Summer Surprises

#14-Goodbye (Part 1)

I open my eyes and the sun rays fall on me. I just stare out of the sky and think how the summer has been for me. And I wish, I just wish I could relive them again.

Reality's a bitch.

I groan loudly and turn on my bed,not wanting to get off my bed and face the ugly bitch.

Today is the last day in France. I feel emptiness, nothing in my heart. And this emptiness hurts when I realize that the summer is over.

"Morning small sis!" I hear Gregory.

"Morning big bro." I reply to him not very enthusiastically.

"Low today, are we?" He asks me rolling on his bed to face me.

"Gregory? Can I ask you something?"

"Yes anything Lisa!" He assures me.

"I know I shouldn't talk about this. But how hard was it to say goodbye to Melanie?" I can't believe I actually asked him this.

This has been never spoken. No one has ever mentioned her name to Gregory not after happened what happened a year ago.

My brother wasn't a player, a year ago. He was so madly in love with Melanie. He gave her everything. They were such a cute couple. I was jealous of them in fact.  You could see by the way they used to look at each other, they were so in love.

Until, one day, he came to know that she's moving to Australia to treat her brain cancer. He was broken. We didn't know how they exchanged goodbyes or whether they even said goodbye?

He didn't talk to any of us for months. But later, he starting going to parties and banging a random girl every night.

We all know that he's not that kind of a person. We even tried talking him into seeing a counsellor. But he just wouldn't listen to us.

He stays so quiet and that silence kills me and I regret that I asked him about this.

"Lisa...that goodbye was the hardest in my life. She made me promise to her that I would never come in search of her or try to contact her.I..I..I...watched her leave that day. The car sped off and I stood there helpless. I wanted to scream. Life is so unfair Lisa.  I loved her...I still love her." A few tears leaves his eyes.

I rush to him and hug him. He stays there for a while. I break the hug and he wipes his tears.

Never did I know That my brother Gregory can cry!

"Is..she...?" I stop mid sentence realizing what I'm about to ask is going to break my brother more.

I wish that the curiosity in me would just stop me from doing stupid things.

"I know what you're asking. I don't know if she's alive or not. But when she left, she told me that she only had four to six months. But I like to believe that, she's cured and happy where ever she is.  She will always be my Melanie." He tells me and stares right out of the window.

I don't ask much more. I'm glad that my brother opened up after all these months.

Is this going to be the hardest ever goodbye?

Or just a temporary one? We can still keep in touch. Maybe we can be friends. That's going to be awkward.

Oh Robert! Why do you have to do this to me?

"Lisa, if this is about Robert. I saw you guys all summer and I know both of you have a thing for each other deep down. But there's something called reality and it kills you every second of your life. I've gone through that. Whatever happens, you're the most nicest person I have ever seen. I know for sure that you will make the right decision. I'm always going to be there for you, okay?" He tells me and I nod smiling at him. He gives me a kiss on my forehead and leaves the room.

Gregory only does that when I'm broken, Like during my breakups.

I hear my phone ring and I walk towards it and it shows Robert on the caller ID.

Hello Robert!

Lisa..you ..I ..my ...

Robert, what happened? Are you okay?

Lisa...my..grandma..she..I..left ....me ...

Oh my god! Did I just hear that right? Not now, he loved his grandma so much.

Oh god, no, not on the last day of summer.