Always

33

"Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn't know how she was going to make it. She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed. Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot, and ground coffee beans in the third pot. He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter. The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. After twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup. Turning to her he asked. "Daughter, what do you see?" "Potatoes, eggs, and coffee," she hastily replied. "Look closer," he said, "and touch the potatoes." She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face."Father, what does this mean?" she asked. He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity– the boiling water. However, each one reacted differently. The potato went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak. The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard. However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new. "Which are you," he asked his daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean? " " Holly looked behind her at the Pregnant 16 year old and smiled, "Honey, I know you're scared but you can do this" The woman told her. Beyoncé smiled just a little as she sat on her bed. "Your parents are angry, we're all worried about you, that boy has run away and you're going through a lot. But I will always be here for you" 

"Holly, I don't know what to do. I can't deal with them, mother's probably going to send me to the attic tomorrow and lord know's when I'll be out of there" She rubbed her belly and then looked down at it. "Do you think the baby could possibly change her? Maybe she'll fall in love with it?" The young woman wished. 

"I doubt it, in all honesty I don't think there are many things that can change her. I think she wants to be loved" Holly had been observing the Knowles for 16 years now and had her own theories about the actions of Celestine Knowles, 

"What do you mean?" Beyoncé asked, 

"Before your parents were married she was a different woman. Kind, honest, soft. A lot of people knew her, men were lining up to take her out but she fell for your father. A man who's standards were so high she'd do anything to meet them and that's what she did. She changed everything about herself to accommodate him and when you were born- I guess she felt a sense of inadequacy. But who knows, I could be completely wrong" Holly smiled at the girl and then walked over to the bed she was sitting on. 

"I think you're wrong, she's just a bitch" They laughed a little between themselves and then Holly tucked a curl behind Beyoncé's ear. Beyoncé saw Holly age just as much as Holly saw her age but she'd always remember the woman she knew when she was a child. For a large majority of her childhood Holly had looked very much the same, it wasn't until Holly was 27 that she actually started to look her age and even then she pretty much looked how she did when she was younger. She had the pale skin and bright cheeks, Icy blue eyes, plump pink lips and beautiful brown hair which was often pulled into a bun. Holly smiled and Bey whenever she got the chance and that was a smile she'd never forget. 

Shawn POV

Beyoncé stood over the grave with tears in her eyes, soft tears that were yet to fall but had been building up in her heart from the moment Holly had died. I stood back, giving her this moment to herself while my mother wrapped an arm around her shoulder. It's crazy to think that just yesterday she was so happy and we all had fun at the BBQ, then we had an... eventful- for lack of a better word- night. Now we were here, paying the Grave a quick visit before we go home. I would be staying at Bey's house for the rest of the pregnancy and probably a while after that as well, I was sure I'd end up moving in with her at some point so we'd have a lot of paper work and such to sort out but it didn't really matter.