I don't know how long we stayed like that, but when the tears finally dried, I felt a little bit better. I was still raw, and the pain still lingered, but something had changed. I couldn't pinpoint what, exactly; I just knew that something was just a little bit better.
Keenan reached behind the sofa and picked up his guitar. He strummed a few chords, the solemn melody resonating with my soul. The lyrics came easily, and I lost myself in the music.
"I was a mother, but only for a moment," I sang quietly.
She was there, and then she was gone
Precious bundle of sunlight hidden away
Deep beneath the ground, at rest
Or maybe living finally, but with another
"Where are you now?
Did you ever know me?
Do you even remember?
Hold you close in my dreams
Never to be awake
Never to cry or smile or live
Where are you now?"
Keenan played through the verse again, figuring out just the right melody for the song. The rest of the lyrics came just as easily as the first verse.
""You were my love once, but no longer
You were here, then you were gone
You've gone on to wherever you are
Dead but never gone from my mind
Buried but never forgotten by the living
Where are you now?
Did you ever know me?
Do you even remember?
Hold you close in my dreams
Never to be awake
Never to cry or smile or live
Where are you now?"
Keenan smiled a thin smile, one that couldn't hope to cover up the pain he felt. I felt tears prick at my eyes, but something in me needed to finish this song. I would probably never sing it in front of anyone else, and Keenan would probably never play it with his band, but I needed this song. I didn't understand it, but it was this huge pull in my heart to finish. So, I finished it. It hurt and it healed all at once, but I somehow finished it.
"Where did you go?
Why'd you leave us here?
You're the love of our lives
But now you've gone away
We need you here
We need you here...
Where are you now?
Did you ever know me?
Do you even remember?
Hold you close in my dreams
Never to be awake
Never to cry or smile or live
Where are you now?"
Keenan played the final chords before putting his guitar away. That neutral mask that I hated so much was covering his face. He took our now cold tea mugs back into the kitchen. When he sat down next to me again, the mask was crumbling. "You'll always be a mother," he whispered before pulling me into his arms and collapsing back into tears.
YOU ARE READING
Dancing With Keenan
RomanceGrief stole Delilah's life. Sadness and anger replaced the carefree days of music and laughter that had once filled her life until a favor for a friend brings her back to someone she used to know. She hasn't seen Keenan since he left two years ago...
