They blew the dust off an album and sat down to look at pictures they had not seen for
decades.
The Album Tells All
It was one of the most difficult times
which a person never forgets. Tina’s grandparents were the structure of the
family. They always lived life to the fullest and made them all enjoy life in
the simplest ways. It all ended soon than they expected. They were definitely
not prepared for this.
After some weeks of endless pain and
grief, Tina and her cousin Molly went to Grandpa Allen and Grandma Suzie’s house in Chicago, USA, to clean up their belongings, as Tina’s mother had requested. Sadly, they both
passed away in a tragic road accident near the hotel about 2 months ago. They had
no idea until they saw the 7p.m news on television. The two were on their
way to the Heavenly Paradise Hotel in Chicago to celebrate their 51st
anniversary when tragedy struck. Tina and her parents rushed to the Precious
Life Hospital in the blink of an eye. Her mother cried uncontrollably, because
it now dawned on her that her mother, her best friend, was gone.
From living to lifeless, Tina and her
parents never got a chance to say goodbye. The sight of their lifeless bodies
in the morgue remained as a permanent scar which has left a deep wound in their
heart forever. Unfortunately, as time went on, they never got to know who the
driver was. It turned into a hit and run case. Burying her grandparents and her
mother’s parents became the scariest and most painful thing they ever had to
do. Eventually, the family’s slow healing process was just as evident as the
dark of night.
On September 10, 1997, Tina’s mother
asked her to go to their now unoccupied home, two blocks away, to pack up their
belongings and tidy up. She was planning on selling their house. Every smile,
every joke that her mother made, had disappeared. She lost weight tremendously
and her skinny appearance could attest to the fact that she had undergone a
great moment of depression. Her eyes slowly withered, which seemed like a ghost
town, pale and gloomy. Tina and her dad continuously did all that they could to
cheer her up. They had to remain strong for her sake.
Tina went the following day with Molly
to their grandparents’ home. Molly is her favourite cousin. She is tall, fair
skinned, with long brown hair, black eyes and is not quite thin. She is very
helpful and reliable. They are like best friends. They both went there in the
afternoon. The place seemed dull, dusty and gloomy.
“I can’t believe they’re gone,” Tina expressed sadly.
“Yes, me too. It feels like a dream.” Molly
replied.
“So where do we begin?” Molly asked.
“Let’s begin in the bathroom. We will
clean the easiest places first.” Tina added.
They went to the bathroom with a plastic
bag to pack the soap bars, soap dishes, towels, skin cream and other supplies. They
both scrubbed the walls with soap and water. Next, the ladies moved to the
living room. This task was getting quite tedious.
“I’m famished. What time will we finish
all this?” Molly inquired.
“I know. I think we should clean the
living room now and then stop. We can do the rest tomorrow if you’d like.” Tina
explained.
“Agreed! 100%!” Molly exclaimed.
All the chinaware and glasses were
placed in boxes. They unplugged the television and radio. The ladies sneezed a
lot because of the dust. They dusted and wiped every corner. To the left of the
television was a bookshelf with many books. Grandpa Allen loved airplanes. He
worked as a Maintenance Technician for over 18 years. Among the pile of books
was an album. Tina slowly picked it up and wiped out the dust. She told Molly
to come over and sit on the chair as they have a look. It had been decades
since this album was opened. Not even their grandparents took much time
throughout the years to catch up on fond memories. Tina and Molly reminisced on
old times. As Tina flipped the cover page, she saw a picture of young Allen
holding his model MH370 airplane.
“Oh, look at him. We will definitely
miss our cheerful grandpa.” Molly uttered in a soft voice.
Tina breathed heavily and flipped the
page again. There was a picture of their family reunion in Grandpa Allen’s big
backyard. The extended family came from different parts of the world to
celebrate. The two could see grown folks dancing, children playing, their
parents talking, laughing and cooking. It was a fun filled moment. Then, the
two looked at the following page together. Surprisingly, Molly saw a picture of
herself on the hospital bed surrounded by Tina, her parents and her aunt and
uncle.
“Hey! How did this happen? How old was
I?” She asked in a surprised tone.
“I think you were in 7th
grade. Some boy at school pushed you so hard that you fell and broke your leg.
You were in the hospital for about 8 days.” Tina replied.
“Ok. I don’t think I remember this at
all. Well thank God I have my wonderful leg back.” She replied. They laughed
for a while there. Again, Tina flipped the third page. She saw she and Molly
dressed up as what seemed to be elves and as they were hugging each other. They
were holding their gifts. Tina got a pink toy phone and Molly got a medium
sized remote controlled toy car. There was a well-lit decorated Christmas, with
gift boxes underneath, to the back of them.
“Here Molly, look at us with our gifts.
We must have been 8 years old at the time. This was my best Christmas Day
ever!” Tina told her cousin.
“Yes. We even had Santa. I wonder who exactly
he was. Hmm, come to think of it, I think he was my dad.” Molly said.
The two ladies had a good time looking
back at old pictures. Tina became a bit teary-eyed, while Molly tried to
comfort her. These past years had some really fond memories which they will
cherish for a lifetime. Molly then decided to finish up the cleaning tasks in
the living room, as Tina went for a short, soothing and calm walk around the
house. It seemed that the memories were taking a toll on her emotions.
After a few minutes, Tina returned to
help Molly finish up. They put the album in one of the boxes so that old
memories would recreate new ones. They wanted the family to continue the legacy
of fun, joy and a life full of activities. They packed everything in a corner
of the living room.
Suddenly, Tina expressed: “I think we
are all done for now. Let’s leave everything else for the next day or so. Mom
will get a driver to clear them from here.”
“Sure, will do. Anytime you need me just
let me know.” Molly replied.
They locked up the door, then left for
home. It was now becoming a slow grieving starting point to a dreadful scary
ending for the family.
THE ALBUM
Their home, now unoccupied
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