Calling Dr.Smiles

Ⅳ.Ⅷ

→"I'm Crying. Like literally pass me the tissues."

Iris closed the door after all of us, and took of her jacket. The funeral wasn't that bad. I mean, it wasn't as bad as a funera- I think you know what I mean. 

We got dressed up, and we had people meet us there. All his work friends, his family, our other family. Mostly all the people I know came to his grave and sent him off. Then we spent like an hour after everyone else left with him.

I didn't know what to say, so i just stood there. Rosalie was balling like a fountain, while Kurt seemed to be more accepting. And Iris was trying to keep it together but I could see her slowly crumbling to pieces.

And then Mom. There were tears rolling down her cheeks but she was as still as a statue. Even when people came over and were saying sorry and wishing us better. She just nodded, and shook hands. 

Me?

I was behind her the whole time. Most people don't know that she's a fragile person, even I didn't think so. Not until she told us the truth, and I saw something in her change. She wasn't holding onto that secret anymore, so now she could feel things.

I mean theres that, and she also broke up with Aidan. I have no idea why, but good riddance. If all he was going to do was bad talk my father and make us his step children, then the door could hit him where mother nature split him.

Pacer even came by to the grave site. He came with his mother, and she talked with my mom to the best of her ability. And Pacer and I talked about anything really, I think at one point I started the conversation up again with memes.

Anyways, we were home now. Iris fled to her room as soon as she closed the door, even Kurt was shocked. He and Mom went into the kitchen, of what I'm not sure. And Rosalie was sitting at the dinning table staring faintly at his chair.

Last but not least was me.

Where was I? 

In my own mind. I was replying the sound of his voice in my mind. I shouldn't be doing that, it'd only make me cry more. But who cares? I just los- that's not right. I lost him a long time ago. I just lost him forever.

I won't be able to hear his voice anymore. Or smell his weird maple syrup scent. Or see his blue eyes, the squint they'd make when he was talking. He's gone. He's a corpse with no pulse. And how will he be remembered? A man who left his family. He left his family to start a new one, and ended up leaving them too.

Now we're all just one big related mess.

I could have sworn my knees gave out at that moment. I felt them hit the hardwood floors as I went tumbling down. I think I was hysterically crying? That's what the call it in movies and books. When everything slows down and goes mute.

I felt my face getting wet from the tears spilling out, and my hair clinging to my face already. I didn't notice, that Rosalie had left her idle staring to come and help me up. I latched onto her like glue but I wasn't getting up.

"I'm so sorry Anna, I'm so sorry." She whispered to me, rocking me back and forth slowly. "I shouldn't have left because he did, because it was the easiest way out! I'm sorry!" She mumbled into my ear.

I still remember the day she left. She said that she wanted to travel the world, and meet new people, but I knew it was something else. I knew it was her longing to be anywhere but here, anywhere but where he left us.

She left me, and Iris here. Kurt was too young to really understand but he knew she was leaving, just like he knew dad was leaving. At least she came back to us. She came back alive.

-

As I was bushing my teeth, I heard the phone ringing. It was the landline that my mother had refused to give up even though we all used cellphones. I was quick to get it because everyone else was either sleeping or pretending to sleep. 

I ran down the steps and to the living room, passing the couch and took the phone into my hands off the coffee table. It was a weird area code number, but they must want something because- how do you call a landline now a days on accident?

I picked up, and tried to talk through the toothpaste in my mouth. "Hello?" I asked, but it sounded like I had dentures. 

I heard shuffling on the other side, and a sniffle. "Hi, is this Claire Dillard?" The voice asked, a woman, I had no idea why she was crying but I think I was about to find out.

I continued, "No, but this is her daughter Anna. What can I do for you?" I asked her and the woman went a little quiet, and then I heard another sniffle come from the the phone. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm okay. I'm okay." She started, and I became quite confused why she wasn't giving me any information on why she was calling, it was getting me annoyed. "Your-uh. I saw it on the paper, his death."

I stiffened. An unknown number was calling the landline and it belonged to a woman who was sniffling and talking about my father. Was this another one of his relationships? I bit my tongue as I waited for her to go on.

"I just-um. wanted to call because, you should know that-" I cut her off when I heard those words. Disgusting, he was three families! How could he do this! To mom?! To me!? To everyone?!

"He has another kid? You were his last lover or something?" I asked violently to the woman ands started stammering. "Well," I said harshly.

"No! Your father- he saved me and my son from our house fire! He was the one who pulled us out of there when we should have been swallowed hole by those flames! He- I never got to thank him, he was gone so soon. And I kept looking but I never found him." She said so slowly, that I dropped my toothbrush on the floor.

I let out a weak laugh, a smile coming onto my face "He saved you and your son?" I asked to make sure that I heard it right.

"Yes! Yes! And I just- wanted to know where the grave was so we could thank him properly! I didn't mean to call-" She began to become flustered and I cut her off quickly.

"Sherwood Oaks. His grave is in the Madeline park, row 80." I choked out as I fought to keep a breath. I think she heard me from the other side and she decided to speak up, lord knows I needed it.

"If your father is the man that saved us from that fire, then I have no doubt that you will become an amazing you lady, and your mother a very strong woman. You have a goodnight." She said and then I hummed something and she hung up.

I put the phone down, and picked up my toothbrush, out of my line of sight I saw my mother. She was there clinging onto the archway of the living room. "Mom, he did good. He did so good." I said weakly, coming up to her and engulfing her in a hug.