AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Link gazes at the man with his tucked-in shirt, who can’t be more than five foot two. “Yeah, if you need us, holler. I’m pretty sure we can take him. I mean, I’m, like, seventy-five percent confident.”
“It’s the little ones you have to watch out for,” Cam mutters. “Never underestimate the little man.”
“Truth. But he’s got little-girl hands,” Link whispers. “Ain’t much fighting gonna go on with hands like that.”
As I walk inside, I grin the smallest bit. Because even though I still wish they hadn’t come here, part of me is glad they did.
Sort of.
“You sure you don’t want us to come in?” Cam asks when I open the driver’s door and step out. “We can.”
Looking at the tiny house with the peeling paint and grass growing up around it, I swallow. “No, I’m good, thanks. Just stay here.”
I’m not embarrassed by the fact that my family is dirt poor. Because at the end of the day, I’ve met some rich people who are absolute pieces of shit. But the house hasn’t been kept up with in years. And I don’t know what I’m going to find that my grandmother left me. I know it isn’t money because she didn’t have any. So, whatever it is, I’d rather see it for myself first.
Pushing the key in the door, I glance at the windows. So many are broken or smashed out altogether. The roof looks like it’s close to caving in. Even the door seems crooked when I pull it open. Why she’d fight to keep this place…I don’t know.
My grandmother always had a secret hiding spot. When I was a kid, I didn’t understand why she needed it, but as I got older and realized my dad was an angry drunk who demanded money for alcohol, I understood. The lady always worked multiple jobs. She didn’t want to work just to give him all of her earnings.
Moving an old, dirty couch, I see the tiny hole in the wall behind it. Reaching in, I pull out an envelope and a small box.
The envelope has my name on it. So, immediately, I tear it open to find a letter.
Dear Brody,
My sweet boy, if you’re reading this letter, I guess that means I kicked the bucket, huh? Too soon for jokes? Sorry, I’m an old woman who’s losing her mind. Besides, you’re no stranger to using humor to avoid the sad shit, are you, son?
I sit here, knowing this is one of the last days I’ll be living in my own home—my home of forty years—and I have to leave it behind. I know it’s not much. And by the time you’re reading this, it’s likely even worse. Hey, maybe they created a cure for Alzheimer’s, and I’m living the good life somewhere tropical with my toes in the sand. Oh, that would be the life, wouldn’t it?
I suppose that’s enough with the fluff stuff, huh? Time for the tough crap now. But that’s okay because you can handle it. Because you are the toughest boy that I know.
I am so sorry that I failed as your grandmother. I did what I could, but given your dad was the way that he was, I oftentimes cowered to him. If I could go back in time and be the hero in your story, I would. A thousand times over.
By now, you could be a rich and famous hockey player. Which means you’ll be able to afford anything you could wish for. Do you remember your wish when you were a kid? To be rich enough to go to the most magical place in the world—Disney World. I’m telling you, it’s overhyped and overpriced. But you should still go.
For as long as I can remember, you wanted a dog. You begged for one as a kid, and once you were old enough to understand the way your daddy was, you knew bringing a dog into that house was a bad idea. Get one now that you’re on your own. You deserve it.
Listen before you get angry. Did you read that? Good. Read it again. You react too fast, sweet boy. The world isn’t all bad. Though I’ll be the first to admit, it has some pretty awful parts in it. Sometimes, we just need a second to hit pause before we react. Lord knows you do.
Here’s the last thing. It’s the most important, so listen up. You are capable of loving and being loved. And despite what you might think…love is the greatest gift in the world. I had it once, and I lost it when the love of my life died when we were in high school. Don’t run from it, Brody. Embrace it. Let it heal you.
The house is yours. Do what you wish. Bulldoze it. Sell it. I don’t care. Just please, don’t let your father bully you into giving it to him. He’s taken enough from both of us.
I love you, my stubborn, silly, thoughtful, talented grandson. Please, don’t live your life scared.
Love,
Gram
P.S. Open the box. I know it’s not much, but it’s a little something that might help you. Or perhaps someone else.
Wiping my eyes, I fold the letter up and stuff it into my pocket. And when I open the box, I find the deed to the house, along with her will and a small stack of cash that ends up being about five thousand dollars. I don’t know when she would have saved this, but I’ll make sure it will help someone. I have to.
Hearing a car door close, I quickly tuck it into my pocket and push the couch back to where it was. Walking toward the door, I assume it’s just one of the guys checking on me. But who I see instead instantly sends a chill down my spine.
He’s inside before I can get out. Dirty clothes, bloodshot eyes, and messy hair. My father’s eyes narrow to slits when he catches sight of me. With that same vile look on his face that haunts my dreams, he looks me up and down. Proof that my very existence pisses him off.
“Wasted no time racing up here to steal her money, did you?” he snarls, looking right through me. “You ain’t changed a bit.”
