CHAPTER ELEVEN : LOVE OF MY LIFE

Unedited. Will do soon.

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~Lilibeth~

A few days after my conversation with Jeddy, I accompanied my grandmother to huy materials for the last shows the Dolls would ever do with grandmother and my design.

It was a small shop in the streets of Centralia where it would be filled by so many woman to buy material for their clothes.

I was canvassing through each fabrics when I saw a little girl beside me wearing a fancy dress with flowered hat showing to her little brother a dark blue fabric role.  Telling him how the fabric would be perfect for his birthday and the boy was so small and young, I doubt he could understand her. He was even enjoying his pacifier.

I smile at the sweet interaction and not that the act itself made her thought of her time with Jeddy, these two individual in general made me thought about us and how things have definitely change between us.

I love Jeddy so much but not the way he wants or think I do.

"Would you grab me those yarn, sweetheart? I sure like the colour on those strings."

I look beside me and my grandmother was looking up, towards a shelf in front of me and I immediately draw a moving ladder with tiny tyres beneath it to set in front of me. I climb it slowly as my grandmother stood beside the bottom of the ladder and hold it for me.

"This one, grandma?" I took out a yarn she ask for.

"Yeah. And grab me a few more. The lace and the plastic flowers too."

"We have more outsides. Our shop assistant will help you with that."

A lady who is also the owner of the shop was immediately beside us looking worried at me. Probably because there are males in this shop yet I'm the only girl who was climbing the ladder. I feel my face heats up as I notice other people are looking as well.

I nodded and climb down. I followed on of the shop assistant and went out where there are a small tent where baskets of yarns and laces was put on sale. It still looks good and I even contemplate on buying some for grandma and I personal uses. On the left side of the shop was a rack of fresh flowers and I can feel myself going dreadfully excited seeing the pretty things around me.

As I bask in the beauty and fresh fragrance from the flower, I bend down to pick a rose that blooms wider than all the other Rose's and almost jumped in ny spot when a hand covered mine.

I froze in ny spot but able to pulls back and see the owner of the hand.

My heart begins to beat faster than a galloping horse. I feel my cheeks redden and lips trembling at the sight in front of me.

A man, bigger, taller and obviously had spend most of his days building his magnificent suit covered body was standing in front of me. Black hair that serpents on his top like a lazy brush from his fingers. Grayest, almost silver piercing eyes I have ever seen that resembles diamonds, straight nose, kissable lips...

Oh my God! What am I thinking? The man resembles a greek God, that doesn't mean I should be looking at him funny like that!

"I ugh.. I'm sorry, sir. Did you want that?"

He stare at me so intently, so serious and his gaze made me so nervous. His voice causes me to have goosebumps by how deep and almost gruff it was.

"Do you?"

"I, ugh.." I can't believe it! I'm stuttering so embarrassingly.

Of all people... somebody hit me with a car or something.

"Lilibeth! Sweetheart, help me bring this!" I hear a loud voice calling out to me. Thank God, a distraction!

"Alright, grandmother." I turn my head to the direction of the door and turn back to the fine gentleman.

"It's alright. You can keep that."

I almost turn before my hand was grabbed behind me. It wasn't rough but it was not soft either. It's more like a sudden pull that make me surprise. I turn back at the gentleman who was looking at my watch. A gift from a stranger I met when I was a child.

"Lilibeth?" He said, looking at my watch and at me.

"Yes?"

His lips open like he was in disbelief at me but later, he closes his mouth and let my hand go.

"Nothing..."

I frowned at him.

What a weird man.

I went over to my grandmother and help her carry a few bags of fabrics and sewing materials. My grandma looks so happy that it made me even happier. Didn't think she would still get all excited after been doing this for more than 40 plus years.

"Alright grandma. Is that all you want?"

"Yes. This is all perfect. We'll make beautiful dresses and we'll sell it. We'll make some money before leaving that dreadful house. Not to mention your 18th birthday, sweetheart. The church may not be a festive place for you to celebrate your birthday but it's better than be in that sinful place."

I smiled at her. "Anything you say, grandma."

We step our of the shop and I turn to my right and sighed. The man was gone and looking around, he wants there either.

Oh well..

My grandma and I stood beside the road with everyone else and awaits the traffic to turn red. Car was cruising by so fast and I even saw a dead body of a rat by the street. Not really a body anymore as only flesh and bones sticks out form the ground.

It brought chills down my spine.

When the traffic turns red, I immediately hold my grandmother's hand and walk with her to go to the sidewalk on the other side. We were slower and most of the pedestrian near us is already in front of us.

Suddenly, I hear my grandmother soft gasped.

"Opsy daisy. I think I drop few flowers on the road."

"I'll get it, grandma."

"No, no, no don't bother. Just get a cab for us, will you dear? I'll be quick."

I didn't much of that since the traffic is still red so I walk to the sidewalk first and immediately wave to a cab heading towards me.

The black cab at first slows down but when I see it didn't made any intention to slow down, I dropped my hand. Looking at it feeling puzzled like, why is the person not slowing down.

I feel my heart beating on my chest rapidly and the back of my head feels heavy.

Something wasn't right.

As the cab swerved past me, only then I realised how my worst nightmare just came to life.

I don't know if it was the sound of my grandma screaming in pain, or the loud heavy thud from her body being hit and flunked to the ground that made me dead for a moment but, when the scene in front of me beginning to register deeply in my mind, I felt tears streaming down my cheek.

I felt a heaviness in my chest and my breathing becomes heavier and much shallow. Like I was robbed of air and my leg weakens.

I didn't even realise I was already sited o  the ground beside her. She lays there with ther flowers around her and some on top of her. A few bags and even the petals was soaked in her blood. The bottom of my dress was too and I can't get over the view of her skull cracked open in front of me.

Was that her bone?

Why is her eyes closed?

Why is her chest no longer going up and down?

It was just down.

I hear people around me calling out to me and tried to help my grandmother but my hysterical voice was too busy drowning them

"GRANDMA!!"

I panted and panted.

My tears and snot probably covers my face but I didn't care.

I held my grandmother's head. My only family to my chest and didn't even care how her blood and torn flesh soaking my dress.

The dress she has made for me.

She was so happy when I wore it this morning.

All the time she had laugh, smiled and cared for me. love me, slept next to me with her story to put me to bed, her kisses with a scent of perfume cigarettes and tapping of her precious cane. Calling her, her sweetheart. The loudest Lady and known to curse like a sailor. Making me laugh all the time and would later hold me in her arms, promising me that everything would be alright.

It didn't feel alright...

"Grandma! Please! Oh, God! Somebody please! Call the ambulance! "

I feel my vision becomes blurry from the tears continue to fill it up. I felt naesous, I felt weak and my eyes shifting from black to clearing up every minute.

"Grandma... please...open your eyes grandma.. please...."

"Don't leave me... you promise.. we...we will be free... it's us ag...against the world... please grandma..don't leave me all alone, grandma... I love you so much..."

My beloved grandma..

Ruth Abigail Garrison took her last breath on the Monday of October 8th, 5 days before I were to turn 18.