I walked solemnly to the grave. The grave of my brother's father. The grave of the man my father called his brother. The grave of the man my mother once loved and will always hold dear to her. Danny sat inside with my father, while we waited on my mother to get back. She was 2 hours late. I knew my father would be going any time, and I needed to settle something with Daniel before my father was buried right beside him and would listen to the conversation. Hell, he did it to me when I would be on the phone with one of MY friends...why wouldn't he do it when I was talking to his best friend? Shaking my head, I sat down infront of the stone. Sighing, I lifted my gaze to the inscription. Here goes.
"You know, I've never really talked to a piece of rock before," I said, looking at the monument as if I was expecting some sort of response. "But then again, I don't think my intent is for the rock to hear me. I was hoping that Daniel Walker would hear me. Anyway, I uh...I just wanted to say that my daddy, Rafe, is probably coming to be with you soon. You better watch over him, I'm tellin' ya. But then, there's also something else you need to know," I kept staring at the stone. "I want you to know how much I hate you. You left my mother when she probably needed you most, even when my father tried to refrain you from it. I realize that you didn't know of your son, but still. Couldn't you have listened? Did you have to be so anxious to be a hero?" I snickered and wiped a tear away. "Did you have to be so anxious to be like my father? I hate you so much, Walker. You make my mother cry. You make my father cry. You make your own damn son cry, and he didn't even know you," I wiped another tear, and they started to flow more rapidly. "And damn it to all hell, you're making me cry now, and I am not even related to you in any shape or form. But, then I also want you to know how much," I paused. I don't know why. "I love you. I want you to know that I look up to you, and you have given me so much; that so much being my brother, Danny. He's your son, but he's also my brother. He is the best friend I'll ever have, even if he did lie right through his teeth to me. I can go to him any time I need to. And according to my father and my mother, he is just like you. Let me just say, Daniel Walker, that if you were like he is..I don't know what to say. You also brought my father home. You put yourself in the line of that bullet so that he could live, and he did. He came home to my mother and your son. He took care of them, and took care of me when I came along. I love you for that," I wiped another tear away and stood up, placing my hands on the top of the headstone. "You won, Walker."
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I walked in to the kitchen and sat down, picking up a banana from the bowl. "REBECCA!" I nearly jumped. Standing up as fast as I could, I ran up to the room where my father was set up. Danny was standing right outside the door. "What the hell is it?" He smiled, lightly. "He's going," The color drained from my face. "Any minute now. You better get in there." I looked down and nodded slowly, while Danny patted me on the back lightly and pushed me in the room, shutting the door behind me. I looked behind at the closed door, then proceeded to the chair next to my father's bed. His eyes were closed. No, don't tell me..."Rebecca...?" Thank God. I felt my tears coming on. "Yea, Daddy?" His eyes opened. The brown eyes that had seen so much, and that I had come to love. He smiled weakly. "Give me your hand," He said, hoarsely. I laid it on the bed, slowly. He rubbed it. "Where is Evelyn?" I cleared my throat. "She's in Nashville, Daddy. She should be back any minute." Damn it, where are you Mama? "Just tell her that I love her. Will you please?" I felt a tear slide down my cheek. I nodded. "Yes, Daddy. I'll tell her." He nodded, slowly. He then painfully raised his hand to my cheek. His hands were so cold. I shivered a little bit. "I love you, Rebecca." I let my tears fall and started shaking my head. "Oh shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit." He got that excited look on his face. "Oh, don't be shittin' me now." I laughed as much as I could, which was not alot at all. "Can't you wait for Mama, Daddy?" He shook his head. "No, honey. I have to go now." I shook my head, now blatently crying. "Daddy, don't. Please, no..." He smiled and rubbed my cheek. "You're so beautiful...just like your mother," I shook my head. No, God. Please, no. Why him? "I love you, Rebecca." He then closed his eyes and his breathing got slower, the only sign of his life was his hand still rubbing my cheek lightly. "Daddy! No, Daddy! I love you!!! Daddy, please!!" The rubbing then stopped. I looked down, and he wasn't breathing at all. My eyes wide, I felt for a pulse. There was none. My breathing almost stopped, I carefully placed his hand back on the bed and stood up. I walked around the room in a haze, not really knowing where I was. Only knowing that my father, Rafe McCawley, was laying on a bed a couple of feet away dead. Dead. My father was dead. Shaking my head and taking it into my hands, I let out a blood curling scream.
45 minutes. It had been 45 minutes since my Daddy died, and my mother still wasn't home. 3 hours late. That's pathetic. I had more sense, kind of. My knees buckled when I screamed, so I had to sit down in the chair next to the window and stay there. I could think a little...but not much. Only that the best man on the Earth had passed. He had gone on to a different world. He had gone to be with his parents, his friends, and his best friend. He left his family for them. My hazy thoughts were interrupted by a cab pulling up. Then the door opened, and she stepped out. My mother; the woman who had no idea what had happened while she was gone.
I opened the door and walked out of the room, my legs feeling mooshy. "I'M HOME! WHERE IS EVERYBODY?" Damn it, woman. I'm coming as fast as I can. If she screamed any louder, she could've woke the dead. Hey, not a bad concept. Maybe she could wake my father. Pressing my hand against the wall for support, I made my way down the stairs and stopped at the bottom. My mother turned around and saw me. She smiled. "Hi, honey. Where's your brother?" I didn't say anything. Her smile stayed. "How's your Daddy?" I still didn't say anything, but this time a tear slipped down my cheek. I then started gasping for air, my tears falling harder. My mother's smile faded, and she half walked half ran over to me. Her eyes gazed deep into mine, and I knew what she was asking me. I nodded, more tears falling now. She closed her eyes and pulled me close to her; and for the first time in a long time, my mother mourned the death of the man she loved.
"You know, I've never really talked to a piece of rock before," I said, looking at the monument as if I was expecting some sort of response. "But then again, I don't think my intent is for the rock to hear me. I was hoping that Daniel Walker would hear me. Anyway, I uh...I just wanted to say that my daddy, Rafe, is probably coming to be with you soon. You better watch over him, I'm tellin' ya. But then, there's also something else you need to know," I kept staring at the stone. "I want you to know how much I hate you. You left my mother when she probably needed you most, even when my father tried to refrain you from it. I realize that you didn't know of your son, but still. Couldn't you have listened? Did you have to be so anxious to be a hero?" I snickered and wiped a tear away. "Did you have to be so anxious to be like my father? I hate you so much, Walker. You make my mother cry. You make my father cry. You make your own damn son cry, and he didn't even know you," I wiped another tear, and they started to flow more rapidly. "And damn it to all hell, you're making me cry now, and I am not even related to you in any shape or form. But, then I also want you to know how much," I paused. I don't know why. "I love you. I want you to know that I look up to you, and you have given me so much; that so much being my brother, Danny. He's your son, but he's also my brother. He is the best friend I'll ever have, even if he did lie right through his teeth to me. I can go to him any time I need to. And according to my father and my mother, he is just like you. Let me just say, Daniel Walker, that if you were like he is..I don't know what to say. You also brought my father home. You put yourself in the line of that bullet so that he could live, and he did. He came home to my mother and your son. He took care of them, and took care of me when I came along. I love you for that," I wiped another tear away and stood up, placing my hands on the top of the headstone. "You won, Walker."
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I walked in to the kitchen and sat down, picking up a banana from the bowl. "REBECCA!" I nearly jumped. Standing up as fast as I could, I ran up to the room where my father was set up. Danny was standing right outside the door. "What the hell is it?" He smiled, lightly. "He's going," The color drained from my face. "Any minute now. You better get in there." I looked down and nodded slowly, while Danny patted me on the back lightly and pushed me in the room, shutting the door behind me. I looked behind at the closed door, then proceeded to the chair next to my father's bed. His eyes were closed. No, don't tell me..."Rebecca...?" Thank God. I felt my tears coming on. "Yea, Daddy?" His eyes opened. The brown eyes that had seen so much, and that I had come to love. He smiled weakly. "Give me your hand," He said, hoarsely. I laid it on the bed, slowly. He rubbed it. "Where is Evelyn?" I cleared my throat. "She's in Nashville, Daddy. She should be back any minute." Damn it, where are you Mama? "Just tell her that I love her. Will you please?" I felt a tear slide down my cheek. I nodded. "Yes, Daddy. I'll tell her." He nodded, slowly. He then painfully raised his hand to my cheek. His hands were so cold. I shivered a little bit. "I love you, Rebecca." I let my tears fall and started shaking my head. "Oh shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit." He got that excited look on his face. "Oh, don't be shittin' me now." I laughed as much as I could, which was not alot at all. "Can't you wait for Mama, Daddy?" He shook his head. "No, honey. I have to go now." I shook my head, now blatently crying. "Daddy, don't. Please, no..." He smiled and rubbed my cheek. "You're so beautiful...just like your mother," I shook my head. No, God. Please, no. Why him? "I love you, Rebecca." He then closed his eyes and his breathing got slower, the only sign of his life was his hand still rubbing my cheek lightly. "Daddy! No, Daddy! I love you!!! Daddy, please!!" The rubbing then stopped. I looked down, and he wasn't breathing at all. My eyes wide, I felt for a pulse. There was none. My breathing almost stopped, I carefully placed his hand back on the bed and stood up. I walked around the room in a haze, not really knowing where I was. Only knowing that my father, Rafe McCawley, was laying on a bed a couple of feet away dead. Dead. My father was dead. Shaking my head and taking it into my hands, I let out a blood curling scream.
45 minutes. It had been 45 minutes since my Daddy died, and my mother still wasn't home. 3 hours late. That's pathetic. I had more sense, kind of. My knees buckled when I screamed, so I had to sit down in the chair next to the window and stay there. I could think a little...but not much. Only that the best man on the Earth had passed. He had gone on to a different world. He had gone to be with his parents, his friends, and his best friend. He left his family for them. My hazy thoughts were interrupted by a cab pulling up. Then the door opened, and she stepped out. My mother; the woman who had no idea what had happened while she was gone.
I opened the door and walked out of the room, my legs feeling mooshy. "I'M HOME! WHERE IS EVERYBODY?" Damn it, woman. I'm coming as fast as I can. If she screamed any louder, she could've woke the dead. Hey, not a bad concept. Maybe she could wake my father. Pressing my hand against the wall for support, I made my way down the stairs and stopped at the bottom. My mother turned around and saw me. She smiled. "Hi, honey. Where's your brother?" I didn't say anything. Her smile stayed. "How's your Daddy?" I still didn't say anything, but this time a tear slipped down my cheek. I then started gasping for air, my tears falling harder. My mother's smile faded, and she half walked half ran over to me. Her eyes gazed deep into mine, and I knew what she was asking me. I nodded, more tears falling now. She closed her eyes and pulled me close to her; and for the first time in a long time, my mother mourned the death of the man she loved.