Roses Left To Wilt

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Part 1

April 3rd, 2014

Rosella

I blinked my eyes several times to adjust to the bright white light that blinded my vision. Everything was fuzzy; all I could see were fading shades of white. Once I regained my vision, I realized; it wasn't my bed I was laying on; it was a hospital bed. My body felt sore and stiff as I slowly sat up, letting out an annoyed groan. My chest felt weighty. I looked around, spotting my grandfather, asleep on a chair next to the hospital bed. I tapped his shoulder to wake him up. His eyes shot open and he looked at me, petrified. He looked at me shocked, but the next thing I knew, he hugged me tight with a sigh of relief.

"Grandpa, what's going on?" I asked with narrow eyes, inquisitive, almost sounding like a scared child.

"I'm so sorry, Rose! I promised your mother I would take care of you, but I failed yet again!" He cried, burying his face into his hands, looking as if he might burst into tears at any moment.

"Grandpa, calm down. Why am I here? What happened" I said, anxiously.

He sighed deeply and spoke, avoiding eye contact, as if he was too embarrassed, "You overworked yourself- I overworked you, and you fainted while working. Not to mention, you aren't eating well these days- I'm not feeding you enough- It...it's my fault, Rosella."

"Grandpa, it's not your fault! It never will be! I choose to do certain things-I choose my fate, you are not responsible," I said, giving him a gloomy smile, touching his shoulder. We both heard a knock at the door before the knob turned revealing Aunt Diana. She worked in the clinic, always offering to treat us for free whenever we needed it. She said that as long as I ate well and tried not to overwork myself, I'd be okay.

"Father, may I speak to you for a moment?" Aunt Diana gestured Grandpa to follow her. Shifting her eyes to me, she told me to stay put and simply call her name if there was an emergency. Once out of my sight, I wondered what was so important for them to talk about without me in the room. I narrowed my eyes in suspicion, tip-toed to the door that was slightly open, and eavesdropped on their conversation.

"I just can't tell her, Diana. She'll be...heartbroken. I only have a couple of days, maybe even hours ..." Grandpa sighed, "Promise me that you will protect her, and make sure she is happy. Promise me, Diana."

"F-father, stop saying that! You will be okay!" I heard Aunt Diana choke on her words as she let out sobs.

"Just promise me, Diana." I couldn't see Grandpa's face but I could tell from the waver of his voice that he was holding back tears. It pained me to see him this way.

"I promise, Father." Aunt Diana wiped her tears.

I heard them walking towards the room, so I quickly jumped back onto the hospital bed. Confusion took over as I heard whispers of my own voice asking a million questions at once.

"Is Grandpa going to...leave?" I muttered to myself. Grandpa came into the room and gave me a loving smile, although I could see the pain in his eyes.

"Come on, Rose. Let's go home." He said.

"Y-yeah ...." I said, not wanting to say anything else. I picked myself up reluctantly and headed home with him by my side.

Rosella Onruang, the name my beloved father bestowed upon me. I take it as a gift of course- I mean he didn't leave anything else for me, did he? My grandfather raised me my whole life; all 15 years of it. Not completely alone though, we had Aunt Diana. I couldn't be any more thankful. My mother, who was a proud American, passed away giving birth to me, and my father, originally from Thailand, left two years later. Even before my father left, it was my grandfather and Aunt Diana who took care of me. I prayed and hoped that he left for a good reason. I couldn't deal with the fact that I was so unimportant to someone who was supposed to be such a vital figure in my life. I just couldn't wrap it around my finger; how he could leave for 13 years? Did the thought of trying to find me after all these years even cross his mind? I had mixed emotions about my father. I hoped that I could meet him one day, but I also wanted to throw him off a cliff.