I've Been There Before

Chapter 331: Extra Chapter and the End

My name is Leona.

The name was given by my grandpa. My grandpa, based on my experience as a child, was not a good man.

Take my name as an example. His name sounds nice, but he gave me such a strange name.

Every time I protested to my grandpa, he always said that if my dad had been a girl, the name wouldn’t have fallen on me.

He was the one who gave me such a strange name, but he blamed my dad for not being a girl.

Ah, speaking of which, I forgot to introduce my grandparents.

My grandpa, Caden.

I heard he was very attractive when he was young.

My grandma, Grace.

I sometimes wonder why these two people, who didn’t seem to match at all, were together.

My grandparents were divorced before my dad was born.

After the divorce, neither of them married again.

They should have gone on their separate ways, but my grandpa was shameless and always bothered my grandma.

Ever since I remembered it, my grandpa had been pleasing my grandma all the time.

Grandpa Humbert said my grandpa never lowered his head to anyone. He was so tough that everyone was afraid of him.

But I don’t think Grandpa Humbert was telling the truth.

If my grandpa was so tough, then why was he as obedient as our golden retriever every time grandma stared at him?

Besides, have you ever seen a tough man with perfect culinary skills comparable to a five-star chef?

Ever since I was young, my grandpa’s cooking was the best in the family, even better than the chefs we hired.

Grandpa would wake up early in the morning to walk the dog. When he came back, he always had a pile of food ingredients in his hand.

When grandma woke up, grandpa had been busy in the kitchen all morning. A warm meal was ready on the dining table. It might not be very sumptuous, but quite warm.

Grandma never cooked. Her only housework was watering the flowers in the garden. Grandpa said it’s good for grandma to be like that.

I asked grandpa in secret, “You get up early every day to cook three meals a day, and you have to go to work. Even the employees have weekends and vacations. Aren’t you tired without a single day off?”

Grandpa looked at grandma who was eating the afternoon tea he made for her in the garden. He smiled like a fool and said.

“I’m happy with everything I do as long as your grandma likes it. I’m willing to pamper her. It’s best to pamper her so much that she despises other men. That way, your grandma won’t have time to think of leaving me for the rest of her life.”

There were other details apart from that.

All I know is that grandpa pampered grandma like crazy.

I always considered grandma pretentious. She wouldn’t remarry my good grandpa. I told it to grandpa, and he, who had never been angry at me, gave me a hard slap on the butt. Grandpa said, “Little rascal, if you consider your grandma like that again, I’ll beat you dead.

“Your grandma is the best in the world.

“Remember to be good to your grandma in the future.

“It’s fine if you’re not good to me. But if you dare not be good to your grandma, I promise I’ll beat you up.” All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

I was aggrieved at that time. I was taking up the cudgel for my grandpa.

Later, I learned about the past between my grandparents.

Late one night, I was hungry and got out of bed to look for food. When I passed by my grandparents’ room, the door was not closed and I peeked inside curiously. The scene I saw almost startled me.

Grandpa held grandma’s feet and placed them on his chest.

I thought it was unbelievable. I ran into my parents’ room and asked, “Is grandpa a pervert? I saw him holding grandma’s feet. Does he have a foot fetish?”

“Your grandpa was warming up your grandma’s feet. Your grandma is not in good health and her hands and feet are always cold. Your grandpa cares about your grandma. Pretend you didn’t see it. Don’t tell your grandpa about it.”

“Why?”

“Because your grandpa will punish you by making you practice calligraphy.”

“Dad, how do you know so well?”

“That’s a sad story. Leona, go to sleep. Your mother and I have a business to do.”

My grandparents didn’t remarry. My childhood memories were full of the daily life of my grandpa and grandma who were not husband and wife.

Grandma was a quiet person, but every time she said something, the people in the family didn’t dare to refute.

Not because they were was afraid of grandma, but because grandpa was always defending grandma. This was known to everyone in the family.

As a child, I never felt much about time, and when I did, it was the day my grandma passed away.

My grandma passed away when I was eight years old.

It was early spring. As usual, grandma sat under the big tree in the garden and ate the afternoon tea grandpa made for her. The rocking chair under the tree was grandma’s favorite thing. When she was tired, she would lie down and take a nap.

Grandpa would cover grandma with a blanket and wait until it was time to wake her up.

But on that day, grandpa was never able to wake grandma up.

Grandma left peacefully on the rocking chair swinging in the wind of a green spring.

Grandma didn’t have any sudden illness. She left this world peacefully on this spring afternoon.

She left grandpa.

I’ll never forget my ever-strong grandpa crouching beside grandma’s chair for a long time, sobbing and weeping. I’ll never forget grandpa’s hands, which were no longer young, holding grandma’s cold and stiff palms tightly. Grandpa cried like a child.

My parents stood not far away but didn’t step into the garden. At that time, I didn’t understand. Weren’t my parents sad?

Later on, I understood that my parents were giving my grandparents the last chance to be alone.

Grandma’s funeral was not grand, but all the influential people in S City came.

Grandpa arranged the funeral by himself.

After grandma left, grandpa’s health began to deteriorate for no reason.

The doctor couldn’t find out the cause, but his body was much weaker.

My dad said grandpa was sick in the heart.

What was sick in the heart?

I didn’t dare to ask.

Every year after grandma’s death, grandpa would hold grandma’s picture and look at it carefully as if grandma was still alive.

Grandpa would occasionally speak to grandma’s picture as if he was talking to her.

Another spring came, and everything revived.

Grandpa held my hands and said, “You look like”.

“Like what?”

“Like your grandma.”

“Grandpa, don’t be sad.” This year, I was already fourteen, and I understood more. I heard more stories about my grandparents from other people.

It was inconceivable. When I first heard the story of my grandparents, I was angry that grandpa didn’t tell the good from the bad. He was too self-righteous and hurt grandma before he knew anything.

Then I thought grandma had no self-respect. If I were her, I would never see my grandpa again, not even once.

My heart went up and down following their story.

I blame grandma for her lack of character.

Later, Grandma Gloria said my grandma gave way to their affection twisted with love and hatred.

My grandpa learned to cherish it and didn’t waste their love like many men in this world.

The way grandpa pampered grandma was like his body was possessed by a wife-pampering genie.

When I finished hearing the story of my grandparents, I was silent. I no longer blamed grandpa for not seeing through his heart, nor did I blame grandma for her indecisiveness.

Just as Grandma Gloria said, one of them was no longer extreme and made way to their affection so that their relationship could have a perfect ending.

I couldn’t help but wonder. If grandma didn’t turn back, would they become two unfortunate people?

“Grandpa, I heard your love story with grandma. It’s not happy at first.”

Grandpa smiled and patted my head. “Thanks to your grandma’s concession, I could have her love again. I know why she didn’t want to remarry me. She thought I didn’t know her little secret.”

“What little secret?”

I asked curiously, but my grandpa smiled without saying a word.

“By the way, grandpa, you love grandma so much, but why haven’t I heard you say sweet talks to grandma?

“My grandma once complained to Grandma Gloria and Grandma Vivian, saying that you did everything for her, but you refused to say I love you. Grandpa, why didn’t you say it to grandma?

“Grandma wanted to hear it so much.”

Grandpa laughed in an old but happy voice, like a mischievous child. “I know she wanted to hear it.”

“Then why didn’t you say it?”

Grandpa stopped smiling and said firmly.

“Of course I can’t say it to her since she wanted it so much.

“Otherwise, she would have heard enough, and wouldn’t want to hear it in her next life. What should I do if she doesn’t come to me in the next life?

If I don’t say it, she’ll always remember it. In this way, your grandma will still be mine in the next life.”

Grandpa gave me a wicked smiled when he said that.

Grandpa seemed to be a little fatigued. He gave me a snack on the stone table and waved his hand tiredly. “Good girl, take it.”

I liked my grandpa’s snacks best, so I ran away happily with it.

That afternoon, I went to see my grandpa with an English book and asked him to read Shakespeare to me in a pure Cockney accent. Grandpa’s deep voice was especially pleasing to the ear when he read English.

“Grandpa, read Shakespeare to me.” I reached out and pushed my grandpa who was sleeping on the rocking chair but couldn’t wake him up.

Grandpa was gone. On the same spring afternoon, under the same tree, in the same chair where grandma had passed away, he left peacefully in his sleep like grandma.

Grandpa was holding a pocket watch in his hand. In the pocket watch was a picture of grandma. In the picture, grandma smiled warmly. In the chair, grandpa also smiled with his aged lips.

The sky was blue and the breeze was gentle. Grandpa was gone.

I know that grandpa left without regret. He followed grandma, the most precious person in his life.

In their life, my grandparents didn’t marry again. Neither of them mentioned the past, but they lived the rest of their life so happily that others would envy them.

“Grandpa, you went to find grandma, right?”

I can’t hear grandpa’s answer, but I know the most serious and persistent thing grandpa had done in his life was to pamper grandma.

In the end, I saw his last notes in his possession.

“Caden loves Grace, in every life.

Darling, I’m coming to find you.”

I was a little dumbfounded. Grandpa didn’t say “I miss you”, but a short sentence revealed the deepest feelings of longing.

“Grandpa, don’t hurt grandma in your next life.”