BOOK 1
Welcome to the re-written version of 'MAXINE & STONE'
If this is your first time reading, welcome. If you've come back, hello again.
Get ready for a warm-hearted, emotional and happy ending story of a father and his daughter.
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It's good to be back!
Third Person.
The drive to Manchester was silent.
Not awkwardly, not uncomfortably, but sadly. A cloud of grief hung over the passengers in the car.
Although Rosemary and George, the people who sparked the best conversation, were in attendance, the ambience was unsuitable for casual chatter.
During the entirety of the drive, Alex glanced at his daughter through the rearview mirror.
Maxine settled her gaze downcast and played with her fingers. She was abnormally silent.
When asked questions, she would either shrug or shake her head. She refused music, even the Frozen soundtrack and denied holding 'Cookie', fearful of the heartbreak it may cause her.
Alex understood her pain, deep in his heart, but he concealed it with a straight face, wanting to be strong for Maxine.
He also didn't know how to feel. He had written a eulogy for his Anna, but it didn't feel real. It felt robotic and nothing like what he felt for Anna, which was love.
Even if he didn't understand why she left, even if he resented her for leaving, he loved her, and she deserved a beautiful send-off.
Alex didn't force Maxine to be happy, not on this day, a day in which she knew she'd be saying goodbye to her Mama.
Alex sighed from his nose and parked his vehicle opposite Anna and Maxine's old home. He frowned with concern at the dilapidated state.
The 'house' was decaying, from the shattered windows that were made to look fixed with cardboard, the crumbling walls and the roof that was one heavy wind away from collapsing.
Anna left him to live here? Did she think he'd be that bad of a parent that she had to leave and live here?
It made him shudder just thinking about his girls living here.
Rosemary and George left the car, and Alex went to unfasten Maxine's booster seat.
"Come on, baby girl," He lifted her up, and she buried her face in the crook of his neck.
They walked to Mrs Gren, who waited by Anna's door with a sad smile and who wore black in mourning just like everybody else.
"Mrs Gren is here, sweetheart. Do you want to say hi?" Alex whispered, tucking a loose curl behind her ear, and she nodded slowly.
