These Chapters of Our Lives ~ COMPLETED
The Reading
I pull up to the house. The setting doesn’t help in calming my nerves. There are few cars in the driveway; the sky is an eerie gray, rain threatens to spill from the dull clouds. I recognize some of the cars I walk past, but there are few that I’m not sure about.
The door stands wide open and I walk in without thinking it over. The hallway is silent other than my footsteps echoing on the hardwood flooring. I walk all the way down the hallway until I reach the living room.
Several of the faces I know; Grant, Mason, Jarrett, Talia… I wondered if she was still staying here or if she moved out because of the lack of décor. Pictures were taken down and the whole atmosphere of the place was dull.
“Ah, Ms. Mattingly, nice of you to finally join us. I’m Mark; I spoke to you over the phone yesterday.” Mark shook my hand firmly.
“Of course,” I said and took a seat next to Mason and Grant. “Am I the last one?” I ask them quietly as I leaned my head onto Mason’s shoulder.
“No, I think we’re still waiting on one more person; I’m just not sure who.” I nod and shut my eyes. The echoing of footsteps comes again, and I turn my head, eyes open, to see the person.
My eyes widened. It couldn’t be…
“Alright, now that we’re all here, we can finally start with the reading,” Mark announces. He starts reading out Drew’s will, but I can’t bring myself to listen. My mind is on her.
Why is she here? Why hadn’t she made an effort to be there for Drew and I when mom and dad died? Why did Drew put her in the will? I had so many questions, and all I literally wanted to do was blow up in her face. She has no right to be here.
“To Harmony,” my ears perk up at the sound of my name, “Drew leaves his pet turtle, Froid, as well as 50% of his final earnings.” I nod my head. Really Drew? You left me your turtle that I didn’t even know about.
“And finally, to his aunt…” I glared over at my aunt. Bitch. Who does she think she is coming here? She completely cut out of my life that day at the funeral…
I stood there, crying by Drew’s side as he walked me up to the deep pit. My teary eyes skimmed over the outline of the single casket filled with my parent’s greatest treasures, as well as a scattering of their ashes. I tossed the single dandelion in next to the red roses. That’s when I cracked.
The tears wouldn’t stop coming. Aunt Cory takes my hand and pulls me over to the side. She wipes the tears from my face.
“Harmony, sweetheart, don’t cry please. Everything can only get better from here; I promise,” she smiles warmly at me.
I furiously wipe the tears off of my face. “Well, sometimes people can’t keep their promises, and sometimes they come back dead. How can you be so sure that everything will be better?” My thirteen-year-old self can’t help but be mad at my aunt for telling me that I would get over her brother and sister-in-law’s deaths.
“Dandelion, I-”
“Don’t call me that!” I snap at her.
Her face hardens, and her voice is stern when she says, “You know what? You’re right! Things won’t get better from here. You can’t just push everyone away, Harmony; it won’t help you. They’re dead! Big whoop – get over it!
“In fact, you shouldn’t be crying. After all, it is your fault they’re dead!”
Her yelling just caused me to cry more, causing people nearby to stare. Drew pushed his way through to us and took me in his arms. I could hear an exchange of words between them, but it was unclear between my sniffling. From the side, I watched Aunt Cory stomping away from the scene, and that was the last I’d seen her. She didn’t make another effort to comfort our grief or help Drew and I at all. That was the day I had disowned her from my family, because I was certain that Drew was all I needed.
I still couldn’t believe she put the blame on me. All I had done that day was stay home while they went out for their anniversary. My mistake? I would think not.
“Well this is odd…” Mark says after a while of staring at the will. He clears his throat, “In Drew’s final section of the will, to his Aunt Cory, he simply states it’s time.”
I furrow my eyebrow in confusion and look over at Aunt Cory who merely smiles at Mark. For a second, I swear she glances over at me, but her head doesn’t change. The atmosphere of the room suddenly fell awkward as Mark drew the reading to a close. Mark and his associates as well as Aunt Cory then leave. I hug Drew’s old friends goodbye as they leave too. Then, I go up and give Talia a small squeeze.
“How are you feeling?” she asks.
“I’m holding up; you?” She shakes her head at me. I sigh and hug her more prolong this time.
“Um… Froid is over there on the counter,” she says and leads me over to him. I sit in the barstool and laugh at the sill turtle as it swims on the wet side of its cage. “Take care of Froid. He meant a lot to him…”
“I will, but I’m not quite sure I’d know how to bring a turtle back to London with me. I’ll figure something out,” I chuckle and lean in closer to the glass.
“Of course you will, you’re smart. Oh, and I’ll have the bank do a transactio-”
“Don’t even bother; Harry barely lets me spend any money I’ve earned from when I was at Disneyland. Keep the money.” She nods.
I pick up the turtle cage. “Well, I guess I should go. It was nice talking to you, Tal.” She waves to me from the counter top and I walk out the door.
I walk out to the car and place Froid’s cage in the passenger seat, securing it with the seatbelt. I walk around to the other side and make myself comfortable for the journey back.
“Well, Froid, let’s hit the road,” I say and start the car, pulling out of the curb. I manage to drive to the first intersection when a car decides to stop in front of me. I honk at the car, but instead of moving the driver door swings open.
I, too, get out of my car, ready to yell at the ass that decided to stop their car in the middle of the road. I see a small head of familiar grey roots and stop.
“Aunt Cory?”
“Hello, Harmony. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“Um…” I stand still as she approaches me. She grabs my hand with hers, smiling softly at me.
“We need to talk, dear,” she says.
I rip my hand away. “What is there to talk about? Do you want to blame me for Drew’s death as well?”
She shakes her head and sighs. “Harmony, please. I wasn’t thinking when I said that to you… I was just trying to let out my depression by blaming you for it. I really wish I could take it back, but we seriously need to talk.”
I scoff and start to walk away. “I have nothing to say to you.”
“It’s about what was said in Drew’s will, Harmony,” she shouts at me. I stop and wait for her to go on. “It’s time.”
I turn my head to the side. “Time for what?”
“It’s time.”
The door stands wide open and I walk in without thinking it over. The hallway is silent other than my footsteps echoing on the hardwood flooring. I walk all the way down the hallway until I reach the living room.
Several of the faces I know; Grant, Mason, Jarrett, Talia… I wondered if she was still staying here or if she moved out because of the lack of décor. Pictures were taken down and the whole atmosphere of the place was dull.
“Ah, Ms. Mattingly, nice of you to finally join us. I’m Mark; I spoke to you over the phone yesterday.” Mark shook my hand firmly.
“Of course,” I said and took a seat next to Mason and Grant. “Am I the last one?” I ask them quietly as I leaned my head onto Mason’s shoulder.
“No, I think we’re still waiting on one more person; I’m just not sure who.” I nod and shut my eyes. The echoing of footsteps comes again, and I turn my head, eyes open, to see the person.
My eyes widened. It couldn’t be…
“Alright, now that we’re all here, we can finally start with the reading,” Mark announces. He starts reading out Drew’s will, but I can’t bring myself to listen. My mind is on her.
Why is she here? Why hadn’t she made an effort to be there for Drew and I when mom and dad died? Why did Drew put her in the will? I had so many questions, and all I literally wanted to do was blow up in her face. She has no right to be here.
“To Harmony,” my ears perk up at the sound of my name, “Drew leaves his pet turtle, Froid, as well as 50% of his final earnings.” I nod my head. Really Drew? You left me your turtle that I didn’t even know about.
“And finally, to his aunt…” I glared over at my aunt. Bitch. Who does she think she is coming here? She completely cut out of my life that day at the funeral…
I stood there, crying by Drew’s side as he walked me up to the deep pit. My teary eyes skimmed over the outline of the single casket filled with my parent’s greatest treasures, as well as a scattering of their ashes. I tossed the single dandelion in next to the red roses. That’s when I cracked.
The tears wouldn’t stop coming. Aunt Cory takes my hand and pulls me over to the side. She wipes the tears from my face.
“Harmony, sweetheart, don’t cry please. Everything can only get better from here; I promise,” she smiles warmly at me.
I furiously wipe the tears off of my face. “Well, sometimes people can’t keep their promises, and sometimes they come back dead. How can you be so sure that everything will be better?” My thirteen-year-old self can’t help but be mad at my aunt for telling me that I would get over her brother and sister-in-law’s deaths.
“Dandelion, I-”
“Don’t call me that!” I snap at her.
Her face hardens, and her voice is stern when she says, “You know what? You’re right! Things won’t get better from here. You can’t just push everyone away, Harmony; it won’t help you. They’re dead! Big whoop – get over it!
“In fact, you shouldn’t be crying. After all, it is your fault they’re dead!”
Her yelling just caused me to cry more, causing people nearby to stare. Drew pushed his way through to us and took me in his arms. I could hear an exchange of words between them, but it was unclear between my sniffling. From the side, I watched Aunt Cory stomping away from the scene, and that was the last I’d seen her. She didn’t make another effort to comfort our grief or help Drew and I at all. That was the day I had disowned her from my family, because I was certain that Drew was all I needed.
I still couldn’t believe she put the blame on me. All I had done that day was stay home while they went out for their anniversary. My mistake? I would think not.
“Well this is odd…” Mark says after a while of staring at the will. He clears his throat, “In Drew’s final section of the will, to his Aunt Cory, he simply states it’s time.”
I furrow my eyebrow in confusion and look over at Aunt Cory who merely smiles at Mark. For a second, I swear she glances over at me, but her head doesn’t change. The atmosphere of the room suddenly fell awkward as Mark drew the reading to a close. Mark and his associates as well as Aunt Cory then leave. I hug Drew’s old friends goodbye as they leave too. Then, I go up and give Talia a small squeeze.
“How are you feeling?” she asks.
“I’m holding up; you?” She shakes her head at me. I sigh and hug her more prolong this time.
“Um… Froid is over there on the counter,” she says and leads me over to him. I sit in the barstool and laugh at the sill turtle as it swims on the wet side of its cage. “Take care of Froid. He meant a lot to him…”
“I will, but I’m not quite sure I’d know how to bring a turtle back to London with me. I’ll figure something out,” I chuckle and lean in closer to the glass.
“Of course you will, you’re smart. Oh, and I’ll have the bank do a transactio-”
“Don’t even bother; Harry barely lets me spend any money I’ve earned from when I was at Disneyland. Keep the money.” She nods.
I pick up the turtle cage. “Well, I guess I should go. It was nice talking to you, Tal.” She waves to me from the counter top and I walk out the door.
I walk out to the car and place Froid’s cage in the passenger seat, securing it with the seatbelt. I walk around to the other side and make myself comfortable for the journey back.
“Well, Froid, let’s hit the road,” I say and start the car, pulling out of the curb. I manage to drive to the first intersection when a car decides to stop in front of me. I honk at the car, but instead of moving the driver door swings open.
I, too, get out of my car, ready to yell at the ass that decided to stop their car in the middle of the road. I see a small head of familiar grey roots and stop.
“Aunt Cory?”
“Hello, Harmony. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“Um…” I stand still as she approaches me. She grabs my hand with hers, smiling softly at me.
“We need to talk, dear,” she says.
I rip my hand away. “What is there to talk about? Do you want to blame me for Drew’s death as well?”
She shakes her head and sighs. “Harmony, please. I wasn’t thinking when I said that to you… I was just trying to let out my depression by blaming you for it. I really wish I could take it back, but we seriously need to talk.”
I scoff and start to walk away. “I have nothing to say to you.”
“It’s about what was said in Drew’s will, Harmony,” she shouts at me. I stop and wait for her to go on. “It’s time.”
I turn my head to the side. “Time for what?”
“It’s time.”
@Lazylazerpants
I can't believe I just saw your comment! Thank you so much! I honestly don't think this series was that great, but if you really did enjoy it, you'll definitely enjoy my other story, Love At First Type, if you haven't read it already. You don't have to, but it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again! :D
4/7/14