The Mistake

In my head Vikky is still here. She's swinging on the tire swing that my father made us before she died. She's giggling as I push her forward, knowing that she'll just come back. But, Vikky's in a box. She's not coming back. I wave goodbye to the hearse in front and turn on my left blinker. They said the Vikky killed herself and I hated every thought of that. My mom and stepfather believed it.. I thought they knew her. I knew her and she was the brightest, cheerful teenage girl in the world. Everybody could be around her so bottled up in hatred to the point that they're screaming at each other. And she'll just sit there turning your world with her eyes so that you can feel what she'll feeling, inner freedom. I can't feel it anymore and the more I go on without it, the more I feel locked up on the inside.1

"Bacardi on rocks, Fred"2

"You got it, Tim." He said as he fills up the drink.3

"Do you always know what I'll say?"4

"Well, If it has some kind of liquor involved." He smiled. That was the first smiled that I've seen all week. "Did you just come back from the funeral? I was going to come, but work, you know."5

"Shot. Shot." I whispered gazing into the empty glass in my hand.6

"Tim, are you okay?"7

"Fred, they said that she shot herself. Last summer, I wanted her to go hunting for buck with me. Vikky said no because she didn't want to hurt an animal. But, I could tell that wasn't it. Vikky was scared of guns."8

"Shit." Fred said. "I knew that there was something fishy about it. Vik just didn't seem like the person that would-" He fell silent.9

"I miss her Fred. I miss her so much and I want her back."10

"I know you think this isn't something you want to hear. But nothing in this world, not me or you can bring her back to us."11

"I'm going to solve this."12

"Tim, don't be a fool."13

"I'm going to find out who killed my sister." With those last words, I put cash down and left.14

"Mom? Dan? Are you here?" I was going over some reasons why they would leave their daughters funeral early. Maybe mom was sick. The excuse better be good.. and it was. Another death in the family. My mother's death to be exact. She hung over the side of the bathtub in her red evening robe with a note resting on the toilet. This seems like one of those moments when you never put your eyes back on your love one's body, but I couldn't take my eyes off of my mom as I walked up to grab the note.15

'Tim, I know this isn't going to make your life brighter and it might seem more dim for a while. But, I wanted to be happy again. I don't approve with what I'm doing, but I want to see my baby girl's face and to tell her I'm sorry. I found out that your step father raped her. Though before I didn't know it was rape at the time. Tim, I shot Vikky. I'm so sorry. I don't expect you to forgive me. But, I expect you to live. Really live. Dan's gone off and moved on. So, I want you to do that same. I love you.'16

I would tell you the ending to this story. But, I don't know it. At least not yet. Because, aren't all endings a better beginning?