Title - The Anonymous Lover
Rating - PG13 though themes might get darker later on
Genre(s) - Romance, Tragedy, Angst, Drama, Family
Warnings - none other than the possibility of horrid spelling and grammatical errors so please forgive me
Notes - some of the furniture is inspired by this http:/
w w w . t o w n a n d c o u n t r y e v e n t r e n t a l s . c o m / i n v e n t o r y / f u r n i t u r e / m o n t e c i t o / 0 0 0 1 2 - M o n t e c i t o _ L o v e _ S e a t . j p g
I would love one of these in my house when I grow up
Disclaimer: We all know I don't own Vocaloid or any of the characters used
Chapter One:
Inheriting the Box
August 8th, 2011
Rin walked slowly from the hospital entrance, the information she was given finally settling in. Her mother was dying. She only knew it was only a matter of time. Her Hodgkin's disease was slowly eating away at her and has been for the longest time she could remember. At least now she could leave with some piece of mind that her mother would no longer have to feel pain much longer. But still, the reality of the world bundled up in her throat and she felt as though the world was turning against her. She raised her arm to call a taxi and she could never recall it feeling so heavy before. Like her body set itself to the weight her heart was feeling. Every possible movement felt burdensome and she wished for no more than to lay in bed with her thoughts, her fingers caressing her camera as she thought out her priorities. The taxi slowed near her to an eventual stop and fell into the backseat, monotonously telling the driver the address.
"Im sorry what was that again?" he asked. She looked up sharply in aggravation but her features soften was looking at the smiling face of the taxi driver. She scolded herself for almost taking out her feelings on the driver.
"Number 32 Primcove Way," she said softer this time. Giving the man a sad smile. The mans own eyes and expression adopted some of her sadness in understanding and nodded before turning back and driving away from the hospital. It had started raining during her long drive over to her grandparents house. Her eyes persuaded into heaviness as she watched droplets dance down the window, pulling others along with it on its journey to the bottom. The soft sound of the tapping of falling rain accompanied by the equally soft humming of the road went uninterrupted as they drove through the city. This surprised Rin, it was like although the world turned against her they gave her no reasons to be distraught. Once they reached the outskirts of the city and entered into the paved forest road she new there would be no chance of interruption. We wont be there for another hour she thought. She persuaded herself to sleep, so then at least she could let her tears slip without protest from herself. And so they did, the driver stopped more than once to wipe her tears as she slept and pat her arms when little whimpers and gasps broke through her lips once caged by her teeth.
Rin woke up when a gentle shaking on her shoulder drove her out of her dreamless state. The driver was fulling facing her with a smile and this was the first and only time she would ever see his face again. She noted he was a fairly aged man, not young, but not old as well. She smiled at him and moved to wipe her eyes when she found there were no tears there, nor were there any on her clothes. When she saw her reflection in the window she saw her eyes were definitely swollen and tinted red so she deduced she must have been crying. She turned to face the man questioningly and he replied with a soft smile.
"I had a daughter once. I think that if she were given the chance to grow up she would have been a bit like you." he said. She examined her reflexion again and was granted a chuckle from the man. It wasn't sad, it wasn't happy either, if she had to describe it, it would be bittersweet and accepting.
"No, not appearance wise, not even close. She had her mother beautiful grey eyes with speckles of green and gold and my messy red hair. She also liked photography." his eyes gestured to her camera laying beside her. "
She would love it when I would come home and show her all my pictures. She would examine closely and give me a critique and I would pay her a dollar for every critique. Yeah, I would like to think she would have been someone strong like you." Rin felt horrified and guilty that she was being compared to someone so special to him.
"Im honored. But you don't know anything about me, how can you say that?" she asked not looking him in the eye. He gave her another one of those chuckles.
"It doesn't take much to know when a lady's strong. Coming from the hospital obviously fighting tears, getting in a car with some stranger and going somewhere far away from the place you want to be. Be your family's side. And I guess you can also count intuition as another factor too." he told her with a smile. Rin looked away for a moment and he could see her debating with her thoughts in her eyes. She picked up her head and looked at him.
"Can I take your picture?" she asked. The man looked taken aback.
"Why would you want my picture?" he asked.
"Because we're probably never going to meet again and I want to always remember your face. Someone who has enough courage and kindness to reveal to complete stranger their loss for the others comfort is worth remembering." she told him. He thought about it and nodded. When she pointed the camera he flashed a goofy pose that had her chuckle in honest amusement. He chuckled some too before he settled into an honest pose and genuine smile. She took the shot and opened the door to leave but before she closed it she asked him a other question.
"How old was she?" she asked. He did not hesitate answering her.
"Seven. Her name was Audrey. She would have been around your age right now. You?" he asked. She nodded.
"My mother, her name's Lily. She around your age." the mad acknowledged this with a nod once more before she closed the door and he turned on the engine. They didn't bother with waves, she was content watching the car shrink in the distance and he was content with watching her disappear in the side view mirror.
Rin turned to sea the manor house of her childhood in front of her. It was the only house here. Surrounded by forest a lake somehow towered behind it. Even now she could see little peeks of the lake behind it. The house was grand, old, but well taken care of. It had stopped raining by the time she arrived and she didn't bother to knock or doorbell knowing full well it was unlocked waiting for her to enter.
It was her grandmothers house but now her grandmother didn't live here, only her grandfather. Stepping inside she noticed the house never seemed to change. Her grandfather came rushing down the stairs but upon seeing her he gave her a sad look and motioned for her upstairs. Rin noticed where they were going and she began to get nervous. It was that room. The room at the end of the hall that her and her cousin, Miku, were never allowed in. Not as a child, and not now as they've grown. She was beginning to think they were never going to see that room but she was wrong. Because here, right now, he opened the door and gestured for her to go in. It was dark, but that was the only thing that matched up to her list of things she expected the room to be. She expected it to be stuffy, clouded with dust, and for some unpleasant odor to fill her nose. What she got was a clean and cool breath of air with the calming fragrance of vanilla. She flinched when the lights were turned on suddenly. She didn't turn to see her grandfather with his hand on the switch but gazed at the room. Pastel blue walls, crown moldings, and photographs adorned every vertical surface of the room. A large window lay on the opposite side of where she was standing. From floor almost all the way up to the ceiling, the window provided a beautiful view outside that added to the many moments she had her breath taken away. The white crown molding also framed the window giving it the appearance of a moving picture hanging grandly on the wall. The warm purple, red, and orange colors combined with the dark green of the trees and near black of the water from the setting sun provided a stunning contrast to the room. Tan and cream colored love seats with navy blue floral patterns sat at the southern end of the room circling a fire place. A bed in creamed colored sheets and a mahogany frame sat at the other. She made her way to the desk beside the bed and marveled at the real read oak it was made from. She saw her grandfather smiling down on her. She smiled bashfully and looked back at the desk.
"Red oak's my favorite." she mumbled barely above a whisper. She turned again and saw her grandfather sitting in one of the seats. His eyes were gently directing her to take a seat. And she did as such. He took a look around, his head circling once before he let out a heavy sigh.
"Rin." he called. his throaty voice was swollen with sadness. He looked at her and she looked back. As silence came she desperately wished he could leave. The room was warm, welcoming, and too familiar too the point where it set off alarms in her heart.
And the silence left with the scuffling of papers. There, on her grandfathers lap, lay an opened shoe box. Crumpled papers and wrapping gathered at the corners of the box. Her grandfather held it from the outside, eyes roaming within as water threatened to spill from them. Looking up he eyes where slightly dilating, gleaming with a thin sheet of water covering it. His adams apple bobbed to fight the tight know gathering at the base of his throat. Rin wanted nothing more than to comfort her beloved grandfather but some damned force was telling her now is not the time. He reached in and pulled out another box and pushed the shoe box away as to have it rest on his lap. He stroked to top lovingly before handing it to Rin.
"This box is a lot heavier than an old man like me can remember." he said with some half-hearted humor. Seeing Rin's utter confusion he handed her a note. She instantly recognized her mothers elegant scrawl and her fingers scrambled to unfold it. She read each and every word carefully.
Too my dearest Rin,
As you must know, I am dying. My only regret is that I will not be around to see you and your cousin make up. I know you would only laugh and tell me it would sooner be the end of the world but one can only hope. Listen Rin, the box I asked your grandfather to give you is very important. I belonged to me, your mother, and to my mother, and to her mother, and to the mother before. But none of us dared open what was within. However, I think you will be able to do such. I suppose it's only right, your name is written on the box. And no, I did not name you after the box, your grandmother passed away when you were three and only then was I able to receive it. Not I guess I can understand the look on her face when I introduced you for the first time. Take good care of it Rin, like you did me. That's another thing I want to bring up. I want to thank you so much for taking care of me. Honestly, you took the role of the mother more than I have while being diagnosed with this disease and I cant thank you enough got that. Without it, I fear I might have left you much sooner in a whole different situation. Your are beautiful Rin, always remember that. Not only your face, but body, mind, heart, and soul. You are not alone in this world and don't dwell on that until it's to late to realize it like I did.
There's not a day that goes by when I look into you eyes, eyes that look so much like your fathers, and wish he were here. I think I've waited long enough and now Im finally going to be able to see him. Oh. There's another thing that I regret. I take what I said earlier back. There are plenty that I regret. Like leaving you to raise yourself when I was in depression and leaving you again permanently without making it up to you. Yes, I believe that is my biggest regret. Grow stronger Rin, grow beautiful, and for heavens sake grow taller! Just kidding, I know how you hate it when I bring your height in. But still, grow brave, kind, understanding, wise, and loving. I will always love you Rin, don't ever forget.
I will always love you.
With a heavy heart, your mother,
Lily
Rin traced her finger over the tear stain on the page and watched as another tear joined beside it. Her own. Horrible sob broke from her throat. And before she knew her grandfather was cradling her in his arms, tears of his own falling into the top of her. The knot in this throat painfully causing more tears as he refused to break down in front of his beloved granddaughter. She needed strength in her moment to be week for once and he would provide it for her. The note lay beside her lap on the coach and her palms rubbed furiously at her eyes trying to stop the tears. I love you too mom she thought I love you so much! And Im not mad at you for leaving! Just promise me you'll be happy where ever you are and promise me you'll tell dad how I am. I can never hate you. Ever. Please don't forget that I will always feel this way towards you and dad. Mom. Mom already I'm missing you. The doctor said that you would die a little while after I left and I desperately wanted to be with you. Mom Im so sorry! I know Im not the best of daughters sometimes and that when Im mad at something I never gave you chance to be a mom. I never answered you, always pushed away from your hugs, never smiled at you but I always regretted it! I love you more than anyone in this world. Please don't leave me. I'll change I swear! Mom. . .
I love you.