This Hard Life

Chapter 21: Feeling Stronger

Chapter 21

The funeral service was rough. From the beginning to end I was in tears. Scott was at my side, comforting me. Grace seemed to cry because I was crying. In turn, I was trying to comfort her.

Part of my mother’s wishes included going to the cemetery for her to be buried. As I watched her casket lowered into the ground one thought ran through my head: this really was it. There would be no more visits to the hospital after school. There wouldn’t be any more doctors with news about how fast her disease has progressed. There wouldn’t be any more fights between Grace and I as I was sending her down to the daycare in the hospital when my mom and I had to talk about something that could make Grace upset. I wasn’t sure how I felt about this. Was it peace? No, I think that the only way that I could feel peace if these things happened with my mother still alive. I somehow took strength from my mother. Could the strength that she had when she was going through the hardships in her life have been transferred to me upon her death? I’d like to think so. If nothing else I knew that I had to be strong, just to make my mother proud.

Finally the ceremony broke. People gave me and my sister their condolences. I accepted them with a fake smile. At some point only Lorna, her husband, Scott, his mother, Grace, the pastor, and I were the only ones at the cemetery. Even then, the pastor told me that my sister and I were still in his prayers and then he left.

“Vinny!” I heard my sister yell and she took off behind me toward her new “friend” from the daycare. I quickly turned my back so I was facing the direction to where my sister was running.

I felt horror run through me. There was a man standing about 300 feet from Scott and I. He was probably in his thirty’s. He had light brown hair that was slightly curly. He was Vincent Wood. My father.

I instantly started storming off toward my sister and biological father. “What the hell are you doing here? Why have you been hanging out at my sister’s daycare? What the hell are you doing back?! You left five years ago with your whore!” I yelled. Oh, I was pissed.

“Charlotte, you’re so beautiful! You look just like my mother did when she was your age. But I don’t appreciate you using that language in public, especially around your sister.”

“Like I give a damn! Answer the questions!” By now I noticed that Scott and Lorna were behind me.

“For the record I am here because your mother just died. She was the one person that I have ever truly loved. I am here to pay my respects. I’m also here because you and Grace need to come home with me.”

“Bullshit.”

“Charlotte Elizabeth Wood, I forbid you to use that language.”

“Or what? You’ll ground me? You haven’t been in my life for five years. Plus, you disappeared from Mom and I three times before Grace was born. Do you know the hell that you put Mom through? After you left the last time Mom was so messed up that I have been the one raising Grace. Meanwhile you were sleeping with some chick from Mom’s work!”

“I think you should calm down. The two of us can go somewhere together and talk this out if you’d like. But you need to calm yourself down. Either way, you and your sister will be coming home with me.”

“Like hell I’m going anywhere with you.”

“Charlotte please, be rational. How will you support Grace on your own? I mean, I do hope that you won’t ship Grace off to a foster home until she turns eighteen. Do you know how horrible foster homes can be?”

“How dare you-” I started to say when Lorna cut me off.

“Excuse me Mr. Wood but you can’t just come in here and assume that these girls will be going with you. Have you thought that Charlotte made other arrangements?”

Vincent Wood looked shocked that someone besides me would speak up. “Um, who are you?”

“My name is Lorna. I own the daycare that you have been trespassing on for the past few days. I also am Charlotte and Grace’s guardian,” she finished and winked at me. It was then that I knew that everything was going to be okay. Perhaps she was being serious and this was her way of asking to be our guardian, or she was just saying this to get him off of my back. Either way I was happy she said it.

“No this can’t simply happen. I will get my lawyer and sue you for everything in addition to getting custody for my children.”

“What children? You don’t even know Grace! You left when she was two months old. And talking to her as a stranger for the past week doesn’t count as getting to know her. And don’t even get me started about our lack of relationship! I hated you when you left and I hated you when you came back. Believe it or not, I hate you now too.”

“I-I will get a lawyer.”

“Go ahead, but it won’t get you anywhere. For custody battles you have to consent the children. I don’t think that Grace and I will tell the judge that we want to live with you over Lorna. Speaking of, we’ve both known her since Grace was a year old.”

Vincent looked speechless. Just for that I laughed in my head. I took his lack of remarks as an opening. “Just leave. You don’t have any reason to come back here. Go.”

“A-alright then. I will leave. I hope for the best for you two girls.”

With that, Vincent Wood left the cemetery. It was the last that either Grace or I had seen of him forever.

“Ahem, Charlotte?” Lorna called.

“Oh thank you Lorna for what you just did.”

“I was actually going to talk to you about something. Since you told me that there weren’t any definite plans for your guardianship, I was wondering if you and Gracie would like to move in with us. We would love to be your guardians. Of course if you’d want to take responsibility for Grace when you turn eighteen, we’d understand.”

This time it was me who was at a loss for words. I looked at Grace to see if that’s what she wanted and she nodded at me. I then ran into Lorna’s arms. I couldn’t believe it; Grace and I would still be together and we wouldn’t have to live with any nut-job relatives.

The six of us left the cemetery with cheery spirits. Perhaps life was going to get better? I certainly hope so.