes her hand on her apron. She can't believe that she was left to do all the work by herself. Her husband would soon be back from work and it was their turn to host dinner with their neighbors.

Once a week they had dinner together and rotated who hosted it. This week was her turn. She glanced at the wall clock on the kitchen wall. Her husband should be back in ten minutes and in thirty minutes her neighbors should be coming in for dinner.

Her elder daughter was nowhere to be found. She was probably surging through the mall with full passion unable to buy anything. Her daughter needed to return before the Sterlings came over. She heard the front door squeak open. She pushed her head through the kitchen door to see her daughter enter with a huge pout on her face.

"Seraphina help me set the table," Ava said.

Seraphina was expectinscoldingding for being home late but her mom was overwhelmed and just needed to get the job done before thru sat down to dinner. Seraphina knew that she was going to get an earful from her mom later that night.

Seraphina moves and begins to set that table. She knew that the Sterlings were coming for dinner which made her mom go into a crazy frenzy to impress the neighbors. Once every two weeks Ava outdid herself in her cooking competition.

"Mom, where is Arabella?" Seraphina asked her mom.

"Her nose is probably stuck in a book somewhere upstairs. I have been calling her but it seems she did not hear me" Ava responded handing her daughter a bowl to place at the table center.

Seraphina moved swiftly back and forth from the kitchen to the dining table. She was exhausted from touring the mall all afternoon with her friends but she dare not complain or else she would be grounded.

"Ara" Ava screamed once again.

She needed someone to run to the nearby store for some cheese and since Sera was already helping her out there was no way she could send her to the store. Arabella needed to get her nose out of the book and help her mother win the championship in the neighborhood.

"Sera see what Ara is doing. Take give her this to run to the store for a block of parmesan cheese now" Ava said pulling out some money from the pocket of her apron.

Seraphina collected the money from her mom and ran upstairs to her sister's room. She pushed the door open and saw her sister sitting there a huge book in hand and her glasses slipping over her face.

Arabella was not aware of her sister's presence now in her room. Seraphina put down the money on her sister's book. Arabella looked up the smile turning into a frown.

Arabella pushed her glasses back up and blinked multiple times at her sister.

"What do you want?" she asked looking down at the money.

She was aware that her mom was probably cooking up a storm downstairs and would probably need her attention but the book she got from the library had too many important hooking points that she could not help but get lost in it.

"Mom said you should get a block of cheese," Seraphina said gesturing to the money on the book.

"Do I have to?" Arabella asked annoyance lacing her voice.

Arabella hated every other Friday night because their mom made it a nightmare for them. She had to run around trying to help her mother prepare an award-winning dinner and sit through the adult boring conversation while the blank and aloof Kieran Sterling who was ten years older than give her a blank stare.

"You know the answer," Seraphina said in a sing-song voice as she turned to leave. Arabella put a bookmark between the pages of where she was just reading. She stood up from the window side couch she had been sitting on and dusted her skirt. She stretched to ease herself of the leg cramps she was feeling.

She followed her sister and went downstairs. As she got to the base of the staircase her dad pushed open the door. She rushed over to him and threw herself in his hands.

"Hello my pumpkin pie," Richard said picking her up and spinning her around.

"Hello Dada," she said.

Arabella was ten years old and was closer to her dad because he loved the way she read. He frequently bought her books and allowed her to visit the library as often as she could.

"Mom is cooking up a storm again, "Arabella said in a fake whisper to the ears of her dad. She said it loud enough so that everyone could hear.

"She is going to withe contest one of these days" Richard replied with a snicker at the end of his statement.

Everyone knew what a maniac Ava could be in the face of being the best.

"Ara, I hope you are back from buying the cheese?" Ava screamed her question as she heard the chatter between her daughter and husband. They could chatter all they wanted when the dinner was a success.

"I better get going" Arabella whispered to her father's ear before she sprinted out the door.

"Hello darling," Richard said as he entered the kitchen.

"Welcome Dad" Seraphina sighed as she moved to the dining area with her hands filled with cutlery.

"Let me help you my sugar," Richard said collecting the spoons from Seraphina.

"No, you can't, go have a shower or freshen up now," Ava said with a glare at her husband and older dinner.

Richard returned the spoons to his daughter and squeezed her shoulder gently. No one wanted to dare the mother of the house when she was in full crazy mode. He turned and walked upstairs to freshen up.

As they all sat down for dinner at the Bishop's residence everyone was complimenting how wonderful Ava's cooking was. In fact, the smile on her face was enough for her to be filled without eating anything more on her plate.

"We have great news," Ethan Sterling said. Ethan was the father of the Sterling family and he was quite reserved and spoke only when necessary.

"Must be great news" Seraphina murmured.

Like her younger sister, she was also uninterested in the going on at the table. She always wondered why she had to eat with the old people and that included Kieran who was five years older than her.

"Drop the book, Ara," Ava said with a stern voice.

Arabella had been indifferent to the happenings at the table and had her nose buried in the book she brought from the library. She slowly put her bookmark into the pages and dropped the book on the floor beside her. She would rather read those books than listen to the boring adult conversation.

If the Sterlings had a child their age maybe dinner would have been fun as they would have someone to chat with but the only son of the Sterling family was Kieran and he was twenty years. A whole ten years older than her. There mo a conversation they would have that could benefit both parties.

Kieran like his father barely spoke. Seraphina had said it was because he was not around those his age. She said that when he was still in high school he was part of the popular jocks and that he spoke with them.

"Your good news," Ava said excitedly her eyes shining.

"Kieran would finally be going to college this year," Everly said smiling. She was the mother to Kieran.

She had wanted her son to go to college immediately after he graduated high school but he had taken two years off to purchase his dream in photography. He had never considered it what he wanted to do but he decided to give a trial and work on it before going back to school to study business administration.

"Oh my" Ava said her hands going over her mouth.

The adults were glad that Kieran was going after his photography dream but could not help but worry about him. They wanted him to go to college. The joy Ava felt for her friend was radiating through.

She opened and closed her mouth multiple times like a gasping fish. She wanted to say something but couldn't find the right words for expressions.

"This calls for a celebration," Richard said. He too was genuinely happy for his wife's friends.

"Has he gotten into any schools?" Richard added.

"We had no idea he was applying but he applied to four Ivy's and got accepted into all" Everly bragged.

It was a good thing to brag about and feel proud of. After all her git into Ivy's.

"Congratulations," Ava said happy for them.

Being a competitive person maybe the only reason she felt happy for them was because none of her daughters were yet up to the task of getting into Ivy's. She was going to make her children get accepted into Six Ivy's to beat her friend.

"Girls congratulate your friend," Richard said. He knew quite well that his girls and the next-door boy were not friends and did not get along. He knew the hated the weekly dinners and that his eldest daughter wanted to watch her favorite show while the other read her book all night.

"Congratulations Kieran" they chorused together with a fake smiles on their face.

"Thanks," Kieran said taking a sip of the water.

After dinner, the adults stayed back to celebrate while the kids left. Seraphina went back to watch her late-night shows on the television in her parent's room. Arabella went back to read her book in her room and Kieran went to pack his bags for school because since he got in through early admissions he was going for an early quick start program and was leaving in two days.

As Arabella opened up her book to read her mind wandered to the blue-eyed boy who always sat opposite her at dinner and she thought of how she would not see him again. It was not like she was going to miss him or anything but the fact that she was probably not going to see him again. The adults had some wine before they all retired to bed.

Ava made her daughters escort her with Everly to see off Kieran at the airport. The girls uninterested watched as the lanky blue-eyed boy went into the departure hall.

The girls were taken for ice cream by Everly while Ava had to rush to get groceries for her household. Schools were resuming Monday which was the very from the summer break and bother girls were happy to be back to school but for entirely different reasons.

Arabella was happy to be back with the school library while Seraphina was glad to be back for the cheer practice and football games.

"Hello, Ava," Everly said putting the phone to her ear.

"Calm down Ava, I can't get a word of what you just said," Everly said. Ava was on the other side of the line and her words were half and not making any sense.

"Seraphina takes to talk to your mom, I'm driving," Everly said handing the phone over to the girl who was seated composed licking her ice cream cone beside her.

Arabella was at the back sitting licking her ice cream while her face was embedded in another book. She had finished the previous one and was now intensely immersed in this new one.

"Hello Mom," Seraphina said on the call. She put the phone on loudspeaker so that Everly could hear too.

"Sera, is that you?" Ava managed to say. Her chest constricted as she spoke.

While she was grocery shopping she received a call from the emergency ward that her husband was brought in from a traffic accident and that he was on the brink of death.

Leaving her cart on the shopping complex aisle she ran to the hospital to see him laying lifelessly. She spent some time with the nurse before the doctor came later to pronounce him dead.

Internally Ava died multiple times. She kissed and bid her husband goodbye this morning. She was supposed to meet up with him after grocery shopping which was why she sent the girls with Everly.

After grocery shopping, she was to buy school supplies and then have a date night with her husband. One they would not be able to have now ever again.

"Come to the general hospital," Ava said in one breath. She composed herself to say the sentence. She has to bear it. She needed to be strong but she did not want to be. She wanted her husband alive and well. She did not want to raise those girls all by herself.

"Mom, are you okay?" Seraphina asked her mother alarmed when she heard the word hospital.

"Just tell Everly to bring you here," Ava said again.

"Mrs. Sterling..." Seraphina started.

"I heard her Sera and I'm going over right now," Everly said stepping on the accelerator and driving towards the hospital silently praying that all was good and well.

The gut feeling in her stomach told her very well that all was not well and the most scary thing was that her gut feeling was almost always correct.

She wished it was one of those times when it was wrong.

Everly's journey to the hospital was shorter than usual as she prayed that everything was all good with her friend. Everly and Ava had been friends since high school. When they both went to college they lost touch and contact.

One day Ava moves in next door and met her high school friend. They rekindled the friendship and their family join in too. Everly had Kieran while she was in her first year of college which was what made the age gap in their children pronounced.

They entered the emergency room with urgency. They saw Ava sitting in one of the chairs. Arabella rushed to her mom book still in hand. Both girls had disposed of their ice cream after hearing the distressing news from their mom.

"Mom," Arabella said holding her hands.

Ava's head was bowed and tears rolled down her cheeks. She did not know the best way to tell the girls that she was now a widow and that they were now fatherless.

A young man who looked like he was just in his twenties staggered towards them and went down on his knees. Both girls and Everly watched the man as he knelt. Ava was kind-hearted but it was the first time that Everly saw her not taking pity on the young man.

Under normal circumstances, Ava would not allow the young man to kneel as she would make him stand up and comfort him warmly.

"It's my mistake," the young man said silently.

Ava looked up at the man. If it was possible for a fire to breathe out her eyelids then she would have sent fire to consume him immediately. Why was he drunk driving in the daytime? Why did he not call a driver to drive him? Why did he have to kill her husband of all people? All those questions swirled in her mind.

"I am sorry," the man said again. Tears went down his face.

"You should be," Ava said her voice shaky.

"Why were you driving drunk at noon? You've taken away my husband bring him back" she added crying. She knelt beside him and held his collar.

"Why why why?" she asked continuously as the years fell uncontrollably down her face. She hated the situation she was in.

The gravity of the situation settled in the mind of Everly's mind. She could not believe what she was currently hearing. It was very unbelievable.

"Ava, what do you mean?" Everly asked crouching down to her friends level.

"This monster ran down my husband as he was trying to cross the street," Ava said pointing to the man in front of her. Her sentence was not coordinated but Everly, Seraphina, and Arabella could get the message very clearly.

"Impossible" Seraphina screamed.

Arabella felt tears going down her face. It was hot and she looked down at the man in front of her.

"What did my dada do so wrong?" Arabella asked in a gentle voice looking at the man.

"I am so sorry," the man said again and again.

Arabella ran out of the emergency from toward the hospital road. She sat there tears in her eyes and with a tight chest.

Her father was gone and she never got to say goodbye

The Bishop family felt like someone removed the sure boat they were on and now they were sinking deeper than they could imagine. It could only take a huge float boat to save them now.

It took them all they could to put together the burial ceremony. The family of the driver had made the family lose their precious family and had come around multiple times to ask for forgiveness and beg on behalf of the son.

Ava had promised herself that she was never going to forgive him. She knew that she might try to forgive me but the fact that he was let off with a measly fine that can never bring her husband back to life because he was a first-time offender would haunt her for the rest of her life.

"What do you mean you are moving back home?" Everly said in a whisper.

"I have thought it through and I'm moving back for the girls and myself. I am not possibly taking care of these girls by myself and most importantly I can not take care of myself" Ava.

To Everly, it felt like Ava was overdoing it. She was rushing the decision because of the pan she felt at the moment. When she had time to think about it deeply then she would know she wants to stay.

"I can barely walk down the street without thinking that few blocks ahead my husband was killed right beside our house" Ava adds.

"I want you to still take some time over it to think it through. You don't want to add shake the girls up for no reason" Everly said.

Ava was glad to have Everly at this period. Everly handled everything like a pro. Everly had been with her on the nights of uncontrollable years that turned to late night fevers.

"I have made up my mind. I would let the girls know tonight" Ava said.

"Are we moving to Japan?" Seraphina asked standing at the door frame.

Until the burial ceremony ten days ago both girls believed that their dad was still going to stand up and say it was all a prank. After the burial both girls them can to terms that their dad was gone and won't be coming back anytime soon.

They both refused meals as cried all day. The break the school had given them to heal from their dads death was drawing to a close but both girls were not near ready to go back to school. These were part of the reasons that Ava decided to move.

She was mentally unrelated to take care of her girls and they were slipping further into depression. Seraphina even said a few sentences per day but Arabella who was closer to her dad barely uttered a single word.

"It's going to be all fine" Ava said assuring her daughter. She was not sure it was going to be all fine. She just wanted hope and to give hope to her.

"Move to Japan?" Seraphina asked again.

"Yes Darling. In a few days we would be going" Ava answered.

She was not fully sure but seeing that her daughter was in worse shape than she imagined. She had barely changed her clothes not has a her taken as bath in days she made up her mind on the spot.

She was changing environment for her kids. Everly who saw Seraphina for the first time in ten days also mentally agreed with her friends decision. Maybe a change of environment would do them all good at the end of the day.

"I am sure your mom was the best for you" Everly said squeezing her friends hand. She was going to keep in touch to ensure that her friend was golf enough and fine wherever she was.

True to Ava's words she moved her girls and herself back to her hometown to live with her parents.

They were going to heal there.