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Ravenwood Manor (Intro) |
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Cherry Blossom Trees (11-12)
Tragedy
 Created on 5-12-08
 Views(215)
 Story Rating G
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Ch. 11
I don’t really remember what happened next, but from what the brothers told me I was in shock. They had to pry me away from Grandmary’s corpse and not only call 911 for Grandmary, but me too.
“Honey, are you alright?” A kind and rather plump nurse asked. Her hair was pulled back behind her ears and her round face smoldered me with her nurturing ability.
I glanced frantically around the dry and cold room. I knew after minutes where I was; the hospital. Aware of the nurse’s wondering eyes, I looked back to her and nodded.
“Much better, thank you,” Immediately after it came out of my mouth her face interrupted my thoughts. I had forgotten about the previous time I was awake and now that it was back to me I trembled uncontrollably.
“GRANDMARY!” I yelped out but the nurse placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.
“Rest up, your mother and sister are here and I think they’d like to see you.”
A new sort of pain developed in my body; a raging pain that ate away at my heart. Mom and Claire were here, they were the last two people on Earth I’d like to see.
“A few boys are here too,” She added with a knowing look in her eyes.
Well at least knowing that Sam and Jack were here comforted me a little bit, but it still didn’t cover up the fact that my hateful family is also.
The nurse suddenly left the room and I began scoping for anything interesting in here. Sharp utensils made me wince and a T.V. showed my awful reflection—that too made me shiver with disgust. I looked like hell which wasn’t surprising since I felt like hell.
My makeup around my eyes was smeared lightly across my prominent cheekbones, while swollen bags under my eyes reacted oddly against my hazel irises. I wanted desperately to either get the makeup off my face or reapply it but an IV kept me down.
An IV— ew…
The door abruptly opened and in walked my teary eyed mother and nerved sister. This isn’t right; they shouldn’t be caring, if anything they should be off cheering.
“Oh, Natalie!” Mom broke through sobs and I saw that she greatly wanted to hug me. Claire ran over to the side of my bed and placed something in my opened palm; a charm bracelet.
“I thought you’d like it…” Claire said while getting up.
I smiled gratefully at her—maybe she wasn’t so bad. Then my eyes trailed over to Mom and Grandmary’s words coursed through my mind.
Forgive her.
She was right, forgiving her wasn’t hard at all, and in fact it felt like a heavy burden had lifted off my shoulders. After they took a break seeing me, Sam and Jack walked in. Sam carried flowers while Jack had hiked a big teddy bear on his hip.
“For you.” Jack drawled out in that coy romantic voice. I knew he was teasing, but even so, his charm still had his affects on me.
“These are too.” Sam said shyly as he placed the bouquet of white roses beside my bed.
“Thanks you guys!” I thanked genuinely.
After minutes, Jack had made an excuse to leave so that Sam and I would be alone. An awkward silence over came the room because it seemed that neither of us knew what to say.
“It is sure stuffy in here.” He said after a minute but I knew he was trying to make a conversation that didn’t have to do with… her. It was already getting hard to say her name.
“How long was I out?”
Sam calculated for a brief period of time before opening his mouth. “Well… at least twenty-six hours… maybe more.”
“Gosh, that long?” I said mostly to myself but to show that he had heard me too he nodded his head.
“I don’t know how long you were out before Jack knew something was wrong. For a second I thought you were dead—”
“Natalie Doyle?” A familiar and business like voice said as it busted through the door. Behind him was the nurse.
“Oh… you’re Don Moore, correct?” I asked recalling her lawyer.
“Yes, and we have important business to take care—”
“She is still recovering.” The nurse persisted with an irritated tone.
“This is important.” He seethed with a perturbed hiss. “Your grandmother, Mary Sinclair, had a will. Now there are bits for everyone in the family… and you get her journal.” He then pulled that same green leathered journal out of his suitcase and plopped it on a table.
“Thank—”
“No, I am not finished… not only that but you get the deed to her home. Everything from the lake to the many acres of trails, it is all yours.” Don Moore interrupted as he once again plopped something down on the table; it looked to be a document.
“Deed?” Mom’s voice rang from the doorway and I saw that she too was surprised that I had gotten her home.
“Yes, your mother, her grandmother, has given Miss Doyle her home. The document is there.” The lawyer gestured toward the table.
But the shock of knowing that everything from the cherry blossom trees to the lake belonged to me was not my largest fear. The funeral that followed into August left me in helpless tears.
I hugged my black dress tightly to my torso as I sat in the outdoors for the burial. Grandmary—her name sent daggers through my spine every time I said or thought it—was being buried under her favorite cherry blossom tree.
The journal lied unopened as I walked through Grandmary’s home (I couldn’t call it mine because I believe that it will never be mine). I sat down on the made bed that now had a white sheet draped over it.
I picked it up and could instantly smell the leather. I prepared myself for the devouring secrets engraved into the fine ivory pages.
One.
Two.
Open!
Nothing.
I stared dubiously at the empty pages. Out of desperation I began flipping the pages quickly only to find the very last page the only one that had any type of writing.
Natalie,
I know you were hoping for so much more than just a letter, but this is all I plan on giving you. My secrets will die with me for many reasons.
I am almost positive that my cavernous mind drove you wild, it drove everyone wild, but I could never get the heart to pass the dreaded makings of it on to you.
Over the seventy-eight years I have lived I have been beaten, raped, twisted, hated, tortured and so much more that I’d rather not bring up. Please understand that I was not always the kind gentle woman you have known for so long. I made many mistakes with my children that I never did to you.
You remind me not of myself but of a person whom I could only wish to be. You are not only beautiful on the outside but the inside.
I know that leaving my home in your care is a big step, but I know that you are willing to do so. Give the cherry blossom trees love for me… and on a more personal note—
Don’t let Sam go; I see something there that is more than just a “summer fling”.
Forever yours,
Grandmary
My tears now embedded into the letter as I threw it across the room. Funeral dress and all, I ran out of the cottage and into the trails. Leaving everything behind and not even caring that Sam was calling after me.
I was done with this place, this life, this summer.
Ch. 12
(Present Time: refer to Ch. 1 and 3 if you need a boost back to where the present left off… I know I did)
I splashed the cold water with my feet and walked slowly over to the old tree. Its beauty was still there and I could almost feel Grandmary.
For reasons unknown it didn’t hurt anymore when I thought or said her name.
My eyes averted down and I began staring at the stoned grave. Her name was engraved deeply into the grayness and I surprisingly felt a surge of happiness.
Maybe remembering things that I once thought should be left alone is a good thing. I knew it had been a mistake to not only leave this place behind, but also Sam.
He had tried to reach out to me but I had kept running from him and he eventually had given up. I sighed at the remembrance of that summer love and couldn’t help but wonder what he was doing now. Probably married to someone so much better than I and Jack probably has found his soul mate.
All I know about them is that they went off to the east coast and started up a landscaping business that is doing well, or so I have heard.
Now facing the white house, I suddenly had an idea. Maybe I could start all over. Leave my cramped apartment behind and live here! Or maybe go to the east coast and…
No. I shouldn’t let myself hope for things that might never come true. But what if they did? What if the right thing to do was to go after everything I had left behind?
Don’t let Sam go.
I could almost hear her sweet voice saying the words; she was so far, but so close.
Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith and enough spontaneity to do the things you knew you could because before my brain had actually started working I had run back to my car and driven all the way to the airport. I had almost forgotten to get my shoes but I somehow must’ve had enough wits to grab them during my mad dash.
“I need tickets to…” I thought briefly to remember the name of the city. “Rochester.”
It took quite some time for the man to get my tickets ready and when he did I waited until my scheduled time had come. A night in the airport was not as bad as I had once thought it was.
The flight was long and extremely boring because I was all the way on the west coast, while Sam was on the east coast.
All the while I couldn’t help but wonder what I would do and say if he did have someone. Maybe I would just talk to him like a friend because I know he had always been a great one. But what if he hated me? Then I’d be in a major hellhole.
For as long as the ride was, not even half of the questions buzzing around in my mind had been answered. Once at the airport in Rochester, I looked up Sam’s name in the phonebook.
Sam Harrison.
Just reading his name, number and address sent chills up my spine. Cars weren’t that hard to rent I realized once I got one from the one of the main desks.
Please forgive me—I think to myself as I walk up the driveway to the address the phonebook had told me to go. The house was bricked with a nice shade of red and the yard was extravagant.
I buzzed the doorbell and my heavy heart beats seemed to ring in unison with the elongated tones of the bell. I finally heard footsteps nearing and then a click. The door swung open and there stood an older Sam.
He looked the Sam but there was a more mature quality about him that I admired immediately. I knew I looked a bit different: shorter hair and maybe some physical changes that I don’t really keep track of… but I too think I looked more mature than I once had.
Sam looked at me like he had seen a ghost which made me smile meekly.
“Hello, Sam.”
“Natalie…?” He questioned and I happily noticed that there was no ring upon his finger.
“If I apologized, would you consider forgiving me?”
“That depends…” His tone was serious but I saw a teasing smile breaking free. “Would you consider going out to dinner with me?”
After numerous mistakes, I finally made the right decision… and all it took was a leap of faith.
(Author's Note: I had written both chapters and I decided to bonus you up with them in one. I may not get as many rates and it might be longer, but trust me I think you'd prefer to find out the ending rather than waiting.)
(I know this story wasn't very long, and I seem to have a tendency to do that now... but hopefully it was worth it.)
(Yes this is the end and whatever happens next is for you to decide-- in my opinion their love restores and they live happily ever after because I think that'd be what Grandmary would want.)
(I will be starting a new story that will also be a romance called "The Blank Canvas". I have semi-started it already and I can tell you that you will not be disappointed!)
(Sorry for the length, but I hope that you all enjoyed Cherry Blossom Trees!)
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i love it. and yes i rated(: kmp on your new story, im glad testriffic isnt shutting down =)