You jolt awake very suddenly, not knowing the reason why. It was still dark in your room, so you cannot tell whether it was night or morning. You were tired, really tired, and you want to go back to sleep. You close your eyes and try to slumber once again, but fail. So you sit up groggily and yawn, rubbing your eyes. You blink several times, clearing the spots from your eyes. There was a prickling pain on your cheek, but it wasn't that bad, so you ignore it. You look down at yourself and saw that you were still dressed. That was unusual. Then you started to think hard. What were you doing the night before? Then you realize, the party! You run your fingers around the prickling the pain on your cheek and pressed it hard. You wince. Where did you get this? You wonder. Then the pieces fitted together, your fight! Your fight with Mom! That was where she slapped you the night before! You remember the subject of your fight and bury your face in your hands. You were about to cry then stopped yourself. You have to apologize, you think, you have to say sorry for what you did last night, it's only right.
You rush to Mom's room, careful to step quietly on the hallway, and knock on the door, in case she was already awake. There came no reply. So you turn the knob and opened it slightly; she is still sleeping. You walk slowly and silently to her side and sit down on the floor. You shake her slightly, and said in a low voice, "Mom, Mom I need to tell you something." She did not move, nor did anything to indicate she had heard.
Then you realize that something is not right. You focus on her chest and notice that is was not moving. It wasn't rising and falling like it should. You start to panic. No, you say firmly to yourself, she can't be dead. There's just a few going-ons in her heart. She's still alive. You focus again on her chest, waiting for any movement that might counter your fears. Nothing happens. You give up. Tears started to roll down your cheeks, and you make no effort to wipe them away. You just sit there for a while, staring in to nothingness. You think about all the times you've spent together, and the thought of her brought you back to your senses. You could almost hear her shouting at you, don't just sit around there like some lazy no good fool, do something!
You call out to your little brother, Jimmy, and he came stumbling to the room, yawning, "Wha-a-a-at is it?" You don't turn, still staring ahead. "Call an ambulance, Jimmy, and the whole family as well in case Mom really is dead." Your voice startled you. It sounded so dead and so devoid of life.
Your tone and your words seemed to wake up Jimmy. "Dead? What do you mean dead?" "See for yourself, then." You get up and step aside to make way for Jimmy. Tears are still coming out of your eyes, but you do not wipe them off. Jimmy puts his ear near the place where the heart is supposed to be, and listened. There was no heartbeat. Jimmy started to cry, and when Jimmy cried, he cried loudly. You reach for the phone beside the bed, because you know that Jimmy is no longer capable of doing anything but cry and wail. You dial the number of the hospital and ask for an ambulance, saying that your mother had just died. The woman on the phone agrees and tells you that the ambulance will be there in a few minutes.
What happened after that was a blur. You remember the ambulance arriving, followed closely by the police to investigate. You remember Jimmy clinging to Mom and not letting go until you've arrived at the hospital. You remember the doctor's low, sympathetic voice as he announced your mother dead, as if he knew anything. You remember the police questioning you about what happened, and you hardly told them anything helpful. You remember your mother's relatives coming to get the body, and you cried Mom's death with them.
At Mom's funeral, a lot of people came. There were people whom you do not know, but you and Jimmy still welcome them.
The funeral is over, and everyone has left, except for you and Jimmy. You look at the new grave, the grave of your mother, there in the middle of the other family members who died already, including your father. You trace the note on the grave, one of the things your mother would say every time you visited the cemetery on All Souls' Day.
"Someone dying is like chasing the sun. You see it during the day, and you can see it moving through the never ending sky, and you can follow it easily. But when dusk comes it's impossible for you to find it, much less see it, but you know that there will be a second chance for you to see it. This is exactly what it's like, except it's gone, forever, and there'll be no more second chance for you to see it, and tell it all the things you've been dying to tell."
You take a deep breath, letting the air flow into you. It was just you and Jimmy now. This is your time to take charge. You cannot fail Mom now.
You look up, into the heavens, knowing that Mom was there. You smile, and make a silent vow. Then you turn to Jimmy, take his hand, and begin to walk home.
