Chapter 55: June 23rd 1982

My grandmother came to the house to see us today. When she got here, it was just Melanie and me. She told me about my parents’ wedding four days ago. She seemed very happy with how everything had went.

“Are they back from the honeymoon yet?” I asked, and I could tell immediately from her face that I’d just let a bit of the future slip through.

“They left two days ago, why would they be back already?”

“Dad hates it, he says everything is dirty there, and I think the poverty makes him feel bad about trying to be there.”

She looked surprised, but quickly shook it off. She started telling us about how she’d be helping my aunt prepare for her wedding that was coming up in October.

When I had told her about how much she would miss, I think she assumed she would miss the rest of the milestones in her kids lives, she knew she’d make it to my parents’ wedding, but not another child’s.

We visited for a bit, Melanie making her tea, since it was still a struggle for me to move around. She asked about Ruby Pegg, and I told her that I didn’t know much else about how or when she would be caught.

When I mentioned grown up Elliot, she looked around for a second.

“Can I meet him? I love little baby Elliot, and I’d love to see another baby all grown up.”

Melanie called Judy, and the three of them came over. My grandmother hugged the two adults, who she had heard so much about, but hadn’t met yet. Then she held baby Elliot who was reaching out to her.

“I don’t suppose you remember me?” she asked grown up Elliot, and he gave a guilt shake of his head.

“It’s ok. You’re so little now, and I do get the feeling my time is starting to wrap up.”

I started to tear up, and she took that as confirmation that I was right.

“It’s all relative, I think you have longer than you think, but…” I struggled to continue but forced it out, “…I feel as if I put a clock in your head. I didn’t meant to make your death ever present in your head.”

She held Elliot on one knee and an arm around his waist, with the other arm, she wrapped around me.

“It hasn’t been a bad thing. I’ve cherished all of the things that I’ve participated in since I met you. If you hadn’t told me, maybe I would have been more stressed this weekend. Maybe I would have been more hesitant when a biker came to pick up my daughter.”

I laughed.

“You have more time, I don’t want to tell you much… I’ll just tell you that you have more than a year. Ok?”

She sighed and smiled. She was clearly happy to hear that.

“I didn’t know if they were the kind of couple who would be expecting quickly after the wedding.”

I had told her on one of our first meetings that she was still alive when my mom was pregnant with me. To me, 2 years seemed the natural increment. The story had always been that my parents met in 1980, married in 1982, I was born in 1984, and then Sam came along in 1986. I hadn’t realized that may not have been obvious to her.

She left after lunch, and Melanie had to go back to work. I’m functional enough to take care of myself, just not host others. 

I’ve been reading a lot these last few weeks. Judy and Melanie have been supplying me with books to keep me occupied. I’m reading Firestarter by Stephen King. Melanie read the description and asked why on Earth I would want to read it.

“It’s out of publication in the future. Stephen King and his publisher pulled it due to the subject matter. I am curious about it.”

I didn’t want to tell her about Columbine, or whatever school shooting incident had been the cause. I can’t remember which it was, they’ve all merged into Columbine for me.

Anyway, I’m getting tired, I’m going to read until I fall asleep. Melanie is working late, so she’s not expecting me to be awake.