Calliope
seven
The doorbell rang while I was making coffee. Roy was still getting ready for work and I waited as the coffee spilled out of the Keurig. I wondered who on earth that could be so early in the morning.
When I opened it, I was met with a police officer.
"Calliope Jenkins?" he asked.
I furrowed my eyebrows. "Uh, it's Carter now, but yeah, that's me. What's wrong?"
He looked at me solemnly and said, "Is your mother Elizabeth Jenkins?"
"Yes."
"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Carter, but I regret to inform you that your mother passed away by suicide last night..."
"Wait, what? She's here in my house," I said, confused, looking behind me even though her room wasn't visible from this position.
"Her body was found in the woods five miles away from here," he replied.
"No, she's..." I took a step back, unable to comprehend what was happening. She was just here.
"I'm so sorry for your loss."
I closed the door on him. I immediately turned and went straight into the guest bedroom, bursting the door open to see that it was exactly how it should be. The bed was made, everything was neat and orderly, and it looked like no one was really living here. I ransacked the room. My mother's stuff was gone, even though she didn't bring that many things with her, and there was no note. I especially looked for that. People left notes before they committed suicide, didn't they?
I sat in the middle of the room, staring at nothing. Roy was standing behind me, in the middle of the doorway, but I didn't know when he got there.
"Calliope?"
"It was you, wasn't it?" I asked, my voice was barely above a whisper. I realized that I was crying.
"What?"
"You told her to kill herself, didn't you? Last night in the middle of the night?"
"Calliope–"
"Please, don't lie to me."
Roy knelt down next to me and he said, "Calliope, I love you more than anything in this world."
"She didn't do anything to you. I mean, yeah, she was a shitty mother but she didn't do anything."
Roy was silent as I cried. My mother was dead. The mother that I barely knew, the mother that really wasn't my mother would no longer be able to waltz back into my life like nothing had changed. She was gone.
"It'll be alright, my love," Roy whispered, kissing the side of my head. I had half a mind to pull away and tell Roy to leave or storm out myself, but I was rooted to the spot. The tears stopped streaming down my face and I thought for a second. At least no one would be able to be hurt by her again. My brother had it worse than I did because he had hope that she would come back and stay every time, but we didn't have to worry about that anymore.
We didn't have to worry about anything anymore.
I looked at Roy and he gave me a smile, brushing the hair out of my face. I smiled back at him.
It was going to be alright.
When I opened it, I was met with a police officer.
"Calliope Jenkins?" he asked.
I furrowed my eyebrows. "Uh, it's Carter now, but yeah, that's me. What's wrong?"
He looked at me solemnly and said, "Is your mother Elizabeth Jenkins?"
"Yes."
"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Carter, but I regret to inform you that your mother passed away by suicide last night..."
"Wait, what? She's here in my house," I said, confused, looking behind me even though her room wasn't visible from this position.
"Her body was found in the woods five miles away from here," he replied.
"No, she's..." I took a step back, unable to comprehend what was happening. She was just here.
"I'm so sorry for your loss."
I closed the door on him. I immediately turned and went straight into the guest bedroom, bursting the door open to see that it was exactly how it should be. The bed was made, everything was neat and orderly, and it looked like no one was really living here. I ransacked the room. My mother's stuff was gone, even though she didn't bring that many things with her, and there was no note. I especially looked for that. People left notes before they committed suicide, didn't they?
I sat in the middle of the room, staring at nothing. Roy was standing behind me, in the middle of the doorway, but I didn't know when he got there.
"Calliope?"
"It was you, wasn't it?" I asked, my voice was barely above a whisper. I realized that I was crying.
"What?"
"You told her to kill herself, didn't you? Last night in the middle of the night?"
"Calliope–"
"Please, don't lie to me."
Roy knelt down next to me and he said, "Calliope, I love you more than anything in this world."
"She didn't do anything to you. I mean, yeah, she was a shitty mother but she didn't do anything."
Roy was silent as I cried. My mother was dead. The mother that I barely knew, the mother that really wasn't my mother would no longer be able to waltz back into my life like nothing had changed. She was gone.
"It'll be alright, my love," Roy whispered, kissing the side of my head. I had half a mind to pull away and tell Roy to leave or storm out myself, but I was rooted to the spot. The tears stopped streaming down my face and I thought for a second. At least no one would be able to be hurt by her again. My brother had it worse than I did because he had hope that she would come back and stay every time, but we didn't have to worry about that anymore.
We didn't have to worry about anything anymore.
I looked at Roy and he gave me a smile, brushing the hair out of my face. I smiled back at him.
It was going to be alright.