"In a world where overpopulating and climate change go hand in hand, the world has to put a foot down and save it's own planet.
Overpopulation is the root cause of climate changes - it's an undeniable fact. The growth in the population is causing one problem after another and 'recycling' is not enough!
Time is running out! Everyone is watching - yet not doing anything about it. Look what's already happened to the rainforests and our oceans! And what about the wildfires in Australia? The world is collapsing in front of our eyes!
Wake up people!
The reduction of the population growth is crucial to bring the global warming under control.
This is a problem spiraling out of control!
More people equals more greenhouse gases!
We are gonna do what is right and finally get the problem under hand. We're gonna save our planet together for both this and the next generation!
The survival of our species tomorrow is determined by what we do today.
We're gonna be the solution.
Sincerely,
The Government"
----
"May he rest in peace and reach the hereafter to live an eternal life." The priest finished up.
My aunt cried hysterically besides me as the casket was lowered into the ground.
It was a cloudy day and many had attended the funeral of my uncle.
He had committed suicide.
It turned out, according to his journals, that he was depressed for years. It eventually reached the brim and he couldn't stand it anymore. Not even my aunt could make it better. Men with depression find it hard to open up about it and they are more at risk of attempting suicide than women. It upseted me that he had to go through hell with depression and it eventually killed him. He was in his late forties and my aunt didn't deserve to live her life like that, all alone without him. She loved him more than anything in her whole life.
My aunt was my mom's sister. She raised me ever since my dad died in a plane crash and mom bolted, leaving me at six years old. Auntie met Uncle Jared when she was twenty-six. He was a rich man with a lot of influence and many connections. I knew he loved my aunt Claire, I could tell by the way he would look at her.
Uncle Jared and I weren't that close, he was a busy man after all - but he did help my auntie with taking care of me. She took care of me ever since she was eighteen and I was six, she was more of a mother to me than my own mom ever was.
When I was fourteen she met my uncle. She wanted us to move into his mansion in a whole another town. I was reluctant on leaving my life behind - I had school and a life I just couldn't abandon. His riches didn't impress me neither. But uncle Jared understood me and he bought an apartment to me so I could stay there and then he gave me a bank account with a decent amount of money so I could buy whatever I would need. And I was grateful for him being kind and understanding instead of dragging me with them all the way up in the country against my will.
At first, auntie Claire visited every weekend. By my age now, at seventeen she visits me once every two month or three month, it wasn't as frequent as before and I guess she understood how independent I had become and didn't need her much anymore.
My aunt blew her nose into a napkin and wiped tears away from her face.
I felt so sorry for her.
I could clearly hear and see how much she was in pain. I wish I could've stayed with her at the mansion to comfort her, but I had school and I had to attend or else it would affect my grades.
My eyes moved around the graveyard. Three men were shoveling and letting soil fall into the grave and hit the lid of the casket, letting out the sound of thuds. My aunt started crying hysterically again and her best friend on her other side wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into her side comfortingly.
My eyes shifted from the grave and to the other persons who were attending. There were a lot of unfamiliar faces, but also some familiar faces I had seen at the business parties my uncle would host from when I was younger.
My eyes stopped at a man standing on the opposite side of the graveyard.
He was tall and dark haired, dressed in a black suit just like everyone else. His hands were folded in front of him and his sun shades were covering up his eyes. His lips were in a thin line and his head tilted downwards, observing the burial.
I knew of course who he was, how could I not?
He was the man who was teaching English at my school and was also my principal, Gale Winston.
I squinted at him as his whole focus was on the burial going on in front of us.
Mr. Winston and I definitely had our differences. We argue all the time and disagree on a lot of things. I had been sent to his office so many times since he started working at my school one year ago.
One year ago, he was the school's latest gossip. He held a lot of beauty no one had truly seen before in our town. It resulted in a lot of crushes on him, but no one had tried pursuing him.
He's broad, tall and masculine. Mr. Winston's eyes are a light shade of brown, his hair is a dark brown and his stubbles and eyebrows were dark to match. He was the definition of tall, dark and handsome.
He was hot like everyone would put it, but he sure was also disrespectful to his students, annoying and rude - especially towards me. That's why I also hated him. He does things to provoke me on purpose, I was sure of it. I see him literally twice a week in his office and we fight about everything from the dress code to my grades.
I had no idea what he was doing at my uncle's funeral, but I was sure he had some connection to my uncle considering he used to be a well known man.
--
After my uncle was finally put to rest, we headed inside a building nearby.
"Please Hazel, can't you eat some food and then you'll leave?" My aunt pleaded, my hands in hers. We were standing in front of each other in the crowded room.
Her eyes were red and her cheeks were damp. There were a lot of chattering around us and I needed to think about her request.
I had a flight I had to catch to get back home and I needed to be at the airport in time. I thought leaving earlier and having extra time at my hands would be good, but it was hard to leave when she looked at me with those ocean eyes.
They were serving grief food now and were soon going to read uncle Jared's will. I wouldn't be able to listen to it, I'd be have to leave by then.
I can't just leave her like that!
"Okay." I slowly nodded my head and found myself giving into her pleads.
She pulled me into a hug and I wrapped my arms around her, hugging her tightly back.
"I'm sorry I can't stay longer and comfort you..." I genuinely apologized to her about staying so shortly.
"It's alright, Hazel." She sniffled. "I love you so much." She whispered into my ear while she kept on hugging me tightly.
I felt myself almost tear up by the way she was so broken and definitely needed someone. She was all alone, no children or siblings to be there for her when she needed to grieve.
"I love you too."
--
I reached for the spring rolls and placed them on my paper plate.
I only grabbed one. I wasn't that hungry, and the mood with all the crying and sadness didn't do anything other than to make me lose my appetite.
I turned around from the long table with lots of different foods and sighed softly. It looked like lots of good food, but I didn't desire anything.
I decided to turn away from the table.
As soon as I had turned around, I saw Mr. Winston walking in my direction. He avoided looking at me, or he might've looked discreetly through his shades - I wouldn't know.
I rolled my eyes and was about to walk past him when his big hand suddenly wrapped around my upper arm and made me come to a sudden halt. His grip on me was tight and rough.
I let out a low sigh and became instantly annoyed by him.
"Are you stalking me?" I heard his deep voice ask me.
My left eye twitched and I turned my head to look up at him. He was looking straight forward and not at my face.
"Is that how you build up your ego? Believing I'm an infatuated girl that stalks her own teacher?" I spat in anger by his stupid insinuation.
He turned his head to look down at me. His shades slid down his nose so I could see his familiar eyes.
"Aren't you?" He asked unimpressed.
He was fueling more anger inside of me.
"Show some respect. My fucking uncle died." I gritted through my teeth and ripped my arm out of his grip and walked away.
---
I was back in town after the funeral and it was yet another school day.
It was early in the morning and I was walking my way over to my math class tiredly. I wasn't really a morning person per say. My feet brought me closer to the staircases.
I climbed my way up and and was halfway up to the second floor when I bumped into someone as I was going to take a turn and climb the rest of the staircases up to the second floor. Big hands grabbed me by my arms to stop me from falling backwards.
My eyes connected with a chest dressed in a navy colored shirt.
I slowly looked up and saw the face of Mr. Winston.
His hands let go of me and he cleared his throat.
"Miss Davis." He nodded his head at me and walked past me down the stairs I had made my way up earlier.
I rolled my eyes. He didn't even apologize for bumping into me.
I walked away from my spot and headed for my math class. The class felt hours long and I was certain that I would fall asleep.
I cut the day short by skipping the rest of the classes of the day. I tend to skip classes whenever I feel like it. They always publish the powerpoints afterwards anyways, so why waste time at school on a teacher reading of a presentation?
When I got outside of the school, sun hit my face and I had to hold up a hand to block away the sun. I walked down the stairs and was walking a distance away from the school when I felt eyes trailed on me, bruning into my back like I was being watched.
I turned my head and looked over my shoulder.
No one was there.
My eyes shifted upwards to the second floor and saw Mr. Winston standing in the window of his office.
His hands were resting inside the pockets of his pants and he was observing me closely.
I raised a brow at him, wondering why he was keeping an eye on me.
I ignored his gaze and walked away from the school.
