Chapter 4

“I thought I told you before that I didn’t want you in my room!” Anne said with a hint of defiance dancing through emerald irises.

“And I thought I told you I would be coming back no matter what you said” I said while crossing my arms like it was a way of finalizing my words. I looked at her with the same intensity she was giving me. It was obvious both of us was stubborn, and didn’t want to back down from the fight. No matter how stupid the fight was.

I could tell Anne was a fighter through and through. So a fight is exactly what I’m going to give her. One of us will come out victor of this troublesome wit of mind, and I doubt it will be her. I had too many years of practice teasing, and antagonizing my opponents on the football field. If I could talk them into submission a little red head punk should be easy, right?

“Listen here whoever you-“

 “Jamal.”

“Don’t cut me off a*****e!”

Now my eyes narrowed. “Don’t call me an a*****e ever again. I allowed it yesterday because I was in the wrong for stepping into your room without permission. But, I won’t allow it again without good cause. Anyways, didn’t your mama tell you it’s not polite for a lady to curse?”

Anne head snapped back as if I had just slapped her or something. She was so shocked beyond measure from what I could tell. I guess no one had tried to put her in her place around here. Probably because they feel sorry she has cancer, and would die soon. Well I don’t feel that sorry, especially since we’re in the same boat. No excuses for straight up horribleness.

“My mama never got a chance to tell me anything. She died right after I was born” she whispered all of a sudden while looking down at her hands clasped together. Something over took Anne in those few seconds. A look of utter hurt, and depression clouded her face. Her body started lightly shaking from the emotions she was feeling. I was looking at the total opposite of the fiery stubborn woman I saw just moments ago.

I felt a wash of quilt roll down my body. I stood in front of her bed with my mouth silently open in the form of a word I couldn’t get out. A million different ways to apologize flash through my head, but not a single one would surface. I settled for just trying to move the situation along. That’s the best I could do even though I know it’s not much.

“Um… well anyways, I guess we should start this session off better than we have, right Anne?” I asked with a hint of desperation. Hoping I didn’t put her into one of those depressions it takes months for people to get out of.  

Her head slowly came up, and she stared right into my eyes like she was looking at me for the first time ever. “You didn’t try to cover up what you said with an apology, or try to tell me how much you understand my pain. I never heard a reply like that to my mother’s death before. Why is that?”

Now I was at cross road with what I could say. My mind, for once, came up blank with an answer. I stared at my shoes while I started to speak from my heart, “I guess I responded that way because…that’s the way people should respond to death. I think so anyways. Well what I’m trying to say is that death is coming no matter what anyone says, or does, so why say sorry for something that’s going to happen anyways? I mean it’s sad people die earlier than we think they should, but it would still happen anyways down the line. The most you can do is try to live on with that person in your heart, and hope to see them again when it’s your time to go.”

I lifted my head back up when the last words slipped from my mouth to see tears rolling down Anne’s face, hiccups shuddering out of her mouth, and hands gripping bedsheets in a deadly brace. It was the most beautiful ugly thing I had ever witness, and before I knew it I had rush over right next to side of her bed and slowly placed my hand against her cheek to wipe the tears away. We stared at each other in a breathtaking moment. I could see peacefulness glide over her face in those few seconds.  And then she whispered,

“Jamal I am pleased to meet you, my name is Anne.”

I knew right then, those words were the start to something great.

Author's Note

Yes it was kinda short but i like it like that because it finalize some things to me. No this is not the end to my book, but kinda the end to segment 1 of it. I hope you like it.