Why Me?

Chapter one

Adelaide’s Pov

Three days after Christmas

“Hello, my name is Adelaide Cannon, and my biggest regret is that I killed my sister, Charmaine Laine, and I will never forgive myself. ”

Before I could continue, I heard Mrs.Laine shriek loudly and pass out as all the other guests began to gasp and look around. As I

looked around, I thought to myself, that probably wasn’t the first thing I should have said as I began my eulogy. I walked away from the microphone, down the aisle, through the large glass-stained double doors, and headed straight to the bar across the street.

“Three shots of whiskey please” I said, as I sat at the counter and laid my head down.

“Lil lady it’s not even five o’clock yet,” the bartender said as he wiped down the counter and removed some empty glasses a couple of stools down from me.

I looked at him as he began to smirk at me and said, “the sign says you open at 11AM” I check my watch and continue with “It is now one minute after noon. Are you open for business or not?”

He continues to smirk at me while making his way over to me. He fixes three shots and places them in front of me. “I don’t know if a lady of your stature can handle all that. And if ya can’t I’m still charging full price” he said as he walked into the back room smiling.

I took all three shots back-to-back, got up, left two twenties behind and yelled “keep the change” as I opened the door and let the sun hit my eyes directly. I pulled on some sunglasses and made my way back to the church. As I was walking back, I saw people leaving the church and continued to walk inside. I made it to the front of the pews where Mr.Laine was holding

an oxygen mask up to Mrs.Laine’s face and removed my sunglasses.

I looked at them both and started with, “Mr. and Mrs.Laine I’m truly sorry. That probably wasn’t the best way to begin a eulogy, I’ve never did one and Charmaine always told me ‘To just be myself and people would understand’.”

I gave them both a quick nod and began to leave again until I felt a hand on mine. I looked back and saw Mrs.Laine moving the oxygen mask away.

“Help me up” Mrs.Laine said to her husband. He stood first and helped her up, then signaled for me to come closer. I felt a huge lump in my throat as I turned around and looked at the unreadable expression on their faces. When I was a handshake away, they both pulled me in and gave me a hug, as I just stood there with my arms at my side. Mr.Laine rubbed his wife’s back and steadied her, when she was done with the hug. Ibreathed a silent sigh of relief, as she released me, because I wasn’t one who related well

to emotions. They began to speak lowly where I couldn’t hear, and I began to try and leave again.

Once again, I was stopped when Mr.Laine said “Addy, there is something else. ” I turned around once again as Mr.Laine removed a letter from Mrs.Laine’s purse.

“Char wanted us to give you this” she said as I took the letter from her husband “We’re very sorry to do this to you but we have no choice. Char wanted to explain in person but never got the chance and asked us to. We know you had a rough childhood, but you never let any of that takeaway from your friendship with Char” Mr.Laine said.

Mrs.Laine spoke again saying, “We know you may have some reservations about this but you’re the only one we can trust to handle this” she looked around before speaking lowly again “Char told us about your duties, and we still accept you for who you are. We love you Adelaide and that will never change. I know this isn’t really an explanation, but you’ll come to understand soon. ”

Mrs.Laine began to cry again after that and said she was sorry before they left. I sat on the pew for a minute staring at the letter. On the front of the envelope, it said “From your Princess Charming. ” I laughed and sniffled a little. When I felt a tear coming out, I got up from the pew and went to my car. Before I turned on the engine, I opened the envelope and

saw two letters.

One was addressed to Laide Ade and the second My Precious. As soon as I

saw that my breath hitched and my head began to spiral.

Seven months earlier

I checked my peephole right before I heard the knock on my door. Knowing who it was I opened and stepped to the side to allow my guest in.

“So, I have some news, and I don’t know how you’re going to respond” , Charmaine said uneasily as she sucked in a breath and walked inside.

“What, you got into another fender bender?” I asked as I checked the hallway through the camera and alarm system I just had set up, after closing and bolting the door.

“Umm no” she says, then laughs loudly “why would you even say that” , she asks as she sits upon the new massage recliner I received a week ago.

Before I can even respond she sighs and says “Oouu nice chair, me likey”I chuckle at her and say “You have gotten into five car accidents in three years, and I’m not even including the incidents with the curb”

“Hey! Those curbs at Starbucks are extremely hard to see, it’s not my fault”

I laugh and say, “It totally is your fault. You won’t wear your prescribed glasses because they aren’t cute enough and you won’t use the contacts your parents got you because it’s too icky to touch your eye.”

Charmaine begins with “Well, I could always”

Before she could even finish, I say with her “get eye surgery and it not be a problem anymore.” She looked at me and sighed again.

“I know you Charm, and anytime you say that you follow with ‘I also already booked a consult to schedule the appointment. ’ And two days before the consult you call me or come over and say ‘I can’t do it, that girl from final destination five died trying to have that surgery’ then I console you and we go out clubbing. So, skip all that and let us get ready”

I began to stand before she says, “I can’t” . I look at her and roll my eyes saying, “I’ll drive” while walking to my room. I hear her footsteps and ask, “what do you plan on wearing, I actually just received some new items” while opening my walk-in closet.

“Ugh great you had another job” she says.

“I told you this last week while you were getting a feel better mani pedi because beanie dude broke up with you”

As I said that I was laying outfits out in front of her and saw her face turn red. “Please don’t tell me you saw him again” I said as I sat in front of her on my ottoman.

Charmaine looked away from me and I saw that she was beginning to sweat. “Charmaine what did you do?” She looked back at me and before she could respond my phone began to ring. I silenced it and sent a quick text. “They can wait, now tell me what is going on.”

“I went to see The Precious David” she began

“Do not call him that! And why would you go to see him after he stole five thousand dollars from you” I yelled and saw her flinch. I took a few deep breaths and said, “I’m sorry I shouldn’t have yelled. But why would you see him after everything he put you through?”

Charmaine was still looking away from me and started sniffling. I got off the ottoman and sat beside her on the bed, pushing the clothes away. “Charm I’m really sorry for yelling and to make it up to you I will buy you as many drinks as you want.”

“I can’t drink right now” she said as she wiped her eyes and face

I nudged her and said, “well if you don’t want to drink how about we stay in, get high, and pull out the coloring books”

“I can’t smoke or drink because I’m pregnant” she yelled, as more tears streamed down her face.

I looked at her with pure shock evident on my face as she looked down at her twisting hands. I regained my composure and was about to say, ‘it will all be fine’.

Before I could she interrupted my train of thought and said, “with twins. I’m pregnant with

twins.”

I sat there discombobulated and ran through various scenarios in my head. She could either abort them, give them up for adoption, or keep them. Then I stopped and thought about how Charmaine was raised and how she is deep-rooted in her faith. I took a couple of minutes because I could tell she was stressed. I then turned towards her and made eye contact.

“I know you and your beliefs Charm believe me. I still must ask though, what do you want to do?” I asked, as I held her hand.

Charmaine took a deep breath and said “I want to keep my precious babies”

Present day

After that little emotional meltdown, I made it to the hospital and went up to the fourth floor. When I exited the elevator, I took a deep breath and walked until I made it to section 402 and looked through the window. I looked down and suddenly, my vision went blurry. I was crying and could not control it. I began to wipe at the tears furiously and plead for the stream to stop. Two nurses in pink scrubs walked up to me and asked me if I was okay. I

cleared my throat and put my finger up to ask for a minute. I bent over and inhaled as much air as I could hold, then exhaled slowly. Once my heartrate began to slow down, I got up and wiped my face once more.

“Would you like a tissue” the first nurse asked me. I shook my head, and she said, “follow us then, please.”

We walked down the hallway, turned right once and left twice until we passed by another area labeled section 406. We continued to pass it, and I was taken into a room with two couches and a chair. I sat down as the nurses chatted while glancing towards me a couple of times. The second nurse left, while the first nurse sat down in the chair and began talking.

“As you already know Charmaine Laine came in five days ago due to a severe car crash. We wanted you to know that─” I held my hand up to stop her

“I already read the accident log, both the on-call doctor’s and nurse’s notes, and the autopsy as well. Just get to the point.”

The nurse took a breath and began speaking while the second nurse returned with two other nurses in purple scrubs.

“Here are the objects and clothes Charmaine had on her the night she came in” as she was speaking the second nurse gave me a bag with the name ‘C. Laine’ on it.

“Also, our hospital’s lawyers already notified us that you have been made aware of the fact that you are now the legal guardian of Charmaine’s children.”

The other two nurses rolled the babies beside me and then backed up.

“What would you like to name them?” the second nurse asked.

“Excuse me,” I said a little loud, causing the babies to stir a little.

The first nurse cleared her throat nervously and said “Charmaine was able to give us majority of the information needed to fill out the birth certificate, but umm she said she would leave it to you and you only to decide the first and last names of her, urm I mean your babies.”

Those words ‘your babies’ echoed around in my head until I felt it was hard to breathe. One of the nurses in purple left and came back with an oxygen mask for me. They waited for me to settle again, while everyone exchanged glances awkwardly.

I went to stand to look at them better and said, “The boy shall be called Rhian and the girl Raine.”

After that I went to leave but was stopped when the nurse said, “and the last name?”

“Cannon. Now please give me a moment.” I said before walking out the door.