Chapter 95: I Always Love It
Grandma wasn't going to disagree with Cathryn. She continued to praise Keith, "I remember when your grandpa used to go on business trips. He would call me at least three times a day. If Mr. Clarkson's only concern was about the baby, would he call you so many times a day? Do you really think he would stay on the phone with you for as long as he does?"
"I remember!" Cathryn shouted, "Every time he called, you would tell him not to call so much. But when he didn't call, you would sit by the phone and wait. You loved each other so much. The look you would get when he called. I always loved it!"
"Yes, it's the same look that you get when Keith calls you," Grandma said.
Over the years, when Cathryn visited her grandma. They did a lot of reading together, and there was one quote that always stuck in her mind. "I remember you reading this quote to me. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking."
"Yes! It's by Albert Einstein. See, your problem is that you don't read enough, while you think too much. It's so true." Cathryn's grandmother clapped her hands. "I think you're finally starting to understand.
This was one quote Cathryn never forgot. Pushing it to the recesses of her mind where she could cherish it. "This is what you need to build a relationship! I think it's very valuable for each of us to define love," Cathryn explained.
"Yes, honey! That explains how my relationship with your grandpa worked." She nodded her head in agreement. "There was a huge age difference between us, but we lived a life of happiness."
"I saw how you and grandpa were with each other, but when I think about Keith. I don't know how I feel." A storm of feelings, thoughts, and memories suddenly arose within Cathryn. "Grandpa and grandpa were solid. You were both so different, but nothing could pull you two apart. I feel like being with Keith is only a wishful dream."
Grandma could see Cathryn's mind drifting away. "Listen to me! You determine your path in life. You decide your failures and successes. It's fate that you're pregnant, and it's fate that you met Keith."
"Thanks, grandma." The room was silent except for the sound of her grandmother's breathing. Cathryn whispered, "Grandma are you sleeping?" She waited and said, "I love you, good night."
Cathryn laid down and soon fell into a deep sleep. It had been so long since she had had a good sleep. She dreamed, and it seemed so real. Her grandfather was there, and he rubbed her cheeks with his rough and calloused hands. His touch was light, and she felt it comforting.
"Cathryn," he said.
"Yes, grandpa," she replied.
"I've missed your grandmother so much. I'm going to take her away and bring her with me," he explained.
Just before Cathryn's grandpa passed away, he had his 60th birthday. She remembered him being so strong and gentle. Cathryn always believed when she was a little girl that he would live another sixty years. In her dream, he was exactly how she remembered him. Clean-shaven, his hair meticulously combed, and his face was full of smiles.
Although the man in her dreams looked like her grandpa, Cathryn didn't believe it was him. "Let me go. You're not my grandpa. My grandpa wouldn't take her away." She struggled, trying to break free of his hold on her. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't.
"Grandpa! Is it really you," Cathryn screamed at the top of her lungs. She was sweating and bursting out in tears. "Please, don't take her away!"
Cathryn couldn't stop crying. She grabbed her grandfather's arm and started shaking uncontrollably. Tears flowed down her cheek. She fought to get away. Suddenly, he let go of her and walked over to her grandma's bed. Cathryn couldn't move, it was like she was frozen. "Honey, it's time to go," he said. "Wake up, I've been waiting for you for so long."
"No, you can't take her," Cathryn screamed, and she woke up from the dream.
"No!" She screamed and woke up from the nightmare. Cathryn was hot, and her body was covered in sweat. She breathed in and out, trying to calm herself down. She held her breath and listened. There was no other sound coming from the room. "Grandma, wake up," Cathryn screamed as loud as she could.
Cathryn started to panic. She shook her head and held her breath again. There was still no sound.
"Grandma!" Cathryn yelled and slammed her hand against the bed.
When Keith found out that Cathryn was coming home soon, instead of traveling, he used video conferences. He wasn't sure when she was coming, but he wanted to be ready the minute he heard from her. His phone rang, and he looked at the screen. There was a look of concern on his face, "Cathryn, it's so late. What's wrong?"
All Keith could hear was sobbing on the other end of the phone. Cathryn managed to get a few words out. "It's....she's...."
"I will be there soon," he said and hung up the phone. Within an hour, Keith arrived and rushed to Cathryn's grandmother's room.
Standing outside the room were all of Cathryn's family. They were all crying and hugging each other. Keith searched for Cathryn, and finally, he found her. She was squatting on the floor, holding her knees. Her eyes were fixed on the floor.
"I'm so sorry. I should have been here for you," Keith's heart was breaking as he looked at Cathryn. He wrapped his arms around her. She shivered and closed her eyes.
"You're shivering. I need to get you off the floor."
Keith got up and took Cathryn's hand. When she stood up, she lost her balance and almost fell down. All Cathryn could feel was numbness. The same numbness she felt when she got the phone call about her grandmother. Only now, things were different. Her dream, her nightmare, had come true.
"My grandma is gone. She passed away in her sleep. My grandpa told me he was taking her away," she said.