Treasure Hunt (boyxboy)

Treasure Hunt | Chapter Eleven

I sat on the swing in the backyard. It was broke and rusty, with the paint chipping and peeling away. My parents were cooking something for dinner, and my siblings were setting the table, all except my immediate sibling.

She was walking towards me with a blanket and a steaming mug. "Hi." She said as she now stood in front of me.

"What do you want?" I demanded, not even bothering to look at her.

"It's freezing out here," She stated the obvious. "I brought you a blanket and hot chocolate."

I hesitated, and then begrudgingly allowed her to hand me the mug and then wrap the blanket, plush and thick, around me. "Thanks." I mumbled and took a cautious sip of my hot chocolate. It scolded my tongue and throat on its way down, making me wince, but otherwise, it felt good.

"Can we talk?" She sat on the swing next to me.

"What's there to talk about? I already know how you feel about my bastard and me."

"I shouldn't have said what I did, I'm sorry. I was wrong to say it and I just assumed that you slept around. I guess I was just mad at myself and took it out on you."

"I'm sorry, Abbie, but I can't forgive you. You hurt me and no matter the amount of apologies you give me, I can't forgive you until I'm ready, and right now, I'm not."

Abbie nodded and I could distinctly see the tears rolling down her cheeks. "I understand, which is why I want to ask you a question?"

"What is it?"

"I had my abortion three years ago, tomorrow, and I was wondering if you would go with me to the graveyard? I have some respects I need to pay."

I couldn't stop the small smile that played on my lips as I looked at my sister. "Yeah, I'll come with you."

The graveyard that my sister's unknown child was buried in was just a little passed the clinic in which she'd aborted. She was almost halfway through her pregnancy, almost eighteen weeks. The doctors weren't supposed to, because she was too far along, but they did anyways. The clinic had gotten shut down after that.

Good.

Serves them right.

Peter had been the one to tell her that her unborn baby deserved a funeral. She was against it, but Peter had stood his ground, saying it was only right that she at least acknowledged it was alive at one time. She hadn't attended the funeral, herself. But my brothers and I did. Even Ariel did. Our parents didn't, either.

But then again, you know what they say. The smallest of coffins are the heaviest to carry.

Today was a cold and dreary and thunder rolled angrily overhead, the gray clouds above threatening rain. That didn't stop Abbie and I from coming to the small tombstone with a stone angel perched on top, its hands were folded in a prayer as it wept.

She took in a deep breath and kneeled, placing a small bouquet of lovely flowers next to it.

"I didn't even bother to name you," Tears erupted. "I didn't even bother to learn what sex you are. I didn't even bother to give you a chance to live. To grow. To laugh. To learn. To love. In my heart, I feel like you were a boy, so I want to call you Jacob Brayden, but just in case you're a girl, I think Imogene Rose would have been lovely on you. I never even told your daddy about you, and I regret that. I regret not loving you – I always thought about what I'd lose from keeping you, but I never thought about what I would gain." She let out a painful sigh and climbed to her feet. "I'm so sorry that I didn't love you then like I love you now."

I didn't say a word as she laid out her soul. I couldn't.

"Do you think he hates me?" Abbie didn't look at me and kept her eyes on the stone angel.

"No." I rested my hands on my bump. "I think he knew you made a mistake and that you regret it and that you're learning to live with it."

She swallowed hard, "Let's go...it's gonna rain and you shouldn't be out in it."

And we left, with all of her sins off of her chest.