The Descendants Series Vol. 2

Epilogue

   But we also went every week to see Emilio and Carmela, the shopkeeper and his wife that we’d met the first week we’d come.  He always loved when we went to see him, which was every week.  We’d always visit his gelato shop right near the beach and stay for the whole day, which was what we were going to do today. 

But the last time we’d asked for news about the new leader, which had been the week before, Emilio told us that the leader had left on a trip to other countries to try and establish some kind of friendship with the leaders of them.  When I’d asked him if he’d be coming to Italy at any time, Emilio said that Italy had been the second on the list of countries on the list that the leader had sent to all of the countries.

I had come up to my room to gather some of our things before we headed out to go to the mainland to visit with Emilio and Carmela.  But as I gathered up everything, I stepped out onto the balcony off my room that looked out at the beach and the blue green ocean.  I grabbed Kade’s ring that I had put on a silver chain and wore around my neck with my sapphire necklace, twisting it as I sat down and looked out at the waves.

I’d always had the double doors leading out to it open ever since we’d come.  I only closed them with a storm was coming.  After I’d gotten the package Kade had sent with Roth back here containing my necklace, his wedding ring and a note, I had stayed either in my bed or on the balcony sitting in the wooden beach chair, looking out to sea, hoping to see his helicopter coming toward me on the horizon.  But that never happened. 

My depression wasn’t as bad as it had been when I’d lost him the first time at Division Twelve, but it was pretty close to it.  I was better now, of course, but for some reason Kade’s face had been stuck in my head ever since Emilio had told us the leader was supposed to make an appearance in Italy the next week.  But it was probably because Alexandra was looking more and more like him with her blond, curly hair and gold, green and blue eyes.

I didn’t know that Kade had given me one last thing before he’d gone, not until I was about three months pregnant with her and throwing up every time I ate something.  Before we only thought that I was sick.  But when my baby bump started showing, we knew exactly what was wrong with me. 

And six months later, Alexandra was born.  I named her Alexandra because it meant ‘defender’.  I thought it was the perfect name for her and it actually stood for something.  But after she was born, I cried for two months straight.  I knew that I promised Kade I wouldn’t grieve for him, but she looked so much like him and I didn’t want to look at her if she just reminded me of him every single time I did.

But then one day while I was lying in my bed, looking out the window at the waves crashing on the shore, Grandma had come in and sat down on the bed, Alexandra in her arms.  She had been about two months old then.

“Your daughter wants to be with you,” she said.

“I can’t,” I said, turning over so I wouldn’t be able to see either of them. 

“Rayney, you can’t live like this,” Grandma said.  “You’ve got Alexandra to think about now.  She needs a mother that’s strong and can look up to when she’s older.”

“I can’t be that for her,” I said, wiping the tears from my face.  “I can’t even look at her.”

“It’s a shame,” Grandma said, standing up and walking to the other side of the bed where I was looking.  I turned over on my back, looking up at the ceiling. 

“What’s a shame?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer.

“You’ve got a beautiful daughter and you won’t even look at her.  She looks at you whenever you’re in the same room.  Even though she can’t tell you, she loves you.  Just like you love her.”