The Gain And The Loss

Cecilia and her father enter the room. They were surprised when they saw Edward sitting on the bedsides.

“Grandpa”

Cecilia walked towards him but then stopped.

“After talking with him… I somehow know how your future will play out”

Edward said with somewhat cheerful yet sad expressions on his face.

“Grand…pa…?”

Edward takes a deep breath and exhales. He looks at both Andrew and Cecilia before nodding his head.

“Let’s start...”

He said.

“Start?...Start what father?”

The man, Cecilia’s father asks as he appears to be as confused as his daughter.

Andrew was confused as well but not for long. 

“What you ask? The marriage of course…”the old man said nonchalantly.

“…Marriage?”

Andrew was actually as shocked as Cecilia.

She did say about doing the marriage but Andrew also thought that they will do it at a later date and not right away.

“I mean, isn’t that why you introduced him to me?” Edward said as he stared at the three of them.

“Urgh…”

Cecilia and her father groaned but still nodded their heads in the end.

“Now, let’s start!”

Andrew stands still in his place as Cecilia makes her way to his side.

With Edward in-between them, he holds their hand. 

His cold wrinkled hand caught both of them off guard. Cecilia even has tears fall from her eyes. 

Andrew steeled his heart and continued to appear strong. He looks away from Cecilia and focuses on Edward.

Edward looked at Cecilia and asked.

“…Cecilia Wilson…will you take Andrew Robinson as your husband?”

There was hesitation in her eyes. Andrew could feel her worries. She worries about her grandfather that will leave her and her future that will be held by a man she just met.

“I will”

Even so, she agreed willingly.

Andrew was shocked.

Even though it was practically a forced marriage for her, there was no hesitation in her answer. She could have rejected him or canceled this marriage between them but she didn’t.

‘I underestimated her’

Andrew thought as he breathed a sigh of relief.

Edward nodded. He then turned to Andrew and asked the same question.

“Andrew Robinson, will you take my grandchild, Cecilia Wilson, as your wife?”

There were great expectations in his eyes. There’s no need for Andrew to understand the meaning behind those eyes. He knows it the moment he enters the room.

Edward wants him to lead the family to their glory. Edward will give the family to him for exchange, unlike the Fullen family that takes everything away from him.

Andrew smiles grateful. He knows that he can’t bear such responsibility and there’s no way for him to answer his expectations.

“I will”

Yet he still willingly accepted.

Edward smiled. His smile was probably the brightest he could muster. 

“Good good…uhuk uhuk!!!”

His smile then turned to pain.

“Grandpa!”

“Sir!!”

Cecilia and Andrew let go of his hand and help him lie on the bed.

His father on the other hand quickly sprints to the entrance and screams, “Look after him! I will call the doctor!” before he disappeared.

Edward breathes heavily as he holds both of his grandchildren.

“Ah~ what a shame. I really wish I could hold all of my great grandchild's hand”

He stated, knowing full well it was just a far fetched dream.

He looked at Cecilia with tears in his eyes.

“I wish…I had more chance to be with you guys…sorry for being a bad grandpa”

He said, stroking Cecilia’s cheeks gently.

Cecilia catches his hand and holds it as if she will never let him go.

“No…you are the best grandpa in the world!!”

Tears start to fall from her eyes as well.

Andrew quietly watched the bond between them, strong yet slowly faded away.

“hohoho…I like that..and Andrew…as a man…please……take…care of….my family”

Edward looked at Andrew as he asked for a favor.

Andrew looked at him with resolve.

“Got it, Sir…No… I understand...grandpa”

Being called a grandpa makes Edward tears up again.

“Haaah…I really like that…”

Edward lifted his hand towards Andrew. He quickly catches his hand and holds him like Cecilia.

“Both of you…take….care”

 With that last word, his hand becomes limb and falls from their grasp.

That day,8 May of the year 2020, the Wilson Family lost their great figure.

The news spread like wildfire throughout the country. The Wilson family head authority was temporarily transferred to Edward’s son, Calvin Wilson.

*

Edward's burial was done the next day he blew his last breath. 

The blue sky turned gray and a heavy rain poured down infinitely from the sky.

Everyone from the family was present.

Everyone was looking at Andrew, a guy that they didn’t recognize but present there.

The look from their eyes wasn't as bad as the sight of disgust from Andrew’s family. He easily endured the pressure and continued to stand proudly as a man that Edward chose.

He stood alongside Calvin’s family for 3 whole hours.

***

The funeral finished quickly even though it lasted for 3 hour. 

Everyone already went home except for Calvin’s family.

Andrew also stays behind since he has already become their son-in-law.

Kneeling in front of Edward's grave is a crying Cecilia and her mother. Her father, Calvin, was standing quietly by Andrew’s side while Cecilia’s brother, Bryan, already went home with his brother, Evan. 

“Grandpa…hicks…grandpa…”

Cecilia cried and cried, causing her mother to worry.

“Cecilia…Cecilia girl, don’t be like this…”

Her mother tried to persuade her daughter.

“But mom…grandpa is…. Grandpa is…”

“I know…I know..”

Her mom hugged her and she continued to cry. 

Both Andrew and Calvin watch the two of them while soaking wet. 

Calvin looks at Andrew on which Andrew looks back. They stare eye to eye for a moment before Calvin breaks contact.

He walks to his wife and holds her shoulder.

“Let’s go home…”

He said.

His wife nodded and tried to drag Cecilia with her.

She sit there, tears still falling from her eyes 

“I… please, let me stay here”

She said still sitting on the wet ground.

They tried to pursue her again but Andrew stopped them.

“I will stay here with her”

He said.

Both Calvin and his wife look at him. A stranger that they just met suddenly spoke casually with them. Calvin wanted to yell at him but he didn’t have the energy. The grief must have drained his energy.

He takes off his suit and covers his wife’s head. He looked at Andrew and said, “I leave her to you” He said before leaving both of them behind.

“Yes, I will bring her home safely”

He said.

He opened the umbrella that he had hidden behind his back and covered only the top of Cecilia’s head and not his.

He saw the weather forecast and came to the funeral with an umbrella but he knew it was disrespectful for him to be the only one dry while the others were soaked in the rain.

He stood there quietly as he waited for her to stop crying.

Looking at her like that makes his heart throb. He couldn’t let a girl like her cry especially his so-to-be-wife but he can’t do anything with how things were. 

He just became their family the day before and he couldn’t possibly understand the grief of Edward’s children.

Andrew looks at Edward’s grave and speaks in his heart.

‘Sir Edward, you don’t have to worry. I’m here to look out for Cecilia and her family. Even if I’m no longer your grandson-in-law, I will still look out to them’