SIERRA'S LEONE

LEONE

Sierra turned to face her alarm; the clock beamed a bright red at 9:45 PM. She went to bed at 7 PM. Since the funeral, all Sierra did was go to work then home to hide under the covers. She barely ate; even Vincent's tasty Indian dishes did not arouse her appetite.

Poor man, he tried his best; Sierra knew it.

She got up; her throat was dry. She grabbed her phone and headed to the kitchen; everything was spotless. It was either Vincent's doing or Jacob.

What a blessing they were, and how lucky she was to have such good men around her, Sierra thought. She opened her fridge and took the bottle of Volvic on the side of the door. She was about to grab a glass when her phone rang.

Who could call her at 10 PM?

These days Sierra dreaded any incoming call, this time was no different, but the phone did not stop.

Sierra would have ignored the ringing, but once again, it was an unknown number. Annoyed, she slumped to the ground, ready to resist whatever impact the call would cause. If the news was shocking, she could not lay lower.

"Allo."

"Hello, Miss Lennox?"

"Who is speaking?"

"Are you miss Sierra Lennox?"

The accent seemed German; the sentence came out robotically, "I am Fritz Wagner, from Wagner&Wagner.

"Wagner&Wagner?"

"Yes, it's a law firm situated in Geneva."

"—Eh, excuse, me but I—."

"I am calling you about our client Miss. Gauthier Cecile's last wishes.—"

Sierra didn't understand why she needed to be at Cecile's will reading, but there she was three days after the strange call in a Swiss law firm's office.

Cecile would not have a last request, would she, or did she leave something for Sierra? Nothing came to Sierra's mind; the reason why her presence was essential remained a mystery even as she took a seat in the attorney's office.

"Thank you all for coming, I'm sorry to have forced this meeting upon you, but we have urgent matters to sort out. As you know, Cecile entrusted her last wishes to us, which I will read out loud to you now.

Dear all, if you are reading this letter, then I must have kicked the bucket. I've never wished to pass away, all wrinkled up in my sleep. I hope I died in my prime time and that my beloved Sierra wore the brightest dress she could find to celebrate."

Cecile's mother's face, which was already an embarrassing pink, turned to a horrified red.

The attorney continued, "to my generators. I hope you live long enough to hear this. I thank you for the education you gave, which showed me how everything was vanity. From you, all I hold is the lack of humanity of the people who spent their life pretending to be altruistic philanthropic. I leave you my words, hoping remorse will haunt the rest of your days hereafter. I will wait for you on the doorsteps of hell."

"Oh my god," Sierra said. The Gauthier's were not perfect parents, but they did not deserve this.

"Is that all?" Asked Cecile's mother.

Sierra, who thought the situation could not get more awkward, was mortified by Cecile's mother's remark.

Even though she knew her best friend's parents were harsh, this was too much.

They threw and disowned their daughter. Now she was gone; they seemed relieved.

Undisturbed, the attorney pushed up his rims, "to my beloved, my friend and sister Sierra. To you, I return the money I borrowed, which should mount up to about 1325 euros; I leave my letters, the ones I never sent may they comfort you in times where fear and doubt will crowd your mind. You are the only person I trust, the only person who has never failed me. To you, I leave the most precious thing which I've ever held, Leone."

"Leone, Leone, what's a Leone?" Sierra asked as she searched for an answer in the stares around her.

The attorney took off his glasses and wiped his fingers on his eyes.

"Leone, Miss. Lennox is Miss Cecile's son."

"Her what?" screamed Sierra and Cecile's mother in unison.

Mr. Gauthier sat up, "what wait a minute, are you telling me my daughter had a son?"

"Yes, she had a healthy little boy," replied the attorney while he rummaged through the files on his desk.

"Oh, goodness gracious," Mrs. Gauthier replied as she wiped droplets of sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief.

"Leone Gauthier is six months old; he has been in the care of child welfare since his mother's death in waiting to be under the custody of the person Cecile chose; this person happens to Miss Sierra Lennox here present."

Everyone turned to stare at Sierra.

"—Eh, I am what? ㅡ."

"We'll take him. We're his grandparents."

"Madame Gauthier, it is not as easy as that. Cecile clearly states that Leone should not be confined in your care even if you are the last mother standing."

The woman's face hardened, "I beg your pardon."

"It's written just here," the attorney said, sliding the will to Cecile's mother.

"I think I need some air," Mrs. Gauthier said while fanning herself with her hand.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand why Cecile would do such a thing? "Sierra asked.

The attorney smiled, "she must have known you would say this. Cecile wrote a letter to you. There's a room down the hall where you can read it if you need privacy."

Sierra leaned forward to take the letter and got up.

"Miss. Lennox, please take your time. The decision you have to take today will have a strong impact on Leone's life. Be sure to think things over thoroughly."

Sierra nodded and left the room. As soon as the door was closed, she unfolded the letter.

Ma chère soeur,

Je ne peux imaginer le choc que tu ressens à cette instant. Je te demande pardon de infliger tant de peine et cette mission que je te confie dois te sembler un lourd fardeau.

Je le fais, car comme à mon habitude, je ne pense qu'à moi. Je n'aurai que la paix du coeur seulement en sachant que mon fils est entre de bonne mains.

S'il te plaît, Sierra, accepte, Leone a besoin de toi.

[My dear sister,

I can only imagine the shock you're feeling at this instant. Please forgive me for the suffering and this mission I am bestowing upon, which seems like a significant burden.

I'm doing this because, as always, I'm selfishly thinking of myself. I will only rest in peace, knowing my son is in good hands.

Please, Sierra, accept. Leone needs you.]