Prized Possessions - Chapter 7

The uncomfortable ride back home brought upon silent tension. Hilda was aware that she was going to be punished for what she did two days ago. She knew Whitney wasn't going to let her off so easily. Oddly enough, Hilda didn't really care all that much.

"All right, we're home." said Whitney as she parked the car. By the time they came back in, Whitney made Hilda stay in her room until dinner time.

Back in her own room, the girl changed to a purple shirt and black shorts. She was about to turn on the television but changed her mind and went with reading instead. The eighteen year old found a book she neglected to finish several weeks ago. It was a love story about two high school students dealing with the dark side of daily life.

Since it would take a while for dinnertime, Hilda re-read the whole book as a recap before finishing the final four chapters. She couldn't help but relate to the main couple, considering they had to face psychological problems similar to her and Margret. Eventually, the couple overcame their issues and made amends with any relatives that did them wrong. In the end, love redeemed and healed everything.

Hilda fell softly on her bed, looking up at the celling. Speaking of a love story, she couldn't stop thinking about a certain someone. Margret was the one who nurtured her back to health. She earned Hilda's trust, friendship, and finally, affection by giving her much needed support throughout dark times.

No wonder why Hilda had no regrets when she made the first move. She shared her very first kiss with Margret. While she laid down, Hilda touched her own lips. The kiss was soft, tender, and warm. She blushed lightly, giggling like a giddy little child. She was falling in love for the very first time.

Several hours later...

"Hilda!" Whitney called out her name. "Dinner time!"

Reluctantly, Hilda woke up from her romantic (and slightly perverse) dreaming. She got up from the bed and left her room.

During dinner time, the living room was quiet. Nothing but the sounds of silverware and food were heard. Hilda felt a little worried. Was Whitney still angry with her? Maybe some conservation would help lighten the mood.

"So..." Hilda attempted to break the ice. "How do you and Margret's dad know each other? From work?"

"Yes," Whitney answered. "Adam's been a customer at Stop n Shop for 9 months. He use to go to another supermarket. But, it went out of business a while back. Sometimes, he visits to buy groceries. Other times, he's at the coffee isle during breaks at his job. One day, I was doing some clean up duties there until he noticed me. We were just acquaintances at first. Then as the days went by..."

"Flirting...?" Hilda asked, shuddering just thinking about it.

Whitney blushed. "Well, yes..."

"I knew it..."

"Since Patricia's illness and passing," Whitney concluded. "I haven't been around to talk with him much since I've been absent at Stop n shop for quite a while. I really miss talking to Adam..."

"I see..." Hilda, playing with her grilled chicken and peas. "You're going back to work soon, right?"

"Of course I am. I'm finishing my bereavement leave this Friday." Whitney shifted back to her usual stern expression. Now was the time to discuss a few things. "Listen, Hilda... I'm still mad about what you did, even though your friend helped you a great deal in the end."

"Of course you are..." Hilda sighed, a little annoyed.

"But, after giving it some thought..." Whitney continued. "I've realized that I've been unfair to you in a way. I should've been more considerate about what you've been through."

Hilda raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

"That's because...long ago...I tried to indulge once." Whitney explained. "After dad died saving me and Patricia from a house fire, mom became violent and unstable. She blamed us for what happened to dad and made us fend for ourselves in a run down apartment. When I was sixteen, I stole a pack of cigarettes from a corner store. I thought if I used them, I would be free of the pain and torment. But, the cigars did nothing but shorten my breathing. I never smoked again ever since."

Hilda was stunned after hearing her auntie's painful backstory. It nearly broke her heart. She had a feeling that her aunt's life at the Ghetto wasn't too pleasant growing up. But, she never heard the full story until now. Hilda didn't know that Whitney had it a lot worse than her. "My lady fumi...Whitney...I'm sorry...I didn't..."

"When you were born, I swore deep down to myself." the older woman admitted. "I swore that I was going to take care of you to the best of my abilities. I wanted to become a better parent figure than my own mother was. But, when you found out about your parents...a part of me feels like I have failed you somehow. I wasn't strong enough to shelter you from the inevitable."

"Auntie..." Hilda was on the verge of tears. "You've always been a great parental figure to me. When my parents left...you were my last hope of surviving as a normal girl. I am forever grateful. You can never imagine..."

"Hilda...!" Whitney eyes widened at this. Then, she felt tears coming down her face. She was...crying! She never cried like this since she had lost her father. Only this time, the tears weren't out of sorrow. Whitney was crying out of relief, gratitude, and happiness. Suddenly, the older woman stood up, ran over to her niece and hugged her.

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..."

"I should be the one apologizing! I've been complaining about how messed up my parents were when you've been through a lot worse than me!" Hilda hugged her aunt back just as tight. "Auntie...thank you. Thank you..."

Afterwards, Hilda went to the bathroom, she looked into the mirror. Her reflection was still the same as her. She was an eighteen year old African American girl. Her black hair grew out over the past few months. It was almost down to her waist. She was holding a pair of scissors in her left hand. The old Hilda was no more. The new Hilda was going to shape herself and her life for the better. And she was not ever going to look back.

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The next day...

"Hi, mom. It's me, Margret. How have you been?" Margret asked the grave stone that belonged to her late mother. "A lot of things have happened since the time I came here to visit you. I'm...doing great. Yeah, I know, that's hard to believe, right? I'm usually somber, depressed, and moody when I visit here. Dad's doing a lot better as well. I think...he's finally found someone. But, I'll get to that later."

She was standing there at the grave yard, holding Peter the teddy bear in her arms. This time, Margret was in her true form. She was going to stick with her eighteen year old body from here on out.

"Mom, I've finally decided to move on." Margret admitted. "Staying a child forever...isn't something I want anymore. I want to grow older and stronger. I want to be with Hilda. I want to graduate with her. Speaking of which, Hilda finally had it in her to kiss me. She made the first move! I was totally surprised. It's about time something happened."

Just then, cold wind blew quietly.

"This will be the last time you'll see me holding Peter, too." Margret continued." I'm going to send him to charity at the hospital. It won't be as sad as I expected because I know I'm way too old to be clinging to stuffed animals."

Margret looked at the morning sky. She looked at her watch. It was 8:30pm. School was going to start pretty soon.

"Hilda has given me the strength I need to move forward in life. So, I'm going to change myself for the better, too, just like Hilda! I'm sorry...school is almost starting. I'll try to visit you later if I can. Good bye, mother. And thank you."

And with that, Margret placed a bouquet of flowers near her mother's grave and left the cemetery.

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While entering the pediatrics unit of Miriam hospital, she noticed a eight year old child. She was on a wheelchair and she was having trouble working the wheels.

"Hi, there." Margret said. "Do you need some help?"

The girl turned her head to see the older girl. "Really? C-can you help me?"

"Of course." Margret smiled. She knelt down and noticed something was stuck between one of the wheels. It looked like a blue rubber ball. She pulled it out of the wheel. "Hey, is this yours?"

The young brunette looked at the toy and smiled. "So, that's where it was! Thank you, miss."

"Your welcome." Margret replied. "Were you going somewhere?"

"Yes...I have to back to my room. My doctor is going to talk to me about my back surgery. I'm really scared, though."

"It's okay to be scared about things like that." Margret said. "But, just remember...you're not alone. You have people who support you, right?"

"Yes, I have mom, dad, and big sis taking good care of me." the crippled girl answered. "Still...I am scared that I won't have the courage to go through with it."

Margret felt a pang of sadness hearing that from an eight year old girl. She could tell that the child didn't want to show it too much. Then, she looked at the girl and then at her teddy bear. She was going to bring this to the charity box. But, after meeting this child, this poor crippled child, Margret had a change of heart. Looking at Peter one last time, she offered him to the girl. "Maybe...you could use a companion."

The brunette child looked at the teddy bear. "R-r-really, miss?"

Margret nodded, sincerely. "He's been an old friend of mine for ten years. I'm a grown up now, so, I don't need him anymore. Please take good care of him for me."

The crippled child took the teddy bear and looked at it thoroughly. She was fighting back tears. "Thank you so much..."

"Anna!" shouted the mother of the child. "The doctor is here! Come back to your room."

"Ok! I'll be right there." Anna looked at Margret with gratitude. "Thanks, again."

And with that, with her wheelchair fixed, Anna rolled back to her mother. The older girl waved goodbye and then turned around. Margret allowed a tear to roll down her face before running to took the next elevator without ever looking back.

Goodbye, Peter...