7
The day my body was sent to the funeral home, the finals began. Across the street, countless eager seniors, under the watchful eyes of their parents, stepped onto the battleground of their lives. And on this side of the street, my corpse was
covered in lividity, rotting and smelling beneath the white sheet.
The crematorium staff struggled hard to pull Mom’s tightly clasped hands away from me. Someone nearby complained, “It’s been so long since she died before cremation, the body’s already stinking!”
My soul floated above, silently watching all of it, a wave of sorrow washing over me. If I hadn’t jumped that day, would I now be like those students stepping into the exam hall, embracing a bright future? Unfortunately, there are no ‘ifs! From the moment I became Mom and Dad’s child, everything was already predetermined. My struggles, unheeded by anyone.
Eighty pounds of body burned down to two pounds of ash. Mom held my urn, a photo of me, cropped from my middle school graduation picture, pasted on it. In the photo, my eyes were vacant, silently watching Mom.
Mom, clutching my urn, her expression numb, drove home. Mom entered the house, and Dad was watching TV in the living room. Seeing Mom return, Dad hastily turned off the TV, saying in a placating tone, “Eleanor, don’t be angry with me. The other day, I just got emotional and spoke without thinking. A harmonious family leads to prosperity, and we still have our lives to live.” Afraid he couldn’t convince Mom, Dad added, “Getting divorced at our age, how embarrassing would that
be if our relatives and friends found out?”
Mom suddenly laughed.
“Embarrassing? My daughter is dead. Am I still afraid of being embarrassed?”
Dad grew anxious. “Keep your voice down. Family secrets should be kept in the family. It wouldn’t be good if the neighbors heard.”
Mom looked at Dad with icy eyes.
“I’m asking you, Lily called you for help, why didn’t you tell me?”
Dad froze. “You… how did you know?”
Mom pulled out the diary from her bag and threw it at Dad’s face.
“Lily wrote it all in her diary! Her heart wasn’t well, and she mustered up so much courage just to call you! How could you be so heartless, telling her to just tough it out?!”
Dad picked up the diary from the floor, his hands trembling as he flipped through it. When he reached a certain page, Dad pointed at the content and shouted, “You can’t blame me! Lily just kept putting it off and didn’t want to talk about it!”
“Besides, it’s over now. What’s the point of assigning blame? We’re not even fifty yet; let’s just have another child and raise them anew. Let’s live our lives well.”
Mom had never imagined that the man she had shared a bed with for over twenty years was truly this selfish and
heartless.
“Robert, you’re disgusting!”
Mom snatched the diary back and turned to leave.
<
“Stop! Where do you think you’re going?” Dad panicked.
Mom scoffed. “I’m going to tell your company everything you’ve done!”
Dad, who cared deeply about his image, immediately rushed forward and blocked the door. “Eleanor, what are you doing? Why are you trying to stir up trouble when we could be living a perfectly good life?”
“Our daughter is dead. Are you going to hurt the person who loves you most in this world, all for a dead person?”
Mom sounded like she’d heard the funniest joke. “You only love yourself!”
Seeing that Mom’s mind was made up, Dad revealed his true colors.
“Eleanor, do you think you’re such a good person yourself? Since Lily was little, honestly, did you ever treat her well?”
Mom was somewhat angry. “I gave her life, provided her with food and clothes. How was that not good?”
“Then why didn’t Lily dare to call you to tell you about her illness?”
The words dropped, and Mom paused slightly. Yes, Lily preferred to call the cold and selfish Robert rather than her. The rift between mother and daughter ran so deep.
Dad continued, “We’re in this together, so let’s stop pointing fingers. Let’s just forget this ever happened and focus on living our lives.”
Mom shook Dad’s hand off, enunciating each word. “No way.”
Dad’s eyes instantly turned red. The ‘honest man‘ facade crumbled, revealing his true colors. “Then you’re not leaving this house.”
I watched Dad lock the door and pull out a knife from behind him. My soul anxiously floated up and down, wanting to stop all this. But I was just a wisp of a soul; my hands passed through Mom’s body like transparent mist.
As Dad plunged the blade into Mom’s abdomen, Mom actually revealed a look of relief. “I’m going to the other world to find Lily.”
“Robert, you’ll get your comeuppance eventually.”
Dad twisted the knife handle. I saw blood gush from Mom’s mouth, and she collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
