The Sorrow that Happens

Moving forward

CLARA POV

It's been the longest two weeks of my life.

Sitting next to my Uncle, in the U-Haul he rented to bring what is left of my old life in North Dakota has not been easy. It's not my Uncles' fault. He is tenderhearted and patient with me. When he informant me I was moving to Oklahoma with him I flat out refused. Then I spent the next two days lying in bed thinking about absolutely nothing, I was numb. I knew my uncle was worried about me. I could see it in his eyes every time he brought me a tray full of food then take it away with the food barely touched. However, his presence brought me a little comfort. Without him being here I would not have found the courage to force myself out of bed and go to their funeral. The day of the funeral was a blur. I'm extremely grateful to my uncle for all of his hard work so my parents would have a beautiful memorial.

Uncle let me stay in my zombie-like-state until the day after the funeral.

Walking into my bedroom, with a serious expression on his face, saying, "Enough is enough Clara bear!" Not in a harsh way, but in a loving 'get you're a** out of bed kind of way. With his encouraging words I force myself into shower, brush my teeth, eat something. Slowly I start packing.

The first time I went into my room to get dressed I stopped short, my mother always picked out my outfit for me. It took me over an hour to find something to wear. I have no clue if it matched or if my mom would deem it acceptable, but nonetheless, I was dressed.

I miss my mother's hovering.

I miss my father's laugh.

With the help of Uncle William, the moving crew and me we got everything packed up. I took three days to pack up my home. Several times Uncle tried talking to me, but I have nothing to say. I have all these emotions that I don't what to deal with. When I would start to cry Uncle would try to hug me, but I would pull away from him. I felt bad, but I was struggling and I'm not ready to let anyone in yet.

'How does one live without parents?'

Looking out the window of the U-Haul I realize I haven't seen a house or a person in quite a while.' How far in the country does he live?'

Pulling up to my uncles home I'm taken aback by the granger of it all. I don't know what I was expecting, but this was certainly not it. It's an enormous log cabin house with a wraparound porch, bay windows, but the thing I like the most is the bright red front door. Stepping out of the U-Haul I take a deep breath smelling rain in the air. Then it hits me, the smell of manure and a faint sound of chickens clucking.

'I'm not in Kansas anymore.'

No wonder my parents never brought me here. I know my mother would have deemed this place unsafe. I know I would have been stuck in the house the entire time we were here visiting.

UNCLE WILLIAM POV

God, I hope the boys listen and stay away from the house. At the last gas station, I text them and gave very firm instructions that they need to stay away from the house until Clara gets a chance to get a little comfortable with her surroundings.

When we finally pulled up, I looked over at Clara, I noticed her face has paled more and her eyes look even more empty, if that was possible. Will I be able to get my Clara bear back? She has always been full of life, but now she is an empty shell of a human being. I was too late, and I hate myself for that. As soon as she opened the door, I knew I was taking her back to Oklahoma with me and bring her back to life. The boys and me.

I have been watching my broken niece since I pulled into the driveway. I want to see her reaction when she see the house that the boys and I built. I smile to myself at her reaction. I hope she likes it here. As I jumped out of the truck and grab our bags. I look at my niece and see nothing but sorrow in her eyes. I wish she would open up to me. She still hasn't cried. At the funeral she just sat there. I'm worried about her. It hurts my heart to see her like this. I hope this place and the boys can help her heal.