Author's note - Yes, this is a short chapter, but it was emotionally
draining to write so I'll update again on Monday.
Disclaimer - The poem quoted on Gracie's grave is from a poem entitled "A Cradle Song" by William Blake.
We buried Gracie under an oak tree in the cemetery where Bobby was buried. Her gravestone read:
Grace Kelly Carter
2004
"Sweet sleep, with soft down
Weave thy brows an infant crown.
Sweet sleep, angel mild,
Hover o'er my happy child."
A sleeping lamb had been engraved under the words. The lamb was Annie's idea. She said she wanted Gracie to have the lamb to keep her company.
As we watched the tiny coffin being lowered into the ground I let the tears come. I'd been holding them back, not wanting Annie to see me cry. But I didn't care about that anymore. I glanced over at my mother. She was standing there, straight as a post, no emotion on her face.
After the funeral ended Abby and I had to go through the agony of having tons of people we barely knew telling us how sorry they were for our loss. When the crowd began to thin out my mother approached us. "Well, at least you got it over with," she said.
"Got what over with?" I asked.
"Losing a child," she said. "Better to lose her now than love her for eleven or twelve years and lose her then. I mean, you haven't even really lost anything, have you? You can't lose something you never really had in the first . . ."
But Mom's sentence was cut short. Abby had slapped her as hard as she could across the face. "You don't know anything," she said, through angry tears. "Don't you understand that you were lucky to have all those years with Bobby? I never even got to see my daughter. I would give anything for just ten minutes with her!"
Abby was screaming and the remainder of our guests were gaping. Mom had her hand on the place Abby had slapped her. "Just to look at her or hear her cry! I'll never hear her laugh or her first word. I'll never get to brush her hair or change her diapers. Don't tell me that I'm lucky," she said. She was practically foaming at the mouth. "All I wanted was ten minutes," she said, dropping herself onto the sofa. "Just ten minutes." She broke down, crying into her hands.
I wrapped my arms around her and glared at my mother. Without a word, she stormed out of the house. I held Abby, rocking her slightly. I'd never been prouder of her. "I can't believe you hit her," I said.
"I'm sorry," Abby whispered. "But she . . ."
"I know," I said. "Someone should have slapped her years ago."
Abby opened her mouth to say something but the baby started to cry. Abby went to get him and I could hear her softly singing to him.
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You'll never know, dear, how much I love you. So please don't take my sunshine away."
Response to reviews -
Kayla (chapter 38) - Teehee, thank you.
Jackie (chapter 38) - * blushes * Thanks
Vkh214 - Don't make the dead girl too much like you. That'll scare me.
Aaron - Thanks. I do what I can.
Higherbeingfriendsfan - I'll update as fast as I can. Glad you like it.
Hyperpiper91 - M'kay? You don't watch South Park by any chance, do you? But yeah, about boys' names - I watched a movie this morning called "The Sons of Mistletoe" and there was a little boy named Wylie and I thought that was the cutest name!
Carbylobsterandavrilfan - It is sad. But yes, at least Kaden is OK.
Kayla - I'm sorry you cried but glad at the same time. I'm glad that my writing is powerful enough to do that. See, my great-grandfather was a Shakespeare professor, my grandfather was an English teacher, and my father is a journalist so writing is in my blood.
Jackie - Yep, happiness is on its way!
Disclaimer - The poem quoted on Gracie's grave is from a poem entitled "A Cradle Song" by William Blake.
We buried Gracie under an oak tree in the cemetery where Bobby was buried. Her gravestone read:
Grace Kelly Carter
2004
"Sweet sleep, with soft down
Weave thy brows an infant crown.
Sweet sleep, angel mild,
Hover o'er my happy child."
A sleeping lamb had been engraved under the words. The lamb was Annie's idea. She said she wanted Gracie to have the lamb to keep her company.
As we watched the tiny coffin being lowered into the ground I let the tears come. I'd been holding them back, not wanting Annie to see me cry. But I didn't care about that anymore. I glanced over at my mother. She was standing there, straight as a post, no emotion on her face.
After the funeral ended Abby and I had to go through the agony of having tons of people we barely knew telling us how sorry they were for our loss. When the crowd began to thin out my mother approached us. "Well, at least you got it over with," she said.
"Got what over with?" I asked.
"Losing a child," she said. "Better to lose her now than love her for eleven or twelve years and lose her then. I mean, you haven't even really lost anything, have you? You can't lose something you never really had in the first . . ."
But Mom's sentence was cut short. Abby had slapped her as hard as she could across the face. "You don't know anything," she said, through angry tears. "Don't you understand that you were lucky to have all those years with Bobby? I never even got to see my daughter. I would give anything for just ten minutes with her!"
Abby was screaming and the remainder of our guests were gaping. Mom had her hand on the place Abby had slapped her. "Just to look at her or hear her cry! I'll never hear her laugh or her first word. I'll never get to brush her hair or change her diapers. Don't tell me that I'm lucky," she said. She was practically foaming at the mouth. "All I wanted was ten minutes," she said, dropping herself onto the sofa. "Just ten minutes." She broke down, crying into her hands.
I wrapped my arms around her and glared at my mother. Without a word, she stormed out of the house. I held Abby, rocking her slightly. I'd never been prouder of her. "I can't believe you hit her," I said.
"I'm sorry," Abby whispered. "But she . . ."
"I know," I said. "Someone should have slapped her years ago."
Abby opened her mouth to say something but the baby started to cry. Abby went to get him and I could hear her softly singing to him.
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You'll never know, dear, how much I love you. So please don't take my sunshine away."
Response to reviews -
Kayla (chapter 38) - Teehee, thank you.
Jackie (chapter 38) - * blushes * Thanks
Vkh214 - Don't make the dead girl too much like you. That'll scare me.
Aaron - Thanks. I do what I can.
Higherbeingfriendsfan - I'll update as fast as I can. Glad you like it.
Hyperpiper91 - M'kay? You don't watch South Park by any chance, do you? But yeah, about boys' names - I watched a movie this morning called "The Sons of Mistletoe" and there was a little boy named Wylie and I thought that was the cutest name!
Carbylobsterandavrilfan - It is sad. But yes, at least Kaden is OK.
Kayla - I'm sorry you cried but glad at the same time. I'm glad that my writing is powerful enough to do that. See, my great-grandfather was a Shakespeare professor, my grandfather was an English teacher, and my father is a journalist so writing is in my blood.
Jackie - Yep, happiness is on its way!
