Chapter 10
"Granny, I will be back very soon. I need to do something for my sister in the city. I promise to return as soon as am done, alright?" I said somewhat sadly to Granny.
The woman was nothing but an Angel, and I was deeply grateful to her for all that she did for me.
"Okay, my dear… Don't worry, I will tell Katya about the urgency of your trip, so don't worry and come back soon." Granny said as she hugged and blessed my impromptu trip.
My sister and I bid Granny Sidney goodbye and headed toward the car Charlie brought. I wonder why she didn't come with a driver to this remote place.
Charlie insisted on driving, though I found her not in good condition too.
"I'm fine, Marlie. I can drive, so don't worry and just buckle your seatbelt… Done? Let go!!!"
As much as I've denied myself all this year, I have to admit that I missed my sister.
We exchanged smiles and drove off. Only God knows how much I wanted the journey to be short. I wished the car could even fly, so we could reach our destination in a jiffy.
Yes, my prayer was answered. The car indeed flew that very day… that day.....that day on our to the city. On that unfaithful day… I- I'd lost my dear sister Charlie in a damn accident.
As we drove on the lonely road, there was silence in the car. I actually didn't know how to start a conversation between us.
I looked at Charlie, who had an upset face, and couldn't stop wondering why she was immersed in so much sadness. That wasn't typically Charlie's style.
I suspected there was something more to her coming for me than missing me as she claimed. But I was going to get her to talk anyway even if she refused.
"Charlie, why did you visit me here?" I asked my sister, so eager to find out the real reason for her visit. It's not like I wasn't happy seeing her again after the whole year. My instinct just told me something was definitely wrong with Charlie.
Charlie wasn't the t type to fight nor retaliate when someone wronged her, unlike me. She has always been the peacemaker and the forgiving one.
She wasn't there to ask me to fight her battle, that am sure of. But as to why she wanted me to go to the city with her, I had to find out. And the fact that she refused to tell me anything further increased my suspicion.
"It's nothing, Marlie, I just missed you, trust me!" She still insisted and refused to tell me anything.
That wasn't the answer to my question though, so I kept asking... "Then why are you taking me to the city?" I asked with a stern voice and a suspicious expression. You can't fool me, Charlie.
"We all miss you, so I thought it would be better if you'd visit us all." She said with obviously a fake smile.
I was sure Charlie was lying. She was hiding something from me. But she was my sister anyway, she meant no harm and whatever she was hiding would take just 5 hours drive. I would get to know when we reach.
I leaned on the seat of the car and closed my eyes, enjoying the silence in the car. But not long before Charlie called my name "Marlie..?"
"Hmm!" I hummed in response.
"How do you see Chad?" She asked and I was taken aback by her sudden question.
I couldn't help but force my eyes to open in shock. What type of question was that? And why would she even ask such a question? What was she driving at? Does she know about what happened?
"What do you mean, sis?" I asked with uncertainty.
"Forget it. It's nothing. Don't mind me." She cut the conversation short with that, making it more weird.
I would rather not probe further because she was driving, but I held the intention of letting her explain to herself why she asked me that when we reached home.
I had almost fallen asleep when I heard Charlie sobbing behind the wheel. Now things were becoming more strange.
"Charlie, are you crying?" I asked as I glanced at her side. My worries for her were becoming more intense.
"If the marriage proposal came to you, would you have accepted?" She asked again, making my fear deepen even more.
"What are you talking about Charlie?" I asked, almost shouting in frustration.
"If Chad had chosen you..." She couldn't finish her sentence as she choked on her sob, but fear instantly gripped me. Does she know what we did behind her back? If so, was she okay? How was she feeling? Was that the reason behind her sadness?
I became so worried that I offered to drive. Charlie's tears were now pouring like a waterfall so I asked her to stop the car which she did.
But before I opened the car door to exchange our seats, her question stopped me.
"On the day of my engagement, Marlie, what happened?" She asked without looking at me.
"Cha… Charlie." I uttered with a shaken voice, I didn't know how to explain myself. I started to panic. She can't possibly know the truth right?
Charlie didn't wait to exchange her seat for mine. She just continued to drive.
"You were not there to support me. I keep thinking about it and why you distanced yourself after my marriage. You stayed in your room throughout my engagement and wedding. I keep thinking what happened that made you behave that way?"
Her explanation brought a little relief to me. I thought my sister found out about what I did against her.
"Charlie, I wasn't feeling well, you know that. And I told you I would rather not stay in that house with Mom and Dad also taunting me every passing minute and every chance they get. I just couldn't stay there." I lied.
"I keep thinking if I had listened to you, I wouldn't be this miserable. If only I had listened, I would have known earlier that he didn't love me." She made a right turn as she still continued to sulk in misery
I realized my sister was in so much pain.
And part of it was my fault. I did not support her. I just left her to be so lonely after betraying her.
"If only I didn't allow my feelings to cloud my mind... If I had taken my time and observed carefully, I would have known the person he loved was---"
But before my sister could finish her speech, I shouted...
"CHARLIE WATCH OUT!!!"
Out of nowhere or because Charlie wasn't paying attention to the road, a big truck crashed into our car, tumbling us from the main road as our car went flying to a pole and crashed heavily.
After that, everything turned black. The last thing before darkness overtook me was my sister's last word... "Marlie!"