Page 100 of Unbearable

I guess mothers really do know all.

The cemetery was silent, except for the occasional rustle of leaves in the wild.

“We thought you were crazy then, but now… now I wonder if you saw things clearer than we ever did.”

The graveyard seemed to hold its breath as I spoke, the stark beauty of winter adding to the solitude. Snowflakesbegan to drift lazily from the gray sky, adding a soft layer of white to the earth around me.

“I miss you. God, I miss you.” The words caught in my throat. “I wish you were here to see this come to fruition, just as you said it would.” Tears threatened to spill over, and I didn’t blink them back, finally allowing my grief to overwhelm me.

“I may never understand why you were taken from us, and why I never got to know you beyond me being a ten-year-old little girl,” I confessed, my tears falling to the cold ground. “I’ll spend the rest of my life wishing I had the opportunity to get to know you more. But while I only knew you for a short period of your life, I know that you will know me at every stage of my own.”

I sat there in silence, letting my grief wash over me in waves after suppressing it for the last twenty years.

Lost in my thoughts and the quiet communion with my mother’s memory, I didn’t hear his approach until he sat next to me, his hand finding mine.

“She’s so proud of you, Dotty.” Trent’s voice broke the silence, his presence comforting.

I leaned my head on his shoulder, letting myself feel everything I had suppressed for two decades. I pulled back to look at him.

“She’s proud of you too,” I said softly, surprise shined in his eyes. “She is. I don’t remember much from before she passed, but I know she loved you like her own,” I assured him, finding solace in his embrace.

He just smiled, pulling me in closer.

Two Weeks Later

“Congratulations, Dotty. You’ll start your new position at the beginning of the new year. Use the next few weeks to wrap up any current projects, and we’ll transition you to the new team that you’ll be supervising.”

“Thank you, Jordan. For everything,” I replied, my voice filled with gratitude.

“No need to thank me. You earned this, Dotty. I’ll miss having you on my team, but I know you’ll do great things in your new role.”

“Thank you. Take care.”

As soon as I hung up the phone, I let out an excited squeal. Noah walked in from the other room, peeking her head into my bedroom.

“Uh, you good?”

“I got it! I got the promotion!” I exclaimed, barely able to contain my excitement. Noah rushed in, jumping up and down before enveloping me in a hug.

“You deserve this, Dotty.” Tears of joy filled my eyes.

“Thank you.” I glanced around at my room, now filled with packed boxes.

Had I started packing before I even got the promotion? Yes, but I had a good gut feeling, and it was my way of manifesting it into reality.

A few weeks after Trent was released from the hospital, my manager had let me know that the promotion I wanted was open.

The best part? It was fully remote, with only quarterly meetings in Seattle required.

So, I was moving to Woodstone Falls. I was done letting life pass me by, content with the comfort of routine. Somewhere along the line, Woodstone had become my home again.

I was ready to be happy, to be near my dad, my brothers, my niece, and Trent.

“Knock, knock,” Trent said, tapping on the doorframe. He looked at Noah’s and my tear-streaked faces. “Oh shit. What happened?”

I laughed through my tears. “I got it.”

“You got it?” he asked, pushing through the doorframe.

---