Page 8 of Fractured
Mr. Rogers opened a few sheets of paper.
“Misty, Frank, the two of you are here because Talia is a minor, and Zada Davis asked that the two of you be here.”
Then he looked at Dom, “Once I read this part, I will ask them to leave, and then I will tell you what she left in her will. Okay?”
Dominik nodded.
His eyes were bloodshot, and I hated that for him.
Then Mr. Rogers began.
“My name is Zada Henley Davis; I am of sound mind.” He kept reading, but I wasn’t listening.
Not until I heard my name.
“To Talia, the light of this old woman’s heart. The little girl who tries to see wonder in everything around her, and that wonder gets snuffed out because people don’t appreciate her. You will never know how much it meant to me when you spent your afternoons with this old biddy. You saw that I was lonely and tried to fill the void.” My mom and dad’s heads snapped in my direction, as did Dominik’s, but I ignored them.
“To you, the little girl who stole this old woman’s heart, had I ever been blessed to have another child, I would have wanted her to be just like you. Therefore, I leave to you the strand of pearls my mother had given me on my eighteenth birthday. I wish that I were still around to give them to you. But alas, God had other plans for me. Treasure them, sweet girl. And know that I will always be with you.”
Then he smiled at me, took a yellow-looking envelope, opened it, pulled out the blue velvet box I knew contained the pearls, and then handed me another letter.
“She asked that you read this aloud. Okay?”
I nodded then took the box, and then the envelope, opened it, and started reading.
“My Little Wildflower,
To the little girl who told her parents she was going over to Harlee’s and instead came to visit me. To the little girl who saw how hard it was for me to do certain things and stepped up to do them for me. Don’t ever try to hold that light in. Let it out, show the world how bright you can shine. I love you.
Yours Evermore,
Zada Davis.
P.S. Keep right on giving my son a hard time. He needs it.”
We had left shortly after I had signed my name, and my parents had signed theirs as well.
Then once we were outside, my mom knelt in front of me and asked, “Why didn’t you tell us?”
“About what?” I asked.
“About you not going to Harlee’s? And instead, over to Mrs. Davis’ house?”
I shrugged.
My dad knelt too, “Talk to us, honeybun. Why?”
Then I asked, “What good would it have done?”
“Talia,” Mom said.
I looked at Dad, “I’m the baby. A lot of the time, I’m forgotten about. Y’all were busy with their activities. And it just felt right.”
Mom gasped, “We have never forgotten about you.”
I didn’t want to do it, make her feel bad, but I’d been holding onto this for a while now.
So, I let it out, “My birthday. The boys wanted to go on that trip. And the day they had planned to leave, you were running around trying to make sure they had everything. And when they pulled away, I didn’t bother reminding you.”
