One Moment (The Little Hollow Series Book 1) (27 page)

“Sorry about the wait.” I jumped as the waitress appeared out of nowhere. “Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sneak up on you.” She giggled and I couldn’t help but join in. “Can I get you any drinks?”

I laughed and ordered my food and drink, checking out all the other customers. My eyes landed on a teenage couple sitting three booths away from me. A little girl of around six sat next to the boy. What was she doing out so late?

The couple were quite clearly having a heated discussion and the little girl had her head bowed, looking uncomfortable. It broke my heart to see her like that so I tried to catch her attention by pulling funny faces.

After the fourth one, I saw her head peep up and she giggled before covering her mouth. The waitress brought me my water and I pulled another face at the little girl. Again, she giggled but this time, the boy turned around and glared at her.

“What you laughing at, Daphne? It’s bad enough mom made me babysit you,
again,
I told you to just sit there and be good! You’re so annoying.” I felt my heart break again at the sadness in her face. How could he be so callous towards his baby sister? I would do anything, and I meant anything, in the world to have my little brother tagging along with me everywhere I went again.

Okay, maybe not everywhere, but he shouldn’t speak to her that way. I felt the tears start stinging my eyes but they were tears of anger this time. I dabbed at them with the corner of my sweater as the waitress brought over my burger and fries.

I thanked her and looked down at it. I’d lost my appetite but took a bite anyway knowing I needed to eat something. It could’ve been the tastiest burger to ever cross my palette, but it just tasted like cardboard as I kept staring at the little girl with her head down.

She sneaked a look my way and I smiled sympathetically at her. She looked up at her brother and puffed out her chest.

“Mom says you have to be nice to me, Dylan. And I’m tired, I wanna go home!” The boy, Dylan, looked from the girl sitting across from him to little Daphne who cowered under her brothers’ stare.

“Well, mom isn’t here right now, is she? Stop embarrassing me!” Something switched in me and I slammed some bills down on my table with a generous tip and stalked over to them.

“Excuse me, Dylan is it?” The boy looked at me with a puzzled expression on his face. “I think your sister would like to go home now, you need to listen to her.” He scoffed and looked at his companion.

“Is this chick for real?” I placed my palms on the table, noticing the looks from the other customers surrounding us but not actually giving a flying-

“Oh, I’m being deadly serious. You really should be nicer to your sister; she looks up to you. And you,” I looked at the girl sitting opposite him. “How you can sit there and watch him treat that sweet little girl like that is disgusting. If he will treat his own flesh and blood like that, well, I’d hate to think how he’d be towards you if you didn’t like something he did or said.” Her eyes widened and she looked from me to Dylan.

“Maybe you should just take Daphne home Dylan, it is kinda late. We can do this another time.” He was furious but I’d proven my point to this girl, I doubt there would be another time for him. I knelt down and craned my finger towards Daphne and she shuffled towards me.

“Hey! Stay away from her, you creep!” Dylan flung a protective arm around her and I smiled and stood up.

“Looking after your little sister every now and again isn’t the worst thing in the world, trust me. I’d do anything to be able to look after my little brother one more time. Just go a little easier on her, okay?” He looked down at Daphne in his arms and pulled her onto his knee.

“I don’t know who you are, lady, but you don’t know me. I...” He looked sheepishly at the girl. “I love my sister but she’s still my annoying kid sister. We don’t get along all the time but I’d never do anything to hurt her.” He ruffled her hair and my eyes filled with tears.

What was wrong with me? I’d just confronted some kids still in school. I just missed Tommy with every fiber of my being. I missed being close to someone like that.

I nodded and turned on my heels not bothering to take a look back at them but noticing everyone was now staring at me. I was in a town where no one knew me and I still managed to draw the attention of everyone in it, humiliating myself yet again.

Making my way back to the motel, it occurred to me that I’d been living day to day, not getting close to anyone but Keeley. I’d pushed every other single person out of my life.

Why? Because then I’d have to have acknowledged any other emotion other than fake happiness. I was happy with my career and I loved Kee but there was something missing. I’d buried everything deep down and I’d not even had the chance to grieve properly for Tommy.

I couldn’t remember much of the day of his funeral, it was all one big blur. What I did remember was having to arrange it all because my mom was in no fit state to do it. In a way I was glad that she couldn’t remember. We only had a small gathering, it wasn’t what normal people would call a funeral but it was all I could afford with the help of Miss Debbie.

I woke up, having not had nearly enough hours of sleep to get through today. My throat was sore and my eyes were red raw from all the crying. Nobody would see me cry today. I was determined not to, I’d done my fair share already.

I got out of bed, showered and dressed like a robot. Passing my mom’s room, I saw her bed hadn’t even been slept in yet and I wasn’t surprised, over the past week she had slept here once. I wasn’t sure where she’d been but she only came back for a change of clothes, looking worse each and every time.

She hadn’t shown much emotion about Tommy, she’d just spiraled into a drinking binge, but this time I didn’t blame her. I understood. I just wanted to bury my head in the sand and pretend this wasn’t happening too but I needed her. I needed her so badly it hurt but there was nothing I could do to let her know that.

She had tuned out and I was left to pick up the pieces.

I took a deep, shuddering breath as the doorbell rang, my heart skipped a beat and my stomach tightened. It had been a week since I’d last heard from my best friend. Word around town was he’d been shipped off to his grandma’s but I knew the real reason. He just couldn’t cope with the guilt; I knew because I felt it too.

He was gone, and I was so angry with him, but every time the phone rang or the door went, I still wished it was him.

Opening up the door, Miss Debbie was there with a solemn look on her face. My boss had been my rock over the past week but she wasn’t the person I wanted to see standing there.

I waved her in and she went straight to the coffee pot. “Have you eaten yet?” I shook my head. “Sammy, sweetheart.” She reached for my hand. “I know you won’t feel like eating but it’s important. Let me fix you something?”

I nodded, that was all I could muster. I didn’t even know what we had in but she soon started putting some ingredients together to make me a turkey sandwich. “Well, it’s not breakfast food but it’ll keep you going.” She sat opposite me at the table, watching me take little bites and I squirmed under her intense stare.

“You’ve got the Salon to run, you don’t have to be here,” I finally said and she sighed, looking around the room.

“I don’t want to go through this again with you, you know Rose is covering for me today. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.” I swallowed the last of my sandwich, not acknowledging the comment and put the dish in the sink. I heard her chair scrape across the floor as she got up.

“You don’t have to be this stoic and detached today, everyone understands, Sammy, you’ve just lost your brother.” I flinched as she put a hand on my back.

“I didn’t
lose
anyone. He died. He isn’t going to magically turn up like a lost set of keys.” I shrugged her hand off. “I just want to be alone right now so I’d appreciate it if you just left.”

She hesitated before picking up her purse. “You can’t push people away forever, you have your whole life ahead of you, and I hate to say it but...Tommy wouldn’t want this. He wouldn’t want you to be alone.” As if I had a choice in the matter, she continued, “And yes, things are shitty right now but you have people around you that want to help; you have me. Don’t lock yourself away, this is something you
don’t
have to deal with alone. I’ll be back in two hours to pick you up, whether you want me there or not.” With that, she left.

Of course it’s not what Tommy would want but if he even had a say in the matter, he’d choose to not have me as a sister either. I failed him and it was too painful to bear.
No, I won’t cry again, damn it!

I watched the clock tick by with me dreading the time coming, it seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye and before I knew it, there was another knock at the door.

Slipping on my black pumps, I took a deep breath before opening it. I stared past Miss Debbie, not even acknowledging her standing in front of me. This was actually happening. I took a deep breath and stumbled in my pumps. I steadied myself on the doorframe and took a few steps down the drive.

I was well aware neighbors were watching and I could hear whispers and sniffles making me even more determined not to cry. I knew what they whispered, they all blamed me too.

I reached the car and took a look back at the house, that house wasn’t home anymore.

I was silent all the way to the funeral home and I gasped at the number of flowers outside, a few people were milling about but it was good to see so many had respected my wishes. I didn’t want people involved in such a personal moment but I couldn’t stop them from coming inside.

I stepped out of the car and Tommy’s teacher put her hand on my arm as I passed her before I walked into the building. I didn’t look up at her because I knew there would be judgment in her eyes. I waited until she let go and walked on inside to sit in the front row.

I heard people filing in and closed my eyes, it would all be over soon. My eyes flitted open as a hand clasped mine and pulled me into an embrace.

“Please don’t,” I managed to squeak out. Miss Debbie let go with tears in her eyes.

“You’re such a strong girl, honey, you always have been, but lean on me, today is your time to say goodbye.” Then everybody started standing up.

My head whipped around to the entrance as gentle music started to play. The owners of the home were carrying his coffin in. I took a long look at it as it passed me and grabbed onto the side of the seat as my world came crashing down. This was
real.

Everything started to go in slow motion.

My sweet little brother was in there, at least his body was.

Where was my mom? She needed to be here.

I grabbed onto Miss Debbie’s hand and released a choked cry. I couldn’t tell you what happened from there, I just remember the desperate feeling inside of me and the haunting melody of Eric Clapton; Tears in Heaven, as the curtain closed on the coffin.

That was it.

Apart from collecting his ashes tomorrow, it was done. He was gone for good.

I sat there for what felt like hours, but it must’ve only been minutes, before I was tapped on the shoulder. I was being ushered to walk out in front of everybody, be in direct line of their judgmental stares.

I stood frozen to the spot as I took in all of the pity on everyone’s faces, I even heard a whispered comment about our mom not being here. I couldn’t take it anymore, I whipped off my shoes and ran out of the doors, heading towards home.

Although, I couldn’t call it home anymore, we needed to move. This house was tainted with too many memories. Even if they were good memories, it was all too much to be living in the same place; constantly being reminded of Tommy.

I reached the front porch and opened the door with shaking hands, my feet made a thud as I made my way across the hallway to my bedroom. I needed to get out of these clothes.

Ten minutes later, as I sat staring at a blank space on my wall, there was a crash in the direction of Tommy’s vacant room.

I pushed up off the floor and ran towards the commotion. “What are you doing?” I asked, staring at her with wide eyes.

My mom had made it home and seemed to be trashing Tommy’s bedroom. She didn’t even acknowledge me so I grabbed at her arm as she tore through one of his superhero comics.