Yours Truly, Austin Post - Post Malone

30

Ava tries to clean up in the kitchen a little but it's really hard with only one hand. She could put the baby down as Austin has a little crib by his couch in the kitchen but she just can't make herself do it. She does stop and stare at the couch though. He is still writing songs, which is great and it looks like it's his preferred spot - his son securely by his side. She sees a children's book on the armrest and curiosity has her peeping at it. Her heart squeezes when she sees what Austin has done. She picks it up and places it on the kitchen counter. The cover is a drawing of a flaming red-haired woman in a bright summer dress walking in an orchard with a brown furry puppy. She opens the cover and finds the first page is a photo of Gracie sitting on a bench under a pear tree smiling at the camera. Gracie had a beautiful smile that still makes Ava's chest warm.

She turns the page and sees a drawing of the red-haired woman looking rather perplexed at empty pie dishes. There's an illustration at the bottom of the page.

The pies are all finished. What is Gracie to do?

She flips over the page. Gracie has a light bulb above her head and a smile on her face.

Gracie has an idea. She will pick fruit from her orchard and make more pies.

Ava flips through the book and it's a sweet story of Gracie walking through her orchard and picking the best fruit from her orchard while the warm breeze plays with her hair, she makes her pies but, in the end, is left with empty pie dishes again after her big silly puppy gets into her kitchen and eats all her pies. Austin has had the book made to read it to his son - to keep Gracie alive in some way.

Ava places the book carefully back on the armrest. "You are one lucky boy," she whispers to the sweet little sleeping cherub in her arms. He wriggles a little then stretches and suddenly Ava hears an explosion in his diaper.

"Goodness. That was violent," Ava giggles then stops when the smell hits her nose. "Wow, what has your father been feeding you?" she asks walking down to the bedrooms. She peeps into the spare rooms and sees they are still the same until she gets to her old room. It's the closest room to Austin's so it only makes sense that it would now be the baby's room. She pushes the door open and stands in the doorway.

It's beautiful.

Gone is the bed she had slept in as well as all the furniture, in its place sits a beautiful large white crib, a large changing table, and a comfy-looking rocking chair. There are pictures of Austin's and Gracie's families on the wall above the changing table and the wall near the crib is a mural. It takes up the whole wall - it's of Gracie walking in her orchard.

There is a mobile handing over the crib made of sticks and leaves - she bets Austin's nephews have made that for their new little cousin. She also sees a pile of coloring books and crayons with brushes and pretty hair bands - left behind by Austin's nieces when they visit, she's sure.

There are two framed pictures on the windowsill and a name in big block letters that catch her eye. One photo is of Austin holding his newborn son and the other is of his nephews and nieces smiling at the camera as they sit on a couch proudly showing off their new cousin who is asleep on the lap of Austin's oldest nephew. But, its name in big block letters makes a lump form in her throat.

GRAYSON

"Grayson. That's your name? It's a beautiful name. I bet your dad chose that name very carefully," she says placing Grayson carefully down on the changing table. "I have been here for only two hours, Grayson, and I can tell that you are very much loved - buckle up, you are going to have a wonderful life," Ava says as she fishes out a new diaper.

"Ok. Let's see the damage," she says as she starts unbuttoning his romper. She will have to get him a fresh one as some poop has leaked out of his diaper. Then she opens the diaper. "Wow, your dad was not joking - you don't play around with your poops," she says with a laugh and a little gag. It takes her a good fifteen minutes to clean him up and dress him in a fresh diaper and romper. She breathes in that newborn smell again - it's so good. It's easy to understand how babies can be so healing when the simple smell of them makes you smile.

She lifts him and he scrunches back into that little tree frog as she cuddles him to his chest. "If you promise to have a good sleep now I will put you by your dad while I go tackle that kitchen," she says. Grayson lets out a little squeak so she takes that as a yes. She tiptoes into Austin's room and sees he is out cold, the poor guy. But, he has had a shower and already looks a thousand times better than he did when she arrived. She places Grayson in the little blanket nest Austin had made for him in his bed.

Austin's hand reaches out for Grayson immediately in his sleep, letting Grayson's little fingers curl around his large finger. Ava watches them for a few seconds making sure they are both soundly asleep. Grayson has a lot of Gracie in him but she can see Austin too - he has been given all the best parts of his parents.

She looks around the room and sees nothing has changed. Time has stood still in this room. All their pictures are still in frames under the tv, even the book Gracie had been reading is still placed on her bedside table - placed exactly as she had left it. This room still belongs to Gracie and Ava does not doubt that Gracie is watching over her two boys now as they sleep.

Her eyes drift out to the patio and she sees Gracie's tea cup is still on the table - Austin has not moved it in the last two years. He has not moved on and Ava does not think he ever will, but that's ok, he does not need to. He is moving forward, he's healing and learning to live life without her - that's all that matters.

Ava takes some of Austin's discarded dirty sour milk clothes and heads to the kitchen. She starts a load of washing and then cleans up the kitchen and has to do the den too - these are the spaces in this huge house that Austin and Grayson use.

Because the is such a gem she makes a huge lasagna that he can cut up, freeze then reheat for at least a week.