Alone With Ross

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I remember it was a cold night, it was in August just a month short of her birthday when I had gotten the news. I found out how others found out, through a phone call in the middle of the night. You always expect the worst if you have someone asking for your attention when it's past 9pm. The news didn't hit me at first, because I didn't believe it to be true. Because in my head this person was untouchable, that stuff like this shouldn't happen to someone who gives so much.

Violet Madrid-Hase passed away peacefully in her sleep the night of August 3rd.

I had just been about to fall asleep, it was a busy day, from running Raven to her lessons to the faucet breaking, it was just a day of domestic chaos and sleep was much needed.

After the call I lied there in silence, a flood of memories coming to mind. Like how much she'd smile when I visited. How she would cause a big fuss and make sure I had everything I needed, and she'd constantly check in on Raven. How she'd treat me like her own.

I then sat up, knowing that if I kept this from her a second longer she wouldn't talk to me, so gathering myself and the tears I had yet to shed I walked out of my room and down the hall to Raven's door that was plastered with a stay out sign and butterfly stickers from when she was five or six.

She is what most people would call a troubled child, she acts out a lot so her friendships are minimal. She's quiet and yet loud. She's polite and sarcastic, she's smart and yet insecure.

She isn't me nor is she her mother. She's perfect.

I opened the door tentatively peeking in to see her arm dangling off of her bed, her hair splayed around wildly. I turned on her light and went in further to shake her shoulder, rousing her.

"Hmm?" She peeked out of her black hair (which Danielle claimed she got from her grandfather) in confusion. "Dad?" She stretched some more and sat up. "What Time is it?"

"It's just after nine." I answered quietly. "Listen hun," I sat on her bed and her arms fell limp from her stretches and I put my arm around her and she lazily rested her head on my shoulder. "I got a call from Rich, and he said Grandma Vi passed away."

Raven tensed up and I rubbed her arm soothingly.

"It was in her sleep so there was no pain, and she's in a much better place." I reassured her and I began to hear her sniffles.

"Grandma Vi?" She uttered out in disbelief, it still hadn't hit me yet but watching Raven brake down got me holding back tears.

"C-can we watch those videos, dad? The ones grandma recorded?" She asked and I nodded my head making her gather up her blankets to go to the living room. And there we spent that whole night watching old home videos, ones of me being in Bumpy Roads, and others of Raven from holidays spent at Mama Vi's.

Within the next three weeks we had to go down to Indiana for the funeral as well as the will and helping Rich pack up some of Vi's things.

Rich decided to have the will hearing first to get it out of the way so we'd have more time to grieve. So a small group of people ushered into an office as a man read off the items Vi felt she wanted others to have.

"To Piper's family goes all of her fine china sets. She also has left this note." The man slid the note down the desk and I watched as Piper came to claim it.