THE FORGIVEN BITE

I'll be there with you always. Forever...

Chapter 7

A drop of tear rolled down my cheek as I knelt down and put roses on the grave. I brushed my hand over the marble tomb stone, revealing the names written on it that were been concealed by the dust.

Death is not the end,

But mere a beginning…

Mr. & Mrs. Natalie Graham Pritchard

They shall live forever in our hearts…

Another drop of tear escaped my eyes, as I read the engraved words. Whenever I read these words, I got a strange feeling as if my parents wanted to tell me something unsaid through these words.

“I love you, Mum. I love you, Dad. I wish you were here with me,” I whispered through constricted throat. “But I know you are watching over me, probably giving me the same smile you have in the photo in which… in which we are together. I know you can hear me.” I looked up in the clear, blue sky as few more tears rolled down my cheek, but I wiped them away.

Stupid tears!

People might think I was being naïve, crying over an incident that happened seventeen years before, crying over the loss of my parents whom I didn’t see at all. But I didn’t need to justify it. I was the one suffering and no one would have known it better than me that how it felt to blame yourself for your parent’s death over the years. This day was the constant reminder of how unlucky I was. It was their Death Anniversary, a word as sharp as a blade.

 I am a strong girl. I shouldn’t cry, I reminded myself and took a deep breath to stop the tears. Ron squeezed my shoulder gently and helped me stand up. I looked at him through blurry eyes and when I tried to bit back a cry, a sob escaped my lips.

“Hey, it’s alright to cry.” Ron pulled me in his arms, holding tightly, while I muffled my cries in his chest. He caressed my back lightly.

“I’m here with you, Ash, and will always be with you.” He pulled me apart and cupped my face, wiping my tears with his thumb. “We all are with you. You are not alone. And your Gran, she just loves you unconditionally. I have always known you to be a strong girl. I like it that way.” His lips pulled up in a smile that surely reached his green eyes. I tried to smile back. “Shall we go or do you want to freak Mr. Hill, because the star of ‘The Elite High of Wells’ has not yet graced it with his presence?” He made a vague gesture at himself which only made me to roll my eyes.

“As if.” I chuckled at the absurdity of the situation where in I wanted to cry as well laugh. And hence the chuckle came out more like a snort.

Ron raised his brow, but I shrugged and started towards the parking lot.

“You are hurting my ego, Ash.”

I shook my head, but a smile appeared on my lips. That was what Ron was capable of doing.

While in car, I stared at my best friend, who usually couldn’t stop talking, driving silently now. Because he knew it too well that I needed some lonely time this day. At that moment I realized, even if I didn’t have my parents, I was lucky to have Ron beside me. He, always, was beside me.

**************

“Ash, coach has summoned us for the swimming practice. Will you be okay-”

“I’ll be fine, Ron,” I said, flashing him a smile- a forced smile. “You should go for the practice. That’s important too. And I will help you with the notes. No worries.”