KILLER. 🩸

39

Subconsciously I wondered what was up with him, he was acting strange. As soon as I had finished up in the bathroom he grabbed my hand and rushed me downstairs.

"We should go to marina point, hire a yacht and have the chef serve us breakfast in the middle of the Mediterranean, you'll love it out there surrounded by mountains and sea. I know a great chef, I'll make some calls on the way."

"Aries." Lindsay's quiet voice spoke from behind us just as we reached the front door. He froze, took a deep breath and hesitated before turning around to face her.

The smile she usually wore was nowhere to be seen, that bubbly personality burst and empty. It dampened the atmosphere almost instantly.

"Aries, it's Papi."

My stomach rolled around, anxiety beating around my body at the sight of her face. Her eyes were pink and watery, her cheeks stained by fallen tears. I knew something was wrong, something really terrible.

"Is he okay?" I asked, the only one out of the two of us able to form a sentence.

"No." Lindsay answered sadly, shaking her head. "He passed away in the night." She burst into tears.

Aries released my hand and dropped his arm down by his side, closing himself off. I threw my arms around his sister, offering her comfort as she sobbed violently on my shoulder.

Aries was a shell of his former self, just staring into space as if the shock had soaked through his veins and left him completely unresponsive.

After that, the whole day went by in a blur.

There's a lot to be said about death, when it happens naturally it's quiet and sorrow filled but often peaceful.

I was the tea lady, slipping into the role instinctively. I wasn't all that Miguel, I didn't know him long and I didn't know the person he used to be. So, in order for me to feel like I was helping, I made the tea.

Hours ticked by slowly. The day seeming endless. Everyone moved around me like they had their own role to fulfil. Medical people checking and removing his body, the town priest coming to say a prayer, extended family popping in and out of the family home to offer their condolences.

I sat in a chair, listening to the clock while people cried together and shared stories or memories. A lot of them were spoken in Spanish, the people too upset to pull together an English sentence so instead they spoke in a way that came naturally.

But after everyone had left there was just me, Aries, Lindsay and Noona.

Aries hadn't uttered a word since the passing of Miguel, people spoke to him and got no response or perhaps he would respond with a simple nod or shake of the head. He didn't eat. He didn't drink. He barely even existed. Just sat all alone in an armchair staring into space.

"I'm glad he died." Noona surprised us all and we turned to face her with horrified expressions. "Well, I'm not glad he's dead but I'm glad this illness didn't drag out long enough for him to suffer for a terribly long time. He wouldn't have liked that. Miguel still had his good days. He still part-remembered."

"Yesterday was a good day for him." Lindsay joined in, "we spoke for hours about Canoli, the horse and how we needed to paint the stables." She laughed sadly, "we argued because I wanted red and he wanted yellow. I guess I can't argue with him now, the stables will be painted yellow."

Teary laughter filled the room as she sniffled into her tissue.

"We had a nice conversation also." I admitted, looking over at Aries who now had watery eyes like that emotion was breaking through the surface. "He spoke about you and how he was glad you had found someone to make you happy. He said he wasn't worried about you anymore and that he could die at peace."

"Oh Miguel." Noona sighed.

"He always went on about dying. From day one of being diagnosed, he wanted to die." She confessed darkly. "He told me if he ever went on life support to just unplug it and save on the electricity bill." We all started laughing. "I'm serious though, on the days were he knew his own mind he would ask me to slip him extra medication so it would end it all. Obviously I told him that wasn't an option, that I was too pretty to go to jail but truthfully on those lost days, I did think about it. I hated to see him suffer."

"He asked me too Noona." Lindsay held her hand, "many times. He hated being a shell of himself and couldn't bear the thought of getting worse. He felt his brain was rotting away, decaying before it's time and he could feel it. He was ready to leave this earth with the few memories he had left. He asked me to kill him, he didn't care how I did it. He promised to leave a note stating he granted me permission but I just called him stupid and told him that would never work."

They laughed again but this time I didn't. Dread filled my entire body as the unwelcome thought seeped slowly into my mind.

"He's at peace now." Noona concluded.

I looked over Aries again, tears steamed down his face silently, relentlessly, one falling after the other.

He was the last one to see or speak to Miguel. He acted strange all morning like he knew something was up.

What if last night Miguel asked him the same question, would he do it?

Would he really kill the man he considers to be his father?

A man he claims saved him?

His eyes lifted onto mine as if he knew the thoughts running through my mind and in that moment we telepathically communicated something to one another.

He looked absolutely defeated, devastated, crushed, heartbroken and I didn't know what to feel or think.

Slowly and sadly, he nodded his head admitting what I feared to be true. A soft exhale left my lips and I closed my eyes, letting my own warm tears fall.

Aries killed his Papi.