Serendipity (Jamilton)

Chapter Fifteen

I got a call this morning about Mom. They said her remains had been cremated and that I had to go pick out a box for her this afternoon. The call was short and the person on the other end of the phone had a bleak tone to their voice, showing no sympathy whatsoever. Definitely wasn’t the nurse that I was used to.

Now, I’m making my way down to the hospital. I didn’t even bother telling Jefferson that I was leaving. I didn’t feel like dealing with his questions. I’d deal with them later.

It doesn’t take me long to find the place I need to go. The lady asks me a whole bunch of questions before coming back out with some choices for boxes. They’re all really pretty. I scan each of them carefully before my eyes come to rest on one box. It looked almost exactly like the box Mom had taken from the wreckage of our house. Whatever that box was, it was important.

“This one, please,” I say, pointing to the box. The lady nods, tells me to wait in the waiting room for a bit, and heads into a back area. I nod, making my way over to the waiting room and sitting in the corner. I don’t feel like dealing with people right now and there are quite a few in this room.

I’m sitting there for a while, probably hours, I’m guessing, before the lady comes back out. She hands me a box with Mom’s name engraved in it in beautiful calligraphy: Rachel Faucette Buck. I smile a little and swallow hard to get rid of the lump growing in my throat.

“Thank you,” I tell the lady. She smiles softly at me before walking back behind the desk. I tuck Mom carefully in my bag before leaving the hospital.

~~~

On my way back to the store, I drop Mom off at the apartment. I smile sadly at the box as I set it on the dresser in my room. I’ll find a better place for her when I get back from work.

It didn’t take me long to get back but when I finally did, almost immediately Jefferson was in front of me, blabbering questions. I roll my eyes and sigh. I don’t exactly feel like fighting with him right now so I just let him list off all the questions before giving him one simple answer to all of them: “I went to pick up Mom.”

Jefferson stares at me in confusion. “Your mom… You know she-”

I roll my eyes again. As uncomfortable as I am with explaining all of this to Jefferson, or anyone, for that matter, he won’t leave me alone until I do. “I had her cremated so I had to go pick out a box and take her home. Just because my mom is dead and is basically dust doesn’t mean I’m gonna start calling her an ‘it’ or something.” With that, I walk off. I can feel Jefferson gaping slightly after me.

“Alexander!” a voice yells suddenly. I turn around slowly to see an angry-looking Angelica walking towards me. She’s scary when she’s pissed.

“Angelica, wh-... what a surprise,” I say with a slight laugh. I swear she looks like she’s gonna kill me and I have no idea why.

“You left suddenly again and Eliza came to me, worried sick. She was almost in tears! You almost made my sister cry, you bastard!” she yells, jabbing her finger into my arm, her nail digging into my skin.

I hold up my hands in surrender. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make her worry. I just- I had some urgent business I needed to take care of that couldn’t wait.”

Angelica glares at me. “Whatever. You make my sister cry again and I really will kill you.” She punches me roughly in the arm before walking away.

I keep a brave face on until she’s out of sight before rubbing the spot where she punched me. “Jeez, she can punch…,” I mutter, holding my arm. It makes me wonder how hard I can punch if she can punch that hard. Probably not very hard.