- 4.
“Looking for Carrie? She’s right here!”
<
Aunt Carol wiped the rain from her face,
pointing at the casket with a sneer.
Tom stumbled to the casket and collapsed to
the ground.
“Who are you putting on this show for? Your
wife asked you to come, and you said she
was lying. I told you to come back, and you
said I was lying. Your mom begged you to
come back, and you still said she was lying.
Do you really think we’re all lying? Or is it just
that your sister’s life is worth less than a
dinner with some other woman?”
“No, that’s not it, Carrie’s my sister! I
practically raised her! I loved her like a
daughter!”
Carrie and I never got along. Her dad died
when she was young, so Tom and Susan
treated her like a princess. She was spoiled
and entitled.
And since Tom never stood up for me, she
never showed me any respect. Every time I
saw her, she was condescending and rude.
Before, I was always forced to compete with
her for Tom’s attention. She always won, with
Tom constantly defending her for no reason.
Now, she was finally being forced to compete.
with someone else, and that one loss cost her
everything.
Maybe that’s just karma.
‘Smack!‘
<
Tom’s constant denial enraged Aunt Carol.
She slapped him across the face.
I held back my stomach ache, feeling a surge
of satisfaction. If I had the strength, I would
have loved to beat him myself.
Someone helped me up from the ground. I
clutched Carrie’s picture, carefully wiping off
the mud.
Ignoring the blood trickling down my legs.
Baby, I’m sorry. Go find a mom and dad who
are waiting for you.
As soon as I finished cleaning the picture,
Tom shoved me again, taking all his anger out
on me.
<
“It’s your fault! You killed my sister! How
could she fall like that? It’s all your fault.
You’re a jinx, you killed my sister!!!”
I fell again, the picture landing in a puddle, my
feet surrounded by blood.
But Carol and Tom didn’t even seem to
notice.
“Honey, you were always jealous of Carrie,
jealous of how much I loved her. She was my
sister! You can’t kill her! You’re a murderer. I
should kill you!”
Tom was a mess, his face twisted and
contorted like a wild animal. He had
completely lost it.
He was even worse than last time.
I swallowed back my reply and curled up in a
ball.
Today was Carrie’s burial. Even if Tom’s
family didn’t care, Carrie’s in–laws wouldn’t
let Tom delay the ceremony.
Sure enough, as the casket was loaded into
the hearse, Dave came out of the funeral
home with his parents.
“Tom, get out of here! You’re not welcome at
your sister’s funeral!”
