Beside Serenity

E

We got home, quickly and quietly unloaded the groceries, and went about the formalities of the day. At night, my mother sat with my father watching the evening news. I sat with the two of them, enjoying a bowl of ice cream.

"The victim of this accident," The reporter spoke through the television, gesturing towards the pile of broken glass and the runaway wheel behind her, "A twenty-nine-year-old single mother of two. She was rushed to the nearest hospital, but by the time she arrived, nothing could be done. The woman was officially pronounced dead just over an hour later. Her killer, a drunk driver, was taken into custody shortly after police arrived on the scene."

My mother started to cry. My father got up from his seat and walked into the kitchen. I heard the fridge door and the sound of a pull-tab can open. I continued to eat my ice cream.