It's All About Us

Chapter 3: "Things are going to change."

Anna

I stood in front of Mum's headstone, looking at all the white roses people have kept in front of it.

My own white rose was somewhere below them too, as I was the first one to keep it.

Lillian Grace Miller
1983 - 2022
Beloved by family, cherished by friends.

So my mother's last name was really Miller. They weren't lying that night.

Ms. Calder had asked me last night if I wanted to write any custom words on the headstone, but after all the crying I had done outside my house, I didn't felt like responding.

A brand new black dress was kept in my hospital room before I opened my eyes in the morning. It was a simple dress, suitable for a funeral, so most probably the social worker had brought it for me.

More people than I had expected came to this last-minute funeral. Some were mom's coworkers, old and new neighbors, and some of my teachers.

All of them came to greet me, looking at me with pity, and kept saying, "Take care" and "Your mom is looking over you."

But one person had been keeping his distance from me.

He was older than me and wearing a nice black suit with dark eyewear. He had been watching everything from the side during the entire ceremony, and I frequently felt his eyes on me.

After assuming who he must be, I felt anxious to meet him.

But today wasn't about me.

Suddenly, I see a shadow rising in front of me on the headstone. Quickly turning around, I see the mystery man standing just behind me.

He was probably 6' tall, towering over my 5' body. I was barely reaching his chest and had to look straight up to clearly see his face. He still had those dark shades on and was staring at me through them.

I took a step back and saw that he was holding a white rose in his hand.

Swiftly stepping aside, I made his path clear. He glanced at me once more, then got in front of the grave and kneeled down.

He kept his rose on top of all the others as I continued looking down at the new sandals. "You'll be missed, Lili. Thank you for all the love and kindness. Don't worry about your daughter, we will take care of her now. Rest in peace."

His smooth voice had an American accent, which helped me identify him as the person he was.

He was my brother, and he was here to take me with him.

"Hey, Anna?" Ms. Calder came towards me and stood beside me. "You good?"

I nodded but kept my eyes fixed on the headstone.

"I don't think you know this man." She said this, wrapping her arm around my shoulder. When I looked up at the man again, I was slightly surprised to see that he had taken off his glasses and was now looking at me again.

My mom had green eyes; therefore, I've always been curious as to why my eyes were this particular shade of blue. But as I noticed that my brother has pale blue eyes just like me, I realized that I probably inherited it from my father.

"Hi, Anna," He greeted me in a soft but steady voice, giving me a small smile. He also had dimples like mine. "I'm Travis. It's nice to finally meet you."

I slowly nodded at him, then turned to look back at the headstone.

"Mr. Greeley, can I talk with you alone for a moment?" Ms. Calder asked, and I can sense both of them glancing at me.