After tucking their son in for the night, Gilbert and Becky headed
down to the living room with plans to watch a movie. The walls were
littered with pictures of family and places they had been. A picture of
Becky and Gilbert on their wedding day, along with pictures of Jason from
birth to now, a photograph of Amy and Tucker Van Dyke at their wedding-
laughing with their arms around Arnie.
As they snuggled up on the couch covered by a blanket Gilbert held his hands over Becky's bulging belly. Their second child was due in less then a month, a girl to be named Allison after Becky's grandmother, lovingly called Nana.
After being on the road for 3 months, Arnie wanted to see the Ocean, and Becky wanted New England in the fall. So they were driving from Arizona to Connecticut. Just past Kentucky Nana started to complain of a terrible headache. She spent the next two days lying in the back of the RV with icepacks on her head. Then the pain became unbearable. They checked her into a hospital in Pennsylvania. And 4 hours later she was suddenly dead of an aneurysm. They hadn't seen it coming. She was buried two days later in Harrisburg because Becky said it was as good a place as any.
They eventually made the drive to Connecticut and Becky didn't want to travel any more. They made a home in a small town renting a little two bedroom home. Gilbert worked at a mechanic shop nearby, and Becky got hired as an assistant and a greenhouse. She took Arnie to work with her everyday and taught him everything she knew.
Gilbert knew he had good fortune to find someone who he loved so much, and loved him in return. But it was even better to find someone who shared her love with his brother. It was hard work to care for the 18 year old. His mental disabilities left him acting like a 5 year old with ADD at times. It was a pressing labor to keep him well, but Gilbert knew nothing more than caring for Arnie, as he had cared for people his whole life.
After a few months they got the call from Nana's lawyer. She had left behind a healthy sum of money to Becky. In total after the estate was sold and everything settled they had 65,000 dollars left. Immediately the money sat in the bank. Neither of them had ever had so much money, or even wanted it for that matter.
Now a new truck and a modest home later, the money was mostly gone. They had sent some to Becky's estranged mother in Oregon, but received it back. Some had gone to Ellen and Amy, some to memorial gravesites for Bonnie and Allison. All in all they felt they had done well. But at times Gilbert still felt an aching pain inside. No matter how good life was now, the past still haunted him at times.
Gilbert found himself sitting outside their old home in Endora. All their furniture set back and the siblings left with nothing but each other. As the fire burned hypnotically, rushing away all their memories and past life as they knew it, he saw the shape moving upstairs. He reached to grab Amy's arm to point it out, but she had already seen it. Momma had woken up and was trying to get out of the burning house.
"Momma! Momma woke up!" Arnie screamed and kicked his legs running toward the house.
"Ohmygod! We're killing her! Do something Gilbert! DO SOMETHING!" Ellen shouted now beating her hands on Gilbert. Not seeing anything he could do, he looked over to see Arnie approaching the house. He pushed Ellen away and ran to Arnie tackling him before he got to close and pulling him back to their sisters. Four faces covered in tears were at a loss as they watched their mother struggle to get out of the burning home.
"How could you Gilbert?" Amy asked and she pulled a hysterical Ellen into her chest.
"Gilbert how could you? Gilbert how could you? Try harder Gilbert! GILBERT!" Arnie screeched in a sing song voice. Then the shape stopped moving. They heard a piercing scream from inside the home, and Momma was lost once again to them.
"SHE WOKE UP!" Gilbert screamed his arms thrashing sweat covering his face and body. His arms hit Becky as she wrap her arms around him and kissed his face.
"Baby, baby, calm down. You're here with me. You're dreaming again, wake up baby." Becky soothed as she removed a hand to stroke his face.
Gasping he opened his eyes and they immediately filled with tears. He was sitting on the couch with his wife Becky, they had fallen asleep during the movie.
"Why won't it go away Becky?" he sobbed. She cradled his head and cried with him.
"Just make it stop for one night Becky. I can't take this. Just make it go away."
She soothed his softly as the golden sun started to rise out their windows. Time was supposed to heal all wounds, so why wasn't it doing it's job she wondered.
As they snuggled up on the couch covered by a blanket Gilbert held his hands over Becky's bulging belly. Their second child was due in less then a month, a girl to be named Allison after Becky's grandmother, lovingly called Nana.
After being on the road for 3 months, Arnie wanted to see the Ocean, and Becky wanted New England in the fall. So they were driving from Arizona to Connecticut. Just past Kentucky Nana started to complain of a terrible headache. She spent the next two days lying in the back of the RV with icepacks on her head. Then the pain became unbearable. They checked her into a hospital in Pennsylvania. And 4 hours later she was suddenly dead of an aneurysm. They hadn't seen it coming. She was buried two days later in Harrisburg because Becky said it was as good a place as any.
They eventually made the drive to Connecticut and Becky didn't want to travel any more. They made a home in a small town renting a little two bedroom home. Gilbert worked at a mechanic shop nearby, and Becky got hired as an assistant and a greenhouse. She took Arnie to work with her everyday and taught him everything she knew.
Gilbert knew he had good fortune to find someone who he loved so much, and loved him in return. But it was even better to find someone who shared her love with his brother. It was hard work to care for the 18 year old. His mental disabilities left him acting like a 5 year old with ADD at times. It was a pressing labor to keep him well, but Gilbert knew nothing more than caring for Arnie, as he had cared for people his whole life.
After a few months they got the call from Nana's lawyer. She had left behind a healthy sum of money to Becky. In total after the estate was sold and everything settled they had 65,000 dollars left. Immediately the money sat in the bank. Neither of them had ever had so much money, or even wanted it for that matter.
Now a new truck and a modest home later, the money was mostly gone. They had sent some to Becky's estranged mother in Oregon, but received it back. Some had gone to Ellen and Amy, some to memorial gravesites for Bonnie and Allison. All in all they felt they had done well. But at times Gilbert still felt an aching pain inside. No matter how good life was now, the past still haunted him at times.
Gilbert found himself sitting outside their old home in Endora. All their furniture set back and the siblings left with nothing but each other. As the fire burned hypnotically, rushing away all their memories and past life as they knew it, he saw the shape moving upstairs. He reached to grab Amy's arm to point it out, but she had already seen it. Momma had woken up and was trying to get out of the burning house.
"Momma! Momma woke up!" Arnie screamed and kicked his legs running toward the house.
"Ohmygod! We're killing her! Do something Gilbert! DO SOMETHING!" Ellen shouted now beating her hands on Gilbert. Not seeing anything he could do, he looked over to see Arnie approaching the house. He pushed Ellen away and ran to Arnie tackling him before he got to close and pulling him back to their sisters. Four faces covered in tears were at a loss as they watched their mother struggle to get out of the burning home.
"How could you Gilbert?" Amy asked and she pulled a hysterical Ellen into her chest.
"Gilbert how could you? Gilbert how could you? Try harder Gilbert! GILBERT!" Arnie screeched in a sing song voice. Then the shape stopped moving. They heard a piercing scream from inside the home, and Momma was lost once again to them.
"SHE WOKE UP!" Gilbert screamed his arms thrashing sweat covering his face and body. His arms hit Becky as she wrap her arms around him and kissed his face.
"Baby, baby, calm down. You're here with me. You're dreaming again, wake up baby." Becky soothed as she removed a hand to stroke his face.
Gasping he opened his eyes and they immediately filled with tears. He was sitting on the couch with his wife Becky, they had fallen asleep during the movie.
"Why won't it go away Becky?" he sobbed. She cradled his head and cried with him.
"Just make it stop for one night Becky. I can't take this. Just make it go away."
She soothed his softly as the golden sun started to rise out their windows. Time was supposed to heal all wounds, so why wasn't it doing it's job she wondered.