Second Chance
Beginning
The funeral was a blur.
Alicia’s mother thought it would be a brilliant idea to host the repast in her tiny one-bedroom apartment. “In times like this, you need family around,” she’d said. Since her dad died about ten years ago, Alicia thought her mother knew what she was talking about.
I was so wrong, Alicia thought to herself as yet another aunt came over to ask God to bless her little heart. There wasn’t much more Alicia could take before she snapped and she knew that would embarrass her mother. Instead, Alicia excused herself and locked herself in her bedroom. She fell backwards onto the bed and closed her eyes, trying to even out her breathing. Then a giggle erupted from beneath her. She jolted upright to see one of her little cousins trying to scramble from under the bed.
“Ebony!” Alicia yelled as she stood. She put one hand around Ebony’s upper arm and the other on the doorknob. “Stay out of my room or I’ll give you a smack so hard, you’ll need a diaper for a month. You hear me?!”
Ebony stumbled out of the room and all of Alicia’s guests were staring at her. Her mother hurried over and asked what happened.
“I want them gone,” Alicia said, her breaths coming hard and shallow. “Get them out. Get them out now! Right now! EVERYONE OUT!”
Alicia’s mother looked around helplessly at her brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews and they all began gathering their stuff and heading for the door. Alicia stormed back into her room and locked the door again. She flung open the closet door and began to rip Chance’s clothes from their hangers and onto the bed. By then, hot tears were stinging the corners of her eyes and she kept sniffling so that her snot wouldn’t get in her mouth. She went to the dresser and pulled out his t-shirts, boxers, socks, and shorts; everything was tossed in a huge pile on the bed. Once it was down, she carved out a spot just big enough for her petite body and lay down, covering herself back up with his clothes.
It was hot and stuffy but with the smell of Chance all around her, there was no way she was moving from that very spot. In any case, there were worse ways to die than being suffocated to death by your dead fiancé’s clothes… Like getting shot by your own gun, Alicia thought with another sniffle.
Alicia’s mother thought it would be a brilliant idea to host the repast in her tiny one-bedroom apartment. “In times like this, you need family around,” she’d said. Since her dad died about ten years ago, Alicia thought her mother knew what she was talking about.
I was so wrong, Alicia thought to herself as yet another aunt came over to ask God to bless her little heart. There wasn’t much more Alicia could take before she snapped and she knew that would embarrass her mother. Instead, Alicia excused herself and locked herself in her bedroom. She fell backwards onto the bed and closed her eyes, trying to even out her breathing. Then a giggle erupted from beneath her. She jolted upright to see one of her little cousins trying to scramble from under the bed.
“Ebony!” Alicia yelled as she stood. She put one hand around Ebony’s upper arm and the other on the doorknob. “Stay out of my room or I’ll give you a smack so hard, you’ll need a diaper for a month. You hear me?!”
Ebony stumbled out of the room and all of Alicia’s guests were staring at her. Her mother hurried over and asked what happened.
“I want them gone,” Alicia said, her breaths coming hard and shallow. “Get them out. Get them out now! Right now! EVERYONE OUT!”
Alicia’s mother looked around helplessly at her brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews and they all began gathering their stuff and heading for the door. Alicia stormed back into her room and locked the door again. She flung open the closet door and began to rip Chance’s clothes from their hangers and onto the bed. By then, hot tears were stinging the corners of her eyes and she kept sniffling so that her snot wouldn’t get in her mouth. She went to the dresser and pulled out his t-shirts, boxers, socks, and shorts; everything was tossed in a huge pile on the bed. Once it was down, she carved out a spot just big enough for her petite body and lay down, covering herself back up with his clothes.
It was hot and stuffy but with the smell of Chance all around her, there was no way she was moving from that very spot. In any case, there were worse ways to die than being suffocated to death by your dead fiancé’s clothes… Like getting shot by your own gun, Alicia thought with another sniffle.