“that’s what you wanted isn’t it for him to be outdoors”
I was shaking with rage and disbelief thankfully Paul heard the commotion and came running his face turned red with anger when he saw what his mother was doing
Paul heard the commotion and came
“mom”
he yelled
“what the h*ll are you doing let go of Larry’s chair right now”
Maria looked shocked by Paul’s tone
“but honey I was just”
“I don’t want to hear it”
Paul Cut Her Off
“You and Olivia need to leave now”
Im so sorry
after they left Paul apologized over and over to Dad and me
“I’m so sorry”
he said his voice breaking
“I had no idea she would do that I’m just so sorry”
dad reached out and patted Paul’s hand
“it’s not your fault son”
he said gently
“some people just can’t understand”
life settled into a new routine after that incident Maria and Olivia kept their distance which was
After that incident
fine with me Paul focused on his work taking on more Long Haul routes to help pay for our new home I splid my time between my job at the tax office taking care of our home and looking after Dad four years passed quickly our life became comfortable and predictable Paul was on the road most of the time but when he was home our little family was happy Dad’s health was stable and he seemed content spending his days in the garden or working on his editing
Then came the call that
from home then came the call that shattered my world I was at work when my phone rang a man’s unfamiliar voice greeted me
“Mrs Walker this is Officer Andrew from the highway patrol”
my heart sank
My heart sank
“yes”
I barely managed to say
“I’m sorry to inform you that your husband Paul Walker has been in a serious accident”
the rest of the conversation was a blur words like head-on collision and didn’t make it floated around me but I couldn’t understand them it wasn’t
The rest of the conversation was a blur
until I heard myself thanking the officer and hanging up that the reality began to hit me Paul was gone the next week was a fog of grief and disbelief I went through the motions of planning the funeral like a robot barely understanding what was happening the day before the funeral I gathered my courage and called Maria I thought she deserved to hear about her son’s death from me not from a newspaper obituary
“hello”
Maria’s sharp voice answered
“Maria”
Not from a newspaper obituary
“it’s Julie”
I said my voice trembling
“it’s about Paul he’s gone there was an accident”
there was silence on the other end of the line and then to my shock Maria’s voice came back dripping with anger
“this is your fault”
she hissed
“you made him work so hard driving that truck to pay for your fancy house you k*lled my son”
I was stunned
“Maria I”
“that’s not”
“save it”
she snapped
“I expect you to give him the best funeral money can buy but don’t expect a penny from us you made your bed now lie in it”
the line went dead I stood there foam in hand tears streaming down my face
The line went dead
how could she be so cruel how could she blame me for this the day of Paul’s Funeral was gray and rainy matching my mood perfectly the church was full Paul was well-liked in the community and it’s seemed like half the town had come to pay their respects
The church was full
after the service as people passed by to offer their condolences I noticed that Paul’s mother and sister were nowhere to be seen they hadn’t even bothered to show up for their own son and Brother’s funeral dad reached out and squeezed my hand
“it’s their loss sweetie we’re family and we’ll get through this together”
as we pulled into our driveway something seemed off the lights were on in the house which was strange because I was sure I had turned everything off before we left
“did you leave any lights on Dad”
I asked frowning
“he shook his head no I don’t think so”
as we got
As we pulled into our
closer I noticed movement inside the house my heart started pounding were we being robbed on the day of Paul’s Funeral I quickly helped dad out of the car and into his wheelchair my mind racing should I call the police but as
My mind racing
we approached the front door I heard familiar voices inside a chill ran down my spine as I recognized them I pushed open the door to find Maria and Olivia in our living room surrounded by boxes and pieces of furniture
“what the h*ll is going on here”
I demanded my grief momentarily forgotten in the face of this outrageous intrusion
Maria turned
A mask of fake sympathy
to me her face a mask of fake sympathy
“oh Julie dear we’re just helping you pack up after all you can’t possibly afford to keep this place now that Paul is gone”
I was speechless Olivia added her voice sickeningly sweet
I could feel the anger
“don’t worry you can go back to your father’s apartment it’s cozy”
I could feel the anger Building inside me
“get out”
I said my voice low and dangerous
“get out of my house right now”
Maria had the nerve to look offended
This house belongs to us now
“this house belongs to us now all of Paul’s property does where his family after all”
“like h*ll you are”
I exploded
“where were you today at his funeral oh that’s right you couldn’t be bothered to show up”
Maria waved her hand
Were busy making arrangements
dismissively
“we were busy making arrangements now be a good girl and start packing we’ll meet you out by”
Be a good girl and start packing
tomorrow”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing these women hadn’t shed a tear for Paul hadn’t even attended his funeral and now they were trying to kick us out of our home
“I’m calling the police”
I said pulling out my phone
Im calling the police
Maria and Olivia exchanged worried looks they clearly hadn’t expected me to fight back
“now Julie”
Maria began
but I cut her off