CHAPTER 3 – HUMPTY DUMPTY
After the episode with the computer, Lily rarely entered the annex, afraid of came face to face with Will again and every time that by chance they met in the hallway or the garden, she lowered her eyes, afraid of looking at him. On the other hand Will never said a word and decided to keep quiet, instead of apologizing for his unpolitic behavior, since the beginning.
One day, he has taken ill, it was something to do with his blood pressure and the doctors insisted that he should stay a week in the hospital. It was in those days of Will´s absence that Lilly realized how lighter the place was without him. The truth is that Will had a nasty habit of coming silently to a place and stay there in silence till someone noticing him and he could talk, which was a bit scary and he did it to everyone, Nathan, the house staff and even his prime family, this way, it was kind of a relief that he wasn´t there for a while.
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The afternoon before Will come back from the hospital, Mrs. Traynor ordered Lily to clean the Annex again, so her son could get in there without another risk of infection.
While she was cleaning, Lilly noticed a whole set of photographs seated in his table. Most of that taken over his new adventures. Will seated beside Jay-Z wax figure at the Trousseau Museum; he and Nathan doing some exercises; Will and a girl with colorful clothes having an ice cream: Will and the same girl at the Trafalgar square, at the Paddington station and a whole bunch of other photos.
As Lilly continues to flip through the pictures she heard Nathan walk in, luckily loud enough so she wasn't taken by surprise.
''hay Nate'' she smiled at him ''is the Lieutenant alright?''
''Lieutenant?'' Nathan got confused
''er… Mr. Traynor, he asks me to call him Lieutenant…everything except Sir. He was in the army?'' she said and in response Nathan laughed
''oh! Well, Will is going to be fine, don´t worry… And no need to call him Lieutenant, wasn´t even in the army. He was a solicitor before the accident and now he works for the Financial Times''
''oh, I see…'' Lilith blushed "Nathan can I ask you something? Who's this girl in the photos?" The Lieutenant, i mean, Will, seemed to be very happy around her. I know it´s not my busyness, but I´m curious'' she said and in response, Nathan walked toward Will´s desk and take one of the photos.
''this girl?'' he asked ''her name was Louisa, she was one of Will´s best friends, other than me'' Nathan said
''was?''
''well, after the accident, Will wasn´t the most brilliant person to get along, actually he was worse than now and Louisa came to kind of show him that his life wasn´t over.''
''like Beauty and the beast, for example?'' Lilly asked
''well, if you can picture the beast in a wheelchair, yes, it was basically this, she showed him the beauty of the world, encourage him to start writing and a few other things. Sadly, a few months ago, we don´t know why, she took her own life'' he finished ''he still grieving, that´s why he is still bitter with everyone, he lost his ground all over again ''
''that was sad'' Lilly winked her nose ''is there´s something we can do?''
''no, not really, just be there for him and help him find happiness again, sort off'' Nathan commented '' And Lilly, some advice. Don't read his things unless he allows you too. I made that mistake once, and he yelled at me saying 'Didn't your parents teach you not to read things that don't belong to you, ya idjit?'" Lilly smiled at Nathan's impression of Wil before he left the annex.
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Will came back home earlier next morning instead of the previous evening. He was pale and tired and slept most all of the morning. Later the same day, Nathan helped him to his wheelchair again and he decided to drive himself around both houses, in order to take his mind off worry.
And once again Lilly was on his way. She was just coming out of the toilet when Will passed with his wheelchair by her side. Out of habit she wanted to run away, but this time, she realized that his eyes were full of sadness.
''I´m going to visit a friend'' he said quietly ''join me'' he said the girl nodded, answering as if his question was an order.
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Lilly was quiet all of the time as the driver, Mr. Spencer ride her and Will, who was also quiet toward the town cemetery. Once there, the driver help Will out of the car and pushed his wheelchair toward a small gravestone near an apple tree.
''Louisa Emma Clark; Beloved Daughter, Sister, Aunt and Friend'' she read it, looking back to Will who was praying in silence.
''Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall; Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty together again'' Will said suddenly ''they forgot to include the piano in the story'' he said
''a Piano?'' Lilly looked at him confuse
'' A piano, with all its music, initially annoying, managed to fix Humpty Dumpty and put it again on the wall. But the wall was very thin and slippery and the piano collapsed from there, smashing into a thousand pieces, before the eyes of the small anthromorpic egg, which couldn´t do anything but see the instrument break, beyond repair''
''you know'' Lilly break the silence, avoiding looking at the old man, who still had his eyes on the gravestone ''when I first asked my mother, about my father, she told me it was only a 'mistake' she made in the college and she never heard of him ever since'' she started ''sure, I asked for his name and she told me, it was better if I never knows his name, because he was a horrible person'' she said and Will continued in silence ''well, I guess both of my parents are then, she kick me out of the house, because I refuse to tell anyone, who robbed the money from the school. Well, the guy name is Patrick, he´s the school´s personal trainer, he was the one who robbed'' she said and in response, Will closed his first over the chair´s joystick.
''we better get going'' he said instead '' can you push the wheelchair back to the car? I think Spencer slept in the wheels again'' Will say quietly and in response, Lilly helped him go away.
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Later that night, just before Nathan came to help Will with his night activities, he seat in front his computer and stared blankly at his unfinished story. ''I should have gone ahead with my stupid idea.'' He growled to himself ''Idjit'' he taped his fingers over the table and look at the photographs, looking for some answers that never came. Suddenly, a white envelope hiding behind some of the photos. It was the letter from Lou that Will was avoiding for all those months.
With a shaking breath, he took the envelope and start to read the last words his best friend had write to him.
"Dear Will," Will's eyes scanned Lou's letter almost hearing her voice drift over him. "A few weeks should have passed by the time you read this letter. I'm hoping you can forgive me for what I'm about to do." Will took in a deep breath to steady himself as he continued to read. "Please, my dearest friend, do not use my death as an excuse to shut out the world around you. You have a great potential in your life and you shouldn't throw it away. Will you have warmed your way into my heart and for that I am grateful to keep fighting the good fight. I was not strong enough. I couldn't handle my own pain. Don't shut yourself in tight like you were when I first met you. Don't think of me too often or dread on the past. I want you to keep moving forward in your writing, your life and your happiness. Just live well, Just live. I will be walking by your side always. Love, Lou."
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As Nathan entered the Will's room to help him get into bed, he saw his friend squeezing his eyes tight allowing tears to roll down his cheeks and saw the letter down in his lap. Nathan quietly approached his friend and quickly scanned the last letter Louisa had ever written. After Nathan read the letter, he gently placed a hand on Will's shoulder to show that he was there for support.