Chapter 748
Lillian couldn't persuade Jackson, feeling both anxious and angry. She let go of him and said in frustration, "Fine! Do whatever you want! Kneel if you want, get soaked if you want, I don't care!"
She threw out those harsh words, turned around, and forced herself to walk down the mountain with big strides.
A gust of night wind blew, and two muffled thunderclaps sounded.
Lillian hugged herself with both arms and turned back to look.
Jackson's figure remained motionless, still there.
His back was straight, and he didn't look disheveled at all. It was as if he was ready to transform into another tombstone to guard Taylor.
Lillian felt uneasy, gritted her teeth, and looked away, descending the steps.
She thought Jackson wasn't stupid. Once she left, no one would be watching him.
He would eventually get up on his own and come down the mountain before the rain started.
At that moment, Jackson glanced back at Lillian's retreating figure, frowning slightly.
He watched her figure disappear, then turned back to look at Taylor's photo on the tombstone.
He sighed, "Your mom is afraid of the dark and ghosts. I wonder if she's scared now that she's alone."
He wouldn't get up to see her down the mountain.
He looked at Taylor again, his thin lips curling slightly into a smile, and said, "Taylor, your mom was still worried about me just now. You heard it too, right? I knew she couldn't let go of the past."
"Sweet Taylor, I'm really counting on you this time, you..."
Before Jackson could finish his sentence, another thunderclap lit up half the sky.
It also illuminated Taylor's toothless yet radiant smile on the tombstone.
Jackson leaned forward and tapped the child's cheek on the tombstone with his finger.
"You're being naughty!"
Meanwhile, Lillian lowered her head and walked faster and faster.
It was too late, and there wasn't a single person in the cemetery.
When she reached the exit of the cemetery, she finally saw a figure.
It was Rhett, the cemetery caretaker she had met earlier. Seeing Lillian coming down alone, he approached and asked in surprise, "It's about to rain. Why are you coming down alone? Where's Mr. Frane?"
Seeing someone, Lillian felt less panicked, but another kind of panic crept in.
She smiled at Rhett and asked, "He's still up there and won't come down. Do you have an umbrella or a raincoat? Could you help me take it to him?"
Rhett seemed unfazed, as if he wasn't surprised that Jackson was still up there.
He nodded, "Yes, yes, come with me, I'll get it for you."
Lillian thanked him and followed him.
Rhett muttered, "Mr. Frane comes every week, rain or shine. He's stayed late several times. He personally takes care of the weeds around Taylor's grave. It's rare to see a man so devoted to remembering his child."
"Are you close with him?"
"You're joking. What am I compared to Mr. Frane? It's laughable to talk about being close. But about four months ago, Mr. Frane drove here alone and got drunk in front of the tombstone.
"In the dead of winter, he had a high fever in the middle of the night and didn't even know it. I found him and, with some help, got him down the mountain and to the hospital.
"Since then, Mr. Frane has given me a tip every month to talk to Taylor at his grave every day, so Taylor wouldn't be too lonely. That's why he's a bit more polite to me."
Hearing this, Lillian felt a tug at her heart.
Four months ago was around the time she had just left.
At that time, she had just returned to her family, and with Oberon, Flora, and Ambrose's meticulous care, she recovered quickly, far from the place of sorrow.
But Jackson...
She felt suffocated, "Does he often get drunk?"
"Not really, just twice. But that time was particularly scary. Are you Taylor's mom?"
Lillian nodded, "I am."
She spoke with difficulty. Compared to Jackson, it was her first time here.
She thought Rhett might overthink, might look at her with disdain or curiosity, but Rhett just smiled at her.
"My condolences. Taylor was lucky to have parents who loved him."
Lillian felt a bitter taste in her mouth, "How could he be lucky? He didn't even get to open his eyes and see this world."
Rhett was surprised. He thought the photo on the tombstone was of a baby who had passed away, but it turned out Taylor died at birth.
He looked at Lillian and said, "That's not right. I've worked here all my life. Being remembered by their loved ones is a blessing!
"You don't know how many people are buried here and never visited again. Those who are completely forgotten are truly dead. There are also many who are heartbroken at first but stop coming after six months.
"But someone like Mr. Frane, who comes every week and has kept it up for almost half a year, is very rare.
"Even though you haven't been here before, it's clear you care about Taylor too.
"Having parents who remember and love him, how is that not a blessing? You and Mr. Frane are still young. Maybe if you have another child, Taylor will come back."
In Seaspring Valley City, Oberon and the others wouldn't bring up Taylor in front of her.
Back in Miracalia, there was no one to talk to about this. She didn't expect to discuss it so smoothly with a stranger now.
She even suspected that Jackson had bribed Rhett to say these things to her.
"Rhett, you're joking. How could that be!" Lilian said.
"Why not? I've worked here all my life and seen many strange things. Let me tell you, there was a couple whose only son, seventeen or eighteen, died in a car accident.
"The couple couldn't get over it and came here to cry every few days. Later, the woman's son appeared in their dreams, saying he would come back to them.
"The next day, the couple hurried to see their son. A bird followed them all the way. When they got back from the cemetery, the woman found out she was pregnant. When the child was born, guess what?"
Rhett's vivid storytelling had Lillian on the edge of her seat.
"What happened?"
"The newborn looked exactly like their older son when he was little, even had the same birthmark in the same spot. It was like God had sent their son back to be with them."
Lillian was stunned. Rhett had already gone into the duty room to get two umbrellas and said, "It's getting late, it's cold up there, and it's about to rain. You should hurry up and get Mr. Frane down."
Lillian instinctively took the umbrella but didn't move.
"Rhett, were you serious about what you just said?"
"About what?"
"About the dream and looking the same."
"Of course, it's true. Now that couple's younger son is about ten years old. They occasionally bring him to visit their older son. He looks just like the photo on the tombstone, and they say his personality and talents are the same too. Don't doubt it. Those remembered by their loved ones, still attached to this world, have a chance to come back."
The phone in the duty room rang, and Rhett excused himself to answer it.
Lillian stood under the dim light of the eaves, not moving for a long time.
She looked up at the sky. The dark clouds were getting thicker, and the mountain wind was howling.
But still, the rain hadn't fallen.
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