We finished unloading the last few bags from the car and carry them into the church, today is the donation day for the local church sale and I had been carrying my mother's belongings around in my car almost two weeks. Lily had finally grown tired of having to hold her backpack in her lap when I picked her up from school and demanded that we go and drop it off today so she would not have do continue doing so for another week.
We drove to Abby's where we had we had dinner every Wednesday. It was something Lily and I did every Wednesday with my mother until she passed away, though then we never really got to have dinner with Abby. While mom was alive Abby was unable to work day shifts because mom liked having her daughter help her ready herself for the day. She always said "When I can't wipe my ass, that woman can see me with no clothes on". So Abby would stay home in the morning and early afternoons and work the nights, even some over nights, and the hired nurse would come and be there when my sister could not.
We pulled up to the front of the house and parked. I could hear a Bowie album playing in the house when I got out of the car, 'Heroes'. I grabbed Lily's hand and we danced up the pavement together, singing along.
"I, I wish I could swim.
Like the dolphins, like the dolphins can swim." I twirled her around.
"Though nothing, nothing can keep us together." I clapped my hands a few times and Lily rocked her head in unison with the imaginary drum she was playing.
"We can beat them,
Forever and ever.
Oh we can be heroes, just for one day."
We entered the house, but the living room was empty and the lights elsewhere on the ground floor were off. Lily stopped and made a face caked with mixed emotion; disgust, definitely among the top of those emotions. As she grabbed her nose and covered her scrunched face, I let out a laugh.
"What's that smell mama?"
"I guess Aunt Abby made friends with a skunk. And I'm guessing she let him come over for a bite." I laughed and ushered her further into the house, I walked over to the record player and removed the needle. The music stopped.
The house was silent.
"Abby?" I hollered walking into the kitchen.
Nothing.
Probably passed out upstairs.
I unload the groceries and get Lily started on her homework, watching her over my shoulder the whole time. The cat, Mo, a stray that my sister took in after he hung out on the stoop for two weeks strolled into the kitchen full of conversation. He walked around me underfoot, bickered when I stepped on him, and checked out the menu up close and personal as I got pans out of bottom cupboards. After a handful of a water was flicked in his direction he took off into the other room in a mad dash.
Following the cat with my gaze, I saw Lily slipping a piece of candy into her mouth. She looked at me wide eyed as we made eye contact. Holding the candy with her front teeth, she smiled a goofy smile at me. I shook my head and laughed.
"No more, okay?"
"Ugh." She slumped back in her and dropped her arms. "Fine."
I got the food started and I leave the kitchen to look for Abby, she still had not come into the kitchen or even hollered down since we got here some thirty minutes ago. She was a light sleeper, so sounds of any sort normally woke her. We usually did not make it passed the stairs, a measly four feet from the front door before she had her hellos said.
I walked out of the kitchen and around the banister, straight up the stairs to the door and knocked. No answer. I knocked one more time and entered the room. The lights were off and no one was there. I walked down the hall to find the bathroom and spare room empty also.
I went back downstairs andoutside. The air and cooled considerablyin such a short time, I shivered as the chills coursed up my spine. I stopped a few feet from the cellar doorwhen I saw light escaping from the cracks. I leaned in closer and I could hear humming. Standing still, I listened to her hum and Iclosed my eyes and breathed in the cool air. Exhaling, I quietly hummed along. 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow,' our mother's favorite. I walked back inside to cook dinner.
