You Think I Won't Talk?-Chapter 469

"... At least THAT you two old men know well."

"?!"

At Granny Martha’s sudden interruption, joining us as if aware of all the secrets we hadn’t even shared yet, we eventually sat to drink the tea they liked. Eating the pie I had baked but failed at... only because of a sudden wish I had to make it instead of buying it for once.

I remember how dry and overly sweet it was... with some bits that were burned and others bland... and yet now I could see again how they ate it nonetheless.

"It really is bad, Eli." — Grampa August said, while almost finishing it. — "With less sugar, it’ll taste better. Give me some more when you make another one, hehe."

"It’s good. Don’t say it’s bad, August... I ate it all Eli, Jeny’s first pie was horrible compared to this one~"

"Your wife also baked pies like this, Grampa Marlo?"

"Yes, but not as sweet. Hehe~ sweeter was her smile~"

"Sophia also used to bake pies and cakes... I wasn’t into sweets, but... her burning our kitchen made me try them all so she would get better at it. Our kids loved them later... of course, since they didn’t get the first burned ones, wahaha!."

"You two talk badly of your late wives..."

"Hah! Don’t try being a saint, Martha. I’ve heard how you talk about Louis’ sleeping habits."

"... He snored too much, but besides that, my husband was a wonderful man. He wouldn’t say what you do about Sophia."

"Sophia had a sense of humour, not like you, old hag."

"... What did you say?"

"... uh oh... Do something Eli..." — I saw Grampa Marlo whisper to me, aware of the fight ready to break between old friends, and I who was watching laughed, fond of the casual days those were.

"Who wants more pie?!" — I said, in hast to help.

Those days were the happiest... Learning how to draw on a canvas with Granny Martha... being treated like a grandchild by the geezers and teasing them while joking around... their laughs and innocent mischief we shared...

"That’s a beautiful painting you made there... won’t you keep learning this technique?"

"I like sketches more... But I also want to learn what you can teach me, granny."

"Haha~ I believe you can teach me too... I’ve heard people draw digital... I am not sure what that is yet it must be interesting... Times changed many aspects of life... we old ones are being left behind, aren’t we?"

"... To the old stuff we now call it vintage. It’s kind of a trend lately, Granny."

"Trend?"

"... Many young people like it. It became fashionable again." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Oh~ I see, I see~ a Trend~... My grandchild told me about it the other day. Said I was following the trend he saw in that touchy thing he calls me with."

"Haha~ Yes, so you still can teach me stuff even if it’s old."

"My~ that’s wonderful. I suppose being the past is not useless in this future."

"Mhm."

"Nonetheless, darling... This old woman might not be able to teach all she knows to you... as you can see, my hands aren’t the same as they were..."

"... That’s fine granny."

At this memory, I felt nostalgic, much more knowing what it was about and what would happen sometime later. I had taken her wrinkled hand, aware that the shaking of them had steadily strengthened after being diagnosed and we smiled at each other, while her hand that never took the ring of her marriage with Louis off pat mine.

"... My children didn’t have in them the wish to draw or paint... It makes me happy that you like it, darling."

"They like your paintings though."

"Yes... but it is not the same, girl." — She said pinching my cheek playfully.

"Ouch..."

"Hihi... You know what I would truly like, darling?"

"What?"

Meeting her clear eyes and white hair, I saw my past self stare at her mischievous expression with curiosity, compliant to the playfulness... While I, who watched this from the side cried... aware of her next words.

"I would like to make you a painting so one day you can take it to your house with the family I hope I can see you make... Like that, you can tell your children you had a beautiful and talented Granny, you see."

"Hmm... Nah, I’ll lie and say I made it."

"Oh~ come on, child~"

"Or maybe I could sell it."

"Hoho~ Malicious, girl. Don’t make me mad now~"

’... d*mn geezers...’ — I mumbled while aware this was the last good memory I would have... because on that afternoon, I was to get in my car to travel where my brother Trevor’s house was after many months of not meeting him nor my mom and Kevin... because we were invited to his house... to celebrate some kind of surprise he had for us...

But things wouldn’t come out like we all hoped...

I wouldn’t have a house to decorate with Granny’s painting... I wouldn’t have a boyfriend to present to Grampa August and Marlo either... I wouldn’t give a hug to any of my family members after months of not meeting them...

*CRASH!!*

I wouldn’t survive that car accident. Well I know this.

*******

Surprisingly... I did learn more of what I left behind like I initially thought I would.

"I am sorry... we couldn’t save her. The impact of the accident ultimately made her organs malfunction... the fire she inhaled burned her lungs..."

"No...!"

"Mom! Mom, calm down...!"

"The patient died on the way to the hospital."

"No! Elizabeth...! My daughter...! Trevor! AaAaAhhhg! YoUr sisteeer...!"

"... Kevin..." — Trevor said to my quiet brother, whose eyes looked as red as his, asking for help while my mom collapsed in sobs as my body was taken into the hospital, already lifeless... where they had been probably waiting after learning the news about the accident.

I saw their grief... the one I had wondered how it had been shown... surprising me somehow... because I could see the pain in Trevor’s eyes that couldn’t hold the tears back... while the quiet Kevin cried as quiet... but appearing like a kid while helping my mom who was about to faint in sobs.

’...’

"Mom, come on... stand up..."

"... no... your sister... Kevin... my girl....! My little girl...!"

"....."

Both of my brothers, I saw them share a glance, one I had never seen before... that broke my heart because both looked just like when we were kids for a moment, troubled and confused at what to do until Kevin lifted his hand to get my older brother’s who had been standing fidgety and overwhelmed, to finally crouch to hug mom and Kevin...

*Sob...*

Only their fight with the tears I could hear while mom whined in pain holding onto both of them... appearing older than I could remember... weaker than I could remember...

"Elizabeth..."

"sniff..... It’s okay Mom... cry...."

"... Trevor..." — I then heard my brother’s wife say... letting me notice what the surprise was... since her body was already showing what would be worthy of a surprise...

’... ah... hah... so... I was going to be an aunt...’ — I thought in tears, regretful of not learning it earlier... and that I couldn’t celebrate with them...