One day, you might turn to your loved one, only to find an empty space and regret like Hugo. He was always ashamed of his late Grandma Rosemary, who worked as a street sweeper. He condemned her when he only inherited an urn of ashes after her death until it shattered on the floor.
Hugo, a 25-year-old guitarist, arrived at his late Grandma Rosemary’s cottage, feeling out of place. His memories in the old, shabby house were so different compared to his current life in New York.
“Grandma,” he muttered solemnly through tight lips. He apologized to the air for missing her funeral and walked around her humble place, looking at the photos of his childhood with her. They did nothing but bring back painful memories of his actions and attitude.
He was embarrassed by her job as a street sweeper back then. Now, he was ashamed of himself and how he treated her.
“Hugo, honey, walk to the side. Be careful. Watch out!” she used to remind him when taking him to school, but he ignored her.
His fingers touched the old study table she bought him that he had rejected so easily. “Grandma, this old thing? Seriously?” Hugo had taunted. He wanted a gaming console, but his grandmother couldn’t afford that.
Walking to the kitchen, Hugo mocked Rosemary’s best dishes as her being creative because she couldn’t afford anything fancy. But he was a demanding child, always wanting more and more.
She tried to be cheerful. “Next time, honey bee!” Rosemary would promise. But she couldn’t fulfill anything, and he only resented her. It was a shame that it took him so long to understand how ungrateful he was.
He entered her bedroom, filled with old stuff, including a wooden crib and a partially sewn shirt she had been making for him.
“Unbelievable, Grandma! On a scale of ten, how confident were you that I would come to see you all these years?” Hugo mused, shaking his head.
Clothes… another memory of his past surfaced—the prom debacle from 8 years ago. Obviously, he wanted something striking and had secretly admired an expensive suit at a boutique but felt resentful once again towards his grandmother for having no money.
After being teased at school because kids knew he couldn’t afford a good suit for prom, Hugo returned home and slammed the door to his room.
Henry nodded, wiped his face with the handkerchief again, and led him to the beach nearby – his and Rosemary’s favorite spot. With the sounds of the waves and the seagulls, they scattered her ashes together.After another few days, Hugo returned to his regular life with Sunny by his side, but he wrote songs about his grandma, begging for her forgiveness and telling the world about her long-lost love with Henry.
It was his most successful work, and it felt like his apology to Rosemary for the awful kid he had been.
Henry died a year later, and Hugo scattered his ashes at the same beach. “Now, you can be together,” he whispered and sang one of his hits.
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