Chapter 2 - Carrie's Grandmother

Hello again and welcome to the second chapter of 'Hope'! Sorry it took a while (updating problems). Let me know if the previous chapter was too short. Here is the chapter where you get to see a little bit more into Carrie's life. Thanks for reading and leave a review!

Carrie slumped on the foot of her bed, worn out from yet another day of dealing with her parents' unpaid taxes and unfinished paychecks. She remembered to leave a note for Ms. Lane excusing her absence tonight; she had to pay a visit to her ailing grandmother, who'd been diagnosed with Alzheimer's over the past two years.

She'd never imagined the level of work she would have to do around the house after her parents were gone. Most days she'd wake up with searing migraines, only to be faced with another mountain of unpaid taxes, paychecks, bills... Sometimes the ever-compassionate Ms. Lane would drop by to give her a hand and tutor her in the arts of being an adult, but mostly she'd be busy with Carl or have her own work to do.

Carrie had gotten used to the responsibilities; she had no other way around. Ever since her parents had packed up and left, it was her and the house. She couldn't afford to have her grandmother move in, but she would visit her every morning, night and day to cook her meals, prepare her bath, read to her, change her bedsheets.

She longed, of course, to have a normal family and an ordinary life, free of conflict for many years to come. She prayed for her grandmother to get well, to remember where she put her shoes at night, to read to her and cook her meals for a change.

But Carrie knew it was pointless, and selfish, to ask for a different life. As she was taught, this was the only life she had, and it didn't matter if she was unsatisfied. Her opinion, her father had assured her, was worth nothing.

And so she continued to live by that, day after day. She had stopped caring long ago.

. . .

Carrie fumbled with the keys to her parents' old Toyota and swung open the door, taking her grandmother's old asthma inhaler, temperature monitor, and bottle of pills against high blood pressure. Carrie had used to find it strange that her parents had only taken one car when they left, the one in which they drove away. Then again, her parents hadn't given their unexpected depart much thought anyway.

Tucking away all the items into her duffel bag, Carrie set off onto the quiet misty morning, the puffs of her breath visible in the frosty morning air. The trip to her grandmother's condo was a short one, as usual. Soon Carrie was standing (or to be precise, shivering) in front of the rusty elevator, punching some buttons on the tab. Carrie shifted her weight from one foot to the other, awaiting the ring of the condo elevator to welcome her in. Stepping in, Carrie punched the 3rd floor button and ascended to her destination. Nimbly she averted a lady with a stroller on the way out and made her way to the room she was looking for.

A sleek padlock hung from the sealed smooth wooden door, extra assurance that her grandmother wouldn't leave and get herself lost in who-knows-where, as is a common problem for people with Alzheimer's.

Swiftly Carrie pulled put a bobby pin and fiddled with the lock until it clicked. Then, swinging open the dpor, she let herself inside.

Carrie smiled. "Hi, Grammy." Her grandmother was lying on the small, rough plaid couch, her ancient gray-blue eyes staring blankly up at the ceiling. Carrie unzipped her duffel bag and brought out the supplies she'd taken.

"Look, I brought you the temperature monitor you always wanted. And look at this, Grammy...I found your old inhaler! Now doesn't that make you happy?"

Carrie's grandmother fixed an empty stare on Carrie and turned to her side. "I don't need that old thing. I'm going to the Red Sea soon anyway. I'll be better than you could ever be from an old inhaler."

Carrie sighed. Her grandmother had started to imagine she was still living by the Red Sea, where she was from, lately. Once she'd even locked herself in her room and sulked at Carrie for forbidding her to go "running over and having a great time" there.

Carrie set the inhaler on her desk anyway. "Time to take your medicine, Grammy." After setting up the temperature monitor beside her grandmother, Carrie took the bottle of pills in her hand and filled a glass with water.

"No." The sudden statement jolted Carrie out of her thoughts.

"What?"

Her grandmother was eyeing the glass warily. "I'll skip today."

Carrie brought the glass over to the bedside table next to the couch and sat down. "Now, Grammy."

"No," remained the stubborn reply. "I'm tired of being treated like a patient, I can manage without it."

And just before Carrie could protest, her grandmother leaned back sharply and pushed the glass and the bottle off the couch. As if in slow motion, Carrie saw the glass tip over and smash against the hard floor, the pills scattering on the carpet.

Carrie sputtered, gaping at the seeping puddle and shattered glass. "Th-those were your memory enhancers! Grammy, you...you needed those! Why..why?!"

Her vision blurring from tears, Carrie gathered up the broken glass and went to mopping up the spilled water. She couldn't believe this. She thought her grandmother was happy. What had she done wrong?

"Grammy?" Her grandmother had turned over on her side, arms crossed, eyes shut.

Fine! Carrie thought in exasperation. Be that way! You'll never get better, you'll never remember where you are... Angrily Carrie flung the shattered glass into a trashcan and slammed the mop she had been using down on the floor.

It's not fair. It's not fair! She stomped over to the kitchen to get her grandmother's food ready. Now she'll probably have high blood pressure and get a fever or maybe even end up at the hospital...

Carrie poured oil into a pan and threw in some leftovers in a frenzy, guilt washing over her thoughts. It's all because of me. My parents left because of me, and now here I am slowly killing my only living relative...

She slumped into a chair, watching her grandmother shudder and wince in her sleep (which didn't help). Her eyes stung. Why am I so bad?

. . .

Carrie crept to the foot of her bed and turned out the light. After changing her grandmother's covers and feeding her the evening meal, she'd stopped by at Ms. Lane's to apologize for her absence, and in turn receiving yet another shower of pity and sympathy.

Carrie had wished, for the thousandth time, that she could find hope and consolation within these words. But, alas, she could not. It was like a curse.

She turned to her side, trying not to think about the wave of chores that awaited her the next morning. But above all, she still had to find her hope, which didn't seem like it was going to happen anytime soon.

Carrie leaned back on her pillow, letting a wave of fitful sleep slowly envelope her mind.

And that's the second chapter! This chapter's probably way too long, sorry about that and don't hesitate to tell me if you think so. I have mixed feelings about the quality of this one, so feedback of all sorts is especially appreciated. Oh and, those of you who are getting impatient for Gru and the others to come in, the next chapter has the first character, so don't worry.

Thanks for reading & leave a review!

-Olivia