Chapter 1: I never got one!!

Chapter 1: Chapter 1: I never got one!!

"Ugh, why him?"

I grumbled as I saw the last 3 episodes of Modern Family, the last season. 'Even at the end, Alex and Haley's character development seems stunted, and Alex seemingly ends up with Alvin... '

'Manny became insufferable, and Luke...well, Luke is Luke.'

"The awkward, manipulative professor that used to be Haley's boyfriend?"

It's like the writers conveniently forget about that and set them up anyway.

"She did have a major crush on the guy when she was at college, but he chose Haley. Maybe it's a curse of the middle child kind of thing where they always received used things from their older siblings."

I sighed and felt terrible for the kid.

"Even Dylan was barely okay in the last season."

Phil said before the 20s is the time for them to make mistakes and get to know themselves. But surely a lovely and intelligent girl like Alex or a 'smart' girl like Haley could end up with someone better.

"Welp. No time to complain. Time to start from the beginning again."

I have been binge-watching it every single day, and have finished the run more than 7 times now.

Maybe it became a comfort show for me because of the family love setting in the show, the one I never had.

*Ring Ring*

The MacGyver bell in my house rang loudly, snapping me out of my stupor. The simple setup was created by myself, and I fixed the bell on my walls before I connected it to the lower floor.

I put my phone back in my pocket as I used my phone to watch shows instead of the plasma tv in my living room. That one was used for games and 'stuff.'

I grabbed my coat before I exited my apartment. I went downstairs and unlocked the door to the apartment directly beneath mine.

"Good Morning, Bella. How's your sleep?" I asked.

The house owner was an old lady in a wheelchair who could only breathe using an oxygen tube up her nose. She only smiled in reply and looked at me with a helpless expression.

The landlord of the 3-story apartment needed some care in her twilight years, so I get to live here cheap as long as I help her with some stuff. After taking care of her needs, we went to make breakfast together.

"Non-non..." The Italian grandmother scolded me as I wanted to put some herbs in her sauce. "Taste. First."

I stopped stirring the sauce in the pot. The smell of the sauce that I was making made my stomach gurgle, and I wanted to have breakfast soon.

"Ciao Bella. You're killing me." I used some Italian wordplay that put a smile on her face. I put a spoonful of the sauce on a spoon and blow it gently before I give her a taste.

She nodded in satisfaction after she got what she wanted. "Good job. You...marry now."

I helplessly showed a wry smile after she said that. "Maybe in the future."

Granny said with some concern, "You've been alone. Long time."

I grabbed her hand gently, "I have you, did I not?"

Bella removed my hand and pinched my cheeks, "Non-non. Don't be alone. I'm gone soon."

The immigrant grandmother couldn't speak a complete sentence after her stroke a few weeks ago. I have been working from home to check up on her since her family is far away.

"Don't say that, Noni. (Grandma) You're going to live till 150. Believe me."

Bella looked at me sadly. Only one person in the world knew me, and that was the grandmother in front of me.

"I forgot the garlic bread. I will stop by the grocery store later." I said, changing the topic.

We had a fun breakfast together before I ran upstairs to do my job as a programmer. Luckily, my status as a senior developer allowed me to work from home as long as I reach my daily target requirement.

I remembered what Noni said while I was typing. I never got a girlfriend, nor did I try to find one. I only got one-night stands with various girls, basking myself in the meaningless pleasures of the flesh. Even that was for only a short while before I stopped.

My 20's were spent with me struggling to survive in this ruthless world as an orphan. Deep down, I don't think I can love someone as I have never received any love. I should talk about that in therapy, but who got the time?

After 3 hours of work to finish the entire requirement of what was supposed to be a 10-hour job, I grabbed my bike key and my helmet.

"Noni. Garlic bread and tomato puree. Anything else?"

"Buy some wine and meat," Noni asked. Then, she hesitatingly asked, "Can you check the post? My son. He will wire some checks at the end of the month."

I widened my eyes at Noni, "You can eat meat now? When did your teeth grow back?"

Noni threw her slippers on my head before I ran away to my scooter parked in front of my house. I never went to the post office to check what she requested.

I knew her son had abandoned her a few years back, but she kept hoping to hear from him. The check was only an excuse for her to ask about her son.

I picked up some oranges and groceries at the grocery store. On my way back, a sudden gust of wind suddenly makes me almost fall from my bike.

"What the hell is that?" I opened my helmet visor and looked at the sky. It was as clear as ever. I scanned the surroundings, and I saw everyone looking at me like I was a clumsy man.

"So... freaking weird," I muttered and restarted my bike engine before I drove home.

And that was it. That is the end of my life in this world.

*Truck Horn blaring. *

The last thing I remember was that a speeding truck with its lights on crashed into my bike. I had an accident on my way home, and after a period of struggle to keep my consciousness intact, my world darkened.

"I'll remove being crushed by the 14-ton truck and become a roadkill...to swerve your bike and avoid the truck. You will live without remembering what happened here. You also won't feel discombobulated as the afterlife energy will help you settle down in the mortal world for a short grace period."

"Do I have a choice?" I asked.

"None." The officer replied sternly.

"Let's go to your station." The officer said and brought me to the train boarding line. Instead of a white train, a red train was waiting for me there.

"This looks ominous," I said, and as I looked around, I discovered I was the only one there.

"We didn't usually send people back, so I pulled this train from another line to get you home." The officer said. I boarded the train and sat by the window. The officer stood nearby to talk to me.

"As you've stepped foot in both the afterlife and the purgatory, you may find something extra in your life when you get back." The officer said with a smirk.

"You're giving me a system?" I asked teasingly.

"What's a system?" The officer asked, intrigued.

"Nothing. By the way, I never caught your name?"

"Me? I'm..." The train horn bellowed, so I couldn't hear the middle part, but I heard the last part, "...The grim reaper."

...

Omniscient POV.

The train started to move and disappeared from the station. The grim reaper took his last puff of cigarette before he turned back. An armored angel was standing there as he turned.

"Why did you do it?" The female angel asked.

"Do what?" The officer asked innocently.

"You sent him to another world!" The female officer grabbed the man's coat and lifted him up.

The male officer took a deep puff and said, "It was too late for him. He'd spent time in purgatory for almost 10 years. He can't go back, so I send him somewhere else."

"You've violated the afterlife code! Do you know what will happen to you?!"

The officer gently removed the female officer's hand. "I know."

"Not only did you send him to another world, but you also made him reborn there. He won't receive his memory till his body is ready is not an excuse for your action!"

"For my son. I will gladly spend 1000 years in purgatory as long as he can get the life he always wanted. The life... that I fail to give him." The male officer said as he fixed his collars.

The female officer sighed in defeat and escorted the grim reaper to receive his punishment.

"I already had enough trouble when a first-class soul accidentally transmigrated as the wind. Now, this. I am sure I will get demoted after this...." She murmured whisperingly.

She sighed in defeat before she realized something. She glared at the grim male reaper, "Do you have anything to do with that too? With Mrs. Bella reincarnating as the wind?"

The grim male reaper smirked and replied ambiguously, "Who knows."

...

Edward POV.

"Ugh. My head." I muttered as I found myself lying in the streets. However, I found the roads to be unfamiliar from the streets I had my accident before.

"Hey, kid, watch where you are going."

An old man yelled at me from his car.

Suddenly, my head throbbed in pain, and I struggled to collect myself. I staggered a few times, and my sight became dim. It took me a minute to get used to the feelings.

"What the fuck!" I cursed out loud.

The old man was startled, shook his head, and drove off as he noticed I was okay.

"I'm 14?! I am in... California! Seriously?!" I mumbled.

"Nah, Nah, that can't be it." I looked around and found a convex mirror usually put in intersections. I looked at my reflection to see that I was really young again.

"Dude, that was sick." Suddenly a voice called me out from behind. I turned and widened my eyes when I saw the familiar-looking kid on a bike talking to me.

"Your skateboard flew into that tree there after you've done your trick." Luke Dunphy pointed at the tree nearby. I turned in the direction he'd pointed and saw a skateboard with a skull sticker on its bottom hanging in the tree branch.

"You'd inspired me. I will also fly to the sky after this." The 10 years old Luke said excitedly.

I became alarmed and quickly said, "No, Luke. Don't. The accident really hurt. It wasn't sick at all. It was dangerous, and I'd been irresponsible. I probably will never skate again after this."

The boy was stunned by the sudden proclamation. Based on my memory, I was the one who asked him if he wanted to watch a trick before this. For me to backpedal quickly was a bit unexpected for him.

"Luke." I heard a voice calling for Luke from afar. Both of us turned to look at the caller.

A hot blonde 'milf' with scary eyes was calling for Luke from a street over. She shielded her eyes with her hand as the afternoon sun was glaring.

"Whatever," Luke said, losing his interest as I started to nag like his mom. He put his leg on the pedal and started to cycle back to his house.

I stood there frozen for a while with the same thought nagging.

"Am I in the Modern Family... tv series... world?"