Colonization

Her face, her hair, her eyes    

Luke washed his face and looked glumly in his bathroom mirror. He could smell the pungent aroma of the aftershave. He went to his closet and frowned upon all his tuxedos and pondered on what to wear. Today was a very special day for Luke Williams. Today he would meet his 6 year old daughter, Emily, for the first time.
It was 6 years ago he and the girl who he had been madly in love with, Lily, had been driving in his car in the country. They stopped at an old abandoned barn and had a picnic. Luke can still remember her face, her long brown hair thrown across her right shoulder, and her hazel eyes staring brightly at him. She made her way over him and lied on his chest. She smiled.It was two days later when she ran over to him, her eyes big and her hands clutched together tightly behind her back. “I’m pregnant!” she exclaimed and hugged him ever so tightly. Now Luke’s eyes were big.
Eight months later, Lily’s water broke. Approaching the hospital, Luke noticed a change in Lily’s light tan face, it was pale. The waiting room was quiet; but not to Luke. Many thoughts were streaming through his mind. Why did she have to get pregnant? Why didn’t I stop her from coming on to me? Why were we even driving out there? Luke then took back everything he had thought to himself. He stared shockingly at Lily’s pale body. The doctors claimed that the pain was too much for her. They wanted to sedate her but she refused. She didn’t want any medications. She delivered the baby and held her in her arms. She whispered “Emily” and right at that moment, she died. Luke looked down at Lily. He could still remember her face. The tan was flushed away from her body, her long brown hair was scattered over her pillow, and her bright hazel eyes were closed.
Luke’s life had never been the same. He drank, lost nine jobs in two months, and because he never got over Lily, all other relationships failed. Luke had almost given up when he saw a job opening in...