"A. I. S. in five minutes! We need to get a move on boys!" I hollered across the hall from my bedroom door. "You know how Pastor Saltzman likes us to be early, especially on Sundays for service."
"No, Aunt Jenna just likes us to be early so she isn't alone with the prying sheep of Mystic Falls" Jeremy commented, as his head peaks out from the hallway bathroom with his razor in hand, giving me a knowing smirk.
A minute later, Ben comes barging out of his bedroom with a radiant smile dancing across his face. Tucked in his denim blue jeans was a light blue, long sleeve button up dressed shirt with a khaki vest buttoned to the collar. I walked over to him and started rolling his right sleeve and the his left few cuff lengths and then took a step back; Boy, am I in trouble when he gets older, I thought to myself.
"Good morning Benjamin, did you sleep well?" I asked as I leaned down and ruffled his chocolate locks with my fingers.
"I sure did Momma!" he said gazing up at me and then quickly tilted his head to the side.
"You look real pretty today."
And just like that, my son knows exactly what to say to melt my heart.
"Thank you sweetheart! And you, my boy, are looking ever so handsome" as I leaned down and gave him a kiss on the top of his head.
"Did you brush your teeth?" I asked.
"Yes Mam'!" he snapped.
"Okay Mister, let's get your boots on shall we?" and offered my hand for him to take.
We walked hand in hand down the stairs, and I reach for Ben's brown cowboy boots that were lying by the closet door in the entryway.
Jeremy walks down the steps a minute later and I gave him a cat call whistle that made him blush in the cheeks. "Dressing to impress for Miss Anna, Jer?" I teased.
He rolled his eyes at me and gave me that Gilbert smirk, "Your truck or mine sis?"
I stared out the passenger's side window watching the dirt from the driveway getting kicked up by the speeding tires of Jeremy's black Chevy Silverado. The murmurs of Jeremy's and Ben's conversation drift as my subconscious mind takes over. I look in the passenger mirror beside me to see the ranch fade in the distance. A tear escapes my left eye and suddenly I felt the warmth of a hand on my own. I glanced over my shoulder to see Jeremy's face; the dark rings under his eyes are staring back at me and I know he slept just as well I did.I turn my head back getting lost in thought. Instead of Mom humming a hymn with her Bible placed in her lap and dad conversing to Jeremy about the upcoming football game this afternoon; we rode in silence as we were missing the two who made our family whole.
My father, Grayson, was the local family physician and practiced at the Mystic Falls Clinic since graduating college.
Being born a Gilbert, he held a vast amount of responsibility of being a founding family member and had hold a suitable image for the Gilbert name. He attended the University of Virginia out of high school to be close to my mother, whom he fell in love with when they were children. It was her plan to attend the University as well in veterinary, but as life would have it, she had to prepare for birth of their first child, me. My father, a traditionalist in many ways, asked my mother to marry her three months after the unexpected discovery with the blessing of both her father and her mother. It was a romantic proposal, one that you read in a Nicholas Sparks novel. He had saddled up her horse from her parent's home and took her to a secluded field a few miles away that the neighbors own that was filled with wild sunflowers. He had laid a blanket out on a nearby hill and place a picnic basket for them to enjoy. As sunset reached the mountains, he offered her a hand to stand up and as she did, he then dropped to his knee. They were married in the exact spot three months later, as much in love as never before.
Miranda was a woman of God. She put her faith in the Lord and trusted him whole heartedly. She had that aura of glow about her, and those who had the lucky chance to be encountered by her presence were blessed. She was a pillar to the community; attending women bible study on Wednesdays, volunteering weekly at local charity events, being a hands on mother enwrapped in her children's' lives, and a devoted wife who woke up falling more in love with her husband each passing day. When my father arrived home from his twelve hour shift, my mother would sneak out to the barn and be consumed in tending to her five horses. She had the passion and care of animals that ran deep within her blood, so deep that her children inherited it. After saving enough money working overtime at the hospital, my dad surprised my mother on their ten year wedding anniversary by bringing her to the same secluded field with wild sunflowers he proposed at years before. He handed her a large vanilla envelope and she opened it and began to scan the documents left to right, tears were forming in her eyes. He had purchased the sixty acre lot and had been approved of a building permit with blueprints in hand to build her that ranch and clinic she always dreamed of owning. This became my childhood home.
"Beautiful sermon as always Alaric, I know my mother would have loved it." I said giving Pastor Salesman, my uncle, a tight hug as he was standing near the front doors of the church.
"Thanks dear" he said and kissed my cheek, "Now where are those nephews of mine? I seen them sneak out of here a few minutes ago. "
I scan the area outside of church and spotted seeing Ben tossing a football back and forth with Jeremy. I began to feel a slight lump in my throat as I remember the numerous of times that I watched my father and Jeremy tossing a football in the front lawn waiting for my mother to finish chatting with the neighbors.
I turned back toward Alaric, but was conversed with another member of the church. He looked at me and gave me quick nod and an apologetic smile noting that it was part of his duties as the new Pastor to converse within the crowed as well as Jenna.
I approached my childhood best friend, Caroline, and her husband Stefan amongst those outside.
"Hey you two" I said, smiling at them. Caroline and I have been friends since birth, seemly so since our mothers were childhood friends as well.
Caroline gave me soft smile and wrapped me in a tight embrace without saying a word, while Stefan kissed the top of my head. I blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall. As my vision began to clear, I looked and saw that those around me were giving my sympathetic stares and whispering quietly amongst themselves. I stood from back from Caroline and felt my self suffocating.
Caroline must have witness this too, "Lena, don't let them bother you, they are being very inconsiderate and rude and you know how these women enjoy gossiping."I nodded.
"I think I am going to go visit him for a few minutes, Care. Take a breathier from reality."
"Do you want me to come with you?" Stefan asked.
"No, it's okay Stefan. Thanks though." He just nodded and then enveloped me in a quick squeeze.
I began to set foot toward the cemetery that located along side the church to clear my mind of this morning's sympathetic stares. As I pass the newly graved dirt and kept on walking a few feet I was brought to that of a familiar plaque underneath a maple tree. I squatted down to examine the stone closely and grazed my knuckles outlines the face that's staring back at me.
William Benjamin Davis
Beloved Son, Father, and Friend
Born 1989 – Death 2011
"We ride, never worry 'bout the fall, I guess that's just the Cowboy in us all."
"Hey, there cowboy. God, I wish you could be here. Ben is looking more and more like you. He even has that cowlick on the right side of his head that you have; I tease him about it and tries to hide it by wearing one of your old cowboy hats that are hung in his room. He looked so handsome this morning; I hate to say that at five years old he already has that Davis charm of yours. I think we have our hands full in near future. Oh, Liam, what I wouldn't do to have you here with me, I know you are finally at peace and without pain, but I just wish you could give me a sign that you're here with us."
As if on cue, the sounds of tires screeching to a halt and a cry of a young boy brought me to now. I quickly turned my head toward the road and gasped as I see Ben lying on the road with an ear-piercing scream for me. I sprinted toward to my son, pushing through the congregation that was gathered around. I reached him in mere seconds and grasped him out of Jeremy's arms.
"Benjamin, Ben, honey, are you okay? Talk to Mamma, what hurts?" I frequently asked while eyeing him from head to toe for injuries as motherly instinct kicked in.
"Is the boy okay? I braked as soon as I seen him run into the road for that football" the man rattled off hysterically plunging in the crowed.
My eyes tear streaking and my body trembling of adrenaline; I looked up enraged with the man who whose lack of negligence may have jeopardize the life of my only son, but staring back at me was the piercing blue eyes I thought I would never see again, "Damon?" I whispered.
Thank you to all who have taken the time to read these two chapters! I would love to hear your thoughts in the reviews! The more positive reviews I receive the more likely I am to keep updated this story line. If you have questions, please comment to be sure to clear them up in the following chapters.
SPOILER
The next chapter I have started is in Damon's perspecitve and lets just say that he and Liam were never strangers, in fact, they were childhood best friends.