Murder House (Part Two)

New Students and Old Flames

I take a deep breath, knocked on the door and waited.

"Who is it?"

"Ma'am? It's me, Emma. Can I come in?"

Footsteps were heard and once Amanda opened the door, I felt sorry for her. Her eyes were red making it clear she had been crying. She sniffed and opened the door wider allowing me to walk into her spotless apartment which was furnished with old-school furniture.

I sit on her leather couch and wait until she brings me some tea. "Thank you."

She nods and looks away creating an awkward silence.

'Oh no! What should I say?'

'Tell her you are sorry about what happened to her nephew.'

"I heard what happened and..."

She stops me by raising her hand. "I don't want to hear it."

We stay silent for some minutes.

"He is going to be buried next weekend." She adds.

I nod and place a hand on her shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She shakes her head. "No. I am good. I...I think."

Amanda, the tough stone-faced manager was a good woman with a heart of gold and I admired her. Why? She looked like a person who could survive anything that came her way but seeing her like this: sad, depressed with a distant look in her eyes...

I reach out to hug her and she sobs on my shoulder. Some minutes pass and she's finally calm enough to speak.

"We used to play games in the school yard back in my hometown." She says nursing her cup of tea in her hands. "Then we'd go fishing by the creek and have shaved ice as a treat after that."

She blows her nose into her handkerchief and sniffs.

"Then my sister got a divorce from her husband and took him to the city despite my warnings then I grew tired of living in my hometown. So, I move here to start a new life. It's been a few years since then and we only communicate through letters and phone calls. Suddenly, she sends him to me to 'discipline' him and now..."

Her eyes were full of tears by this point and she starts sobbing again, her handkerchief over her mouth as she cried.

"It was hard. It was very hard to tell my sister her only son is dead and what a way to die! He died on top of a girl! Who dies like that? Who?"

I had no reply to it because the news was bizarre to me too. Ral passed on on top of the girl in a hotel room due to a heart attack during the activity. They examined his body and discovered traces of illegal substances in his system but it was the viagra that caused his death for he overdosed on it. News of his death spread like wildfire and everyone laughed because it was some kind of sick joke but this happened after the diner was burnt to the ground.

'Yeah it is an embarrassing way to die but I can't tell her this. It would hurt her feelings.'

So I say, "I understand how you feel because I lost my parents when I was a child."

She sniffed and I bow my head in sadness.

"I couldn't remember the details since I was very young but they were shot trying to protect me from thieves who tried to rob our house and it hurts thinking about it but what makes me feel better is remembering all the good times we had together and trying to recreate those memories"

I look up and give her a warm smile and wipe the tears from her face. "I believe they are up there looking out for me wanting nothing more than to see me happy and I am sure that's what he wants too."