Chapter 5

 

“Hey!” Came the enthusiastic reply. “This must be Sydney” he said.

“Yeah” I replied, “That's me”

“How are you doing, Sydney?” He asked, and sounded genuinely concerned.

“I'm doing better,” I said, “Much better.” I added smiling at Richie.
“That's good to hear. So are you coming back to Jersey?” He asked. “Yeah, I think we're coming back.” I said, looking at Richie for confirmation. He nodded and whispered “Today”. I relayed that back to Jon and we chatted for a little while longer.

“I hope to meet you soon, Sydney, you sound like you'd be fun to hang around with!” Jon said, over the phone. “Yeah, you too” I said and I meant it. He sounded like a really nice guy, and if Richie trusted him then he must be okay. It seemed like I put a lot of faith into Richie. He had become the rock in my life, and in such a short amount of time. It never ceased to amaze me just how quickly. I just hoped I didn't regret it. I smiled sadly when I came to realize that he was the only one I had left. He must have caught my sad look in my eyes behind the smile because he came over and wrapped his arms around me.

“Shhh,” he said. “It'll get easier and when you want to meet Jon in person, I'll be there with you. He's a good guy, Syd, and he'd never intentionally hurt you. He is like me, extremely protective of those he loves. He's got my back and I've got his.” He explained as I shook with silent tears. “I don't know what I would do without you, Richie,” I managed to get out. He chuckled and said “You'd still be sitting in that living room staring off into space.” I smiled slightly and snuggled into his warm chest, enjoying the way I felt protected. I'd come to depend on it. “I miss Mom and Dad” I mumbled. “ I know,” Richie said, choking up a bit. “But it will get easier as time goes on. It will. I know. When I lost Mom and Dad-” he cut off at this. He couldn't go on. I didn't know he had lost his parents. I looked up at him in confusion. “Three years ago, my Mom died of heart failure. Dad died six months ago of lung cancer.” He seemed to straighten himself up. “What's happened has happened.” he said, looking grim. “You cannot dwell on the past, it's unhealthy. Everyday after Mom died, Dad died a little bit more. He missed her so much that he wouldn't be happy until he was laying next to her. Oh, sure, he acted happy, but the smile didn't meet his eyes. I miss them both terribly, but to see your father lose his happiness and faith when Mom died, well, that was just sad to see. He wasn't the same man he was when Mom was alive.” He said. I thought about what he had said, and realized that I had been selfishly been thinking that if I had at least one parent left it would be better, but after listening to Richie, I came to realize that it was a blessing in disguise. I saw that if one of my parents had died, the other would die too. Maybe not in life, but attitude on life. They wouldn't be the same Mom or Dad that I knew before. Maybe I wouldn't get along so well with them, something to think about I suppose.

“You have to think about the good times you had with your family. You can't dwell on the fact that they are gone. You will drive yourself crazy. Focus on your memories, and know that they would not want you to live your life in the past. You have to move on.” I nodded in understanding. They always said that.

“Richie,” I said, hesitating a moment. “Could you do me a favour and take me to the cemetery before we go to Jersey?” Richie looked down at me in surprise. “Are you sure, hon?” I looked in his eyes and nodded firmly. I straightened myself, wiped my cheeks, and eyes, then stepped back. I looked up into Richie's concerned eyes. “I want to do it before we go back. I need the closure. I need to get on with my life. If I don't do it now, I may never. Then we can go back to Jersey. But first can we go to my school? I want to say goodbye to Mr Wilson. He was my favourite teacher there, and he was the only one that understood me. I owe him the visit. I need to say goodbye. He was the one that told me about the accident, and he calmed me down. He's a good man, Richie, and one of the few that I trust. He knows about what happened to me a few years ago.” Richie's eyes flashed in...protectiveness? “He helped me understand that what happened to me was not my fault, that I had no control over it and he helped me get over it.” I said, smiling slightly. “Just like you are helping me right now. Thanks for that by the way.” I added.

“It's no problem, sweetie. I'm happy to do it. Don't forget you are helping me too. You've helped me heal more than if I was alone.