Page 27 of All for her Forgiveness

"Feel free," I say, eager to hang up. Pam can call me whatever she wants because the chance of us talking again is zero, since I intend to completely distance myself from this family.

"Grandma said you work at a casino."

"Yes." I don't elaborate that it's as a cleaner. She must know.

"It sounds glamorous."

"It pays well," I say evasively.

"And do you wear sexy clothes, like in the movies?"

"No. I'm not a dancer or a dealer. I'm—” Before I can finish, I hear the sound of an ambulance entering my street.

"What was that?"

"Pam, we'll talk later. I really have to go."

Kennedy

CHAPTER TWELVE

Past

I don't needMr. Ernest to tell me anything to be sure that something serious has happened.

From afar, I see him with the paramedics, gesturing at the door of my house, and shortly after, the men enter.

"What happened?" I ask, already moving to follow them.

"Don't go in there," he says, holding my arm.

"Why were these men called?"

"Your aunt. It seems she had an overdose."

"What? How do you know that?"

"I heard you arguing earlier, and again when you left the house about an hour ago," he says, not surprising me. The houses share a wall, and it’s thin. I know that every shout from my aunt is heard by Mr. Ernest. It's no wonder he doesn't like her. In fact, I could almost swear he hates her.

"And what else?"

"About twenty minutes ago, there was a noise. It sounded like someone falling."

"God! I need to go in!"

"No, you don't," he says, not letting go of me. "Kennedy, I don't think there's anything else to be done."

"What do you mean?"

"I've seen dead people before," he says, without explaining the context.

I don't know much about Mr. Ernest's life. Despite him asking me many questions, he hardly ever talks about himself.

"Are you saying . . .?” I don't have the courage to complete the sentence. Despite not having affection for her, I didn't want her dead.

"Yes, I'm saying that this time your aunt won't be able to recover."

About two weeks ago, she almost died from an overdose, and the police even came to our house because in the hospital, to save her own skin, she had the nerve to tell the detectives that the pain medications belonged to me.

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