...Hello again :D I told you i'd have the next chapter up this morning! It's definately morning time now- 3:45 :0 i'm such a night owl. And i'm still listening to Paramore. But this time, it's Pressure. Amazing song, btw. Anyway, like I promised, this chapter is longer. And there's more Ben and Allison in this one :D I won't spoil it for you, so enjoy! And review! You know, if you want.
Chapter 8
Old Grove Church was built in 1942. It was a small church that was started by a local family. It had withstood many hurricanes and the red bricks that made up the church had faded to a gray. The family had started the cemetery across the street and opened it three years after the church was built.
Behind the cemetery was a huge garden, full of flowers and trees of every kind. The family had also built the garden and built it as a memorial garden. When his grandfather was alive, he took Ben through the garden multiple times. He knew his way through the entire place and he knew a couple of places off of the path that few other people knew about.
He arrived at the church at around 9:15. It looked older than he remembered- there was moss on the bricks and on the cobblestone path that led to the door. When he got there, there was more people there than he expected there to be. His father's parents were already there and his aunts from his mom's side were all there.
He pulled into the parking lot, took a deep breath, and got out. They were all across the street and, as he walked over, he saw his dad standing with his parents. He walked over to each of his aunts and hugged them. He eventually made his way over to his dad and grandparents. He hugged them too and his dad went and talked to the pastor.
He stood there talking with them until 10:30. They started the burial and by the time they were all gathered around the burial site, almost all of his whole family were there- all of his aunts and uncles, from both sides, his grandparents and almost all of his cousins. There were also a lot of his mom's friends there, too. They were all gathered around his mom's coffin and the preacher began.
Ben stood beside his dad and his grandparents. At first, Ben was okay. But when he saw his mom in the casket, the tears started to come. The preacher talked most of the time and Ben looked around- there wasn't a dry eye on anyone's face. When the preacher finally finished, his father said a few words.
He talked about how they met and how he was incomplete until he met her. He talked about how much he loved her and how much he would miss her. When he finished, the preacher looked at Ben and asked if he would like to add anything. It was all he could do to swallow the huge lump in his throat and shake his head as they lowered her into the ground.
The funeral lasted for about an hour. When it was over, everyone came and hugged him and his father.
"I'm so sorry." Everyone told him. The preacher also came up to him and shook his hand.
"I'm sorry, Ben." Ben nodded his head and said, in a barely audible voice,
"Thank you." As people started to clear out, Ben stayed by his mom's grave. The tombstone said,
Megan Carter
B. August 27, 1952 D. February 23, 2004
Beloved wife, mother, daughter, and friend
Ben bent down beside it and picked up some dirt and let it run through his fingers. He then felt someone put a hand on his back. He turned around and saw that it was his father. His eyes were red and a couple of tears were still trickling down his cheeks as he asked,
"Are you okay?" Ben nodded as he stood up,
"Yeah." They stood together before his dad asked,
"So are you going to just stay here and wait for Jeff's funeral?"
"Yeah." He said, again. His dad nodded,
"Okay. Well I'm going to head home, all right?"
"Okay." His father nodded and turned around. Ben sighed and called out,
"Dad?" He turned back around and Ben walked up to him and gave him a hug. His anger at him had simmered down some, especially since they were both obviously hurting. They hugged for a few minutes and both had tears in their eyes. His father finally pulled away and said,
"I'll see you at home, Ben." He nodded and his father, once again, turned around and headed across the street to the parking lot.
Ben turned back towards his mom's grave- he was alone in the cemetery. He looked at his watch and saw that he still had twenty-five minutes before Jeff's funeral started. He knelt down again in front of his mom's grave.
"Hey, mom." He said. He felt a little strange but he needed to let this out.
"I want you to know that I love you so much and I always will." He said, reciting her letter.
"I'm sorry for not saying it enough. I wish you had told me. You thought I couldn't handle it or that I didn't need the extra stress, but you were wrong." His eyes started to water,
"There are so many questions I want to ask you. I wish you would've told me." He sat there for a minute before he said,
":I want you to know I'm not mad. I'm sort of upset, but I'm not mad at you." He smiled weakly and said,
"I love you so much, mom." He stayed knelt down when he heard leaves rustling behind him. He turned around and his heart jumped. He saw Allison walking across the cemetery. He stood up and looked at his watch; Jeff's funeral didn't start for another twenty minutes, if that was even what she was here for. Plus, they were starting across the street in the church.
When he stood up, she looked his way and noticed him standing there. She smiled and changed her direction and started towards him. He met her halfway. She was wearing a pair of dark jeans, a black sweater and black flats. When they got closer, she smiled,
"Hi, Ben."
"Hey, Allison." He replied, putting his hands in his pockets.
"How are you?" She asked. He shrugged one shoulder and said,
"Okay. How are you doing?" She shrugged one shoulder, obviously mimicking him,
"Okay." He gave a weak smile. She could tell something was wrong with him, but she didn't press him. Instead, she looked around and asked,
"What are you doing here so early?" He glanced away, wondering if he should tell her. He decided to and motioned over his shoulder, sighing,
"My mom died." Her face became sympathetic and she said,
"Oh, Ben, I'm so sorry." He gave a weak smile and then she seemed to realize something.
"Were you here for your mom's funeral?" He nodded,
"Yeah." She raised her eyebrow,
"And you're going to Jeff's funeral, too?" He nodded again, looking away,
"Yeah." She looked surprised,
"Wow. It's an emotional day for you, huh?" He sighed,
"Yeah, it's been emotional already." Her expression turned sympathetic again,
"I'm sorry. Do you want to talk about it?" He didn't want to, but there was something about her that made him want to tell her, but he decided later would be a better time. She nodded and he asked her,
"So what are you doing out here so early, too?" She looked at him curiously, then shook her head and laughed an embarrassed laugh,
"Oh, my grandma is buried here. I was just going to visit her before Jeff's funeral started." He nodded,
"Oh, okay." He expected her to turn and walk away, but she surprised him by motioning over her shoulder and asking,
"Do you want to come meet her?" He smiled and found himself staring at her,
"Sure."
They walked towards the back of the cemetery. She led him past a few newer headstones and finally stopped at an older one. She knelt down and picked up some flowers that had fallen over. She stood back up.
"Grandma, this is Ben Carter." She looked at him and nudged his shoulder,
"Say hi." He waved and said,
"Hi." She smiled,
"Ben, here, is in the Air Force." She took a break and then turned to him,
"She said thank you for your service to our country." He smiled,
"You're welcome." They stood together before he asked her,
"Were you close with your grandma?" She nodded and crossed her arms,
"Yeah, she was like my best friend growing up. I always confided in her and she was there whenever I needed someone to talk to." He looed at her and he could tell she was reminiscing. She saw him looking and he saw a tear in her eye. She swiped at it and sighed,
"I just miss her, you know? She died when I was twelve."
"I'm sorry." She gave a weak smile,
"It's okay. Pain heals with time. I just wonder sometimes if she somehow knows that I think about her and I wonder if she hears me when I talk to her." He smiled and leaned towards her grave,
"What's that Grandma Johnson?" He asked. Allison looked at him as he nodded,
"Yeah, I'll tell her." He turned towards her,
"Your grandma wants you to know that you're never alone and she's always watching over you, no matter what. She hears you all the time and wants you to know that she loves you very much." She smiled,
"Did she really say all of that?" He nodded,
"Yeah, she's pretty talkative once you get her started." She smiled again,
"Thank you." He nodded and turned around; the church parking lot was getting full. She followed his gaze and said,
"I guess we should head over there, huh?" He nodded,
"Yeah, I think so." He turned towards her grandma's grave and knelt down,
"It was nice meeting you, Grandma Johnson." He stood back up and she was smiling,
"What?" He asked. She shook her head,
"Nothing."
They turned around and started walking towards the entrance of the cemetery. They were walking close, but not close enough to accidentally touch. On their way back Ben said,
"I think your grandma liked me." She looked at him,
"You do, huh?"
"Yeah, I do." She nodded and looked at him again,
"Just to let you know, she's like that with everyone she meets." He held up his hands,
"The truth comes out." She nodded,
"She had a way of being nice to everyone she met and it made them feel like they were a part of the family. She never judged anybody, even if she had heard bad things about them."
"She sounds like a wonderful lady."
"She was."
They walked past the newer headstones and went through the gate. They crossed the street and into the busy parking lot. They walked among the cobblestone path and Ben held the door to the church open for her. She smiled,
"Thank you." He smiled and held the door open for a couple of more people and entered the church.
They walked into the lobby and there were tables lined up against the wall with photographs of Jeff placed on them. There were pictures of him as a baby, as a teenager, his senior graduation pictures, and of him in his air force uniform. There were also pictures of him and his family and him and his friends.
Ben and Allison walked along the dimly lit lobby. Up above was a big chandelier and, off to the left, were two sets of stairs that led up to the balcony. On the right were two entrances on opposite sides of the hallway that led into the sanctuary.
They were looking at the pictures when someone called Allison's name from behind them. They turned around and Emma was walking towards them. When she got closer, she hugged Allison and then noticed Ben. She smiled,
"Hi, Ben."
"Hey, Emma." She gave him a hug and he saw Jeff's parents standing in the corner, talking to someone.
"So, do you want to head in?" Emma asked. Allison looked at him,
"Are you ready?" He glanced over at Jeff's parents and the person they were talking to walked away. He looked back at Allison,
"Actually, I'm going to go talk with Jeff's parents before the service starts." She nodded,
"Okay. Do you want to sit with us?"
"Yeah, if you don't mind." She shook her head,
"Not at all. We'll probably sit on the right side, towards the back. We'll sit on the end so you'll have a seat." He smiled,
"Okay, thank you." She smiled and nodded and walked with Emma into the sanctuary. He walked towards Jeff's parents and his mom noticed him first. She smiled and extended her arms. She hugged him and said,
"Hi, Ben."
"Hey, Mrs. Duvall." He pulled away and turned towards Jeff's father and extended his hand,
"Mr. Duvall, I'm Ben Carter." Jeff's dad shook his hand,
"Nice to meet you, Ben."
"How are you?" His mom asked him. He nodded,
"Okay. How are you both doing?" She shrugged her shoulders,
"Trying to go on. It's hard sometimes, though. Did you just come from your mom's funeral?" He nodded,
"Yes ma'am." She shook her head,
"I'm sorry. It must be a rough time for you." He nodded again,
"It is. But, like you said, I'm trying to go on. My friend told me that pain heals with time. But yeah, it's taken a toll on me and my dad."
"I'm sorry. Give my condolences to your father for me." He smiled, weakly,
"I will. Thank you." Jeff's dad looked at her and said,
"Honey, we better head in there." She nodded and turned towards Ben,
"Well, we better go, and you better go get a seat." He nodded,
"Okay."
She hugged him and Ben shook his father's hand. They walked into the sanctuary and Ben took a deep breath before following right behind them.
:D I love writing this story. I can't say that the next chapter will be up this morning too, especially since it's now 3:48... but i'll certainly be typing it when I wake up! Which will probably be 3:48 in the afternoon... Anyway, until next time! :)
