The Red Flag

Part LXXIII - "Regina"

My Aunt sat at the kitchen table with her hands cupped around a coffee mug. What was she still doing up?

The closer I got, the more I was able to make out her features. For once she wore her hair down as opposed to pinning it back like she usually kept it. She wore a dark colored robe that loosely hung open, revealing the worn out t-shirt. The design may have faded, but I was still able to make out the words "Cap May" on the front. I hadn't seen that shirt since she vacationed with my family all those summers ago.

I hesitated to ask, "Regina are you okay?"

She kept her eyes locked on the table, unable to look up. I moved closer towards the table. Due to the dim light of the candle I was able to see the redness around her eyes.

"I miss them too, you know." Her voice cracked. "Your mother. I miss her."

I always seem to forget how close Regina was with my mother. Best friends that had grown up living down the block from each other. Both her and my mother shared the same interest in music, clothing, and even taste in guys .They were practically inseparable from what I've remembered.

Both her and my mother used to do everything together. Shopping, holiday planning, and even taking small weekend trips down the shore. The two were practically inseparable. A best friend like that only comes once in a lifetime, as I was always told. It made me think of Aralyn and I.

It pained me to see her like this. I couldn't believe how ignorant I had been this whole time since the crash. Of course I knew I wasn't the only one who lost people I loved. But it never did occur to me how difficult it must have been for them to cope with the loss. Hell, if anyone knew how I remotely felt half the time it was Regina. Granted I may have lost my family, she had also ended up losing a best friend.

My mouth opened but there were no words that came out at first. Amongst all of the hellish events that followed the death of my family, my Aunt had experienced most of them with me.

I silently took a seat at the table across from her. My hand reached out to rest upon her own.

"Me too," I commented with a broken smile. "I miss them too."

Regina returned my gaze. A new set of tears fell from her eyes.

"What was the funeral like?" I asked without thought.

Her eyes widened, as a deep expression of shock washed over her face. I think both of us were equally surprised that I would ever ask such a question.

"At the time, they wouldn't release me from the hospital. They kept the blinds drawn, I didn't even know if the sun was out or if it was raining."

Oh, but I remembered the continuous doses of morphine they pumped my body with. I knew the colors of the bed curtains, and ugly pale yellow; and, the nail curling pattern on the sheets and pillows, small pink daisies.

I often wondered what type of flowers were picked for the service. Carnations? Roses, maybe? Never lilies. My mother, absolutely, was appalled by the smell of them. She had said they always reminded her of Steven's funeral home.

How many people showed up? It was hard to imagine it turning out to be a small funeral service with only family and close friends. Both Ian and Veronica had enough friends and acquaintances from college to fill up an entire parlor, there was little doubt in my mind the funeral wasn't crowded.

Nevertheless, it was painful to think about these things. But not knowing them at all hurts all the same.

Regina looked at me with soft eyes. "It was one of the warmest days of the year." She gently squeezed my hand. "Your Aunt Rosa and I took care of every possible detail from flowers to family photos. . ."

An hour passed. Regina and I had spoken about the funeral in great detail. Asking her questions became easier the more she went on. Apparently it was one of the warmest days of the year. Everyone had anticipated it to downpour in the middle of the service at the cemetery. A good number of us were still in shock that not many had anything to say. But there was still one matter that weighed on my mind.

"All that time I was in the hospital, why did no one come see me?"

I watched her divert her eyes away from mine. Like she was hiding something from me.

"The doctors kept telling us that you were in no state to see anyone," she said. Why was there an underlying feeling of doubt settling in the pit of my stomach? Surely, I was coherent enough to see at least one person during that time.

I wanted to push the subject, but I had a feeling that I wasn't going to receive any further information from her. Regina shifted in her seat as if someone had just lit a flame underneath it. She fumbled with her hands until she dropped them to her lap where I could no longer see them. My eyes narrowed at her sudden actions with suspicion. What was she hiding?

Did she, perhaps, come to visit me one day while I was stuck in the hospital? If she had then that would explain why I don't remember it. However, it also meant that I wasn't myself at the time either. Oh shit, Mia.

I swiftly got up from the chair, brushing off any misgivings I started planting in my head.

"I should head upstairs. Dr. Broderick is expecting me to be early tomorrow," I explained.

Regina nodded. She gave me a faint resemblance of a smile, before I turned back towards the stairs. Without another thought, I grabbed my bag and headed straight for my room.

My stomach did multiple backflips the second I felt the door click close behind me. I felt my nerves on edge. I placed my bag on the edge of the bed and kicked my shoes off. I caught a glimpse of the mirror on the side of the room I had previously covered with a blanket.