Bittersweet

Bittersweet: Chapter Twenty-Three

 THIS BOOK IS CURRENTLY BEING REWRITTEN AND HEAVILY EDITED. NAMES, PLACES, AND SOME SCENES WILL BE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. SOME STUFF WILL BE TAKEN OUT AND SOME WILL BE ADDED.

THE INITIAL PLOT STAYS THE SAME.

So, if you begin reading as of 5/21/2021 and choose to read ahead further than I have updated-some things might be confusing or might not make sense. As of right now and will continue, slowly, adding the new chapters as I write them. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE has been rewritten & updated.

**IF A CHAPTER HAS BEEN REWRITTEN/EDITED THE ^^ABOVE^^ NOTE WILL BE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CHAPTER.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Eliza

About half a mile behind the barn sits a large field of blooming sunflowers that stood over several feet tall. Other than the pond, this is where I spent most of my time growing up. I could easily recall the lovely picnics out here that me, daddy, mama, and Eric would have under that big, old willow tree that sat off to the side before they died. Mama and daddy would spend hours lounging on a blanket in the shaded area that the tree produced while me and Eric would chase each other, and play hide and seek in the inviting flower field.

Mama adored sunflowers and somehow always incorporated them into our everyday lives whether it was sunflower seeds in our lunch boxes at school or a grandiose bouquet of those bright yellow flowers slap dab in the middle of our dining room table. She even kept them by her bedside. One time, I asked her why she loved them so.

"When I was a little girl, I learned that sunflowers chase the pattern of the sun across the sky. Did you know that, Elizabeth? They always stand towards the sun- undaunted and persevering, leaving darkness behind them. No matter how bleak and ugly the day gets, a sunflower will always uncover the light in the sky. Isn't that wonderful?" She gasped.

I never did understand what she was trying to tell me that day, but that was just mama-always perplexing and cryptic. But, I loved that she loved them; daddy did too. Perhaps that's why he'd chosen to have them buried right there under that willow tree, facing the sunflowers.

After lunch, Jack and I saddled up on the horses and spent a few hours riding. It was painfully awkward and silent, to say the least, but I pushed through it and tried not to get lost thinking about Austin and last night. As we made our way back, like we'd done so many times before, we stopped at that willow tree at the edge of the sunflower field and tied up Jaycee and Max so that they couldn't runoff. Then, I walked over to the tire swing that was hung on a neighboring tree and slid in. Moments later, he came up behind me and began gently pushing me.

"You remember that time you begged Eric to play hide and seek with you and he forgot about comin to find you? You damn near spent four hours in that field." Jack laughed, as he leaned over and nudged my shoulder with his hand.

As I looked over the bright field of beautiful flowers, I thought back to that day. At the time I'd been six years old, and Eric was fifteen. I'd been wearing him down all day about playing with me. Right before the sun went down, he threw his hands up and began counting.

"One time, E. Better make it worth it." He shouted after me.

I bounced off towards that field, knowing he'd know exactly where to find me but that didn't matter. All that mattered was that even if only for a little while, I had my brother's attention again. He was getting older, and my time with him became slim. He had teenaged things on his mind, he explained to me once. As he explained it to my parents after the fact, about the time he'd finished counting and was going to come to get me, Caroline McCade, his on and off again girlfriend for years, came sniffing around takin all of his attention until he'd forgotten all about me.