"Gone In a Flash" by Angel O

5:45 AM and I wake up to an alarm. As I get out of bed, I check the date on my calendar.
February 4. My eyes get wide and my adrenaline starts pumping through my veins. Today is
going to be a very spectacular day. I am getting ready for my weekly photoshoot. After getting
ready, I pick up a small box from behind my drawer and put it into my satchel. I’m almost ready
to go but I become disoriented. I can’t find my camera. I looked under the bed, in the closet, on
top of the refrigerator, in my drawer, even in my girlfriend’s stuff. But, it’s no-where to be seen.
I’m gonna be late to work, and I can’t even find my camera.

Ten minutes have already gone by. I create a loud ruckus which wakes up my love. Lana
yells at me ,” Why are you making all that noise for?”. Shouting back at her, I tell her I couldn’t
find my camera. She told me that it was in her bag because she wanted to check out the pictures I
have taken. We started getting into a huge argument with each other about how she shouldn’t be
touching my camera without my knowledge of it. She came back at me for how I wrecked the
whole house just for “ a stupid camera “. Right after she said that, I quickly grabbed my camera,
and stormed out the door.

It’s now 2:04 PM. It was time to wrap up the shoot. As I take the last shot, as the flash goes
off, my phone begins to vibrate in my pocket. I answer the phone. At that moment, the blood in
my body was drained from me, and time had just completely stopped. This feeling, it’s as if I just
someone had shot me. Losing grip, my phone had slowly slipped out of hands. And I collapse to
the floor in agonizing pain. Rivers of tears begin to stream down from my eyes. All the people
from the shoot crowd around me wondering what was wrong. At first I didn’t respond when
someone asked me what was wrong. Someone else had asked the same question. It was so
difficult for me to say, because I didn’t want to admit the truth. But it came out anyways. My
voice all shaky, almost inaudible.

“ Lana, my love, my girlfriend had just passed away from a car accident. “
February 14. Visiting her grave. I place her favorite flowers, anthuriums. A red colored flower
having a shape of a heart. Before I leave, I take out a small box from my right jacket pocket.
That same box that I had hidden behind my drawer. With a tear of sorrow and depression, I place
down the small box near the flowers, knowing that I didn’t get the chance to get on my one knee
and gift her a surprise that was meant for her ring finger.