Honey Tea Lemon Tree

Chapter Four

 I told Daddy and Lorraine what had happened, and sure enough, they were there to give me emotional support.
"I, I thought we were in love," I sobbed to them.
Lorraine took my hand comfortingly. "Falling in love isn't a romantic process," she said. "It's all about being dedicated to someone you care about very much. Sometimes people fall in love with people they would never consider dating, like how parents fall in love with their children."
"Yeah," Daddy agreed. "I'm in love with you, Carli, because you're my baby and a member of my family. And going through your period of anger didn't change that one bit."
I smiled. Their support was helpful, but to me the best support came from Oceanus. He would let me cry on his shoulder whenever I needed it, brought me flowers from outside, and even drew a picture of he and I holding hands. I still have that picture, as a matter of fact. It's above my bed, hanging in a purple frame. And because he didn't talk, I began to tell him all my secrets. I guessed Daddy was right about him being a good confidant.

Eventually I left Dylan in the past and things only got better as time went on. My dad got a healthy paying job, and found a cheap place to stay nearby. As I felt feelings of sadness and betrayal, I learned to accept them and brought myself to forgive my mother. And even better, I became closer to Lorraine and Oceanus. I played games with him and did all sorts of fun things with him, but my favorite activity was listening to him play the piano. Eventually I developed a love for music. All kinds of music in all sorts of genres, but my favorite music to listen to was his. Lorraine noticed this, approached me and asked me if I wanted to learn to play the piano. I was feeling adventurous and open to anything at the time, so I gave it a go - and wasn't very good at it. However, I found that I had a knack for songwriting and knowing which notes went with which, so I began writing songs with Lorraine and Oceanus. 

Weeks turned to months, and months turned to a year. Back in the city, I went to a ghetto public school where fights were frequent and getting hold of marijuana was no hard task. So, my dad put me on a digital education program, and I found that without bad influences my grades were excelling. 

With all this happening, I could easily agree that life was perfect. For me, at least. Lorraine on the other hand....well, her polio was getting worse. She sat me, Oceanus and Daddy down and told us about it. 
"The doctor said the polio could spread to my respiratory muscles," she said. "and if that happens, it could impede my breathing. "
I was petrified. "What's the worst case scenario?"
"The worst case scenario," she replied, "is that I won't be able to breathe."
"And...die?"
She sighed. "I'm afraid so."
I felt my eyes water. Tears spilled over down my cheeks. Lorraine saw and placed her hand on mine. "Don't worry dear. I've had a long, wonderful life."
"But, who's going to take care of Oceanus...?" I glanced at him for a second. He was crying, too. I held him close and let him rest his head on my shoulder.
Lorraine gazed knowingly at me for a second. I knew what she meant, and I was frozen with fear. "I- I can't do it..."
"You've been doing an excellent job of it, Carli," Daddy said. "And he's been making you so happy."
"Yeah but, I couldn't imagine looking after him 24/7..."
"I'll help you." he said. I hugged Oceanus tighter.
Lorraine got a hold of the legal system, and signed a form that would put Oceanus in our custody after she passed away. 

A few months passed. Lorraine was holding up fine, but the fact that she could die was gnawing away at me inside. I would confess my feelings to Oceanus, who would keep it a secret. At night, when I tucked him in and put him to bed, I'd kiss him goodnight and sometimes even cuddled with him until he fell asleep. I knew he was as nervous as I was. 

I hate to say it, but I actually felt a wave of relief wash over me when my dad got a call from the local hospital, saying Lorraine didn't have much time left.