I looked up from the empty casket and turned to see a strangled face rush towards me. I gulped and rubbed my hands together.
"What are you doing here, Noah? What happened?" my mother yelled. I could see that she was on the verge of losing it. I stared to hyperventilate because my mother was always calm and collected. She was sure of herself, and even when Ava died, she knew what to do. This side of her was completely new, and it scared me. It was all too much. I was scared and definitely sort of crazy in my own outcast way.
My mother started running towards me faster with her hands outstretched. I was engulfed and felt a different, strange feeling I hadn't felt in a while: love. I was so pulled out of reality that I didn't realize how comforting a normal feeling could be. She pulled away and stared in my eyes. She then looked at the open, empty casket and then at the hole.
"Ava?" she whimpered. "Where is Ava?" I supported her as she leaned a little towards the hole. I didn't trust her balance at all. "Ava . . ." she questioned in a strangled voice.
"I don't know." I finally managed to gasp out as she turned to stare at me. I shivered and replied "I really don't know . . ."
"What? What happened? Where is she? Ava? My baby girl . . . what . . . how?" She blurted out and at that moment, I could really see her wrinkles.
"Calm down." I said and tried to make my voice sound reassuring. I guess I failed since she started to cry into my chest. I being way taller than her, awkwardly let her. I felt like the universe was crumbling and everything else was too. A few minutes later, I pulled away and asked timidly, "Mom?"
"Yes?" she wiped her eyes and faced me.
"I'm sorry. I . . . I haven't been too involved and I know how hard . . . you know, being . . . I'm sorry." I gulped.
She smiled slightly and sighed, "Don't worry. I haven't been around with Ava no longer . . . but that'll change. But now, we have to find out what happened."
___________________________________________________________________________________________
I stretched slightly and jumped out of bed. It was Saturday morning and with
I brushed my teeth, climbed down the stairs, grabbed an apple and headed toward the public bus. The day seemed dull and boring with the snow barely sparkling under the hidden sun and some of it even being caked with mud. I reached the enclosed space we call the bus station and was happy about the fact that I was shielded from the howling wind. The bus arrived just 5 minutes after I arrived and a woman and I boarded it.
I was planning to pay Ava's funeral home a little visit. The night after we found out about Ava's absence, I stayed up and thought of a plan. Hoping to find some answers, I sat down on the blue seat and smiled at the girl in front of me. Politely she smiled back and I couldn't help notice she looked familiar.
I leaned in toward her and said "Hi. You look quite familiar."
She glanced at me and replied, "Funny, so do you." I looked at her more closely until I realized she was one of the workers at the funeral home. At Ava's funeral, she was the one who helped us make all the arrangements.
"Do you work at Crossroad's Funeral home?" I asked and then turned red because she shook her head no. I, being the idiot I am, kept on talking, "But when my sister died, you helped us."
Recognition flashed in her eyes as she nodded and said, "Oh yes, I was helping my uncle. He works there. I am truly sorry for your loss."
"That's okay," I started and stretched out my hand towards her, "I'm Noah."
She took it and smiled slightly. "I'm Riley."
"Oh yeah, Riley . . . so if you don't mind me asking, where are you headed? It's Saturday, a girl like you doesn't wake up at 7:00 to catch a bus." I questioned while I glanced out the frost covered window, making sure I didn't miss my stop.
"Crossroad's funeral home," she replied "to bring some paperwork to Uncle Martin. The printer doesn't work and it is crucial." Then added, "Too bad they don't tell me what is so crucial about it . . ." Riley shrugged and I finally took notice of a hand bag in her lap. I shivered as I realized it was the same one Ava once had. Everything reminded me of Ava.
I sighed and said, "Me too. What a weird coincidence."
"Why?" she asked. I gazed in my lap feeling a strange feeling as she regarded me.
"Well, it's a long story. I guess I'm trying to find out some stuff." I shrugged. She nodded once and sighed. Taking out a muffin, she asked whether or not I would like some. I replied, "Sure." The rest of the ride was filled with awkward silence except for the average gas the guy next to me would pass. But that only made things more awkward.
