Mon Amour

Chapter 1: The Coat of the Legend

Chapter 1: The Coat of the Legend

AnnaLee couldn't believe he was gone.

She was almost nineteen now, but it was still too soon. AnnaLee had always imagined her grandfather at her college graduation, her wedding. She even thought he would live to see her children grow.

That thought seemed silly now. But they had remained close throughout the years. Much to her father's dismay, AnnaLee called her grandfather everyday. Each time she asked him to tell of the story she had loved since she was a little girl.

AnnaLee had decided a long time ago that he was telling the truth. Whether what he saw was real or not, she believed in the old man. He told that story with such conviction and heart, that he must have believed what he was saying. That was all the convincing Anna needed.

Now she was in her grandfather's old house. It was nearly 6 in the morning. The night had passed slowly for AnnaLee and her mother. They had received a call late last night from the old man's live in nurse, when she told them of her grandfather's passing.

AnnaLee's father was away on business and couldn't be bothered to come home for the funeral. It hurt the young woman to know that her father would not consider leaving his business trip for this. In AnnaLee's eyes, her grandpa deserved better. He deserved someone that would believe in him. He deserved someone to miss him and grieve him. He deserved his only son at his funeral. He deserved the world.

It may be too late to give him the world, but AnnaLee could give him the other things he deserved. And she would, because long ago the old man had swept in and stole her heart without her realizing it was missing.

It was only now, now that he had passed, did AnnaLee realize not only did she lose her dearest grandpa, but also her dearest friend. And the pain she felt from his absence was almost unbearable, unreal.

As AnnaLee contemplated this, a tear slid down her face. She had not properly cried yet, and wouldn't in front of others. Once she got home, she would grieve her loss.

How would she go on without him? AnnaLee had always enjoyed their talks. There would be a gap of time in each day where she would feel the loss of the old man the most. At 1:30 in the afternoon, everyday, she called him. That's when she took lunch. They talked about anything and everything during that lunch break.

Suddenly, AnnaLee felt the weight of everything coming down on her and she knew she had to stop thinking of her grandfather or she would break apart right here and now.

"Put yourself back together, AnnaLee, come on. You can do it." She thought to herself.

She pushed her emotions back down just as her mother descended from the stairs.

Marilyn, AnnaLee's mother, was secretly worried about her daughter. She knew that AnnaLee had become close with her father-in-law. It still shocked her that AnnaLee took to him. He was a wonderful person, but he was absolutely insane. The older gentleman told stories of wolf people, for goodness sakes. Marilyn was also aware that AnnaLee believed his ramblings, and that worried her.

"How are you coping, my dear?" Marilyn questioned.

"As good as I can, given the circumstances." AnnaLee sighed.

"It will get better, my dear, just give it time."

Did she hear her mother correctly?

AnnaLee didn't need time, she needed her grandpa. For with time, she would forget her loss. She would forget his smell, the way he talked, his mannerisms. The memories she had stored of him would soon fade away, as if evaporating.

No, she did not welcome time. With time, she would learn to cope without him. But at what expense? The loss of him in her mind. That, she could not bare. For the memories of her grandpa had become her most valuable possessions.

Never the less, AnnaLee answered respectfully.

"Yes, mother, I suppose time is what I need."

AnnaLee knew that this was not the time to cause troublings with her mother. Not the right time, at all.

"Here AnnaLee, I found this and thought it might lift your spirits. The nurse said that before he, well, before he passed, he asked her to give you this box. He left it for you, AnnaLee."

AnnaLee was shocked. He left something for her? The old man never mentioned anything he wanted her to have. AnnaLee supposed she couldn't go on that, for he didn't even tell her he wasn't well. If he had, AnnaLee surely would have come home from college to see him.

AnnaLee lifted the box from her mother's grip and went into her grandfather's study.

She hoped she didn't offend her mother by shutting the door. AnnaLee just wanted some privacy. It felt like her grandfather was sharing another secret with her. The contents of the box being the secret, of course.

With a mix of excitement and hesitation, she lifted the lid of the box and peered in.

The first thing she came across was a note sitting atop another item.

AnnaLee took the note, and was shocked to find out it was in her grandfather's handwriting.

It read:

My dearest AnnaLee,

I left this for you. It is my prized possession. Take care of it. If you are reading this, I have passed. I hope you're not too upset, my dear. Just remember, you are my joy, and my heart, and you possess all of my memories. Just as you believed in me, I believed in you.

With every ounce of love,

Grandpa

Her heart swelled with his words. The old man left AnnaLee with his most prized possession? What could it be?

The curiosity was too much for AnnaLee to bare. She grabbed the remainder of the package and took it out.

A coat?

The old man's prized possession was a dated, grey trench coat? AnnaLee loved it all the same, because it came from her grandpa. But what caused him to love it?

For some reason, AnnaLee felt drawn to smell it. She moved the coat until it was just under her little nose.

AnnaLee took a sniff.

It smelt of woods and dirt.

But deep within, there was the underlying scent of huskiness.

It smelled intriguingly male and of a raw sense of power.

Something almost animalistic.

That thought rattled her bones and AnnaLee made the connection.

This was the same coat that the wolf man gave her grandfather.