The Streets Return Of Martinez

44. Fresh Start

It was silent on the drive through the city. We passed endless city streets full of people and different buildings. We passed many malls, theatres, restaurants, tourist places, fancy houses on top of small rolling hills. We rolled up one as I was thinking, stopping at iron gates. The spikes rose into the sky, dark and ominous against the now pink coloured sky.

I felt my blood run cold as I read the sign on the stone columns that held up the gate. The cemetery. The gates opened before I could protest and he drove deeper and deeper inside. I hadn't realized how big the site was as I psychically felt the distance between me and the gate. I wouldn't be able to run that far to escape or before Cole caught up to me.

He parked, taking out the keys to the ignition. He got our and closed his door behind him, coming over to my side, opening the door for me. I didn't move. I felt like I was glued to the seat. My mother was buried in here somewhere, aligned with the same identical headstones with the same writing and some cheesy quote.

"Why the fuck did you bring me here?" I turned to him, bleary eyed and red faced.

He extended his tanned arm out to me, his equally as dark eyes meeting mine. "Get out of the car and I'll show you." Robotically I grabbed his hand and he pulled me out, shutting the door behind me. He pulled me through row after row upon headstones, some with flowers and others not. There were some that looked like they hadn't been visited in years and new tombstones. Here is where he stopped me, looking down at the name with a blank face.

I followed his gaze and my breath was knocked out of me. The headstone was black with a white inscription, tons of photos lay by the head of it and a couple of pictures. The grass I was standing on was newer than most, a darker looking green. I knelt on it, reaching out and gently touching it with the edge of my fingertips.

Zeke Sky Oct 12 1999- August 28 2017. A father, friend, lover, son, taken too soon.

I pressed my fingertips back to my mouth, my eyes wide. Hot tears rolled down my cheeks and landed on some of the flowers that were on the stone. I had missed his funeral when I was in hospital, my therapist saying that it would've been unhealthy to attend. Something about it setting me back weeks and so I had listened to her.

But now I re read the words on the slab over and over again. Father? His parents knew nothing of me being pregnant.

Cole kneeled down in front of the headstone beside me, distracting me. It was a smaller headstone than any of of the other ones that were in this row. It was also fresh, this one being white, rare for a stone with black cursive writing. I leaned closer to look at the inscription on this one too, assuming it was his mom's.

It felt as if my heart was being ripped to shreds. My breathing became hitched and out of control as I used him as support to lean on. He accepted this, throwing his right arm around my shoulders and squeezing gently as the words settled into my brain.

Evelyn Rose Blake. The daughter that never was but wanted to be.

"I figured she should be beside her dad." He mumbled into my hair, my eyes never leaving the tombstone. It was a beautiful act of kindness and love, making my heart feeling heavy.

By now, the air has turn cool and the sky was now a dark purple, the sun minutes away from setting. Around us, crickets started to make noises and the breeze had become cooler making me shiver. He gripped my shoulders and all but dragged me to my feet. He didn't drag me back to the car to do god knows what else. Instead he cupped my cheek, rubbing his thumb slowly on it as he put our foreheads together.

"Please stop crying," he begged. I felt my lip quiver. He put his thumb on it, making it stop.

"I need you to listen to me carefully," he whispered. I nodded my head.

"That could be you down there. I could be standing here crying over your grave like you're crying over theirs right now. But you're right here. You're with me. I don't care how much you've changed or what it'll take from me to help you get where you need to be. The others will help you too," I heard a snap of a tree branch behind us, making me flinch closer to him.

I looked over my shoulder from the corner of my eye, seeing all the others approach. They all looked so different but yet still more or less the same.

"I think I can speak from all of us when I say you're not alone. We're here for you to be whatever you need us to be. If you don't want us to be here, we're going to respect that too." He used his thumb to direct my gaze back to him.

We were incredibly close, almost nose to nose touching. "Promise me something?" I said, loud enough for the others to hear.

"Anything," he gripped my hip with his other hand tightly.

"Promise me that our kids will never grow up on The Streets like we did."

"I promise," he said. He pressed his lips lightly to mine, making me sigh. I had missed him a lot too and the others.

Hugs were given to me from around the group with whispered promises in my ear. It felt good, better than I thought it was going to be to be back in the arms of my family. It was the beginning of the next part of our lives. I had a lot to get through before I could ever describe myself as happy. But this was the next chapter in my life and anything was possible.