The Day After
The funeral home had did all they could with Marlene, but by her passing made everything look wrong anyway. Tommy sat in his kitchen the day after they put her in the ground, staring at a cup of coffee that had gone cold hours ago.
The condominium felt too big and too small at the same time, with her not being here.
There’s a knock at the door, he almost didn’t answer. Looking at the door camera it was Carmen, Marlene’s younger sister, holding a casserole dish and had the same look as everyone else.
“Thought you might get hungry,” she said, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation. Carmen had always been the prettier sister, the one who got out of the neighborhood first, married a guy with a steady job and moved to the suburbs. But today she looked tired, older than her forty-five years.
They sat at the kitchen table, picking at reheated rice and beans while the sun was starting to fade out. Carmen talked about the funeral, about how beautiful Marlene looked, about anything except the elephant in the room – that Tommy was now alone forever.
“She loved you, you know that,” Carmen said finally. “Despite… everything.”
Tommy nodded, thinking about the bananas in the mini fridge with disloyalty the betrayal. “I know.”
When Carmen stood to leave, Tommy escorted her to the door and they hug before saying goodbye and the hug lasted longer than it should have. Longer than family hugs between in-laws were supposed to last. Her perfume smelled different from Marlene’s – sweeter, more attractive. And when she pulled back, neither of them stepped away.
“Tommy…” she said softly.
“I know. This is crazy.” He replied with a soft deep voice.
But grief does things to people. Makes them have a connection that they never knew would’ve been possible. One moment they were talking about casserole dishes, the next they were stumbling toward the bedroom where Marlene’s medications still cluttered the nightstand.
The morning light was bright and unforgiving when Carmen slipped out the back door, hoping to avoid the neighbors who always seemed to be watching from their windows. But Mrs. Rodriguez, Marlene’s mother, was already coming up the street to collect the rest of Marlene’s belongings. As she coming to the stop sign. From a distance she can see a woman getting into the backseat of a car.
By the time Mrs. Rodriguez reach the house all she seen was the back of her head. When turning in the driveway she slammed on brakes making a skirt sound.
Tommy rushed outside to what the problem was. Mrs. Rodriguez gets out the car and starts pointing her finger and yelling:
“Who the hell was that woman? I bet you couldn’t wait until they buried my daughter so you can have your tramps over here?
“It’s not what you are thinking Mrs. Rodriguez” Tommy explains.
“Well I can’t tell from a distance I seen a woman with hair all over her head like she stayed the night? Mr. It’s not like that.” Mrs. Rodriguez replied.
“But anyway,” Tommy said sarcastically. I already packed all your daughter’s things and put them in boxes in the garage.
Mrs. Rodriguez stared at Tommy for exactly six seconds before hurrying to the garage to collect the rest of Marlene belongings. When Mrs. Rodriguez put the last box in her car she stood up looking at the house and wondering how many more secrets this family was hiding.
To be continued…