Burning Paper Bridges

Chapter 2

Another reason he was ready to cut ties with his family. There are a few good people he'll continue to talk to because they're the few people he can trust and that actually try and help him. Two of his aunts, one of his uncles are understanding towards other things but that's it. His family in South Dakota is a big one because they taught him that family welcomes their own no matter what even if they have conflict, they try to fix it. They never abandon one of their family members, no matter how long it's been, no matter how far they are. The people who taught him this more directly have passed away down there. The only person who took care of him entirely passed away a year and a half ago. He cared very much for his grandfather. The rest of their family said he treated them unfairly because of the way he cared for Alastair but he's the only one who actually cared about him. He made sure he got his meds; He didn't care about his money like the others did. He actually talked to him, got to know what he liked, and made time for him. He got him help when his mental health got really bad. He was the only one who really called Alastair when he was in a psych ward. He put faith in his friends like he did and was there for him when they were gone. He tried to let him live the time he had left as a teenager, normally.

He had faith in him and because Alastair made sure to do what he needed to do; he was allowed to do things as a normal teenager. Then he died. It was so sudden, they all hoped he would recover. They wouldn't let Alastair and the other babies see him in the hospital although that was more his doing then theirs because he didn't want them to see him like that, especially Alastair. He still managed to find a way to talk to him by eavesdropping on a conversation about his info in the hospital. It wasn't right but he needed to talk to him one last time. He had begged him to stay but he knew he couldn't. He talked about his siblings, and he told him he wanted him to stay for them even if it wasn't for him but in the end he passed. They said he could have made it because his health stopped declining but in the end he went. Maybe it was to teach Alastair that he needed to put himself first. Alastair still had a hard time with everything. It got even harder when he really needed that shoulder to cry on and the person to vent to. No one filled that hole. No one could fill that hole. He knew that he couldn't mourn him forever, but healing was harder when the one person who really cared for you leaves so suddenly. He knew it wasn't long before it happened though. As all the thoughts came back, he took a break from job hunting to write in his journal.

His grandfather knew his time was coming too. He gave Alastair his wedding band and the bracelet and watch he wore all the time. He gave him his heart surgery pillow, his expensive film cameras, and his powwow drum. He gave him all his sweaters, his robe and the jar of money he saved for him since Alastair started living with them. Alastair's "I love you" fund was written on the jar. He really did love his grandfather, he wished he could do everything to trade places with him but he knows that's not what he wants. He went to college to try for him. His grandfather has become his driving force to stay alive, to help others as much as he could. Even with the little he has. Alastair stared at his notebook as the tears fell. How could god take such a great man from the earth? Maybe as a lesson? Alastair learned everything from his grandfather even if he didn't know that. Alastair never asks for anything in return for his good deeds but to be understood and he has accepted that not everyone will. A lot of people told Alastair that if it was up to his grandfather, he would have gotten everything and maybe that's why they hate him but he could care less about everything else. He's got the most important things to his grandfather. His ring and his bracelet. The bracelet clasp broke but he keeps it in a safe place so he'll never lose it. He continues wearing the ring even though it's a bit small.

Alastair looked down at his hand as he spun it around his finger. He would never take it off and he would never want to. He wanted to be buried with it when the time came. Alastair smiled at the thought before shutting his notebook and laptop. He got up from the table and laid on the living room couch to watch tv for a bit before he got ready for work. He ended up setting a timer for a couple minutes later so he could do his laundry. He needed to get it done because the clothes he wished to wear during the trip were in there. After moving them around and setting the alarm, he laid across the couch as his dog laid with him. He had quickly fallen asleep but just as quickly as he did, he heard the alarm go off. It was set for 40 mins later. He groaned as he got up and got his things ready. He didn't dread his job but he was so mentally exhausted and it didn't help that he didn't get enough sleep to help. His manager picked him up as they drove to work together. He went on about his culture as the topic came up about this drive he would be participating in. His job consisted of teaching children of all ages how to swim. There were different levels for the different ages and the advancement of the skills. He taught mostly level 2-5. He quite enjoyed his job and even more since it was a mostly good day. He enjoyed talking to his coworkers more. As he got off and headed out to his mom's car who was waiting for him. His brother was in the front seat making funny hand signs.

He rolled his eyes and forced a smile because he didn't want to come off as rude or pissed. He made sure not to give any ammo for them to fire back at him. He told them about his day even though he was positive they didn't care since they had never asked before. The ride home was quiet after that. When they arrived home, Alastair went straight to the shower to get out of his chlorine scented clothes. He managed to revive his hair which was fried from dying it and it didn't help that the chlorine made it worse. He washed his hair, making sure the chlorine was completely washed out then putting conditioner to set while he washed up quickly.

He finished washing his hair and got out. He put on his outfit for the ride as the tv played coryxkenshin videos. His mom left for work around 10 so they waited for a text for her to be on her way back. When the clock read 12:00, Alastair and his brother began to load everything into their vehicle. He made sure his dog had everything he needed to be alright on his own for a day or two. He then put him up as his mom walked in and quickly got changed for the trip. He was up for a bit writing in his journal but as they continued down the road, he began to doze off before falling asleep. He woke every so often to hear the music change to a tv show playing and for mom to switch from driving to resting as her boyfriend drove for 3 hours. After a while they stopped at a gas station. Alastair got out as did his 14-year-old brother. They walked into the station to use their bathroom as did their mom's boyfriend.