Page 59 of Chasing Sunrise

Chapter Thirteen

After enduring a longFriday at school, Amanda slid into her car and went to put her keys in the ignition. She stopped short and caressed theLake Lifekeychain Kasey had given her. He truly was the sweetest guy.

With a sigh, she started the engine. Fifteen years old now, the Honda had been her mom’s car. It was time for her to buy a new one, except right now her extra money went toward renovating the house. Plus, the car brought up memories of her mom and dad. Of course, she didn’t need the car as a reminder of her parents, she thought of them a lot. Missed them, loved them, remembered the good times, the bad times, the laughter, and the tears.

Her phone chimed.Barry. He must have cell service. She raised her finger to swipe his name. Dread filled her. It was sweet of him to check on her today, but she couldn’t face the sympathy in his voice. Unsure why she was having this reaction, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath in hopes of easing the dread.

Suddenly, the memory of ten years ago played through her mind. Three police officers stood in front of her. One said, “Amanda, your parents were involved in a head-on collision. I am sorry to tell you, neither survived.”

Her entire world crumbled.

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

She’d come to loathe those words. She understood people truly meant them. However, they sounded so deficient, so disconnected. Every time someone said them to her, a grating scraped her brain. How awful to think of the condolences she’d received that way. It showed how overwrought she’d been at the time.

How do you process the instant death of both your parents, especially when the only other family you have is “across the pond,” as her grandparents say?

She’d learned of a survivor from the wreck and gone to the hospital every day to check on the guy. He stayed in a coma for two weeks and came out of it the day she left for college. She never met the man and didn’t want to. What would she say to him?

Those two weeks had been a nightmare. In between her time at the hospital, she sold the furniture in their apartment and planned a funeral service honoring Mom and Dad. The funeral home used money from her dad’s life insurance and helped Amanda file to receive the rest. Her grandparents and a couple of other family members arrived the week of the funeral. A dozen or so people attended the service—family and a few of Mom and Dad’s coworkers.

Their deaths were so unnecessary.

Tightness ached in her chest. She tried techniques she’d learned to make her mind focus on the space in her body. On the space around her. On light illuminating her from the inside.

None of the thoughts held. They flitted in and out.

She swayed back and forth in the seat.

Breathe. Just breathe.

Nothing helped. All she could see was the pity on the officers’ faces. All she could feel was the numbing shock of the news.

A broken cry came from her heart.

If only, if only, if only...

~

Buzz.Kasey’s phone sounded from the roof of the ’65 Chevy pickup. He and his dad had been tinkering with the engine. His dad inherited the truck when his grandfather passed away years ago. It’d been parked behind the garage ever since. At breakfast, he convinced his dad to try to get it running. Kasey thought it’d distract his mind from thoughts of Amanda.

No such luck.

Even so, it was keeping him busy.

Buzz.

He finished tightening the fuel pump and straightened from where he was hunched over the motor to grab his phone. A number he didn’t recognize crawled across the screen. He set the phone back on the roof.

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