21 Days To Live

Day 18, 19 & 20

Wednesday
4:02 pm

I had a surprise for Gemma, and I was sure she was going to like it. This morning she had been sad due to the fact that she had thought she didn't have a dress to wear. But, I had just the one for her.

I knocked twice, then waited outside her room to open up.

She opened up the door, dressed in a t-shirt and shorts, and her messily tied in a pony-tail.

"Don't you have to go to the dance today?" I asked her, already knowing what she would say.

She let me in the room without any questions asked, then jumped on her bed and sat with her back facing me.

"I'm not really sure I want to go," she admitted with a sigh. "Dances aren't really my thing, I've come to realize."

I bit my lip then walked over to her, holding the dress in a bag behind my back.

"That's bad news then. I guess the dress I got for you might have to go to waste," I told her, placing the bag in front of her.

Her eyes widened in excitement as she stared at the bag then looked up at me.

"You got me a dress?" She questioned excitedly.

I nodded, smiling as she looked inside of the bag at the same dress she had worn two days ago.

"You got the dress for me," she mumbled. "Was that the reason why you took me shopping in the first place? So I could buy a dress?"

I nodded again, "Isn't that what mothers are for? They're suppose to help their daughters pick out a dress for their first dance."

"Thank you," she spoke, a genuine smile on her face.

After standing there for a while, I decided my work there was done and so I began to leave the room when Gemma called out for me.

"I think mothers are also suppose to help dress their daughters up for their first dance," she remarked, her words surprising me.

I turned around without so much as a blink, expectantly gazing at her.

"Really?"

"Really," she confirmed with a grin I had never seen on her face before.

5:25 pm

"Thanks Mo-Mrs. Wisconsin," Gemma spoke, offering me a small smile when we stepped out of the car in front of her school. "I really like the dress."

And even though it was very small, I was happy to see it. Because I knew that smile on her face was due to me.

She hadn't liked the idea of both of us tagging along to drop her off to school for the dance, but in the end she had caved in.

This was her first dance and I wouldn't want to miss out on it. What made it more important for me was the fact that it was also the last one I would be seeing.

And I wanted her to remember that her mom was with her on her special day.

"I'll do anything for you, Gem," I whispered, brushing back a strand of her bangs.

Rome stood to the side with Mikal, saying a word or two about how he was supposed to treat Gemma with a lot of respect. It was a funny sight to see, honestly.

Mikal nodded to everything Rome said, standing there with a lot of confidence for a thirteen year old.

She moved away from me and towards Mikal, who bid bye to Rome before they took a hold of each other's hands before they both headed towards the school.

Rome came to stand beside me as they both began to walk away.

"She's just like you. She's beautiful inside and out, and has all the qualities you possess," I told Rome, watching Gemma enter the school with Mikal.

This was the first time ever in a long time when the topic of how similar Rome and Gemma were came up.

And really it felt nice to have a normal conversation with him for once.

"No," he responded, staring at me with an emotion I couldn't decipher. "She's just like us."

Friday
12:02 pm

Time was running out. I had only day left now. One last chance.

And that was the reason why today I stood in my own house and witnessed something I had never imagined happening.

I had invited my parents, siblings and a few employees over for dinner in a last attempt to capture a moment or two with them all.

I glanced around the room, watching as everyone happily chatted with each other as if they were all a family.

I was glad to be the reason why they were all here together.

But, upon further noticing I realized someone was missing from the room.

Gemma.

The more I thought about it the more I realized she had been missing since after dinner, and even during dinner she had seemed a bit upset about something.

I searched around the house for Gemma, and when she still wasn't found, I stepped outside in the night.

She was sat at the swing, Rome had built for her. The one that hang from two trees, and seemed like it came straight from a horror movie.

I walked behind her then placed my hands on her eyes as a way to have some fun with her. Her hands immediately flew up to cover my own hands.

"Mrs. Wisconsin? Is that you?" She asked in uncertainty.

I removed my hands from her eyes, and instead took a seat next to her on the swing big enough for two.

"How'd you know it was me?" I responded.

She stared at the darkness ahead, then glanced up at the twinkling stars in the clear blue sky.

"Your engagement ring. I felt it," she answered briefly. "I've never seen you without it, and you want me to let you in on a secret? This was the reason why I always believed that you and dad would get together in the end."

Were Rome and I together again?

We'd been talking, but that was it.

Yet, we were talking once again like old times.

"Is that what's bothering you, Gemma?" I asked.

"I don't know," she said, looking down at her fingers. "I'm confused with everything that has been happening lately. With everything that you have been doing... I-I just don't know."

"I'm trying to fix my mistakes Gemma, and I know all this isn't enough. But, please I want you to forgive me. One more day, Gemma. Just give me another day to try make a change. And if it still doesn't work out then we could all go our separate ways. What do you think?"

Gemma stared at me with longing in her eyes.

"I want to be able to call you mom, Mrs. Wisconsin."