I nodded as an answer.
“How did that happen?”
“Andrea was walking in the middle of the road. She was intoxicated, and from what I understand someone hit her. They say she refused help, and she went home. That’s where she died.”
I wasn’t ready to reveal that my ex-boyfriend’s brother killed Andrea. Perhaps when I get to know Poppy better I’d be more willing to give further details.
“Where were you when this happened?”
“I was with my friend. I came home afterwards, and Andrea was already gone. Her boyfriend told me the bad news.”
“The last time I saw Andrea was when she was a baby. She was two years old, and she was the smartest kid I’ve ever met. I told Carina that child has been in the world before. She knew things she wasn’t supposed to know. How long ago was that? It had to be over twenty years.” Poppy gazed ahead. The memories must have flooded her mind. She patted my hand and continued, “I’m sorry about your sister, Angela. I know it’s a tremendous loss.”
“Thank you, Poppy.” She made my heart swell, but now I was curious as to what she might say if I told her that Andrea was a drug addict and an alcoholic. I really didn’t want anyone judging Andrea. She had a tough life, and she was judged the whole time by people in our old neighborhood. There was no need to bring up old sores now. I let it go.
“Didn’t you have another sister? What was her name?”
“Olivia,” I answered. I wanted to talk to her at that moment. I really missed her.
“Where is she? You left her down in Colum by herself?”
“She’s somewhere in Virginia with her dad. She left Alabama before I did.”
“How did you and your sisters do after your mother died?”
I shook my head trying to tame my hurt, trying to stay the tears. I said, “We suffered.”
Poppy squeezed my hand and asked, “Why didn’t you call me, Angela? You and your sisters didn’t have to suffer. I was here.”
“Honestly, I didn’t know I could call, and I didn’t have any way of contacting you. My dad wasn’t in touch, and my mom rarely spoke of you, if at all. Actually, I came here looking for my dad. I wasn’t expecting to find you.”
“Well, my brother wouldn’t have been able to help you anyway.” Poppy admitted with raised eyebrows. “He has serious problems, Angela, and you don’t want to see him. Take my word for it.”
“Does my dad ever talk about me?”
She exhaled and considered whether to give me an answer.
“I want to know the truth, Poppy.”
“No, he doesn’t. He doesn’t speak about any of his children. Did you know he has another daughter and two other sons?”
This was news to me. I answered, “No, I didn’t.”
“Your sister’s name is Kenia Candron. She’s just a couple of years older than you, and she lives in Philadelphia. Your brothers’ names are Sullivan Shepherd and Garrick Shepherd. They’re older than you, as well. Sullivan and Garrick are in the military. Sullivan has pretty much disowned this side of the family, and Garrick still reaches out to me sometimes.”
“Are they older than Andrea?”
“No, she is the first born.”
“My mom never told me about them.” I wasn’t really happy about this news. That’s all that meant was my dad was with other women while with my mom.
“I’m not surprised. His children’s mothers never got along.”
“I guess I’ll be seeing Kenia.”
“Yes, you will. She can be pistol sometimes.” Poppy smiled and continued, “Anyway, getting back to your dad, the one thing you need to know is that he isn’t well.”
“What’s wrong with him?”
“He’s mentally ill, crazy in a sense.” Poppy spoke in a matter of fact tone.
“Where is he?”
“He’s in a mental hospital. Angela, he killed three of his friends. They came over to his house to play cards, and he thought they came over to rob him. He was very paranoid and on drugs, which only made him worse. He shot them when they were sitting at the card table. He piled the bodies in the backyard, and watched television until the police came, which was later on the next day.” Poppy shook her head. “I always said he needed medication. I told my mother when we were kids that he was going to hurt somebody, and he wasn’t going to care one way or another.”
Oh my God, this was shocking. Was I like my father? Was I crazy, too? I killed more people than he has, and I didn’t care, either. I only regretted it because of the circumstance I landed in.
Poppy added, “He’s where he needs to be, and I hope they never let him out.”
“I was mad at him because he didn’t come to see us when our mom died. Now, I know why.”
“He would have made a mess of the whole funeral, Angela.” Poppy nodded to affirm what she said.
“Why did he snap all of a sudden? There had to be something else those guys did to make him do that?”
“He told the police they came to rob him.”
“It sounds like he was protecting himself, Poppy.”
“No, he lost his damn mind. There’s more that he did, but I’m not willing to repeat it to you. He knew those guys for years, Angela. He knew their families. He needed help a long time ago.”
Like father, like daughter. I guess I was well on the way to the mental hospital myself if I kept on killing people.
Poppy was eager to change the subject and said, “So, you left Alabama about a month ago. Where have you been all this time?”
I guardedly answered, “I went to North Carolina, and I lived there for a little while.”
“Who do you know in North Carolina?”
I wasn’t ready for that question, and I bit my lip trying to think of a lie. She waited patiently for answer, and I finally said, “Nobody. I just ended up there, trying to start over.”
“And what happened that you ended up leaving? Is that where you were raped?”
“I wasn’t raped there-”
Before I could finish my sentence, the guy that came into the office earlier entered the patio. I was so glad. That meant that leg of the conversation was over before it started.
“Poppy, there’s a phone call from Billy.” He said with a serious tone of voice. “He has been trying to contact you.”
“Excuse me, Angela.” Poppy stood and went back into her office.
After a long few minutes, she returned to the table and sat down again. She didn’t seem so cheerful. I wanted to ask if everything was okay, but it wouldn’t do any good. I had no means or mind to help her anyway.
“Angela, I have to leave for a while, but I wanted to ask you about your plans before I go?”
“Where are you going?” I didn’t want her to leave. My heart was racing.
“I’ll be back today. I won’t be very far. I just need to know if you plan on staying with me for good.”
My words stumbled in my mouth. I was afraid to ask, but I had no place to go. This was the end of the road for me. I picked at my plate trying to speak my request.
“Angela, I don’t mind if you want to stay.”
“Really,” I said in relief.
“Honey, I know you don’t have much of anything. You were standing at that payphone with everything you own on your back. I’ve been there before, and I know what it feels like to have absolutely nothing. You’re my niece, and family takes care of family. You can stay here as long as you want.”
“I won’t get in the way. I’ll get a job. I’ll help.”
“Does it look like I need help?” Poppy said with a confident smirk. “While I’m away, Terrell will take you out. So, you can pick out more clothes for yourself.”
“Who is Terrell?”
Poppy wiped her mouth and stood. The guy who told Poppy about the phone call came back into the room. He was Terrell, and he was a fine, good looking brother. He had a clean haircut, waves, and it shined. His skin tone was a smooth shade of coffee with just a touch of cream. He wo
re a diamond earring in his right ear. He was very sharp looking in his casual outfit, and he smelled good, too.
“This is Terrell.” She turned to him and said, “Take good care of her.” With those last words, she strolled out of the patio.
I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. He was so hot, and he looked like he had a firm build. His eyes spoke volumes. They revealed he was smart, confident, and serious. Unfortunately, he didn’t smile at me. Actually, he appeared to be perturbed.
That attitude hung heavy between us, and just as quickly as I was enamored with him, I became irritated. He was the finest brother I’ve ever met, finer looking than Jimmy, Tanie’s fling, and he acted like I was a pain in the ass. And I hadn’t spoken one word to him to indicate otherwise.
Terrell shook his head and sat down across the table from me. He asked, “Angela, right?”
He knew the answer. There was no need for me to reply.
“Any place you want me to take you?” He asked.
“No,” I answered quickly.
“Who tore you up?”
I touched my face feeling embarrassed and turned away. I answered, “Don’t worry about it.”
He said. “Look, I don’t have a lot of time to waste.”
“I’m not going.”
“Why not,” he impatiently asked.
“Because it looks like a freight train ran over my face, and it’s obvious, you don’t like me.” I said. I wiped my hands, threw the napkin on the table, and walked out. I wasn’t about to remain in the same room with him, not with the way he made me feel.
What a damn shame, for real. That man was so damn fine, but he didn’t like me. I found my way back to the seclusion of my bedroom.
At this point in my life, I could care less about trying to make a man like me. I’ve fallen in love and been pissed on for it too many times. I had a bad way of reacting to rejection, and this time, seriously, I wasn’t about to let any man treat me like crap or give him an opportunity to put me down.
I took more pain relievers hoping the meds would put me to sleep. I wanted to escape the real world for a little while. I didn’t feel anything when I slept, and that was the goal for the moment.
CHAPTER NINE
I didn’t sleep very long. The clock showed only two hours had passed. Since I wasn’t going back to sleep so easily, I decided to check out the rest of the house. Poppy had rooms on the second floor that was shut off. I didn’t even try to open them. I was afraid that she might get mad at me for snooping. So, I went downstairs.
The first floor had at least six rooms, not counting the kitchen. Each room was decorated like a perfect picture in a magazine, and there were plenty of expensive items around the house. Poppy had really good taste, and I tried not to touch anything.
Most of the rooms weren’t made for living in, but I did find the entertainment room, and it had a huge flat screen television hanging on the wall and an L shaped yellow sofa. There were windows the height of the wall and were on one side facing the back yard. There was a low table in front of the yellow sofa with several remotes. I sat down and discovered it was the most comfortable piece of furniture. It was soft and warm. That thing was more comfortable than my bed. I wanted to watch television since I was cozy, but I had to find the right remote. I looked at the brand of the television, and I looked for the matching remote. The center one matched and I pressed the on button. A golfer was in the middle of his swing, and that tiny little white ball disappeared in the distant field. I stood there looking at the brilliant, lifelike colors. That was the clearest television I’ve ever seen. I began flipping through the channels to see what else I could find.
I must have gone through the channels for ten minutes before one amazing image caught my attention. I wasn’t expecting to see my sister’s picture in a framed white border on the left hand side of the screen. A woman was sitting at a desk, and she had a serious, sad look on her face.
The woman was saying, “Dr. Tony Turrino, a prominent doctor in Fredericksburg Virginia, reported on June 12th that his 18 years old daughter, Olivia Gray, never came home. Her car was soon spotted at a local mall. Olivia’s unrecognizable body was found over seven hundred miles away from her father’s home at the banks of the Alabama River near the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge just outside of Selma, Alabama several days later. Her body could only be identified by her dental records. Preliminary reports from the coroner’s office disclosed that Olivia was shot in the head, and the police are waiting on more results from the autopsy. Her body is back in Fredericksburg, and she’s scheduled to be buried on Wednesday, July 3rd.”
Oh my God! Not Olivia! The world collapsed around me.
CHAPTER TEN
The world was a cruel place. I hated breathing. The last thing Olivia and I shared was an argument, and I was so damn worried about her sleeping with that jackass Jason Stone. I didn’t even truly consider her feelings when it came to our sister, Andrea. I was stupid, ignorant back then! I just lost everyone that mattered to me. Everyone that was truly familiar, and there was no getting them back.
None of it made sense. Why was she found by the Alabama River? I didn’t understand. Who would hurt my sister? She was harmless. She didn’t have a mean bone in her body, and she was a caring person. Perhaps Roscoe Madison found her and brought her back to Alabama. But then again, he wouldn’t know where Olivia was. Tanie didn’t know either, and if she did, she wouldn’t tell him.
“Angela,” Poppy said as she stood behind me. “I’m sorry about Olivia.”
I was standing at the window, still in the entertainment room. My face was wet from crying so much, and the tears never stopped coming.
“Did they say who took her?” Poppy asked.
“No,” I answered. I turned and went to sit down on the sofa. Terrell was standing in front of the television with his arms crossed. He was the one who found me slumped over on the floor and crying just a few minutes ago. I said, “I need to go to Virginia. The funeral is in a couple of days, and I want to be there.”
Poppy looked over at Terrell, and he gave her a glance I didn’t quite understand. There was something else going on, and I wasn’t privy to it. It didn’t matter. My sister is what mattered. I let it go. I wasn’t about to ask. My problems were much bigger, and I wanted to go see my sister.
Poppy joined me on the sofa and said, “Terrell will drive you to Virginia.”
I didn’t want him to take me anywhere, and I shook my head.
Before I could object to her suggestion, she added, “Angela, he has to go to Virginia anyway. I would take you, but there is a problem I have to settle here.”
“I have money. I can go by myself.”
“You don’t have to go by yourself, and there is no need for you to spend the little bit of money you have. You just lost your sister, and this is no time to be travelling alone. Terrell will take you to Virginia.”
I really didn’t want to spend a single minute with him, but Poppy made a good point.
“I need to call Olivia’s father.” I said trying to think of a way to get his phone number.
“You can use the phone.” Poppy remarked.
“I don’t know his number.” I was ashamed to admit that. Not knowing how to contact my sister’s father was an awful thing. I wished I never threw the phone number away that Helen tried to give me back in Alabama. Another stupid decision I regret making.
“What’s his name?” Terrell asked.
“Dr. Tony Turrino,” I answered.
“He’s a doctor. He’ll be easy to find.” He went over to a laptop that was on a desk in the far corner and started typing.
“While he’s doing that, tell me what else you heard about your sister.”
I exhaled not really wanting to repeat it, but I told Poppy what I remembered. It made me cry all over again. The regret of not treating my sisters better was just tearing me up inside. I wasted such a huge opportunity. I turned my back on my family, and I was paying the ultimate price.
&
nbsp; Terrell returned and handed me a piece of paper.
“The phone is over by the bar. We’ll leave you alone.” Poppy remarked.
I thanked them both before they left. I was so scared of calling Tony. I knew he wasn’t going to be mean to me, but he was going to be distraught. His pain was going to stab me to the core.
Every time I dialed the number I kept messing up, but on the third try, I finally got a ring. When Tony answered the phone, I closed my eyes. I wasn’t ready for the sorrow in his voice. I just wanted to scream.
His haggard voice spoke through the distance, “Who is this?”
“It’s Angela, Tony.” I whispered.
He sniffed and he stuttered, “I’m sor...I can’t.”
We were silent it seemed like forever. I didn’t know what to say, and he was falling apart. I heard the phone drop on the other end and someone else picked it up.
A lady spoke in a soft voice, “Hello, this is Tony’s sister, Abigail.”
“I’m Olivia’s sister, Angela.” I said trying to control my shaky voice.
“Tony is really torn up right now. You want him to call you back, Angela?”
“Uh, no, actually, I was wondering when the funeral was scheduled. I wanted to be there.”
“Oh, of course, it’ll be on Friday, July 3rd.” Abigail also told me the time and the name of the church.
I told her I would be in town either tomorrow or the day of the funeral and I’d talk to Tony then. I didn’t want him to feel worse than he already did.
When I hung up the phone from speaking to Abigail, I felt tremendous guilt. I wish I could redo my past with my sisters. I’d be a totally different person. I’d do all I could for Olivia, and I’d fight for Andrea. I’d change my whole attitude. Would I be able to save my family? I don’t know, but at least, I would have tried much harder to do the right thing for them.
Poppy came back, and she stood in front of me. I wanted to hug her and feel safe again.
She said, “You and Terrell will leave in the morning. You’ll be there in four hours.”
“That’s not too bad,” I said thinking it would take longer since my ride from Raleigh to Philadelphia practically took all night, but then again I was on a bus that made several stops, and then I had a layover in Washington DC.
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