Page 23 of Cedarwood Cabin

Of course. Pop by the bar tonight. I won’t say a thing.

I push the whole Marty situation to the back of my mind. Wanting to make amends with my father, I prepare his favorite meal, sausage and mashed potatoes.

I stand at the kitchen counter, peeling and chopping potatoes with a dishcloth draping over my shoulder.

I look up at the clock and see my father is due home at any moment. I can’t wait to see his face when he sees the effort I’ve put into making dinner.

Suddenly, I hear a knock at the front door and pause. I turn down the heat on the stovetop.

I bet he forgot his keys.

I wipe my hands on the dishcloth and throw it on the counter. I walk towards the door and open it.

Nancy stands there with her back turned. I can tell her shoulders are shaking as they move up and down.

“Nancy, I was going to drop by the bar later…”

My heart drops when she turns around, her eyes red and tears streaming down her face. Two officers walk up the path and stand behind her, their expressions serious.

“Flora. I am so sorry,” she cries out, her voice breaking.

I look past her and at the police officers, feeling confused. I try to make sense of the situation.

A male officer steps forward. “Can we come in, please?” he asks calmly.

Nancy rushes toward me, wrapping her arms around me as the officers follow her in.

“Your father was in an accident, Miss Lockley,” one of the officers says quietly. Nancy pulls away, still crying.

“Ok…what, like he got burnt in a fire?”

“No. He was in a car accident.”

“Well, is he at the hospital?”

Nancy lets out a whimper and sobs. The officer's face drops and I let out a gulp, trying to calm my nerves.

“Miss Lockley, your father passed away at the scene. I’m sorry,” the officer says.

The room spins around me as my heart sinks. I place my hand on the wall, propping myself up. My knees buckle and I drop to the floor. It feels like the whole world is collapsing around me.

No. This can’t be true.

Nancy kneels beside me. She holds me tightly as I scream in her chest. “NO! NO!” I scream, my voice raw and filled with agony.

The officers stand silently, giving me space to process the news. My father's death crashes down on me. Nancy presses me into her chest, her blouse soaking up my tears.

I push away from her and look up at the officers. “What happened? How?” I wail.

“We think he swerved into a tree to avoid hitting an animal.”

The horrific image of my father in the car burns in my mind. “Was his death quick?” I ask. I cling to hope that he didn't suffer.

Nancy grabs me and pulls me in tight as she sobs. “DID HE FEEL PAIN?” I scream out.

“We…we can’t say for certain,” the officer stutters as he looks down at me with pity.

I grab onto Nancy as I shake, tears bursting out of my eyes and mixing with hers. The room falls to complete silence. My stomach somersaults and I gag. The need to throw up hits me like a tidal wave as the realization sets in.

---