FicWad

Chapter 47

There’s not much that I remember from that day. I do remember the rain, how it poured violently against the earth, as if in punishment for something it had done. Maybe it was furious with mankind, maybe it was furious with me…I don’t know.
I do know that I visited the cemetery that day. I had made excuse after excuse in my head preventing me from going there, and after some time I completely deleted the idea from my mind.
But today was a different day. A day of mourning, a day of sadness, a day of confusion and feeling betrayed. I guess I always hoped that someone would care for me always. I think that I believed someone would come after me when I was in trouble, when I was in need. I never ceased believing that a single man loved me. Was it Frank, Gerard, Bert, Mikey, Bob…? I really didn’t know. I just wanted to think someone did.
But that was a lie.
I understood that as I walked through the green, short, grass, covered in graves and inundated in water. I searched my brain for the place in which my daughter had been buried. I wonder if Gerard ever thought of visiting her? Did he ever think of her? Did he really wish, at least once, that things would’ve been different? Did he really cherish our time together? Was it the grieving of his grandmother and my mother that kept us apart? Or was it just that we weren’t meant to be together?
My head was a wreck, as my clothes, and my hair. I was covered in mud from my toes to my knees since the floor was so slippery and I wasn’t really thinking straight. By the time I got to the correct grave I could’ve passed by a homeless person. And still I heard the flashes behind me. It annoyed me.
I wanted to be alone with my child.
Was it too hard to understand?
“LEAVE ME ALONE!” I yelled, turning my head to the sides. The flashing and snapping was faster, and my world started swirling.
“YOU’RE MAKING ME INSANE! GET AWAY!” I yelled. He didn’t stop. I heard him come closer and then I raised my eyes to meet his face. There he was, with his red hair completely dry and a grin plastered to his face, his free hand taking an umbrella.
“Would you like to get some coffee?” He asked in a most natural way. I looked at him in astonishment and decided not to look back to the grave so that he wouldn’t give it much importance. And by some strange tug of my heart I nodded my head and let him lead me to a coffee shop.

I tapped my fingers to the table and stared at the gangly man that had made my life miserable these past days.
“I tell you, I didn’t think you’d accept…” He said, taking pictures from time to time.
“Don’t you ever get bored of doing that?” I spat
“No”
“I could let you take my picture if you asked me to instead of…” I trailed off, locking eyes with him.
“I don’t like asking for things. I prefer to grab them myself”
“You’re a psycho”
“You accepted to get coffee with someone who’s been stalking you for about half a month now. You’re a psycho” He retorted, placing the camera down to sip at his expresso. I considered him, my fingers tapping an unknown beat rapidly.
“You’re right. I’m demented” I agreed and looked away from him.
“You haven’t answered my question” He stated, putting the cup down.
“Which one?”
“Why did you come?”
“This reminded me of a book…A girl used to hate the woman that could’ve become her mother-in-law because she treated her like shit. But when the one that could’ve been his fiancée killed himself she accepted the woman’s offer to move in with her…”
“And you decided to imitate that?” He asked in amusement.
“I did. Is one of my favorite books”
“What is this book’s title?” I think he kept on talking just to figure out how weird of a woman I was. I wished him luck.
“Paint it Black”
“Right…”
The silence stretched and I felt I had the need to break it.
“Why did you barge into my house?”
He smirked before answering, “Isn’t it obvious?” He remarked in between laughs.
“If I asked then it isn’t.” I stated sternly which made him stop laughing. He leaned in, his face now dead serious,
“I’m obsessed with you Gabrielle. I want you to be mine”
My face turned into an expression of full consternation.
“You’re fucking out of your mind. Leave me the fuck alone” I yelled, running out of the place hurriedly and went as far away as possible. I’m grateful that there’re no officers around, because I must be breaking a thousand speeding rules. Apparently I had been enough of an entertainment to the red head ‘cause he didn’t follow me for the rest of the day. Or at least I didn’t notice him. I continued with the course of my activities and had managed to forget the former incidents as I got to my place.
I walked to the phone and saw the blinking red light announcing unheard messages.
“Hey Gabe…Are you over that stalker thing? I thought you were exaggerating but you did seem pretty stressed about it. Maybe that’s what it is…/stress/. Anyway, give a call if you want to hang out or something. Oh, and Mikey gave me your phone number if you were curious where I’d gotten it from”
/Beep/. Bert’s voice sounded just lightly concerned. I was grateful for the call but decided not to return it. I’d thank him next time I’d see him.
“Gabe…forget it” Gerard’s message got me mad. I could tell he wanted to tell me something but then thought it was too foolish. Maybe he believed me, and thought about it better and got to the conclusion it was pointless. I deleted the messages and took a bubble bath to take the stress away.
It didn’t help much.