Let Me Help You.

IV

Redcar Lane was the backdrop of my early days

Two dog of cider, Borough Park

Took me a while to find my place in Rye Hills School

Until I sang and played guitar

Homecoming ~ James Arthur

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In this chapter, Lucy helps Elise open up about a part of her life, but not everything. Concerned for the young girl she only met a few days ago, Lucy invites Elise to her house, where something unexpected happens. Elise starts laughing after a while and regains her happiness. It's a chapter about trust, friendship, and finding joy.

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I slowly turned around, hearing her voice ring through my ears again. "Let me help you." She whispered once more, and I had a feeling that I had never ever felt before. "O-Okay..." I spoke back and I think she was more taken aback than I was. "Thank you." She smiled back and gestured for me to come and sit back down on one of the nearby benches, which I did... hesitantly.

"So, start from the very beginning." Lucy spoke and I doubted telling her – in fact, I didn't. "So, when I was 18..." I started but she cut me off. "Start from the beginning." She emphasised but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I didn't want more sympathy than I was already going to get. "I can't..." I whispered and she nodded, telling me to carry on.

"When I was 18, I moved out of my father's home in England and came to live here, with my mum and brother: Melissa and Ben. Not even a year later, she passed away from undiagnosed cancer and left Ben to look after me. He is 10 years older than me, so he is capable of doing so, but then literally 6 days ago, he left to go back to England with his fiancée. He wanted me to come with him, but I just can't handle going back. I feel like I have more to give here, and I want to do more here, but I just can't handle being alone." I spoke with tears slowly coming down my face.

I wasn't looking at her at all, I was just staring off into the dark ocean. "Can I ask you a very personal question?" Lucy asked and I nodded, knowing exactly what she was going to ask. "How did you cope with your mother passing?" She whispered and I took a deep breath. "I... I carried on as normal. I didn't cry until yesterday..." I spoke and she pulled a confused face. "How long ago did she pass away?" She asked and I told her.

"So, you haven't cried in over a year and a half?" She asked and I shook my head. "No, I haven't... I've thought about her, of course, and I know she passed. It's not like I'm in denial, but it's just... I struggle with emotions within the death aspect, I think." I spoke honestly and she nodded. "Okay, I get that. I'm proud that you're finally talking about it. Have you talked to anyone about this before? Your brother?" She asked but I shook my head to that as well.

"He used to want to talk about her, and try and get me to digest the fact that mum wasn't coming home anymore, but he stopped after a while because he knew it was getting me nowhere. If he would talk about it, I'd just walk off, not wanting to hear it." I whispered and she nodded slowly.

"Now, about him. Why didn't you go back to England with him? Like is it just because you want to stay here? Can you elaborate on that?" She whispered, a little iffy of the answer I was going to give her, but I couldn't tell her. "I just think that I haven't spent long enough here, and that I can't just up and leave because my mum passed, you know?" I spoke but I knew that she knew I wasn't telling her something, but she didn't pressure me, luckily.