Nine Minutes

And So Her Heart Broke

Even the locals in Australia could hear the thunderous rumbling of the planet splitting into what would be known as The Grand Canyon. Though, all Amelie could hear was the deafening wail coming from inside of her own body. For the first time in her life she could no longer feel the pain oozing from her old bones. She didn't seem to notice the hundreds of pedestrians murmuring around her, whispering about the violent shaking of the ground and the lifeless body in the road. She didn't notice the worried onlookers, who pulled out their phones and called 9-1-1. 

All she knew was that he was dead.

Thousands of old and new memories flashed by her in a quick breeze, the only ones remaining being those of which occurred about nine minutes ago.

"What do you mean I can't go to the party?" Joshua lifted his arms in what Amelie assumed was confusion. But why would the boy be confused? He knew that he was grounded for the next four days and weren't a mother's words always final? 

Amelie ran her fingers through her graying hair and decided that she needed a vacation and a trip to the hair salon. "I mean exactly what I said. You can't go to the party." She didn't know why parties appealed to kids nowadays. All they do is jump up and down to no specific beat and drink alcohol until they are absolutely hammered, and neither of those sound appealing. Amelie's type of party were the famous ones that Gatsby held, with alcohol that actually tasted good and people who dressed for the occasion. 

Joshua interrupted her internal rant on parties. "Mom, I think I'm big enough to-to," He stuttered on the word, which he seemed to do when he was getting angry angry. "be able to go to a little party." 

At this Amelie shook her head. Before she could respond, Joshua jumped back into the conversation. "I wouldn't even drink anything." This statement made Amelie scoff, which earned her a glare from her son. 

"Joshua, I know you wouldn't drink. But I am worried about you getting high and into another fight." She paused and let the air back into her lungs. These days it seemed to get harder to breathe. "We don't need that right now."

His scowl deepened but he seemed to recollect his notable disaster with the recent stimulant being passed around the public high school. The thought of his fist connecting with the face of his childhood sweetheart's boyfriend made him shudder. "That wouldn't happen again. And before you even ask, I don't have a crush on Lance anymore." So much for childhood sweethearts. "He turned me down the next day so I've moved on, and you should too." 

Suddenly the teen was cutting across the kitchen to the apartment door. Amelie hated the fact that her son loved to completely ignore her whenever she told him no. How was she supposed to parent with him not ever listening? 

"Joshua Lopez, come here right now." The two seemed to be in a race to see who could get to the main door of the apartment building. He was the younger of the two, obviously, but she was very fast for her age. 

She began to call for him to get back upstairs and into their apartment, threatening to ground him for an entire month. It was clear that he had no intention of doing that, as he yelled back to her, "Go to hell. You're a horrible mother so just hop off!"

The heat started first on her ears, then spread to her face, shoulders, until it finally reached her toes. The monster inside her that she worked so hard to keep hidden was finally released. It grabbed hold of every inch of her being, making it certain that Amelie wasn't there for the moment. It was only the monster.

The possible destruction of anything in the monster's path was delayed when the screeching of tires echoed through the air. The monster was gone and it was only Amelie. 

The cracking sound that would forever echo through her brain was on repeat. Her feet seemed to move themselves across the pavement as she made her way to the lifeless body in the street.

She grasped the wrist of the boy who was too young to die, the child who simply wanted to go to a party. She began to think that she would much rather deal with her high child getting into a fight than this. Because now her child was gone.

The mother was left by her son, who she had only nine minutes ago.

Amelie didn't feel the earth move, because her own world was being torn apart.

And so her heart broke.