5 months Later
I laid with my back on the ground, staring at the sky while I chewed on the apple. It was such a beautiful day; no rain or clouds. Just the sun and a nice, spring breeze. I smiled a little and turned my head to the right. Danny must have fallen asleep out here, on the grass. Oh well. I wasn't in much of a mood for conversation anyway. I just wanted to think and reflect...in 9 short months, I had learned the biggest secret my family kept, my father had been diagnosed with cancer, my father had died, and we had moved on. I missed my father, and so I didn't forget to talk to him atleast once a week. But, I can't tell a lie. (technically, I can, I'm just not going to.) I was getting kind of used to it being just me, Mama, and Danny. We had fun. Mama was going to take us to town to go to the drive-in some this summer, and we had already gone to the pond on some picnics, and went swimming.
I don't think my mother had ever really been given the chance to bond with either of children. I mean, she had, but she'd never really done it. She'd been over-protective of Danny, but would never get close to him for the fear of having a "Daniel Episode". She would admit later that it wasn't that she didn't love her son, but she sometimes couldn't even stand looking at him or listening to him talk. But she did love her son, with all she had and more than that. He was the only son she had, and would ever have. He was also the only part of Daniel she had left, and for that she would make sure that nothing ever happened to him. I'm glad she finally decided to get close to him. It did alot of good for both of them. Danny would probably not feel that the only person he had to talk to couldn't talk back to him, and she would stop being so heart wrenched.
As for me? I had never made the effort. I looked up to my father so much that my mother was just kind of there to be that, my mother. After my father passed, I had finally started seeing her as a friend. I still longed to be like my father, and would try as hard as I could to make him proud of me.
"Becky?" I looked over. Danny was looking at me, fully awake. "What?" He put his elbows behind his head. "Thank you." I narrowed my eyes. "For what?" He looked up. "For being my sister." I smiled and looked up as well. Thank you, Daniel. Thank you for giving me my best friend.
We just laid there, long ways and head to head, the longer part of our bodies covering our fathers' graves.
-----------
I'm writing this before you now, not as a young girl of 14 in 1960, but as an old woman of 54 in 2001. My mother has long since passed, and Danny is about to catch up with her. We lived our lives in solitude, for the rest of the time...just the 3 of us. No one else. Then, after my mother's death in 1972, I left. I left Danny with the farm, and went to Nashville...taking a copy of my mother's piece of writing work with me.
***
I entered the record label hastily. "Can I help you?" A young man asked. I, being a 26 year old strong willed woman, slapped the paper down on the desk. Looking in to his deep green eyes, I gave him his orders. "Listen. I want this song to be published. I don't care who sings it, I don't even care who you say wrote it. Just give someone credit it for it and get it on the airwaves. Are we clear?" He gave me a funny look and nodded, taking the piece of paper behind the desk with him. I nodded as well, and walked out.
***
It would be nearly 20 years before I would ever hear my mother's song on the radio. Atleast they did it, though. I'm thankful for that. And while I sit here caring for my sick brother on our farm in Shelbyville, Tennessee, I can listen to it.
A/N: That's the end of this story...it was kind of dumb, I know. I wrote it in a hurry. Plus, i'm not really good at putting my visuals down in story form(the ending of danny and becky laying there) but, if I get enough reviews I'll put kind of a "continuation" thing up...like what happened in the time I didn't write about. Could be either before this story began, or the time after Rafe died. I don't know, you guys give me your ideas. Thanks for reading, and thank you to all that reviewed...it helped me alot. I tried to do what you all asked, sorry if it wasn't quite good enough still. lol. :)
I laid with my back on the ground, staring at the sky while I chewed on the apple. It was such a beautiful day; no rain or clouds. Just the sun and a nice, spring breeze. I smiled a little and turned my head to the right. Danny must have fallen asleep out here, on the grass. Oh well. I wasn't in much of a mood for conversation anyway. I just wanted to think and reflect...in 9 short months, I had learned the biggest secret my family kept, my father had been diagnosed with cancer, my father had died, and we had moved on. I missed my father, and so I didn't forget to talk to him atleast once a week. But, I can't tell a lie. (technically, I can, I'm just not going to.) I was getting kind of used to it being just me, Mama, and Danny. We had fun. Mama was going to take us to town to go to the drive-in some this summer, and we had already gone to the pond on some picnics, and went swimming.
I don't think my mother had ever really been given the chance to bond with either of children. I mean, she had, but she'd never really done it. She'd been over-protective of Danny, but would never get close to him for the fear of having a "Daniel Episode". She would admit later that it wasn't that she didn't love her son, but she sometimes couldn't even stand looking at him or listening to him talk. But she did love her son, with all she had and more than that. He was the only son she had, and would ever have. He was also the only part of Daniel she had left, and for that she would make sure that nothing ever happened to him. I'm glad she finally decided to get close to him. It did alot of good for both of them. Danny would probably not feel that the only person he had to talk to couldn't talk back to him, and she would stop being so heart wrenched.
As for me? I had never made the effort. I looked up to my father so much that my mother was just kind of there to be that, my mother. After my father passed, I had finally started seeing her as a friend. I still longed to be like my father, and would try as hard as I could to make him proud of me.
"Becky?" I looked over. Danny was looking at me, fully awake. "What?" He put his elbows behind his head. "Thank you." I narrowed my eyes. "For what?" He looked up. "For being my sister." I smiled and looked up as well. Thank you, Daniel. Thank you for giving me my best friend.
We just laid there, long ways and head to head, the longer part of our bodies covering our fathers' graves.
-----------
I'm writing this before you now, not as a young girl of 14 in 1960, but as an old woman of 54 in 2001. My mother has long since passed, and Danny is about to catch up with her. We lived our lives in solitude, for the rest of the time...just the 3 of us. No one else. Then, after my mother's death in 1972, I left. I left Danny with the farm, and went to Nashville...taking a copy of my mother's piece of writing work with me.
***
I entered the record label hastily. "Can I help you?" A young man asked. I, being a 26 year old strong willed woman, slapped the paper down on the desk. Looking in to his deep green eyes, I gave him his orders. "Listen. I want this song to be published. I don't care who sings it, I don't even care who you say wrote it. Just give someone credit it for it and get it on the airwaves. Are we clear?" He gave me a funny look and nodded, taking the piece of paper behind the desk with him. I nodded as well, and walked out.
***
It would be nearly 20 years before I would ever hear my mother's song on the radio. Atleast they did it, though. I'm thankful for that. And while I sit here caring for my sick brother on our farm in Shelbyville, Tennessee, I can listen to it.
A/N: That's the end of this story...it was kind of dumb, I know. I wrote it in a hurry. Plus, i'm not really good at putting my visuals down in story form(the ending of danny and becky laying there) but, if I get enough reviews I'll put kind of a "continuation" thing up...like what happened in the time I didn't write about. Could be either before this story began, or the time after Rafe died. I don't know, you guys give me your ideas. Thanks for reading, and thank you to all that reviewed...it helped me alot. I tried to do what you all asked, sorry if it wasn't quite good enough still. lol. :)