The last letter

Chapter 3 -The fight

We drive up the drive way to my grandmothers house.

I walk up the stairs to my room and shut the door, I am greatful that my grandmother has enough rooms for the whole family, I wouldn't be able to share a room with anyone now.

I fall on to my bed and start sobbing.

A few moments later I hear a knock on my door,

I quickly wipe away my tears "come in"

My grandmother walks in with tea and cookies.

"I thought you would like these" she puts it on the night stand and comes to sit next to me on the bed. "I heard about the boy" I look at her and start to cry all over again

"Why Nana? Why is my father like this?"

"You really like this boy?"

"I do"

"We will make a plan." She rubs my leg

"How Nana?"

"What did you say the boys name was?"

"Aaron" I say wiping my tears away

"Aaron McCarthy" she says smiling

"Do you know him Nana?"

"Oh yes I do, but let's not tell your father I know that you know him, okay?"

"What are you going to do Nana?"

"Well tomorrow is sunday, he comes over every sunday, so I will just invite him for supper."

I start to laugh, "Daddy would freak out"

"I know" we both laugh

"He is a good kid you know, your father doesn't but I do, and I can tell you do to."

"He said his mum died when he was young, what happened to her?"

My grandmother looks down at her hands.

"His mom, she was a lovely lady, but his dad he was..”

“trouble” I say

“yes, trouble, the worst kind, got his mom pregnant on sixteen, I felt sorry for her, your grandfather told me to leave her alone, she is in to deep, and we can't be seen with those people. She gave birth to this sweet little boy, I used to meet her in the park with him, help where I can you know. She was just a child, But he loved her, I could see it. He didn't like me helping her. She got shot, I was so mad at him, he got into trouble again, and when they came knocking, she was alone, with Aaron, He called me first, I will never forget how scared he sound. I think Ricky hated him even more for being alive that day. A few years later, Ricky shot himself. Aaron went to live with his grandfather. His mothers' father. He took care of the boy but he is sick. I helped Aaron where I could, but then your grandfather got sick. I had to take care of him first. Aaron got a scholarship for college, Football, but he broke his leg and couldn't play anymore, so he came back, got a job, and every Sunday he would come to visit me. He is nothing like his father. He got into trouble as well, but always said that he doesn't want to live that kind of life. Ricky is the reason your father doesn't approve."

my grandmother has tears in her eyes.

"That's awful"

"Yeah but I am glad I didn't stop helping them"

"But how did daddy know Aarons father?"

My grandmothers eyes go wide

"Maybe you should let those sleeping dogs lie.

Goodnight dear"

She says before I can ask anymore questions.

I lay in bed thinking about seeing Aaron again tomorrow, my stomach starts to flutter

I take out the little piece of paper Aaron gave me

"Call me tonight?

-Aaron xx"

Followed by a number

I turn to the phone and put in the numbers

"Hello" an old voice answers the phone

"Hello is Aaron there?" I ask

"Aaron phone for you" the old voice shouts

"You miss me already?" He asks

"You asked me to call you tonight" I let out a giggle

" was your dad mad?"

"Yeah"

"I'm sorry"

"It's okay, My grandmother says she will invite you to dinner tomorrow, so my dad can get to know you or something."

"Wait, who is your grandmother?"

"Elizabeth Dolce"

"I know her, so you are Emma Cox?"

"Yes" I say afraid of what he will say next

" Okay, well now I know a little bit more about you than you know about me." He giggles

But all I could think of was Carl, he might now know about Carl.

"Like?" I asked

Why I was so afraid of him knowing about Carl I did not know, maybe it was just the fact that for once nobody would try to avoid talking about anything that might upset me, maybe because for once I felt like I could be me again.

"Well it sounds like you have a specific question" he says "but I know you're your grandmothers favorite, and I know you're a nerd" he teases

It's nice to talk to him, because he, unlike everyone else, treats me as normal.

"I am not a nerd!" I laugh

" You are so a nerd Ms 1500 SAT score!"

"I am not!"

"You so are!"

"If you knew so much about me you would know that I was in cheerleading as well, nerds don't cheer."

"Oh wow, I actually didn't know about that, I played football, so we would be considered the perfect couple"

"Would we now?" I laugh

"Can I tell you a secret?"

"Sure!"

"I miss you."

My stomache goes into a spiral and I can't stop smiling

"I miss you too." I say

"Gosh I can hear you smile through the phone"

He teases

"Oh stop it! You're smiling too!" I tease back

"Ofcourse I am!" He admits

"Why?"

"Because have you seen yourself? You're like perfect, and I am not, I just can't believe a girl like you would talk to a boy like me."

"Oh please" I say

We talked for another hour before we said goodnight

This time I didn't have any nightmares, for the first time I slept peacefully.

The next day I got up and took a shower, I got dressed and asked Jessica to do my make up and hair again. I wanted to look pretty.

Aaron came by at two, he and my grandmother were talking when I came downstairs, as I entered the kitchen they fell silent. He looked at me and his mouth went open a bit.

“hello Emma.”

“hello Aaron”

he walked over to me and kissed my cheek

“ you look nice and you smell amazing.”

I laugh

“thank you, not to bad yourself.”

we walked outside and talked until the family got together at the table for dinner.

We held hands and said grace, before I let go of Aaron's hand I saw my father looking at us.

He cleared his throat still staring at us “let's dig in everyone, the food looks amazing.”

the whole family were chatting and making jokes as we ate.

“Thank you Mrs. Dolce for the meal. It was as lovely as always.”

my father shoots my Grandmother a look of confusion.

“Oh Aaron, It's always my pleasure.”

We got up from the dinner table, me and Aaron walked down to the lake and sat on the grass, we were talking till 10.

"It was nice to see you again Emma"

"It was nice to see again to" I look down at my feet with my hands behind my back, is this whay it feels like to be inlove? I feel stupid, my knees are weak and my stomache is fluttering.

He tucks my hair behind my ears, he lifts my chin up and smiles

"How are you so beautiful?"

"You can hardly see me in the dark" I say

"I can see you just fine"

He takes my cheeck in his hand and kisses me

It felt like a million fireworks exploding in my stomach and time stood still for a while.

"I should probably head home" he says

I look into his eyes wishing he could stay forever, wishing we could stay in this moment forever.

"I don't want to leave tho" he says as if he could read my mind

"I don't want you to go either"

He pulls me close into a hug and kisses me one more time before getting in to his truck.

When I got back into the house I hear my mom and dad shouting

“has he left yet?” my father asks.

“yes, just now.” I say

“ you stay away from that boy, you hear me? This was the last time you will ever see him again!”

“why? Why are you so against me dating anybody?”

“Not anybody, just that boy!”

I look at my mother, "John" she starts

“

No Martha, that boy is ol' ricks' son, and your mother just invites him over for dinner every sunday now?"

my mom falls silent “and you were any better when we fell in love?”

“just stay away from him Emma, the boy is trouble, you know better.”

"What do you mean mommy?"

My mother looks up to me "nothing honey, why don't you go and get some sleep"

I walked to the stairs and sat there where they wouldn't be able to see me

“John, he is a good boy, you know Jack never approved of you either, even on his death bed, he hated himself for letting you date our daughter, but he knew you were good to her, and you raised two beautiful children, the last thing he told me before...he told me, to keep on helping this boy, because I can help make this boys' life better. Don't judge people before you get to know them. " I hear my grandmother say

"So you just keep inviting scum into your house? Because you think you can help him?"

I have never heard my grandmother this angry before

"Who I invite into my house has nothing to do with you, from the day you walked into our lives you were no better than Ricky, you always thought you were better than everybody else, that you can tell people what to do and what not to do, well you can't tell me anything! Just like you can't lock up your daughter and protect her from the world forever!"

"She got into harvard, I will not stand by and let this boy ruin it!" My dad shouts back

"He won't ruin anything, you! You are ruining everything for everybody!"

"Just stop it both of you!" My mother yells

She came walking to the stairs crying

I was crying to, she showed for me to go to my room, before I entered, she gave me a hug.

"You can go see him tomorrow if you want? I will take care of your father." She tells me goodnight and walks to her room.

"Mom" i say before she walks to far

"Yes honey?"

"I miss Carl"

My mothers eyes fill with tears

"Me too." She says before she turns around and dissapears around to corner of the corridor.

I could hear my grandmother and father still yelling at each other before I fell asleep and could be with Aaron again.

I woke up to a loud sound coming from the kitchen, I ran downstairs to find my father had broken a bottel of whiskey

My mother was cleaning it up, my father looked up to find me looking at them shocked

"Well well, look who came downstairs" he slurred

"Go upstairs honey" my mother says

I do as she tells me.

The next morning my mother has a bruise on her arm and neck, and the whole floor was covered in whiskey and glass.

We sat and ate in silence but I could see my grandmother was angry with my father for what he had done to my mother.

Was Aaron's dad just like mine was last night? I have never seen my father act like this before.

After breakfast I went upstairs to shower and get dressed, Aaron wanted to take me on a proper date for brunch. As I left I hear my grandmother tell my dad

"You are no better than ricky, and you will never be"

The shouting started again, I just wanted to go to Aaron, but what if my father was right, maybe Aaron will also turn out to be just like his father, just like my father.