Daddy
Arriving home after a long day at the water hole, Rose dropped her bike in the front yard, burst through the front door, and headed straight to the kitchen. So thirsty her tongue felt like sand paper, she rummaged around in the fridge until she found some lemonade and poured herself a tall glass.
Hearing a knock at the front door, Rose quickly gulped down half her drink, cringing from a brain freeze, and then rushed to see who was there. To her surprise, there were two police officers standing there. A man and a woman. Her heart skipped a beat, and then picked back up at a faster pace.
“Hi there ... is your mother home?” asked the man awkwardly, looking around, but not meeting Rose's eye.
A little unnerved, Rose eyed the officers for a moment. She wondered what they wanted, and figured there was only one way to find out.
“Let me check,” she finally answered.
Leaving the door open, to avoid shutting it in the officers' faces, she went to the stairs, and yelled, “MOM!” at the top of her lungs.
Coming down the stairs, Rose's mom seemed irritated.
“Rose, how many times have I told you not to scream for me like that? If you want me, come and find me!” she scolded.
“Sorry, this looks important,” Rose said, raising her eyebrows and shrugging in apology. Then she tipped her head to the door where the police officers were still waiting.
“Oh, hello,” said Rose's mom, clearly surprised. “Can I help you?”
She blocked the doorway defensively, her body tense.
“Yes,” answered the woman, taking charge. “Are you Melinda Wilson?”
“Yes I am. Is everything okay?”
“Ma'am, would it be okay if we come in?” the woman asked.
“Oh,” she glanced briefly at Rose, worry making the little wrinkles by her eyes stand out. “Yes, I'm sorry! How rude of me ... ” her voice trailed off for a moment, and she smoothed her dark hair, obviously forcing a smile. “Please, come in and have a seat.”
Rose stayed right at her mom's side, knowing if her mom came to her senses enough she'd be sent to her room, but she didn't want to miss this. It was obviously big news.
As they entered the formal living room, the officers sat stiffly in the two armchairs, leaving the couch for Rose and her mom. Rose looped her arm through her mom's, and the two of them focused expectantly on the officers.
The room was silent, even the air was heavy with anticipation of the news they were about to deliver.
The man cleared his throat and said, “Mrs. Wilson, I'm sorry to have to tell you this. Your husband, Thomas Wilson, was found dead today at the Riverside Park.”
Rose felt like she had been punched in the gut. She couldn't breathe. This couldn't be right. They had made a mistake!
Her mom's arm tightened around her own until it hurt. She took a deep breath. Then another. Her face was pale, her brows furrowed.
“Are you sure it was my husband you found?” she asked in a weak voice.
“Yes,” said the woman softly, looking Rose's mom right in the eyes. “I'm sorry, Mrs. Wilson, but we're sure. He had his wallet with him, and his driver's license showed this as his address.” She glanced away, then back to them. “We're sorry for your loss.”
“How did this happen?” Rose's mom managed to ask breathlessly.
“We aren't sure,” said the man. “They're going to have to do an autopsy. They should be able to give you an idea of what happened tomorrow or the next day. We'd like you to come down as soon as possible to identify his remains.”
Rose thought she would throw up when she heard the word remains. She began to tremble uncontrollably and tried to pull away from her mom, but her mom held her arm tighter, and patted Rose's hand.
“Of course,” her mom agreed. “But how did they find him? Obviously something happened. Why can’t you tell us how it happened?”
“Ma'am, he was found lying on the grass at the park. There was no signs of trauma, or any wounds of any kind.”
Rose couldn't stay quiet or still anymore. She jumped up from the couch, and started pacing.
“My dad is healthy!” she said, accusingly, pointing a finger at the officers. “He runs five miles a day, every day but Sunday. He eats so healthy, and he takes good care of himself. There's no way he just laid down on the grass at the park to die!”
She let out a little sob, and sat back down, clinging to her mom desperately.
By now, her mom was crying too, but still trying to comfort Rose, stroking her hair over and over. Rose sobbed into her shoulder, feeling like she had fallen into the deepest pit of despair, yet strangely, somehow still disconnected from the whole scene. It just didn't seem real. There was no way this was real. As the man fidgeted in his chair, the woman stood, came over to Rose and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“It can be hard to understand when something like this happens, especially if it was unexpected. Feeling angry or upset is okay. I promise you, our coroner is the best. He'll find out what happened to your father.”
“Thank you,” Rose's mom said, swiping roughly at her tears with the back of her free hand, the other still clinging tightly to her daughter.
Rose fought to keep her mouth shut. Thank you? she thought bitterly to herself. For what?
“If there is anything you need, Mrs. Wilson, please call me,” said the lady officer, as she pulled out her wallet. “Here's my card.”
Rose's mom nodded, unable to speak.
“We'll see ourselves to the door,” said the man gently.
As the officers left, Rose felt the entire world come crashing down around her. How could this have happened? She sobbed into her mom's shoulder even harder. Her mom continued holding her tight, trembling as she sniffed back her own tears. Desperately, Rose wished she could go back a day and do things better.
She was never going to see her dad again.