Melissa called me that afternoon, she worked later than I did, so she always called in case she needed to stop and buy anything for dinner. She sounded excited, but she would get easily excited for the silliest reasons, so I just told her we didn't need anything, and to come home. After hanging up, I sat on the sofa and waited for her, I had the dinner on the oven, my masterful lasagna, and had set up the timer so it would turn off when it was cooked. I lay on the sofa and fell asleep, I had started working at 6 am that day and I would be starting work at the same hour the following day.
I was woken up by the doorbell, at first I didn't even know where I was, but then I realized I was still sleeping on the couch. I looked at the time and saw it was late, much later than the usual time Melissa used to arrive. I stood up to open the door, thinking I would tease her for forgetting her keys again. Only it wasn't her.
-Son, I have bad news. I need you to come with me.- it was the old sheriff, who had seen me grow up.
-Is it Melissa?- I asked, feeling my heart shrinking.
He didn't say anything, but the sadness in his eyes confirmed my fears. He drove me, in silence to the morgue, were her body was lying cold on a colder table. I shed all the tears in the world and more, but nothing would bring her back. Her life had left the moment another driver decided to skip a red light. It had been an accident. A stupid one.
Just last week, after more than a month of having buried her, was I brave enough to go through her things. Her favorite purse, the one she was using the day of the accident. There was an envelope from the hospital, I opened it, and with shaky hands I discovered I hadn't buried one person a month ago, I had buried two.
No comments:
Post a Comment