Chapter 5

06/23/2010

Chapter 5:

Damian edged stealthily down the stairs as to not let his aunt hear him coming. When he got to the bottom he turned left to get to the kitchen where he had left her not long before. He hid by the walkway and peered in, seeing his aunt sitting at the large dining room table.

She had two lit candles in front of her and her lips were silently moving, as if she was praying. She sat in the chair, slowly rocking back and forth like the grass swaying in the wind. Damian continued to watch, feeling as if he were in a trance. He rounded the corner and entered the kitchen, seating himself beside Neveya. He watched her intently, his gaze fixed, as if he were mesmerized.

“I thought you were taking a shower,” Neveya said.

Damian suddenly realized he had closed his eyes and hadn't noticed that his aunt had blown out the red candles in front of her. He looked straight at her with a familiar feeling of suspicion.

“What's going on? I know I heard you speaking to me upstairs; and how did you get me to fall asleep?” he asked, his mind swimming with questions and accusations.

“What are you talking about? I wanted to say a word of prayer before I put the food out. Maybe you do need some rest, Honey,” she replied, laying her hand across his forehead. “Do you want to lie down?”

“No, I don't want to lie down! Tell me the truth!” Damian wailed.

He knew he didn't have enough evidence of what he thought he heard upstairs, but with all the confusion already in the air, he couldn't stand anything else coming up.

“First of all,” Neveya stated calmly. “You need to lower your voice. Now, I don't know what you think was going on, but I was sitting here praying as you've seen me do many times. You know I am very spiritual, and lately I have been lighting candles to assist me in sending my prayers above. I do not want to hear anymore of this. You've had a rough few days and anyone would be hearing someone speaking to them if they went through what you've had to. I want you to go upstairs, finish your shower, and get ready to eat.”

Damian couldn't believe his ears. He began to think that maybe he did just imagine it.

“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell, but it just seemed so real. I thought you were keeping something from me,” he replied quietly, lowering his head in shame.

“There is no need to apologize, love. I'm surprised this is the first problem you've had. Just relax your mind and breathe. You will get through this.” Neveya said.

Damian couldn't help but notice that she had said almost exactly what he had heard her say when he was upstairs. He decided to let it go, considering it a coincidence and stood up from the table.

“I'm going to go finish my shower, and I promise when I get back I will be in a better frame of mind,” he said with a slight smile on his face. He climbed the stairs once again and entered the guest room.

As he sat down on the bed he began to think about what was happening to him. He considered that many people go through what he was so he must not be losing his mind. He knew he had to be strong and stable for his family so he discarded any previous thoughts about voices and the feelings he got when he heard them.

He went straight to the bathroom and closed the door. He took a long look in the mirror and spoke to his reflection, “What is wrong with you? I gotta get this under control.”

He turned the cold water on and doused his face, then gathered his dirty clothes and walked to the guest bedroom. He sat to put on his clean pair of socks, took one more deep breath, and went to share lunch with his aunt.

This time when he entered the kitchen, the table was set with plates and glasses, and Neveya was walking towards the counter where she was fixing sandwiches.

“Hey Nay-Nay, I'm back. Need me to get anything for you?” Damian tried to keep his voice upbeat.

“Actually, yes,” She replied, turning to look at him. “Can you get the pitcher of sweet tea and put it on the table?

“Yes, ma'am.”

“Is there anything I need to know? I mean, not about all of that other stuff before, but about Gran and Pop. Are they really okay?” He threw over his shoulder as he retrieved the tea from the refrigerator.

“You will be able to handle it, trust me. They are fine now, and that is what matters most.”

Grabbing the platter of sandwiches, she made her way to the table and placed it neatly in the center before taking a seat. Damian followed suit and they were soon eating.

Little was said during their meal, but Damian's mind was racing. All he could think of was what to expect that night when his grandparent's arrived. He felt extremely uncomfortable thinking about it, but he couldn't help wanting to know what had gone on in the last three years that had caused them to look the way that they did.

After he finished his food, Damian moved to the couch in the living room and flipped on the television. Moments later, Neveya walked in and sat down beside him. She had a large, leather-bound picture album in her hands.

“I have something to show you,” She said simply. “It is very important to me that you keep this close to your heart.”

She slid closer to him and opened the album. The first page contained a photograph of a small child, a girl that looked to be around seven years old. She wore an elegant dress made of silk that reached her ankles, and shoes to match. It was the shade of a brilliant sunset and made her glow just as much.

“This is your mother. She was the flower girl at our cousin's wedding, and if I remember correctly, she wore that dress every day for a week!” Neveya laughed.

Damian noticed how happy she seemed, and he really loved seeing her this way.

“A week?” Damian asked, letting a laugh slip through under his breath. It had been a week since he had really felt himself enjoying something. “She was so beautiful.”

“She was the most beautiful person I knew, and she had a heart of gold,” Neveya said, as she stared off into space, undoubtedly recalling the many good memories she had of her sister.

They sat for a while, looking through the album. They shared stories of their greatest experiences with her and it really helped to lighten Damian's heart.

“Did you know she was the prom queen? She brought me with her onto the stage so I could share the glory with her. It was the most amazing moment of my life,” Neveya said after about an hour of storytelling. She looked at him with eyes full of tears and said, “I want you to keep this. Don't ever forget how precious your mother was.”

“Wow, Nay-Nay. I don't know what to say. Thank you so much!” He took the album into his hands and placed it beside him on the sofa before turning to wrap his arms around his aunt's neck. “I love you,” he said quietly into her ear.

“I love you, too, Honey.”

Damian loosened his grip and moved towards the staircase, photo album in hand. “After I put this way, would you mind if I stepped outside for some air?”

“Of course not. Go ahead; I have quite a bit of cleaning to do anyway,” she replied, as she moved gracefully on her feet towards the kitchen. “Stay close though, it's easy to get lost out here.”

“Yes, Ma'am.”

When he finished carefully placing the album away into his bag, he skipped down the stairs and straight out the front door. For a moment, he stood still, enjoying the wind on his face. He took advantage of the fresh air with deep cleansing breaths, and then started running through the trees that encircled his aunt's home. He had found out long before then that running freely did a lot of good for his mind. It gave him time to think and the ability to rationalize whatever was going on at that point in time.

After an hour or so of running and watching the forest flow by as he ran through it, Damian slowed his pace and turned to walk his way back to Neveya's home.
When he made his way back, He ambled up to the porch from the back of the lovely brick house and made his way to the front. When he rounded the corner, he found his aunt sitting on her swing.

“How was your stroll?” She asked, as he sat down and put his arm around her shoulders.

“It was great; I ran for almost an hour. You know I had to stop and explore a little every now and then, though!” He grinned at her.

“Well, that's good.” She returned the smile. “I just got off of the phone with your grandmother. They should be here within an hour, so that should give you time to relax a bit. I would feel a lot better if you would lie down for a while. You need to give your emotions time to heal.”

“I know. While I was running, I was thinking a lot of things over. The best thing for me to do is relax and let all of this craziness dissipate.”

He sat by her for a few more minutes and then stood to go inside. Suddenly, he realized he was completely exhausted. His body felt heavy and sluggish, and he worried he wouldn’t be able to make it through the door, let alone up the stairs. His legs protested as he moved to kiss his aunt on the cheek.

“Could you please wake me up before Gran and Pop get here?” His voice was low and drowsy.

“Of course! Sleep tight.” Neveya grinned.

Damian managed to drag himself the rest of the way to the bedroom, and fell into a deep sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.