A Week!

Chapter Seven

Day Seven

I woke up feeling much better today even though I was still a little nauseous. I took a long shower and had a leisurely breakfast. I was putting the dishes into the dishwasher when it started sparking. I went to call the repairman but before I could pick up the phone it rang. I grabbed it before it woke mom up.
"Hey LaLa. Just the person I was looking for. I got all you frantic messages. What's going on?"
"Nothing. I was just having a bad day yesterday. I was freaking out over just about everything. Things are better today."
"Glad to hear it. You wanna come visit me at the dorm? I missed seeing you yesterday."
I smiled at how romantically cheesy he was being.
"I'd love to. I'll be there soon."
I left mom a note telling her I was going to visit Deacon and that the dishwasher was sparking.

My visit with Deke was wonderful. We spent the whole time in his room talking. Just talking. I told him all about yesterday even the part where I thought I was pregnant. I left it for last of course in case he freaked out. He was quiet for a few minutes and I started getting the nauseous feeling again.
"You know if you were pregnant it wouldn't change the way I'd feel about you. I'd take care of you and the baby."
"Thats good to know." I was quiet for a minute before asking, "Would it end our relationship?"
"Only if you wanted it to."
After we had lunch I told him I had to get home with mom's car. I had just pulled into the driveway and was climbing out of the car when I heard a bloodcurdling scream.

I was trying to fix the dishwasher with the how to book I'd bought months ago. Things were going good and then I felt a slight tingling. I tried to pull my hand away but it was too late. I could feel the electricity shooting through body and I let out a bloodcurdling scream as my body began to twitch.
I ran from the car into the kitchen where I saw mom lying on the floor. It took me a minute to realize she was being electrocuted. I ran to the phone and called 911. I begged them to hurry. Mom's screaming was getting softer.
Lanie ran into the kitchen and after she figured out what was happening to me she called 911. Lanie never was one to panic in an emergency. I just wished she wasn't here to see this. I felt suddenly felt cold and I heard a strange whispering.
"Don't panic. I am Death. I am here to make your journey easier. Let go Maggie. Lanie will be fine. You raised her to be strong."
I was surprised to find out there really is a Grim Reaper, and he's not evil. Funny the strange thoughts that suddenly pop into your head.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The Grim Reaper is real! As amazing as that was I knew that could only mean one thing.
"No! Please don't take her! I need her," I screamed at the top of my lungs.
But it was too late. She was gone.
"MOM!" I managed to sob as the police and paramedics rushed in.

When the police were done asking me the same questions for what seemed like the hundredth time, I left the house. I had to get out of there. My first stop was to a gardening shop. I asked for a tombstone-shaped marble slab to be delivered to my house. I got some weird looks but at this point I didn't care. Next I went to the hair salon and had my hair dyed back to my natural red. Mom always said she loved my red hair which is why I had dyed it purple in the first place. After driving around I had to go back home. I immediately went to the greenhouse and saw the marble slab waiting. It would have to do until I could have mom buried. Even though it wasn't her real headstone and it didn't say anything on it it still broke my heart to see it.
"Why her? Why now? Give her back! This isn't fair!" I broke down and began sobbing uncontrollably.

I was going into the house when mom's friend Chris walked by. She smiled and walked over to me.
"Hey Lanie, how are you? Where's your mom? Is she inside?"
She didn't know. Oh god, she didn't know.
"Oh Chris! I... mom had an accident while she was fixing the dishwasher. She's...she's dead."
I didn't want to say it out loud. I didn't want to admit it. Now I had done both so it was real. She was dead.
"She's dead? Oh Lanie I am so sorry. Is there anything I can do?"
I shook my head.
"No. Not right now. Thanks though. I'll call you if I need anything."
I started to walk away before she could say anything else.
Then Chris called out, "She loved you alot, Lanie."

I went inside and called Deke. I couldn't bear to tell him what had happened over the phone.
"Deke, it me. Do you think you can come over?"
"Ah sure. I'll be there in 10."
It took him 15 but I didn't care. I threw myself into his arms and cried on his shoulder.
"LaLa, what's wrong?"
"She's dead. My mom is dead. I came back from visiting you and she was trying to fix the dishwasher. It broke before I left and I didn't call a repairman. You called and all I did was leave her a note."
I was sobbing into his chest as I choked out what had happened and he held me tighter.
"Its not your fault, Lanie. It was an accident. You've got to know that."
"I know but it doesn't make things any easier. What am I going to do?"
"We'll get through this. Together."
Deacon left half an hour later. He didn't want to go but I made him. I had to be alone for a little while.

I took a long walk around the town. I wandered to the edge of the park and looked into the woods. It made me think of when I was younger. When I was about 5 years old mom and I used to go to the park every Saturday so we could explore the woods. Sometimes we'd bring a picnic lunch and we'd be gone all day. That was until she decided I wasn't enough and she needed to have a man in her life. Why wasn't I enough? I couldn't stop the scream that was building up inside. I threw my head back and let it out. It was loud, long, and full of pain. And no one in the park said a word.

I finally composed myself and entered the woods. There was an already worn path and I decided to follow it. I walked for over an hour and I eventually came to a clearing. There was a small waterfall that emptied into a stream filled with moss-covered rocks. It was so beautiful and peaceful. I wished mom was here to see it. She always acted like a high maintenance woman, but she really loved hiking, camping, and nature. It hurt to think about her. It even hurt to breath. I stood staring into the woods as tears escaped my eyes and made their way down my face. After I had cried myself out of tears I wiped my face, and left the clearing.

On a whim I stopped by a small farmhouse that had a free puppies sign. I always wanted one and it wouldn't hurt to look. A friendly old woman led me to a room full of warm, squirming, yapping puppies. White ones, brown ones, and lonely little black one in the corner.
"The black one isn't part of this litter. He's only 6 weeks, the others are 7. He was the only puppy in his litter and his mom died suddenly when he was only two weeks old. We were lucky that Patches accepted him as part of her litter. We thougth he was going to die. The other puppies never really liked him though," the woman explained.
The poor little thing. We had a lot in common. I know he's a dog, but still. I picked him up and his eyes lit up, his tail wagged, and his little tongue went to work on my tear stained cheeks.
"I'll take him."
"Are you sure your mom won't mind?"
I held back the tears, plastered a smile on my face, and shook my head.
"No. He'll be good company."
I left with the squirmy little bundle and walked home. He seemed content to nestle against my neck. I thought about what to name him all the way home. I finally decided on Cash, after Johnny Cash. I love and have always been a fan of Johnny Cash. I'm assuming that I get it from my dad. I stopped in front of the house and looked at Cash.
"Welcome home, Cash."

I set Cash down so he could explore his new home while I took my diary into the livingroom and sat down on the floor.
"Dear Diary
When people used talk about a week it seemed like such a long time to me. But the last 7 days haven't seemed like such a long time at all. Ok so I've had alot of excitement and ups and downs to last me a life time. If you had told me a week ago that I'd move to a small town into a house the size of a shack, get sent to a prep school, actually make up with my mom, meet and make love to the guy of my dreams, find out I'm smart enough to qualify for a school scholarship, get a puppy, and worst of all deal with the death of my mom I would have said you were crazy.
It all happened though. And somehow I'm still standing. I guess I owe my mom a thank you. She made me the strong, self-confident woman I am today. So THANKS MOM! I'm just sorry it took her dying for me to realize it. I still have one nagging question running through my head though. Am I pregnant?"

THE END