drawn - h.s.

xiii.

[Part 1 of double update]

[ellie pov]

I guess I was anticipating seeing him on the edge of fearing it. For the rest of the day my eyes constantly flickered to the entrance of the Rose Cinema, as I worked with Kit and Maddie. And whenever the door would ring announcing a new guest that fragile old way it had done in decades; my heart would beat out of my chest and my eyes find the doors faster than I would like to admit. But the entire morning and over noon he didn’t turn up.

Therefore I had half of the day to imagine what I would do if he did however turn up. I hadn’t even finished the drawing of him; but what if I did? He had been so close to stumble across me one time before. And apparently he was in the area? I guess others would believe it had to be faith or some insane unbelievable coincidence but I knew what happened when I … when I drew things. I gulped. What would I say? How could I explain things? How would he feel? How would he have been able to find me?

I almost ended up feeling guilty; I had no right to do this. Whatever it was I was doing. I couldn’t control his life; make him come here. Even though it was hard to believe that was what I was doing right?

The beams of sunshine in the little yard were warming my face, as I sat up against the door and watched Kit and Maddie fool around in the little outdoor area. I chuckled lightly, as I finished my sandwich which I had had for lunch. For a second I closed my eyes; the heat from the beams was almost uncomfortable, but the barely existent summer breeze invisibly blew away the upper layer of heat so it was just bearable to stay put.  

I heard a mobile ring; I knew the tune well enough to know it had to be my grandfather’s phone. He probably couldn’t see me sit here though I could perfectly well hear his conversation, as he paced back and forth in the entrance of the cinema.

“It’s Jack?” He started with a tone that sounded somewhat stressed.

“Yes - yes I do realize that. Well we’re trying our best obviously,” he sighed deeply and I turned in my seat. Carefully I looked around the corner of the door so I could just see him walking back and forth. Kit and Maddie were laughing loudly, but my grandfather didn’t take notice. Neither did he see me following his pacing back and forth. He looked worried, as he listened to the caller; he pinched the bridge of his nose and took a seat at the stairs with the red carpet, which led up to the second floor entrance of the cinema hall.

“Yes, we even do the outdoor shows several times a week over the summer this year. But it’s still not enough to balance the budget. That water damage from the fall is still haunting us - if I could just get another - “ my grandfather must have been interrupted by whoever he was talking with. He was sitting with his head resting in one hand and the phone holding the other; I had never seen him like this. And the words made my blood freeze; the cinema was in financial troubles? All my life I had been coming here. I couldn’t remember a time this place hadn’t been in my life - and now it was all falling apart?

“What! We can never make that! Not over just one summer! Sir please - I beg you, you don’t understand; Rose Cinema isn’t just -” he went quiet again, “is there no other way to make it?”

I waited with real honest fear; waited for my grandfather to breathe out in relief and laugh happily. Chills covered my body. I wanted to see him find my eyes and see joy shining from them; Rose Cinema was his life’s work. It had been my grandparents’ never aging child, which they had loved and cared for more than anything. I watched his body language; saw how his shoulders fell in defeat and how his last hope disappeared before my eyes, as he finally said, “I understand sir. There’s nothing you can do -”

With a last word from the caller, my grandfather nodded and ended the call. He just sat there; his head in his hands not moving out of the spot. Suddenly he seemed so much older. I wanted to stumble to my feet and throw my arms around him - tell him it would all work out; but of course that would be a lie. That was the thing about growing up; you realized that good things ended and you would still managed to find a way to move on. But this was hardly fair; seeing him like this. Knowing this was the end; that this was the last summer - it broke my heart.