8th wonder

chapter nine

“We won’t be the same without his big smile and jokes to cheer up our spirits every time we’re down. We will miss you abundantly for eternity, Rest in peace, Cole Crassus.”

Missus Crassus, stepped down the podium while she wept. Olly and Rick looked at their father for the last time. His coffin was then lowered into the ground, 6 feet under. One by one they came to pour soil on his coffin, beginning with the family closest to him and when they were done, the grave was sealed. The tombstone said, “Cole Crassus October 2nd ,1975- march 3rd ,2019. Loving son, dad, husband and friend.”

Everyone was leaving after they placed their wreaths on his tombstone. Liv had just left a few seconds ago. Olly, his brother and mom were the last to leave.

“You can leave without me, I’ll head home later,” Olly said, his mom gave him a hug and Rick just punched him on the shoulder. They left in mom’s car. Olly stood their for sometime. As he was turning around to leave, he saw Val. She had been standing there from the beginning of the ceremony. Olly stared for awhile unmoving, so she decided to walk up to him. She reached out for his hand and intertwined their fingers.

“I know it hurts, believe me I do but blocking out the pain and pushing those you love away doesn’t solve it just stores and magnifies your sorrows for another time.” Val said while looking into his eyes. He pulled up his hand and placed it on her cheek. He rubbed his thumb against her smooth skin.

“I know but right now isn’t that time, not yet,” Olly said as tear drop rolled down his cheek. His face looked emotionless yet his eyes looked raw with emotion and the tears in them gave his pain away. Being a telepath, Val could feel every single ounce of emotion Olly was feeling. It was too much to bare and she wanted to take all of it away from him. She hugged him. She wrapped her arms around Hus neck and pulled his head down to her shoulder. She tried to comfort and told him everything would be fine. She let him go, looked into his eyes and held his hand. She dragged him to the street and locked there arms elbow to elbow. She took him to some weird neighborhood. The further they went, the less people they saw. They kept walking till they reached a point where they couldn’t even hear a sound. They went up the stairs of some building and were now at the top. Olly first bent and put his hands at his knees while breathing heavily. He was sweating.

“Don’t tell me your gonna be a baby about they few blocks we just walked,” Val said.

“A few blocks!!!” Olly said looking straight up at her though still bending and catching his breath, “we literally just walked for more than half an hour.”

“Exactly a few blocks,” she said looking at him, she liked to disturb him whenever she got the chance to, she’d drive him up the wall. He ignored her and after he caught Hus breath he stood up straight.

“OK, now why did we come here again?” he asked her.

“You have to shout out your anger OK?”

“What do you mean, ‘shout out’?”

“You just have to yell at the world, for doing this to you, for taking away what you love. Yell!”

He first told her that this was a stupid idea that he heard shout so loud that he could gear a ring in Hus ears after that kind if impact. Then she shouted, “Screw you world for letting me spend the night with a jerk who doesn’t love me.”

“I never said I didn’t,” he replied defensively.

“Now you shout,” she said.

Olly coughed a little like he was clearing his throat.

He then shouted, “Screw you world for taking my dad away.”

“Then wasn’t loud enough.” She said.

He opened his arms out like that was gonna help him get any louder and he yelled again and again. They looked at each other for awhile and laughed cause for anyone hearing them they sounded stupid. They lay on the ground and stared up at the clouds for sometime until she said they should probably leave. They stood and beat the dirt off their clothes. They walked down the stairs, walked some blocks and they were back in the streets where there were people. Val had insisted that she should keep Olly company a little while longer before he went home. So they walked until when Olly couldn’t take and just got them a taxi. They drove up to the club. Olly paid him off and they walked down into the lounge. Val pulled him into her room and told him to wait a bit. She took a shower and changed. When came out, she suggested he took one too. But Olly said he was good and that he would take one at home. She sat in front of her dresser mirror and started to blow dry her hair when Olly asked, “What exactly are my doing here?”

“I just love you around,” she confidently said.

“And I love your company, too, but I gotta go home. I’ll be back for practice tomorrow. OK?”

“Ok, but can you stay a little longer…like another fifteen minutes.”

He didn’t reply but he didn’t leave which was the same as yes. He had never thought about it, but now he had to find out.

“Val, I don’t understand why you live down here and not with your parents.”

“Well, uhmmmm, my parents died along time ago. You know that cliché story where an accident happens and only the kid survives…well that's what happened with me and my parents,” she replied so openly like it didn’t bother her whatsoever.

“I’m so sorry for asking the question,” Olly said meaning every word he said, as usual. It was the thing that had pulled Val in, his honesty, she didn’t have to read his mind unlike all the other men who only had cruel intentions.

“You want my forgiveness huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Then open up to me. Share your pain with me and stop guarding your feelings with such high walls,” Val said. Yes, she is a telepath but thoughts are like words spoken from the mouth. Someone can say there fine when they don’t mean it. That’s how thoughts also work, just because I think I’m okay doesn’t mean I am. She is a telepath not an empath to read his feelings.