The Sister

Chapter Two: The Questions (Revised)

"Now Katelyn, I will ask you a few questions. If you feel you don't want to answer them, you may decline to answer." The police officer is trying to be kind to me. I'm glad he's able to understand the trauma I've been through.

"Okay," I tell him. 

"By the way you can call me Officer Mike." Mike. I've heard that name before, but where? "Now let's start with the first question. Why were you and your family in the car together?"

"We were going out to Pizza Ranch for my twin sister Lily's and my birthday." Officer Mike scribbles on his rectangular, yellow note pad after every single word I said.

"It looked to us like your father was the one driving. Is that statement correct?" Still stuck on how I knew the officer, I think, maybe my father knew him.

"Yes," trying to make my answers short and simple.

"We had checked his phone records just now and it shows from 12:30 to 1:32, when the accident occurred,  there were texts. Who was he texting? Do you know why? When did your family leave for Pizza Ranch?" So many questions are being thrown at me. 

I answer with what I know, "My mother was texting his co-worker that my dad was taking the day off for my birthday." It's just my birthday now. "His co-worker and my mom were really tight friends and started talking about the plans for today. We had left our house around 12:15 so we could try to make it there by 1:30."

"Explain, with detail, exactly what happen when you hit the car in front of you." Was he trying to make me remember the accident, JUST to make me feel more saddened? At least he can't read my thoughts!

"My father's favorite song had just come on the radio while going down Highway Q." Mike's hand was moving really fast to copy every single word I spoke. "He cranked it up to full volume. Sitting in the middle, I looked over to see Lily texting a friend, and my older brother Jake texting his girlfriend." Poor Alexandria hasn't heard the news, I thought. She will be devastated, but not as much as I am right now. "All of a sudden my mom was trying to shout something at my dad when..." I can't do this, I can't hold it in, I just cant! "DID YOU KNOW MY FATHER?!" I shout. I can finally get it off my chest.

"I believe that is not the question I asked, please answer my question then I will answer yours." I had to finish, otherwise Officer Mike would never give me an answer.

"Fine. So my mother was shouting and she went to turn down the radio when instantly we crash into the car in front of us, who was stopped because of a red light. Lily and Jake sprung forward." I start to shake and tremble. I sit there still wondering where I will live,what I will do, or where will I go. "They hit the seat in front of them so hard."

Mike interrupts my story to ask, "And your parents?"

"I'm getting there!" I yell at him. I can tell I am very emotional and I'm being rude to him but it's hard for me to not be.

"Sorry, please continue," he says to me in a sincere tone. 

"As I was saying, they were broken like little dolls. My seat belt had done that stop thing where you can't move forward, but out of the corner of my eyes I saw my mother. Head in the windshield and glass stuck in her head. Father laying his head on the dashboard bleeding out of his ears, he had too hard of an impact to live according to the medics."

The officer thanks me and looks like he's about to pack up his things.

"What about MY question?!"

"Yes. Your father's co-worker is my wife. I knew your father very well." I knew it! Mike and my dad were college buddies! "Stacy, my wife, was informed about this tragedy, but you my dear need to worry about your life right now. Would you like a lift home?" I'm surprised nothing about child services came up or that he didn't mention anything about me having to find another home.

"Yes, please." And the whole way home Mike said nothing, I said nothing. But at least for now, I knew where I was going. Because that feeling wasn't going to last long.