This isn't right. Mom should have been home by now. The young girl sat in a rocking chair by the window, standing up suddenly when she heard a car pass by. Disappointment clouded her face as she slowly eased herself back into the rocker. I can't just sit here for another two hours jumping every time I hear a car come by. Suddenly deciding to get a snack, she rummaged through the fridge and cupboards. Not that she was hungry. Far from it. She just wanted to pass the time somehow. Anything to keep her from worrying. But then, maybe she should worry. Something just didn't feel right. Mom and Jared should have been home five hours ago. She hadn't answered her cell phone, and when Samantha had called the Smith's, they had told her mom had left two hours ago. Ms. Marge Johnson and her 4-year-old son Jared had attended a welcome home party for the Smith's, because Marge was best friends with Mrs. Smith, a travel agent. Jared had come along because he had been a little fussy, his forehead was a little warm. Marge just decided it would be better to bring him, instead of going without him, and worrying the whole time. Oh mom, where are you? If she didn't show up within the next half-hour, Samantha decided to call the police. Enough worrying. Time to grab the Good Book. Sam walked to the dining room table and reached for the musty leather bound book. It had been her grandfather's for over 50 years, and now was hers. She cherished the musty smell and fingered the leather as she slowly opened the thick book. As always, she closed her eyes, and prayed for the Lord to show her where to read. Lord, You know how worried I am. So plea—RIIIIINNNNGGG!!! Startled, Samantha almost jumped clear out of her seat. Mom. She prayed with all her heart as she reached for the phone. She hesitated for a quick second before pressing the talk button. "Hello?"
"Hello, is this Samantha Johnson?"
a gruff male voice reached her, freezing her with thoughts that
blasted through her brain and shook her. "Miss? Are you Samantha
Johnson? Hello?"
"Uh...yes...yes, this is Samantha
Johnson."
"Miss Johnson, this is Officer Jackson speaking. I'm
sorry to inform you that your mother has been in a serious car
accident." Breath steady. She's gonna be okay. So is Jared.
They have to be.
"Miss Johnson, I'm sorry. I know this
must be a great shock to you. We need you to come identify the
bodies, and we'll take care of the rest. We're assuming you have
no father, am I correct?" Mom is dead. Jared is dead. He wants me
to go identify the bodies. Come on, Sam, answer the man. You can
grieve later. To her horror, her body didn't want to grieve later.
Hot tears slipped down her cheeks, and she strained to keep her voice
steady. "Officer, that is correct. I can't drive, so is somebody
going to come pick me up?"
"Yes, I'll send Officer Mcgrady
over. She'll be there in about 15 minutes, is that okay with
you?"
"Yes, officer, that's fine. Thank you." Click. The
14 year old girl slowly sunk to the floor, and put her head in her
hands. "Oh God, how could this be happening?! They can't be dead!
What am I going to do? I'm all alone!..." Samantha cried, making
no effort to restrain her tears now. She sat there for ten minutes,
barely conscious of the time. Finally, she stood, up, went to the
bathroom to clean herself up. Puffy red eyes and a pale face greeted
her in the mirror, as she splashed cold water on her face. Gently
wiping the water off with a wash cloth, she heard a knock at the
door. They didn't waste any time, did they. She thought ruefully as
she made her way to the door. As she opened the door, she did a quick
size-up of Officer Mcgrady. A female, with about 5'6 with light
blue eyes, straight blonde hair any woman would dream of, with a
muscular build. Sam silently opened the door wider, allowing the
officer to enter. "I'm just about ready, just let me shut some of
the lights off, and get the keys."
"Okay." A slight pause.
"I can only imagine how you must be feeling right now, Samantha.
Your fourteen...right?"
Samantha nodded, and went in the back
room to shut off a light. She came out a moment later, and stopped
right in front of Mcgrady. "Look, officer, my dad died years ago,
and it was just me, Jared, and mom. All I have left is some aunt in
Nebraska who lives in some dump, who knows where. We've tried
contacting her, tried to give her money, but all she does is smoke,
drink, and party every day. I will not go live with her."
Officer
Mgrady had remained silent through the sudden outburst, with no
expression. "I can understand that. But if she's your only
relative, I'm afraid you'll have to go to her. Now, we'll talk
about that later. Please come with me."
Samantha shook her head,
but saw no other option.
There was silence on the way there, and
there wasn't anything to say anyway. It was on county road 11 where
Sam saw flashing lights ahead in the darkness. Her stomach turned and
tossed, and her heart seemed to stop. As the vehicle slowed to a
stop, Sam didn't wait for it to make a complete stop. She started
running, until she saw the white sheets spread over two bodies. One
was small, and the other was medium sized. Oh Lord. All noise was
gone. Everything was numbed out as she stumbled towards the bodies.
She couldn't seem to take another step forward. She barely felt
someone's hand gently leading her forward. The tears came, and her
vision blurred. Then it cleared again, and she was right next to
them. Now it seemed as if she were dreaming, as she reached down, and
pulled the sheet away from the face. Instant shock brought her out of
the dream, and the noise came back, and the numbness was gone. It was
not her mother.
