Ending

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After my grandfather died, there wasn't much else to be said. I loved my parents, but no one would ever have been able to take the special place he held, deep within my broken heart.

Strangely enough, my parents never told me what had happened to him, or whether or not he had moved, died, or even if he had been there at all. I assumed that he had gone on to someplace else, and didn't ask questions. Questions usually went unanswered, as I learned at an early age. 

Marisol, my mother, was a florist. She grew beautiful flowers, and I came to admire all of them and learned their names as well as uses. My mom was a comfortable, thin woman, of average height and build with dark eyes but a bright smile. She was an awful cook, burning simple things such as toaster waffles and microwave macaroni and cheese. Her favorite color was orange, and her favorite food was grilled cheese sandwiches, which we would have every Wednesday because, in her words, "Grilled Cheese is the world's greatest gift to man, what better day to celebrate it than the middle of the week?"

Garrett was my father's name, a humble mechanic from Michigan. He knew cars upside-down and backwards, and was always working on one "Project" or another. The most recent one was an old BMW, made in the eighties. I had admired her openly, hoping that he might gift it to me. Every time I would walk into the shop, he always would stand up, his linebacker build towering over me and grin like an animal. Running his fingers through his crew-cut, he would laugh, and then pull me into a one-armed hug. 

"We'll see, Char." Were his words, never allowing even a hint of an answer to pass through his lips.  

I would grin back every time, and agree. 

"Yes, we will."

I was a high school student in North Carolina, an irritating but good high school with decent classes, fun kids, and cool teachers. My family was most certainly not rich, but we had enough to get by. 

My life was good.

Very good, to be specific. I hardly wanted for anything, though I did have to work for the more expensive aspects and keep my job at the fast food place in the middle of town. 

Yeah, my life was good.

I didn't think it would end. 

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