Neighbor

Death Anniversary

"Simi, are you going to come out for dinner?" Angelina called out to her daughter who was standing in her bathroom.

Simi stood at the basin, splashing cold water on her face. Today was one of the few days she let herself feel any other emotion that wasn't anger.

Simi stared at her face dripping with water through the mirror. She usually hated looking at herself because her unique, green eyes reminded her of her dad's green eyes but today she wanted to be reminded of him.

Simi was only in her dad's life for three years but she was his whole world. He loved her more than anything, and never failed to show it. He played with Simi at every moment he had, he would tuck her in bed every night, he almost always brought home gifts to share and he would always make sure to end every day with the words:

"I love you dear, you are my sunshine."

Simi missed it all. She wanted those three years of her life back.

Maybe things would have been different if the girl's dad was still around. Maybe Simi's heart wouldn't be filled with so much hatred and frustration if he was still around.

"Simi?" Angelina called out again.

The green-eyed girl snapped out of her daze and noticed the pools of tears that were forming in her eyes, she quickly wiped them away and left the bathroom to join her mom at the dinner table.

The two of them sat in silence, picking at three plates of food that was in front of them. If Simi was taking the death anniversary hard, then her usually gentle and cheerful mom was taking it worse. Angelina's beautiful eyes looked lifeless and her skin was pale, it was a yearly occurrence. Every single year, the beautiful vibrant Angelina would be almost zombie like and in a state or distraught on her husband's death anniversary.

She constantly found herself back in that detective's gray, smoke-hazed office. Sitting on that black chair where the lazy officer had told her that they had no leads on the case.

"Unfortunately, we have to rule him out as dead," the detective said, lighting a cigarette.

Angelina wished they had put in more effort into the case, she believed that her husband was still out there, and even if he wasn't, she just wanted clarity, she wanted to give him the burial he deserved.

"Sometimes, I wish I could just go up to that damn police department and demand that they reopen the case," Simi exhaled, breaking the tense silence between her and her mom.

"Me too, honey," Angelina said, sighing as she picked at a piece of meat on her plate.

"They should have done more," Simi felt the frustration reignite inside her and she clutched the table cloth with her left hand.

"Yes, she should have," Angelina kept her responses to a minimum because a lump began to form in her throat, she knew that if she spoke any more, she would begin to cry.

The house when silent again for a moment before Simi abruptly got up from her seat.

"I just wish we could have gotten some clarity at least," Simi's lip quivered and she felt the tears begin to spill from her eyes,  she quickly stormed off to her room and threw herself onto her bed.

Simi bawled her eyes out that night, she cried for hours upon hours, it was the type of cry that left you with hiccups and a leaking nose.

She just wished her dad was here.