Kingdom Come

Chapter Four:

November 30th

Thanksgiving had gone off without a hitch. Alice was invited to Mr Williams older brother's house. She begrudgingly followed along, forcing herself to be grateful and even promising herself not to eat so much (which always fails)

Alice was forced to sit at the cousins table, most of which were all boys, overconfident and cocky. By midnight, Alice was just grateful to be home and in bed.

The next few days were a blur, - a surreal, out-of-body blur of work, sleep and more work, trying to save.

The alarm suddenly went off to wake her up out of her dreamless sleep.

It was her seventeenth birthday, she thought as she rubbed her eyes and stretched.

She couldn't help feel a little sad, she missed her mom....Alice managed to stop crying around two am. It was just enough hours of sleep to function.

She tried to smile as she was hugged by the Williams and given a few small gifts; a check for 100 dollars and items of clothing. Simple things what she needed, mostly it was the clothing.

Alice dressed quickly, once again into warm oversized fabric, Celia would be here in twenty minutes with more gifts.

Alice was right to dress quickly since straight away, right on queue, the doorbell rang and she was greeted with her overexcited best friend, her arms flinging around her tight.

"Happy Birthday Alice!" Celia squealed as she kissed her cheek.

"I'm seventeen C, not five. It's just a normal day...." Alice whispered, her eyes watering

"I'm sure Elizabeth would want you to be happy. Besides, it's your day." Celia said, picking up on the tone. She was holding Alice's arm, in unspoken sympathy.

Alice felt ok. Today was going to be ok as she put on a fake smile.

After a long day of "happy birthdays", a few texts from loved ones and being dragged around by Celia at the mall which included much needed nail and hair appointments, Alice finally made it up to the cemetery in Lexington, it was a quiet afternoon.

The winter sun was low, casting a yellow glow on the gravestones around her as she walked along the path which was lined with huge oak trees, the same reason that she chose this place for her mother's resting place. It was peaceful, a place where Alice too would also be laid to rest one day.

Alice continued to walk past the numerous gravestones, some must have been from the original settlers in Boston since they were old and worn, the gold writing barely readable.
She finally reached her mother's gravesite, the flowers all dead and the small gifts rotting quickly from the weather.

Elizabeth's tomb read as per her own wishes: "Elizabeth Victoria Clarke. 1986-2024"

Alice found a comfortable spot on and sat down on the wet grass; she was struggling to keep calm as she leaned against the headstone.

She reviewed the last few months without her best friend, it was a long process. Tears flooded down her cheeks as she held back sobs. Alice was choosing to bury her emotions, so deep, that it would take centuries for her therapist, Yolande, to unearth them.

Breaking the silence after an hour and a half, her phone went off as the screen flashed with a text message from Celia, informing her she will be over in fifteen minutes.

She sighed, standing up to brush the dirt off her jeans.

"I miss you mom" Alice said, before walking back down the path, trying not to look back.