The disappointment - Short story- Part 6

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There were two birth certificates. One for her and one for Vincent. They were definitely twins, but Dominique couldn’t remember anything about Vincent. 

“I honestly don’t remember him. After my parents died, I moved in here with my grandparents. They were the only parents I’ve ever known. I wonder why they never told me.”

“They must have had their reasons. Did they ever mention his name anywhere?”

Dominique thought hard and long. 

“I honestly don’t know. Perhaps if I look through the photos again, it might trigger something.”

John helped her pack everything into a box and carried it downstairs. He put the box in the kitchen and realized she needed some time alone. It had to be an enormous shock to find out you had a twin you knew nothing about. 

He made her some chamomile tea and added a little bit of extra sugar for the shock. 

“I have to go, I need to make a turn at the diner to see if it’s still standing.”

Dominique nodded. He kissed her on the forehead, and she walked out with him. After he left, she took a seat on the stairs and lit a cigarette. She stared at the photo in her hands, but she could literally make no connection.  

She went back inside and saw a photo on the floor. The wind must have blown it off when they opened the door. It was a clear picture of her and Vincent playing together on the beach with a red ball. 

The red ball faintly triggered something, but she couldn’t place Vincent at all. She was just too tired to think anymore and decided to go to bed. She placed the photo on her bedside table and climbed in under the covers. It was a bit chilly and she felt better once she was warmer. Her mind was overthinking things. She tried to calm herself by listening to the waves, and finally after a lot of tossing and turning she finally fell asleep. She was overly exhausted. 

Dominique slept very restless and had horrible nightmares. She woke up at three o clock in a cold sweat feeling anxious and took a sip of water. She fell asleep again shortly after but this time her dreams were more peaceful.  

She dreamt she was a little girl playing on the beach. Her grandfather was also there, and somewhere in the distance, she saw a little boy.  She ran closer to him, and every time she came close, he ran further away from her. She could hear her grandfather calling her and she stopped dead in her tracks. She turned around and ran back to the house, and when she looked back there was no sign of the little boy anymore. 

She woke up in tears and suddenly remembered everything. The photos and the dream had triggered her memory and she remembered that dreadful day as if it happened yesterday. 

It was her fault that Vincent was dead. She was supposed to stay with him, and she didn’t. She was angry with him because he didn’t want to help her build a sandcastle and turned her back on him. He played in the shallow waves, and when she turned to show him her castle, he was gone. The waves had knocked him off his feet and the ocean swallowed him. 

She sobbed and sobbed and when she looked up Vincent was standing right there at the foot of her bed. She could hear his voice, and at first, it was like a soft susurration of the wind in the trees, but then his voice became clearer. 

He had the red ball in his hands, and he was whispering to her to come and play with him. He ran out of the room and she followed him. She could hear him giggling all the way and she remembered his laugh.  She followed the little figure through their secret path,  this time as she set foot on the sand, Vincent was sitting on the sand.  He was building a sandcastle. She expected him to vanish at any time, but he didn’t. 

It was still very early in the morning. The thick mist was still clearing away from the ocean. She took a seat next to him and he turned and smiled at her. 

She could feel the intense connection between them and suddenly felt extremely sad. She knew that it was the last time that she was going to see him. When he finished the sandcastle, he showed it to her, and she smiled. Their connection was still there, and she knew that he was trying to tell her that it was not her fault. 

He got up and walked towards her. He hugged her and she could feel the intensity of the energy surrounding her. The mist cleared quickly and suddenly she could see the beach clearly stretched out in front of her.  She sat watching the waves break on the sand, and she could feel him slipping away from her for a second time.  There was nothing she could do…she watched as he ran down the beach and then stopped and waved at her before he disappeared into the waves.  

He was gone, and it felt as if a part of her was missing. 

John found her on the beach where she sat shivering.  He wrapped her in a blanket and took a seat next to her.  He arrived early and couldn’t find her in the house, but he knew she would be here. She told him what happened and put her head on his shoulder while she cried. 

“He wanted to say goodbye to you.”

She nodded, and John wiped the tears from her face with his shirt. He pulled her closer, and she needed to feel his arms around her, so she snuggled up against him. She felt safe. 

It was one of the saddest and happiest days of Dominique’s life. She realized that today was the first day of her new life. She has had so many losses in her life, but now, none of that even mattered. She knew that she was meant to be with John, and he was there to protect her. She knew that while he was in her life, she would be safe and unharmed. He had set her free years ago because he loved her, but he knew she would come back to him eventually. 

She belonged to John.  

-The End-