The Socially Awkward Subscriber

Chapter 13

Dad had decided to sell the old place so we would spend the next few days, running up to the funeral on Thursday, clearing out the house, sorting through Nan’s stuff. Deciding what was going to the Charity shop, what we were keeping and what we were going to throw away. Dad was taking upstairs while Charlie and I sorted the living room and mum took the kitchen making sure we consulted dad whenever we thought something needed throwing away. I found him sat in Nan’s room after lunch on Monday looking through an old photo album, tears in his eyes. “Hey dad,” he looked up

“Oh hey darling,”

“Are you ok?” I put the box of junk down and sat next to him looking at the aged photo dad was staring intently at, it was a picture of the small family Grandpa, Nan and dad when he had just been born, “What are you wearing?” I pointed to another photo of just dad in a sailor suit not long after

Dad laughed softly “That is cute,”

“That needs to be on the internet,” I bumped him softly and he laughed again

“Oh darling, what if we’re not doing the right thing? Do you think we should move back here? Look after the old place?”

I thought “No, I think Nan would have wanted us to carry on,” Dad nodded

“Oh, Nan wanted to give you this,” he reached over the dressing table and handed me a jewellery box “Something about it would make a good movie or something,” Dad shrugged “I don’t know,”

“Ok,” I smiled softly “I’ll get back to work,” I headed back downstairs dropping off the jewellery box in our room before heading back downstairs.

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Mum dragged Charlie food shopping and dad had gone to the pub to sort out the wake and to have a few beers so I sat with the jewellery box in the kitchen, I saw inside a bundle of yellowing letters. Letters? I picked them out coughing at the dust that followed. They were all tied together with a thin red ribbon which was tied with a floppy bow, Nan’s trademark when she used to tie our shoelaces. I undid it simply and peeled the first letter off the pile. Addressed to ‘The Love of my Life’ that was soppier than Ethan. I opened it feeling the smooth old stationary, the ink was almost fading on the page but I managed to read it:

‘My Darling Lily,

Here's a rose that blows for Chloe,

Fair as ever a rose in June was,

Now the garden's silent, snowy,

Where the burning summer noon was.

In your garden's summer glory

One poor corner, shelved and shady,

Told no rosy, radiant story,

Grew no rose to grace its lady.

What shuts sun out shuts out snow too;

From his nook your secret lover

Shows what slighted roses grow to

When the rose you chose is over.

Yours Forever

James’

I raised an eyebrow at the poem, I was sure I had read it in my Literature class, James was of course my Grandpa and he had always been an old romantic but this was beyond cute, even for him. I picked up the next one to find it was addressed the same, Oh Gramps you really did want to win her over didn’t you?

‘To The One That Holds My Heart,

                                                        Although I see you daily it seems you are so far away when you are in his arms. Please hear my pleas and give me a chance, I know you do not really love him, but maybe you will see, one day.

Forever and Always

Your James’

I was in complete shock as I read this, I couldn’t believe my Grandpa was trying to steal my Nan off another guy, and I thought Charlie’s relationships were complicated. I continued to read them as the continued in the similar pattern of poetry, love and romantic gestures until I came to one of the letters near the bottom of the pile.

‘Lily,

        Today I write to you a broken man. I have heard of your engagement to William. I see now that you love him. Not me. So I bid you goodbye but promise that I will not find another like you my love, for the rest of my life I will love you Lily.

Yours forever and a day

James’

Oh Grandpa, I wiped tears from my eyes, such an old romantic. There was one more letter and I wasn’t sure how my grandparents had gotten from there to being married and in love for 50 years, especially since Nan was marrying some other guy. I pulled open the last letter with a heavy heart not wanting an unhappy ending.

‘To My Bride,

                      You have made me the happiest man in the world by becoming my wife; the day you said yes was the day my life began. Every day I shall tell you how you mean to me. We will spend the rest of eternity happy, and I know in my heart of hearts that today is the beginning of a blissful life together.

All my love, life and happiness

Your Husband

James’

I knew now that’s why Nan was ready to leave us, because she wanted to go back to her love. I rubbed my eyes not sure why this made me so happy, I sighed softly not sure why Nan wanted me to read these, but I was going to find out. “Are you ok Darling?” I blinked as dad came into the kitchen

“Hmm, oh yeah, fine dad, how about you?” dad raised an eyebrow “there were letters from Grandpa in there,”

Dad sighed softly “at least they’re together now,” he squeezed my shoulder and headed into the living room.