Short Stories (without happy end)

Ruby

It's been more than an hour since he left. I asked him to be careful but I can't help but worry. He asked me to not call the police until I hadn't heard from him for at least an hour.
I move away from the window and look down at my phone again. Nothing. I call him because I know that he will answer. I listen to the phone ring while pacing.
"Ruby... I couldn't... you... I'm sorry." he whispers. "What's happen? Please, Gabe, answer me !" I shout verging on panic.
"They had an accident. The car is destroyed. They are both..." he declares with a chopped voice.

    Everything is quiet around me, except for my phone. The shrill sound of a police siren escapes from it and echoes throughout the room. I can't feel the tears sliding down my cheeks. It doesn't hurt when my knees violently hit the floor.
The only thing I can feel is my heart. It is as if it cracks while waiting to explode.

* * *

    The smoke volumes coming out of my coffee make my belly gurgle but I don't take it into account. My brother talks to me however I can't understand what he is saying.
"I know that it's hard for you. It is for me as well. But we have to take care of everything quickly before we have time to realize it. The notary will explain everything to us and you won't have to take care of anything, I promise you."

    The notary looks serious. He puts his glasses back on with a nervous gesture before blowing and declaring in a sad voice :
"I'm sorry for what's happened. Your parents were very kind people. As far as what brings you here, you should know that your parents had savings that belong to you now. The family home is for you Gabriel. As for you Ruby, a small house is waiting for you a hundred kilometers from here, on the outskirts of Columbus."

The rest of the discussion becomes unclear. I just hear words such as 'money', 'inheritance' or 'young'.

*          *           *

    A few rays of sunshine pierce through the car windows. Gabriel is calm but slightly tense. His perfectly ironed black shirt matches my dark dress. As I got dressed this morning, I felt my chest compress. I am just beginning to realize that they will never be there again. Never again will I hear my mother's crystalline laughter. Never again will I see my father baking me cookies while singing.

The speeches that were given were very tasteless compared to what my parents would have deserved: "They always had a kind word", "They were loved", "They succeeded where many would have failed", and the like.
When embrace comes, I am still amazed to see people I don't know.
The ordeal of the funeral is finally over, I go home tired.
    My brother knocks on my bedroom door. I tell him to come in, which he does. I move over to make room for him on my bed, expecting to hear him speak, but he does the opposite. He settles in and doesn't say a word. A breath of relief escapes from my lips and that's the moment he chooses to throw himself on me to tickle my belly. I desperately try to catch my breath but Gabriel doesn't want to stop. I can see his smile over my knees shaken by my hysterical laughter.
"Now that I know you haven't turned into a zombie, I need to talk to you. " he begins. "I know you and I know you just realized. But what I'm sure of is that you have to pull yourself together now if you don't want to sink. Two months from now is your birthday and that's why Mom and Dad bought a little house near Columbus. They wanted you to enjoy it and be able to go to work more often. They knew you wanted to leave home and they had it all planned. That's why today I'm asking you to move there. "
I am stunned, he asks me to leave when our parents have just passed away. I try to talk but I can't. I stand up like an automaton and then sit down, not knowing what to do.
"Ruby, it's for your good that I'm asking you this, I know you can do it and it'll take your mind off it," he continues.
"Yes, I know." I answer without thinking.
"When do you want to leave?" he asks me nicely. "Tomorrow." I decide.
"Are you sure?" he worries.
"Yes, I am sure."

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