Whose Fault? (Editing)

Chapter Twelve

As Eli finished, he let the water drain and when it was done, he filled the cup up with water and dumped it on any spots he saw soap left over. When he was satisfied with his work, he grabbed a towel off the rack, lifted me up to a standing position and wrapped me in it. He then picked me up again and sat me on the counter. I grabbed my picture and looked down at it.

Eli was wrapping my arms back up and as he was doing that, the memory of that day started to go through my head again. I miss him.

Immediately after I thought that, Eli said, "I'm sorry, Wren. I'm so so sorry." Then he carried me back to my room and sat me on my bed. He disappeared into the closet for a few minutes and returned with clean clothes. He put me in a white t-shirt over my wet bra and a pair of booty shorts over the underwear, then he pulled a pair of light grey sweatpants over the shorts.

Eli reached for my hand and I gave it to him. He pulled me back into the bathroom and picked up my hairbrush; he started brushing at my ends and worked his way up to my roots. "It took me a long time to learn that it was easier to do it this way. Sadie used to scream and beg me to stop when I used to brush her hair," he told me before continuing to ask, "what step is next?" I pointed to one of the bottles on the counter, and Eli read the back of the bottle and applied the product all throughout my head.

It continued like that until all the products on the counter had been used. Eli grabbed my hand and let me get the photo of my dad as I had left it on the bed, then led me out to the living room. He pulled his sweatshirt off and put it on over my head before he spoke again. He gently took the picture from my hand, looked at it for a minute, then said, "I'd love to meet him."

I looked up at him in shock to see if he was serious or not, but there was no sign of uncertainty or a joke on his face. I nodded my head, and once again Eli grabbed my hand and led me down the stairs and into his car.

I pulled out my phone and typed an address into the GPS. Eventually it led us to the mall, which was on our way to where we were headed. Eli looked confused, but I got out of the car when he pulled into a parking space and headed inside, making sure Eli was behind me but not caring how far back he was; he would catch up.

I walked into the store where I knew I could find a small Winnie the Pooh bear, grabbed one, paid for it, then turned around to make my way back to Eli's car.

When we got to the cemetery, I pointed in different directions to lead Eli to the area where dad was. I had been here so many times, I knew the way by heart now. We finally got there and I took a moment to try to pull myself together.

Eli had gotten out already and came to my side to open the door for me. He helped me out of the car and told me to lead the way.

It was springtime, so the grass was a bright green color; it contrasted greatly with the gray and dully colored headstones. I stopped in front of my dad's and sat down. I placed the bear against the headstone, the last one I brought a couple months ago right next to it.

I heard Eli sit down behind me, but neither of us bothered to say anything. It was completely silent for a little while and I tried to recall every memory I had with my dad; the tears returned as I did. Eventually I spoke up, "he was really sick."

"Wren, it's okay. You don't have to-" Eli started, but I interrupted him.

"No! It's not okay! Nobody even cares about him anymore but me. That's not fair!" I told him. "He was really sick... But my mom told me he was getting better and I believed her. I would've believed anything she said if it meant that he could finally come home. She had never let me visit him because she said he was too sick, but he was getting better so I was able to go. Knowing what I do now, he wasn't better; he was worse. So much worse."

At that point Eli wrapped me up in his arms and pulled my head against his chest. I was still able to talk to him though, I told him all I could remember about that day, adding in details of what I learned and how I felt about it since. Like that "my mom knew he was dying so she let me visit, so I could see him one last time. I didn't know that until I was old enough to really realize what happened that day. He died while I was in his arms, Eli!" and how "I was so stupid! I had questioned how he would be able to breathe with a sheet over his face and all of the machines helping him turned off. I was only four!"

I was a mess, and I hated that Eli was here to witness it, "tell me about him."

"He was an amazing dad. He would always play and sing with me when he got home from work; he was a pharmaceutical technician. Every Sunday he would take me to this ice cream shop near the beach and I would always get Superman ice cream and he would get cookies and cream; it was a daddy-daughter thing we did. He started teaching me how to ride a bike before he got sick, but we didn't get too far. He called me Winnie, and he was the only one allowed to. I had forbid anyone else to even think of calling me by it."

"He sounds like a good man."

I nodded, and said "he was my hero; and he was the best."

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Hello all!

This chapter is a whopping 3,417 words and I truly hope you enjoyed it! Don't forget to vote and comment what you think as it really helps me out a lot!

TM