Chapter 44: Grandpa’s Memory
Rylee drove the familiar road in silence, trying to ignore the dread in her heart. There was a time she considered this path home but that had long since changed. She wondered if Blake planned this to hurt her or if he genuinely just wanted to pass on Grandpa's keepsakes. Regardless, she felt pain that cut through all her defenses.
When she parked her car outside the house, familiarity washed over her. She could still see the chair on the porch Grandpa used to sit on, the blueberry bushes and the yellow car parked on the side of the driveway. Blake sat waiting at the door with an unreadable expression. Rylee got out and headed over, trying to maintain what dignity she could while hobbling on crutches.
"I'm surprised you still remembered the way," he commented when she got close. Rylee wanted to hit him in the shin with one of the crutches. Of course she remembered! How many nights had she driven out here to see him? He was still such a jerk!
"Forgo the pleasantries, Blake. I don't want a walk down memory lane, I just came her for Grandpa," Rylee growled.
"Fine, I get the picture." Blake opened the door and glanced back at her. She was already wishing she had waited for a different day to come out. There was something about his actions that already made her feel uneasy.
When they were near the end of their relationship, Blake would sometimes come to see her with an unexpected devotion. He would take her to dinner, or hold her tighter, as if trying to prove his heart was hers. It was all a game to keep her hooked. Maybe he had cared, but Blake had no intentions of being committed to just one person. Romance was a way to hide lies. At least she saw through them now.
In the living room a cat meowed happily and trotted toward them. It was a square faced tabby with golden fur and a squat bobbed tail.
"Hi David," Rylee smiled happily, leaning down to stroke the cats haunches.
Blake's mouth twitches as he watches her coo at the animal. Rylee felt smug on the inside. Yes, she cared much more for a cat than for this loser!
"I'll grab the box." He left the room unhappily.
She tried not to look around while she waited, but a familiar picture frame on the wall made her pause. Then , she longed to smash it. When Blake and her first got engaged, they took photos and gave a copy to Blake's mother in a picture frame. Now, the frame was there, and it was Blake with HER at a wedding reception. He...reused the frame. He walked around, cutting her out of his life and pretending someone else was the girl from back then.
'He isn't worth your anger,' she reminded herself. Hadn't she found someone else, someone who genuinely cared? Evan would never do things so heartless...would he?
There was a small thunk on the table, and Blake set down the box. Rylee looked over at it, gaze softening when she saw inside. There was a beautiful wooden train, still dusty from sitting on a shelf. It used to sit in Grandpa's room, and she remembered once admiring it with him. She reached out a finger and touched the smooth surface, wondering how some things could escape so untouched by time, and others didn't.
"Thank you for saving it for me," was all she said. Maybe, after all his sins, there was a sliver inside him that remained of her old friend.
She moved the crutches to one arm, and went to grab the box with the other. Blake stopped her, retrieving it and walking toward the door. They said nothing as he put it in her backseat, and she quietly got into the drivers side.
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry," he remarked, before turning and returning to his truck.
Rylee shook her head. It was okay to be sorry, but it was clear now more than ever that past was long gone.
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ClockworkMouse
ClockworkMouse Sorry for the delay on the last batch of chapters. Day job got very demanding! I appreciate your patience and support. This is simply a hobby to write for you, but I try my best to get one chapter a day!
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