𝓘𝓷 𝓶𝔂 𝓯𝓮𝓮𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼 //James Hetfield

Chapter 1 - Open House

7:00 am. My alarm went off.

I was unable to sleep all night. My eyes are dried up from all the wasted tears that kept rolling all night long along my cheeks. I "sleep" but I don't rest. I must have waited a minute before turning my alarm off. Unhappy and disappointed to start a new day.

I reached for to my phone on my nightstand to turn my alarm off and wander around social media to push back even more the moment I will have to wake up. I got up and took out some pants from a cardboard box and a shirt from my dresser. An old dresser that screams in pain anytime I just throw away my clothes in it. Cardboard boxes tired of holding in my stuff since two weeks.

I moved in with my grandmother two weeks ago. I couldn't be by myself, her either. I don't know if I'm taking care of her or if she takes care of me the most. We need each other. And I end up using her care as an excuse for not having the time to put away my stuff, while in truth I just don't have the motivation. Every time I try I just think about her...

I lost my mom from cancer. She recently passed away. I think about her all the time. I don't know if I will be able to ever love somebody new. In whatever way... it's just... it's just... too hard.

I got out of the shower and got ready to work at the pharmacy. After fixing my hair and making them look even more messy than they were before. (It looks like one of those 80s dude... what was his name again? Oh Axl Rose! I think he had those back in the time. But what do I know, I'm not into that.) Anyway, just know that I didn't do it on purpose. It'd be uglier if I did.

After my excessive use of self deprecating humour I lose my quick sarcastic smile to go and wake my grandmother up. She's in her room waiting for me to give her her medicine. No cancer. Arthritis. But whatever it was, she was still the second most important and the last person I had in my life. And it hurts me.

"- Grandma."  i whisper.
"- Grandma, time to wake up. And to take your medicine, oh and breakfast too. You need to eat that." i said, a bit overwhelmed.

Her eyes slowly opened and she looked at me. She put her hand on my cheek and she says :

"- Your mother was like you, always running around to be sure she doesn't forget something. You look so much like her dear."

I chuckled softly and I was happy to be reminded of this sweet part of my mother. 

"- Haha! Good morning grandma." i said, kissing her cheek.
"- You need to get up, Stacy's gonna be there in a minute." i then proceeded.
"- Oh yeah you're right! I'm sure Stacy is going to be jealous of my nightgown if she sees it." she laughed.
"- Of course she is, who wouldn't?" i laughed too.

We continued on getting her prepared trying to have a light witty conversation as we used to. It didn't feel the same without my mother around but it felt peaceful. She would love this.

Stacy is a nurse who takes care of my grandma since my grandpa passed away when I was 14. He was the only man of my life. My father has never been in the picture. He was my true father. Stacy takes such good care of her since he's gone. She might be a little bit older than me but she is still my best friend. I have very few friends, but she is the best I've ever had.

Meanwhile I took my grandmother to her chair in the living room. She loved to watch old shows on her vintage tv. She stops on a sitcom my mother used to watch when she was little. It makes her laugh and smile. It makes me a little sad but I don't care as long as my grandma is happy.

*knock knock*

I looked over at the door.

"- Oh! She must be here grandma. I'm gonna be late for work anyway. See you after work, I love you!" i said, kissing her forehead.
"- Ok sweetheart. I love you too." she said holding my hand lovingly.

She held my hand like this for a second and finally let go. I make my way to the door and open it.

"- Good morning Stacy!" i said, her and i handshaking.
"- Good morning girl!" she replied.

I let her walk in with a bag of stuff my grandma likes.

"- I haven't given her her medicine yet but she still has time." i told her, pressed.
"- Don't worry girl! I'll be taking care of her from now on. We're gonna go out for lunch and redo the garden. I know she loves that! Now shoosh! Get your ass to work!" she said jokingly.
"- That's my grandma not yours Stacy." i sticked out my tongue to tease her.
"- Oh no! How will I live now knowing that?!" she fakes being shot in the heart. "Anyway, have a good day Ann!"
"- You two have a good day! I'll be back around 6pm." i said before walking out the door.

Next door on the right side of my grandma's house the house there was having an open house. People were coming in and out all looking like they came from money. My grandmother and I are living in a house in L.A that's located, very luckily, in a very high end part of the town. I don't come from money, and I don't think I ever will. Money is even tight at the moment between all the expenses for my mother and my grandmother. But they are necessary and I don't care. We have enough to get through everything. That was all that was important. Still we live in this very good area of L.A. Back in the time, housing was not as expensive as it is today. My great-grandmother bought this house for nothing when she came to the country. Today it still has this early 1940s look but it's clean and beautiful. It's not as big as the ultra modern houses around. But there are other houses like ours. And it makes it look all the more odd. "Los Angeles" some might say. But it's not as ugly as one might think tho. The ultra modern houses populated by rich people that for most of them are giving us looks of disappointment every time they see us are kind of ruining it but the other houses like ours are old family houses. Some only habited in the summer, some by families. I didn't knew much about any of the neighbours around but it was without saying that it was a discreet neighbourhood. On the other hand, the house next to my grandmother's was a mix of both. Big house, very big, but with an old timey feeling. This house was beautiful. But empty. But today it seemed like it was getting sold.

I looked at the house while getting in my car and noticed different couples stopping by.

I hope they'll be nice.