A New Dawn
On getting home that night, while lying on their bed, Ellie had decided to question her grandmother about the people they had met earlier that day. She really wanted to know the connection between them and so, she asked.
“Granny, can I ask you a question?”, Ellie asked, turning over to face her grandmother who was rubbing her aching ankle with a balm.
“Sure, you can go ahead. I am all ears”, Granny responded, continuing what she was doing.
“The people we met earlier, who are they?”, Ellie asked and immediately she did, she noticed a sudden change of mood in her. Her face became pale, as if it was something she didn’t want to remember.
“If you do not not want to talk about it, it’s fine. You do not have to do something that will hurt you”, Ellie said, upon noticing her grandmother’s mood.
“It’s fine. It is when one talks about what hurts him, that he will be free of the burden”, granny said.
“Do you remember me telling you my son and his family died in a car accident?”, granny asked.
“Yes, I do. What about that?”, Ellie asked, wondering what their deaths had to do with the people they had met.
“You see the people we met earlier, their parents also died in that accident. Or should I say, my son’s car ran into theirs?”, granny revealed making Ellie’s eyes wide opened at the revelation.
“The day the incident happened was my son’s and his wife’s wedding anniversary day. At the wedding anniversary’s party, my daughter-in-law found out my son was cheating on her with a colleague of his. This got her angry with her leaving the wedding party in a haste. My son ran after her with their 5 years old daughter in his arms. After meeting up with her, my son managed to convince his wife to enter his car and they all headed home”, granny said, with Ellie listening to her intently.
“While in the car, an argument ensued between them, making my son lose focus on the road, thereby crashing into Kevin’s parents’ car. My son and his daughter died on the spot and so also, Kevin’s parents. My daughter-in-law was rushed to the hospital alongside Kevin and Carla who were also in their parents’ car. On getting to the hospital, my daughter-in-law gave up a ghost while Carla lost her eyes in the process”, she continued but stopped for a while to take a break.
“I knew it was my son’s fault that their parents had died. I couldn’t cope with the guilt as it was eating me alive. After they were discharged, I decided to take them in and raise them as my own but Kevin wouldn’t agree as he said he didn’t want to be taken care of out of pity. They remained in their parents’ house while I ensured they were okay and living well, by taking care of their needs. Everything was going on well until I got to their house one day, and they were nowhere to be found. The house was sealed and upon asking around, I was told the bank had taken possession of the house as their father had borrowed a loan from the bank which he used the house as a collateral. Since he couldn’t pay back the loan in question, the bank had to take over the house, leaving the siblings with no place to stay. I asked around if they knew where the kids were but nobody did. I searched for them everywhere I could and even sought for the assistance of the police but nothing yielded positive. I have been searching for them for the past three (3) years until I saw Kevin at the hospital earlier today. I have been carrying the guilt around all these years and which is why when I found you months ago, I couldn’t ignore you”, Granny said, with pain in her eyes. It was at this moment that Ellie realized why granny was being so good to them.This is from NôvelDrama.Org.
“Wow, never knew something of such happened. You must have gone through a lot carrying such guilt in your heart for years”, Ellie said, sympathizing with granny.
“I sure did. I think I can finally repay them for all the debt I owe them, which is why I had suggested for them to move in with us. I hope you are fine with that?”, granny asked Ellie, wanting to make sure she had not agreed out of her own inconvenience to her request earlier.
“No, I am cool with it. At least, I will have someone around me apart from you. But do you think a family of four will be comfortable living in this small room?’, Ellie asked, wanting to confirm how convenient it would be for them. As if her granny had been waiting for her to mention this, she stood up and headed to a mini wardrobe of hers which was placed in a corner of the room. She opened it and brought out an envelope which what was contained in it was unknown. With the envelope in her hand, she sat back in front of Ellie, bringing out what was enclosed in it. It was a document which looked like a deed of agreement.
“This is the document of the house my son had bought and he and his family lived in before they died. I couldn’t bring myself to live in the house after their demise and so I had kept the place locked for three years. We can sell off the place. Although, we wouldn’t make a lot of money from it but with the little we earn from it, we can get a mini place and use the remaining money to sponsor your education”, granny said, making Ellie surprised.
“Sponsor my education?”, Ellie asked.
“I know you have a thing for Fashion and you have been working your ass off so hard to gather money just to fulfill your dream of gong to college to study Fashion”, granny said, making Ellie surprised at her revelation.
“You knew all these while?”, Ellie asked again.
“Yes, I do. And I have been waiting for the perfect time, to make this known. You do not have to work yourself to stupor anymore. Once we sell off the apartment, you will be able to further your education”, granny said, smiling. With joy in her heart, Ellie embraced her grandmother tightly, making her giggled.
“Thank you so much, granny. You are the best grandmother ever”, Ellie said, smiling, still embracing her grandmother.
“And you are the best granddaughter one can ever wish for. Thank you for being by my side when I needed someone the most. I love you, Ellie”, granny said, with her hands wrapped around Ellie, while patting her back.
“I love you too, granny”, Ellie responded. That night, they both slept happily, with them both, sleeping in each other’s embrace.
The following morning when Ellie woke up, she was beaming with joy as she was seeing a bright future ahead of her. She resumed back to her daily routine but this time around, she was doing it with joy, knowing that everything was about to turn around for good.
Kevin and Carla on the other hand, resumed back to their normal daily activity with them both, looking forward to a better future ahead of them.