I See You

~Chapter 21~

I love you grandma..."

~

"I knew I'd find you in here."

The repast was being held at the Wilson estate because that's what Charlie wanted. Any other place wouldn't have felt significant plus he knew his wife would have wanted family together at their home.

Most of the family were in the house eating and socializing, sharing their fondest memories of Rosalina. Relatives, friends, even neighbors were over celebrating the life and spreading love of Rosalina Wilson.

Then there was Naila, up in her grandparent's room curled up in the middle of their bed. She told Crystal that she had to go to the bathroom and had been in their room ever since. That was over an hour ago...

"I was never lost grandpa," Naila says, never moving from her fetal position.

"Well this certainly isn't the bathroom so I guess that means you are," Charlie jokes while walking over to the bed. He lies down on his back on the bed right next to Naila and lets out a deep sigh.

Moments of silence pass with the only sound coming from the inaudible voices of family and friends on the floor beneath them.

"Grandpa what are you going to do now?"

Charlie lets another deep sigh escape his lips before responding, "I'm going to travel the world Sunflower. There were still many places your grandmother and I were supposed to travel to before she transitioned. The one thing she asked of me is to keep going and that's exactly what I'm going to do."

"Oh yeah? Well I'm going too and it's great because I've always wanted to travel the world anyways," says Naila.

Immediately interjecting Charlie reminds, "You have a college to go to and your own life to live Naila. Traveling is a quest I have to do on my own for my own healing."

"College," she sighs, "right."

"You don't sound too enthused to be going. Why is that?"

"Grandpa there was a lot of things deterring me from wanting to go but this just tops it all. Grandma—"

"—would want you to go to college and get your degree so that you could live the life that you deserve Naila. What do you think she would tell you right now if she were here?"

Naila winces feeling the ache build in her chest, everything hitting her all over again. Charlie wraps his arms around her and she doesn't resist as she hugs him tightly and sobs uncontrollably into his chest.

"It's going to get easier sunflower," Charlie sniffles. "We just have to take it one day at a time. The wound is still fresh but we will heal. She's in a better place now. Okay?"

Blubbering unidentifiable words, Charlie scoots back a bit so that she could speak. "What did you say?"

"This hurts so much grandpa. My heart is aching so much right n-now. It's so painful..."

"Me too... I'm aching right along with you," Charlie breathes pulling Naila close again. "But guess what? You, Crystal, and I, we're all going to heal together. Like I said we'll have to take it one day at a time. We can't give up on each other either everyone has to participate and where one falls two will pick up the slack."

Naila nods into his chest confirming she'd heard and agreed.

Holding each other close there was an energy in the embrace as if the matter of one powered up the other. They both felt it but what they also felt was like a blanket was placed on them.

The silence was thick, knowingly. But, the undeniable feeling of her spirit was hugging them tightly. Neither of them could speak but they knew she was in their presence...