Chapter 1 Secrets

"Don't touch it! It's still hot"-mom shouted as she was taking the cake out
of the oven.
“But it looks so delicious, just a bite won't hurt August.”
Yes, I call my mom with her first name. But her name is Augustine
Montgomery, and I call her August. The fact that she hated me calling her
August always intrigued me. But,even during her pregnancy, she is still
working hard for my birthday and my dad who has been taking care of us
went to fishing with his friends. Mom said he will be returning soon.
After a long sigh my mom said to me, “Honey you have been in your phone
all night and I reckon you haven’t slept well, go get some sleep I will wake
you up when Carl arrive”.
We are celebrating my 17th birthday in our family retreat home, which my
late father and mother bought in their late 20s. Speaking about my father,
my mom rarely talkes about him. Once I asked her about my dad, she
replied with the sad grin on her face, “You father died in the car crash”. I
still remember how the happy face turned into what was now replaced
with the sad grin face. It was as if though she was hiding something from
me but I didn’t poke around about this subject more.
“Mom, I am headed to my room. If Carl comes around tell him I will be in
my room”.
Carl is my friend from the childhood. We are always been together since
childhood. He is like my best friend. But it has been 2 years since he moved
to the next city.
I went to my room , and started surfing the internet, as I was watching
some random videos on the net, soon I fell asleep.
A loud noise woke me up, "Beff, Beff honey wake up, look who's here". I
suddenly wake up to my mother pounding on my door.I open my door
yawning to see carl and his mother standing there.
"Beffani Montgomery, you look older "Carl whispers in my ears as I'm
hugging him while giving my greeting to Mrs. Smith. I haven’t seen him for
2 years as he moved to another city.” You look tall “ – I replied.
We went to my room, while Mrs. Smith went downstairs to help my mom.
“So how's the life going, I haven’t seen you in 2 years .”

He looked at me and paused for a moment and replied, “It been going good.
I am planning to apply for the Engineering program on Yale University. I
have my SAT schedules for next month. Hope everything goes as planned”.
He wasn’t a serious person, nor he was this studious. But now it seems he
is changed. He used to smile all the time. Now he looks so serious. I guess
life did its things. We kept talking about our childhood, and the teachers
that taught us. He kept asking about the Science teacher he was fond of.
Sadly , he passed away 5 months ago due to cancer. It was a stage 4
cancer, and there was nothing that could be done for it.
We kept talking about each other , catching up to 2 years and then
suddenly.
“Dinners ready” mom shouted and I could listen to it all the way to my room.
“I am so hungry; I feel like I could eat a house”. In a hurriedness, I ran
towards the kitchen not caring that I left the carl beside me.
When I reached at the Kitchen, I could see all my family members on the
table. I was so hungry that I put my fingers in the cake and took a bite. For
a minute I forgot all the family members were there.
Mom shouted: - “Beffani Montgomery, is that you discipline? We have all
the Family members around here”.
For a moment I felt so ashamed and couldn’t speak a word. And my dad
came up to me and said, “It okay honey, I guess you are too hungry.”
“You are the one that spoil beff.” Replied my mom with an angry face
directed to dad.
Among these commotion Carl arrived at the table. “What did I miss?” – said
in a low voice.
“Nothing honey”, take a seat beside Beff my mom replied with a smile on
her face.
“Beff honey I forgot, go and get some candles from the store house”.
“But mom I just sat down here”. Hungry as I was, I didn’t want to go the
store house to search for the candles.
“I remember leaving some at the top shelf of the book case. Carl honey
help Beffany finding the candles, will you?”. Carl replied, “Sure no prob.”
We headed to the store Room to find that it was all dark, I turn on the light.
The room was very dusty like no one has been down there for decades.
“look Beff the book case!”. I tried reaching the top of the shelf but I couldn’t.
“Let me do it you “Carl tried to reach for the candles. As he was searching
for the candles a small box caught my eyes which was on the left side of
the shelf.The box was dusty and it was wrapped in tape. As I was taking it
out, I saw three words written on it “Not to open”

I could remember this is the handwriting of my mother. I was intrigued to

find out what was behind this.
“Here,let’s get out of this dusty place ” Carl handed me bunch of candles.
The question about my dad always was a mystery to me. I don’t believe
what mom’s saying is true. I need to get on the bottom of this. “Carl wait a
second, let check what this box has.”
“The box says not to open, shouldn’t we leave this box as it is” – replied
carl with a worry on his face.
“God Carl you are such a wuss”. I began to tear the tape with the help of
the swiss knife that my uncle gave me as a present previous year.
We untaped the box and there were bunch of things placed in it,Namely we
saw a key-chain,bunch of this old glittery sort of highlighters.A photo
frame with no photo,An old polaroid camera,A DVD of a movie called
“Somewhere in time ”and a vinyl record of Bruce Springsreen’s The River.
There were bunch of books,we took them all out but one book caught Carl’s
eyes.
“Beff,Look Romeo and Juliet, but it’s weird my book is quiet lighter than
this.it’s heavy as what I have”.
I was amazed as Carl wasn’t the Shakespeare guy. I guess he has changed
a lot.
I took the book from Carl’s hand and when I opened it there was a big
rectangular cutout in the middle with a diary inside it.
“Hugo?Beff that’s your dad’s diary. Look!” :- Carl pointed at the bottom right
corner of the diary where My dad’s name was written.
I was shaking at this point but I took the diary out nervously. I guess this is
where all question is answer about my Dad be answered.
“Do you want to read it now? ”-said Carl.
“No,we don’t have much time,we need to go”-I replied.I also wanted to read
the diary but I got a lump in my throat and felt like reading it when I was
ready,I wanted to read it all alone, I wanted to ask my mom questions, I
wanted to know about my dad.
“But It won’t hurt to read a page”-Carl said
“I guess it wont hurt to read the first page. “
With the desire to know the answer that I was seeking for I opened the
dairy and was greeted with this message.
If we have a daughter, we will name her Beffany and if it’s a son we will
name him Rafael But what my heart says an angel Beffany will be
introduced to my world. If by any chance Beff, you get the chance to open
this diary, always know this papa loves you. I know I won’t be there for you,
but I could give up anything in this world to be there with you, to have a
moment to hold you in my hands, to teach you about Shakespeare, to hold
you in my arms , to be there to leave you at school, to be there to take you
home, to scold you when in your wrong, to celebrate your birthday. O god
for I wish everything to be there on her birthday celebrating beside her.
Beff even without being in this world, I will be always looking at you from
the stars. Look up at night and just wave, I make sure to get those waves.

All of a sudden, a tear starting to fall. I couldn’t control my tears. It was as

if the tears were holding it for way too long and it wanted to burst out. But
then I saw the next message addressed to my mom. I wiped off my tears
and started reading what was written.
Augustine, my August. It pains me to tell you this, but I will be taking an
early leave. It’s only my ending but not yours, for your life is just beginning.
Go on Adventuring the adventure called the life, for my adventure has come
to an early end. In the Garden full of amazing flowers, God desired for a
Flowers and pluck out the flower from the garden and out of all those
flowers that he plucked unluckily that flower plucked early was me. I wish
I knew you earlier, so that I could have spent more time with you. I have no
regret that it was you, that this heart chose to beat for. It was you that this
soul connected for, It was you these eyes thirsted for, it was you this body
desired for, It was you my time spent for. You made me complete. Even
when I am leaving, I am happy it was you. Love, in the afterlife I will always
miss the jasmine smell of yours. I hope there are jasmine in heaven.If there
is not I will make sure to plant some cause it will never stop reminding me
of you. Love I am going early, but what’s the death. I fear no deaths but
what I fear is not being with you. I want to hug you for the last time, but I
guess that isn’t an option. I will be waiting for you at the end of your time
love. This is my poem for you my love now I have to leave.
“Embarking on the journey destined to be a goldbrick, the chapter of book
finishing quick. For this book and Journey to finish quick, let those journey
and book begin again amnestic.”
“Beff!, Beff”:- Shouted Carl.”Your mom’s calling you”
I was focus on reading the dairy and forgot about what going on. “Coming
mom”- I shouted.
I asked carl to take the candles to the kitchen and I will join them soon.
“Where are you going Beff” :- asked Carl Panicking .
“I am going to keep this diary on my room and tape all the other belongings
will be there soon”
First I taped the belongings that was my dads and then went straight to the
room. I hid the diary in the bed and then washed my face and went straight
to the Kitchen.
“ Honey are you okay?”- asked mom.
It was as if though she saw straight through me.
“I am okay August”:- I replied in a low voice.