Diamonds In The Attic

Chapter Seven

After that fight and me being in the hospital, things started to change. I had gotten news that my grandfather was very ill. He had dementia which was eating his memory alive. This broke my heart and instead of him going to a nursing home, I asked my parents if he could live with us.

"Are you sure you want to take Grandpa in? He's very sick, dementia is killing him slowly." Mom asked me. I nodded my head.

"Yes, I want him here. I'll care for him. I'll do it." I told her. It was a dark request but my parents thought it through and finally decided to grant my dire request.

At school, I was kind of distant from everyone but still kept tabs with my friends, especially Nicole. But it seemed that no one in my house cared for hearing about my school problems. My mom had fallen into her own crestfallen depression that was treating her differently. My father was always at work so I hardly ever saw him. Jake was the same as he always was but I didn't want to tell him everything that went on in my life, so I would oftentimes tell it to my grandfather. He was a good help even though he wasn't really there. He listened, and I liked that.

He would oftentimes talk about something that would strike me as peculiar. He claimed that there were diamonds in the attic. He said that these diamonds were rare and worth more than anything else. I usually agreed with him and told him that if I was to ever find them that everyone would get one piece. But if only I knew what he meant, then perhaps the outcome would've been slightly different.

~

I was at school and I had told Nicole about all this.

"Dementia can really mess people up." Nicole said. I nodded as we walked on our way home. I started walking into a direction that we normally didn't take. "Ummm where are we going?"

"I just want to see something." I told her. I was headed for the alleyway where I had seen that woman. I wanted to make sure that that encounter was real or at least not some odd dream.

"Is this that alleyway where that guy tried to kill his wife for money." Stacy asked me. I nodded.

"I just want to know if that event was real or just some dream." I told her. She nodded. We walked towards the area and soon enough we were there.

"That's it?" She asked. I nodded.

"Yep." I said. We were looking around when I noticed a gun on the ground. It looked like the one that I had thrown into the trashcan. An unsettling feeling came to me.

"That's odd." I said. She looked at me confused.

"What?" She asked. I told her.

"That was the gun I threw away. I wonder what it's doing out." I said. I went to turn back but Nicole was motionless. I looked at where she was looking and saw the guy from last time holding a gun in his hand.

"Well well well, looks like feminist superhero has a lady friend." He said.

"Umm, we were just leaving." I said. I looked at Nicole and she nodded in fear.

"Oh no, why don't you stay a bit? It's my birthday after all." The man said. He then aimed the gun at me. I started to panic and tears streamed down my face. He cocked the gun and whistled. He shot the gun and I closed my eyes, hoping I wouldn't feel a thing. I opened my eyes and saw Nicole on the ground with a bullet in her chest.

"Goddammit!" The man said and he ran off. I fell on my knees and held Nicole in my arms.

"Nicole! Please don't go! Not now!" I cried. But it was too late, she was gone. My tears fell into her body. I heard sirens in the distance. Thank God someone heard. Thank God someone did.

~

At her funeral, I sat with my mom, father, and brother. James, Frank, and Patrick were also there as well. The pastor read her eulogy and I sat there mouthing the words 'In Memory Of' over and over again. Something about it just tore me apart. I cried throughout the whole thing because I decided to go to that alleyway and see it. I could've just not gone but I did so it was my fault. All my fault.

After the funeral was over, I went walking along the little trail area that divided the graves from the other graves when I realized my walk wasn't a lonely one; Frank was with me. I looked over and smiled at him and said hi. He did the same back.

"How are you feeling?" Frank asked. I shrugged.

"I don't know what to feel. I blame myself for what happened. I shouldn't have went there with her beside me. I wasn't thinking properly." I told him.

"You didn't know better. I don't blame you. Life is mysterious. One way or another fate takes away. We're just left in the downfall." Frank said. I turned to him and talked with him.

"I wish it wasn't like that! I mean....I wish life was not so complex. I wish there was just easier way to go about things without fearing fate and inevitability." I said emotionally. Frank nodded his head in agreement.

"I completely agree. Say, I hate to do this now, at a time like this, but I'm going away. There's this place over in New Delhi and I'm going there. I'm leaving today. So...I wanted to say goodbye. I'm sorry that I'm not going to be there with you for graduation and all that. I planned on it. Moved down here to graduate with Nicole but...life happened. Hopefully you understand." Frank said. I nodded.

"I understand. I understand completely. You were great. I will miss you. But.." I said smiling. Frank looked at me curiously.

"What do you mean...'but'?" Frank asked. I reached down in my purse and pulled out a slip of paper which had a phone number on it. My phone number. I handed it to him.

"You gave me yours....so I'm giving you mine." I said with a smile. Frank took the slip of paper, smiled, and put it in his jeans pocket.

"I appreciate that." Frank said. "We'll keep in touch for sure." I smiled at him. I went over and gave him a hug.

"Goodbye Frank." I said lovingly. He smiled and hugged me back.

"Goodbye Evelyn." Frank said. And just like that...Frank had moved away.

~

I was in my grandpa's room, which was the guest bedroom. I was taking care of him like I normally did when he went on about the diamonds in the attic again.

"Grandpa, I doubt there's actual diamonds up there. But you know what I say, if I find them, I'll split them amongst everyone."

My grandpa looked me in the eyes and spoke to me.

"These diamonds are not like what you think. These diamonds are rare but everywhere." He said. I sighed.

"I wish I knew what you meant." I said. Oh, how I wish I did.