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Quite streets, mild aerial and the whirr of Pascagoula River sounded considerably clear in her ears. The scent of the house had never changed since she was a kid – even the whole furniture had not changed at all. Sweet memories stormed her mind as she stared at her childhood pictures with Channing and her parents. It was the time when everything was fine. Apart from the time Alyona still had a complete parent, she was still perfectly healthy. And now it was all just an antediluvian treasure that she would always remember – that she once found in this kind of life.
It had been six days Alyona was here. Glenn and she had done a lot of things that they always did in the past. Channing had also called several times to ask about their situation where he ended up jealous because they could have fun. It was exhilarate, but she couldn't completely feel it. She felt worse every single day. Her smile didn't even reach her eyes anymore and her oceanic blue eyes were dimmed from the sparkle of life.
"Dad," Alyona called, leaning against the wall as she observed at her father doing his papers. "What are you doing?"
"I still have a job, daughter." Glenn lifted up the papers and chuckled lightly. "Even though my kids are now famous, I don't want to be a burden to them."
Even though Channing had repeatedly said that he didn't need to work anymore, Glenn didn't seem to take it wholeheartedly. He had his own reasons why he wanted to continue his work as a construction. It was obvious that Glenn didn't want to remain silent and reminded his mind with memories that could not even be repeated, he was getting older and he wanted to fill up the rest of his days by doing what he skilled at. Besides, the people who needed his expertise still paid himself enough money for him to live everyday.
"Can I ask you something?"
Glenn laughed quietly. "Jesus, Lona, you're my daughter – you can ask me anything without my permission."
"Maybe this question needs your permission." Alyona escaped a sigh, walking toward her father and sitting next to him. "Was it painful?"
"What?" Glenn questioned, a frown falling onto his face.
"When mom died," Alyona murmured as she twiddled her fingers swiftly. "How did you feel at that time?"
The heavy silence instantly bounced back and forth in the room for a good two minutes. Lemkova kept her promise by not telling anyone about Alyona's test results, including her father. She knew by hiding this all – she had hurt her family and friends, but she didn't want everyone to worry about her. Part of her hollered out that it was a wrong choice since she didn't have much time anymore, but the other part of her sanctioned her decision, saying that they didn't deserve the pain she would put upon them very soon.
"It was indescribable. Hopeless, grief, anger, disappointed all amalgamated together inside me." Glenn finally spoke in a low voice, trailing his eyes downward. "The moment when your mother's heart monitor went flat, I immediately questioned myself; how could I survive without her? She was everything to me, the love of my life, but that exact same disease took her away from me. It took me years to get better – to see all the bright side why God took your mother away too soon from me. That's why I was absolutely terrified when I heard you were diagnosed with the same disease. Because you and Channing are my home – everything that Kay left for me, a beautiful reminder that always reminds me of your mother."
Alyona pondered his words, still debating whether she should tell her father the truth or not. By listening to his answer, she had imagined how they would feel when he and Channing had to experience the same situation for the second time. But, the thoughts were immediately replaced by curiosity. Two words caught her attention, raising a question mark in her mind in an instant. "Why did you feel anger and disappointed?"
"She was still able to be cured, Lona." Glenn sighed and stood up, grabbing a picture of her mother from his desk. He ran his fingers to the surface of the frame, hundreds of nostalgic memories dancing in his eyes. However, the disillusion was also engraved prominently on his face. "But, your mother decided to hide everything from me."
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AUTHOR'S NOTE; please give me feedback, i would really appreciate it
