Alone

      The sky was full of clouds pregnant with rain. Sharp biting wind whipped around the
woman huddled on the weathered wooden bench. Her purple raincoat was the only splash
of color on this dreary and dismal day. The park was deserted except for a few stubborn
pigeons. Their loud fighting for the crumbs of bread scattered around the bench echoed in
the silence. Her long brown hair flew around her pixie face as she emptied the last crumbs
on the ground. As she stared at the quarreling birds, she was shocked at how they reminded
her of her family. Her pale gray eyes filled up with tears, remembering the scene she had just
fled from. No, her family reminded her of vultures, not even waiting until her grandma's
body was buried before turning on each other.

     Their screams still rang in her head, causing her temple to throb. Hands had grabbed
whatever they came to rest on. Greed shined in eyes that should be full of grief. Sisters
played tug of war with jewelery, clothes and everything that wasn't nailed down. They
even emptied the cabinets and fridge of food. She was lucky to have slipped the small
painting from her grandma's bedside table into her pocket. In the confusion, she ran
from the house, sickened by her family.

     She pulled the picture from her pocket. It wasn't anything special and had no real
value. It showed a boy and girl huddled close together as they crossed a rickety old
bridge. Floating above and behind them was a beautiful angel, dressed in white with
flowing blond hair. She had a smile on her face and it was clear that she was watching
over the two children. When she stayed the night with her grandma, that picture was
the last thing she saw at night. And when she woke the next morning, her eyes instantly
went to it. That small picture was the thing she most identified with her grandma. Her
grandma had been her guardian angel here on earth. Without her, the young woman
was lost.  Darkness pressed in on every side. She had lost the only person she trusted.

     Tears poured down her cheeks and mingled with the rain that had started to fall.
Her grief came gushing out of her in waves. Sorrow wrapped his icy arms around her
as she sobbed with abandonment. The only person that loved her as she was had been
taken from her. Her heart screamed in anger and rage. Her soul was scared and numb.
To lose the person that was her rock was unbearable. But then to watch as her family
picked apart her grandma's belongings was more than she could take. Her grandma's
funeral wasn't even until tomorrow. Did they have no respect, no shame? Her heart
ached at the unfairness of it. Is this what would happen when she died?  The people
she thought loved her not waiting until she was in the ground before they divided up
her meager possessions?

     For the first time in her life she felt totally alone. She had always been a loner.
Trusting others had never been easy for her and after the scene at her grandma's,
she understood why. She loved her family but knew that they would stab her in
the back if given a chance. Her grandma was the one person that made her feel safe.
She could tell her anything and she never laughed the way that the others did. Gran
never made her feel stupid and worthless like the rest of her family made her feel.
She had always been the one to support and comfort her. Gran's house was warm
and welcoming, much more like home than her own house. Her grandma made her
feel special and now she was gone. She wondered if she would ever feel special again.

     The young woman sat in the rain for a long time, crying out her pain. She knew
her face must be dry by the time she returned the house. It was no longer her Gran's
house because Gran wasn't there. It would be sold and the money divided between
the family. She was glad her grandma had already paid for her funeral. Her family
would have dug a hole in the backyard and buried her if they could. She sighed
and wiped her eyes with a tissue. Time to go back and face the jackals. The house
was most likely empty of Gran's things by now. Taking a deep breath, she stood
and walked out of the park. Time to begin life alone.