No Rhyme or Reason

Chapter 1

"If I live the life I'm given, I won't be scared to die" --The Once and Future Carpenter -- The Avett Brothers.

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"Did you know," my grandmother said to me as I sat down in my usual spot beside her on the couch. My gram had knitting needles in her hands and the news was on in the background. This was a typical evening for me, and I loved it.

"When we were in high school, your grandfather's mother didn't want him to see me. She forbade him from seeing me. Thought I was too wild for her precious baby boy." My grandmother smiled as she recalled the memory. I looked at my grandfather who was watching my grandmother tell the story with a smile and so much love in his eyes. 

This was what I loved about my grandfather the most. Whenever my grams would talk or tell a story, he would watch her with the most endearing look on his face, like he was happy to just sit and watch her forever.  

My grams looked at me. "So every night, after dark, he snuck out of his bedroom window, shimmied down the drain pipe, and ran as fast as he could through the fields to my house where we met up in secret."

My jaw dropped. "What?"

My grams nodded her head and laughed. "We never once got caught."

"Gram!" I said as I shook my head. "What are you teaching me," I joked. They both smiled at each other.

"To live life, Olivia. To always follow your heart."

I took in a deep breath and nodded my head. I was trying to. Ever since they took me in when I was seven years old, we became really close; I told them everything. They both knew how much I struggled with socializing, with putting myself out there, with making friends.

"Hunny," my grandmother said and looked at my gramps. "I just had the best idea. We should have your mother over for dinner tomorrow." 

My smile faded and I got that familiar pit in my stomach. 

My gramps gave a tight smile. "Sure thing, Marg." He looked at me and I gave him a weak smile. Of course, this would never happen, since my great grandmother passed when I was a baby. But memory loss was one of the biggest symptoms of dementia, and it had been getting worse in the last year. My grandfather and I learned that sometimes it was just easier to go along with what she was saying to not upset her. 

"Well, time for bed," my grams said. My grandfather immediately stood up from his chair and walked over to my grandmother sitting beside me on the couch. He reached out and helped her stand up.

My grandmother let out a deep breath as she struggled to her feet.

"Alright dear?" my gramps asked.

She nodded her head. "Alright."

"Love you," I said as I stood up and hugged my grams.

"Love you, sweetie," she said and then my gramps kissed me on my forehead. 

When I walked into my room, my phone went off. I laid down on my bed and checked my phone to see a text from my friend Ana.

Ana: We going out tomorrow night?

I sighed and replied.

Me: You know me...

That was code for no way.

Ana: Why did I have a feeling you would say that! Night xo.

Me: Night xo.

I hated saying no every time she asked me to go out with her, which was pretty much every single Friday night. Luckily, she didn't push me any harder than that. Even though she always asked, it was more of a formality and she never pressured me, which I loved about her.