- 16 minutes ago
After The Quake, I Avenged Mom
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00I pushed my father off the cliff. His body was impaled on a dead tree. I didn't leave
00:06until I made sure he was dead. I will never forget the earthquake. Years ago, he abandoned
00:13my mother and me to save his love. After the earthquake, Mommy fell asleep. I curled up in
00:19her arms. She was getting so cold. We were hiding under a giant rock. I sucked on Mommy's finger.
00:27She fed me warm brown sugar water. Daddy's voice came through the broken phone. Get Stella
00:34and the lightly injured first. Leave Irene for later. She's tough as nails. Waiting a little
00:38longer won't kill her. It was really Daddy. Mommy said he would rescue us soon. But why did
00:45he make Mommy wait? I whispered to the phone. Daddy, Mommy went to sleep. She gave me lots
00:54of brown sugar water. It tastes like iron. But I'm not scared. Mommy said you'll come
01:02and save me before it all runs out. The phone went totally silent. I kept drinking the warm
01:10brown sugar water. Then Daddy started screaming through the speaker. He ordered everyone to find
01:17me. Daddy was coming to me. Found her! Over here! There's a kid still alive!
01:28Mommy, it's morning. Can we go home now? I pushed against her chest. It wasn't soft like it used to
01:37be. A whole
01:37section of it was crushed inward, covered in something warm and sticky. Hurry! Grab the kid first! Huge,
01:45rough hands reached in and tore me away from her. No! Mommy's still sleeping! I want to wait for her!
01:53My fingers locked in a death grip on the hem of her shirt. The fabric gave way. A man in
01:59an orange
02:00rescue vest hauled me against his chest. My mouth was crusted with dried, flaky red patches. It was
02:07the brown sugar water Mommy had been feeding me. Lucy! Oh God, Lucy! A figure came stumbling through
02:15the debris. It was Daddy. He was still wearing his expensive suit. It was dusted with concrete
02:23powder, making him look a little disheveled. He grabbed me from the rescue worker and crushed
02:28me against his chest. Thank God, you're alive. I thought I'd lost you. He was sobbing, his whole body
02:36trembling. Then a scent hit me. A sickeningly sweet, overpowering perfume. It was the smell Mommy hated
02:45most in the world. She always said it was the smell of a bad woman. I squirmed against him.
02:53Daddy, Mommy's still down there. She's asleep. Daddy froze. He didn't even glance at the rubble. Instead,
03:02he forced my face into his shoulder to block my view. Shh, sweetheart. Mommy. Mommy's gone to a
03:11better place. No, she didn't! She's right down there! I cried frantically, pointing at the pitch black gap
03:20in the concrete. Mommy gave me so much brown sugar water. She promised you'd come for us before it was
03:27all gone. All the color drained from Daddy's face. He stared at the dark, crusted blood around my mouth,
03:34gulping hard. A heavy silence fell over the medics around us. One of the nurses clamped a hand over
03:41her mouth, tears spilling down her cheeks. But Daddy just looked away. He couldn't meet my eyes. What was
03:48he so scared of? Was it because of the broken phone? The one that played his voice earlier, growling like
03:55a
03:55monster. A voice that said Mommy was tough as nails and that leaving her behind wouldn't kill her.
04:01Daddy, why did you tell them to leave Mommy behind? I leaned close to his ear and whispered,
04:10Daddy recoiled, shoving me back like I had just burned him. There was no relief in his eyes anymore.
04:16Only pure, naked terror. The ambulance siren wailed as we sped down the road. I sat in the back,
04:23still clutching the torn scrap of Mommy's shirt. Daddy sat across from me, wringing his hands
04:29nervously. His hands were perfectly clean, his nails neatly manicured. They looked nothing like
04:35Mommy's hands, which were caked in mud and dried blood. Lucy, while you were down there, did you hear
04:40anything? Daddy asked tentatively, unable to meet my eyes. I licked my lips. That rusty taste was still in
04:48my mouth. I did. A visible shudder ran through Daddy. What did you hear? I heard you tell them
04:54to save Stella first. The air inside the ambulance instantly froze. The paramedic who had been wiping
05:01dust off my face stopped, her hand hovering in midair. She shot Daddy a piercing, icy glare. Daddy
05:08forced an awkward smile that looked more like a grimace. You misheard, sweetie. The signal was bad.
05:14Daddy was just panicking. Really? I tilted my head, studying him. But who is Stella? Why is she more
05:22important than Mommy? Daddy opened his mouth, but no words came out. He quickly turned to look out the
05:27window, pretending to wipe away a tear. When we arrived at the hospital, a massive crowd swarmed us.
05:34Camera flashes went off non-stop, so bright I couldn't open my eyes. Suddenly, Daddy acted like a
05:41completely different person. He scooped me into his arms and began sobbing hysterically for the cameras.
05:47Thank God. Thank God for bringing my daughter back to me. I'd trade anything in the world,
05:53as long as my Lucy is safe. The reporters wiped their eyes and praised Daddy for being such a good
05:59father.
05:59I rested my chin on his shoulder, watching the side of his face. He was wailing loudly,
06:05but his cheeks were completely dry. He looked just like a clown on TV. Once we got to the VIP
06:12ward,
06:12I finally saw his Stella. She was staying in a massive private hospital suite. She was wearing a
06:21frilly pink lace dress and happily eating a slice of strawberry cake. There wasn't a single scratch on
06:28her. Even her hair was perfectly brushed and shiny. A woman in a flowing white dress sat by her bedside.
06:34She was very pretty, and she radiated the exact same sickeningly sweet perfume I had smelled on Daddy.
06:42The woman stood up. Victor, you're here. Her eyes were rimmed with red, making her look incredibly
06:50fragile and pitiful. Daddy sat me down immediately and hurried over to her, taking her hands in his.
06:58Camille, how is Stella? She must have been terrified. I stood in the doorway, feeling like a piece of
07:04discarded trash. Stella noticed me. She wrinkled her nose and pointed right at me. Mommy, is she the
07:12feral girl who drinks blood? She's so gross. Drinking blood. Feral girl. I stared at the smear of whipped
07:20cream on her lip. My empty stomach gave a low rumble. The woman, Camille, walked over and crouched down in
07:26front of me. You must be Lucy. Oh, you poor girl. Come let me give you a hug. She reached
07:33out to me.
07:34That's when I saw the gold bracelet gleaming on her wrist. It was the exact same bracelet Mommy had.
07:40Mommy told me Daddy had specially made it for her to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary. So why
07:46was she wearing it? A sudden, blinding rage flared up in my chest. Like an enraged little animal, I lunged
07:52at
07:52her and bit down on her wrist. The bad woman shrieked, swinging her arm to violently shake me off. The
07:58sheer force sent me flying backward and my head slammed hard against the metal footboard of the
08:04hospital bed. A sharp dizzying pain shot through me but I didn't shed a single tear. I just sat on
08:10the floor
08:11glaring at her with pure hatred. Lucy, are you crazy? Daddy rushed over. He tenderly cradled the bad woman's
08:18injured arm. Camille, are you okay? Did she hurt you? He snapped his head back around, glaring at me
08:25with absolute fury. How could you behave like this? Apologize to her right now! I stayed slumped on the
08:32cold floor. A warm trickle of liquid began sliding down my forehead. It was red too, just like the brown
08:40sugar water Mommy had fed me. Daddy, I'm bleeding too. Are you gonna make me wait a little longer too?
08:46The room went dead silent. Daddy's face turned beet red with rage. The bad woman's eyes darted around.
08:54Ignoring the bite marks on her wrist, she put on a sickeningly sweet face and tried to help me up.
08:59Victor, don't be mad at her. She just lost her mom. She can't handle the shock. She stroked my head,
09:06but her nails dug hard into my skin. Be good, Lucy. I don't mind. Let me buy you some candy
09:14later,
09:14all right? I slapped her hand away. I don't want candy. I have the brown sugar water Mommy gave me.
09:21The bad woman's smile vanished. Daddy, kick this freak out! She stinks! Daddy took a deep breath and
09:28buzzed for a nurse. Take her next door and get her cleaned up and have someone examine her head. She's
09:33clearly lost her mind. Examine my head? Daddy thought I was crazy. A young nurse led me away. As she
09:40cleaned
09:40my wound, she quietly wiped away her tears. Sweetie, it won't hurt. I promise to be gentle.
09:49I looked up at her. Miss, is my mommy really dead? Her hand trembled. She pulled me into a tight
09:55hug
09:56and finally broke down sobbing. Your mommy was a great mother. That evening, my grandparents arrived.
10:04The moment Grandma saw me, she broke down and passed out from the shock. Grandpa leaned heavily
10:10on his cane, his hands shaking violently. He demanded to take me home with him.
10:16Dad, Lucy's been through a massive shock. She's talking nonsense right now. It's safer to keep her
10:21here for observation. But Daddy refused. But I knew the real reason. He was terrified I'd talk.
10:27Terrified I'd spill that secret. Late that night, the door to my room clicked open. It was Uncle Oscar,
10:34Daddy's personal assistant. Normally, he just trailed behind Daddy like a shadow, keeping his head down
10:40and his mouth shut. But tonight, the look in his eyes was completely different. He walked over to my bed
10:46and pulled something from his pocket. A phone with a badly shattered screen. Mommy's phone.
10:52Lucy, they dug this out of the rubble. It still works. I snatched the phone and hugged it tight
10:59against my chest. It smelled like Mommy and there were patches of dried blood on the casing. Oscar
11:05gently stroked my hair. Lucy, do you want to help Mommy get revenge? In a few days, it will be
11:10Mommy's
11:10funeral. A lot of people will be there and that bad woman will be there too. That day, if Daddy
11:18speaks up
11:18Storm, press this triangle, okay? I stared at the little red play button and nodded hard. Okay, this
11:25was a game. A game only Oscar and I knew about. I was going to make sure everyone heard exactly
11:32what
11:32Daddy said that day. It rained on the day of Mommy's funeral. The sky was gray. It looked like a
11:38dirty rag.
11:39I wore the black dress Grandma bought me. A tiny white flower was pinned to my chest. The memorial hall
11:48was huge. It was packed with white flowers. Mommy's portrait hung right in the middle.
11:55She was smiling in the picture. Her eyes crinkled like little crescent moons. Daddy stood at the very
12:04front. He wore a crisp black suit. He looked terrible. His eyes were sunken. His face unshaven.
12:14People said he was a deeply devoted man. That he had grown so thin just after losing his wife. The
12:24bad
12:24woman didn't show up, but Stella did. She wore a black lace dress. She mouthed the words,
12:33You don't have a mom anymore. She made mean faces at me. I just stared blankly at her. I slipped
12:42my hand
12:43into my pocket. My fingers brushed the cold shattered phone. The ceremony began. The somber music made my
12:51chest feel tight. Daddy walked up to the podium. He clutched a few sheets of paper. He started reading
12:59his eulogy. Irene, my beloved wife. He choked up on the very first line. The crowd wiped away their tears.
13:09They were moved by his heartbreaking true love. We've known each other for 10 years and loved each
13:16other for 10 years. You knew me better than anyone, and you were the person I loved most. The moment
13:22the
13:22earthquake struck, I wished I could have died in your place. If time could turn back, I would be by
13:29your
13:29side, holding your hand, and I would never let you face the darkness alone. He swayed, looking like he might
13:37collapse. A few relatives rushed up to hold him. They whispered words of comfort.
13:45Irene, how could you be so cruel? How could you leave Lucy and me behind? He beat his chest,
13:53wailing at Mom's back. I stood in the front row. Oscar was right beside me. He knelt down to fix
14:01my
14:01collar. He gave my hand a tight squeeze. His palm was slick with sweat. Are you ready, Lucy? He whispered.
14:09Only I could hear him. I looked up at Daddy on stage. He was giving the performance of a lifetime.
14:17I
14:18watched his fake tears and trembling shoulders. I remembered her slicing open her own fingers.
14:26She fed me her blood, smiling through the pain. I thought about the dark, cold rubble. I thought of
14:35Mommy's body growing cold. I remembered those cruel words. Waiting a little longer won't kill her.
14:42A massive wave of anger exploded inside me. I didn't fully understand hatred yet, but I knew I had to
14:52ruin his act. Clutching the shattered phone, I walked on stage. A hush fell over the crowd.
15:00They thought, I just wanted to comfort Daddy. Daddy saw me approaching. Panic flashed in his eyes,
15:08but he hid it. He dropped to one knee and opened his arms. Lucy, come here, sweetie. Daddy misses her
15:15too.
15:16He wanted to pull me into a hug. He wanted to end his show with fake love. I stopped right
15:25in front
15:25of him. I didn't hug him. I raised the shattered phone instead. It was still stained with Mommy's
15:34dried blood. Daddy's pupils shrank in pure terror. He recognized the phone immediately. He lunged forward to
15:44snatch it. Lucy, that's dirty. Give it to Daddy right now. Right as his fingertips grazed the screen,
15:52my thumb slammed down on the red triangle. The Bluetooth is already synced to the giant speakers.
15:59The audio kicked in instantly. A harsh burst of static pierced the silence. Then that familiar,
16:07cold voice boomed like thunder. Get Stella and the lightly injured first. The entire hall went dead
16:14silent. Every single eye locked onto Daddy. His hand froze in the air. The color completely drained from
16:24his face. The recording kept playing crystal clear. Leave Irene for later. She's tough as nails.
16:33Waiting a little longer won't kill her. Every word was a vicious slap across his face. Guests' jaws
16:40dropped in pure shock. They stared at this devoted husband. Furious whispers quickly filled the room.
16:49Is that Victor's voice? Oh my god, did he actually say that? Get Stella first? Who is Stella?
16:54Daddy collapsed to the floor like a rag doll. He scrambled up in a total panic. He tried to shut
17:03off the speakers. No! It's not real! It's a fake! It's just a sick prank! A heavy wooden cane slammed
17:13into
17:13Daddy's back. It was Grandpa. He beat Daddy over and over again. You bastard! You heartless bastard!
17:23Placed my daughter in your hands and this is how you treated her! She's tough! You made her wait! Do
17:30you
17:30know she bled to death down there! Tears streamed down Grandpa's face. Every strike was fueled by pure rage.
17:39Daddy cowered, shielding his head. Blood dripped from a nasty cut on his forehead. Nobody tried to stop it.
17:47They just watched with sheer disgust. The reporters finally snapped out of it. Camera flashes erupted like
17:55crazy. The tragic love story was dead. It was now a massive cheating scandal.
18:04Is Stella your legitimate daughter? Did you let your wife die for your mistress? Did you let your die for
18:09your mistress? Microphones were shoved right into his bloody face. He covered his face, refusing to look
18:16up. I stood in the dead center of the chaos. I still gripped the phone tightly. Oscar rushed up and
18:25scooped me up. He shielded me and backed away.
18:29Good job, Lucy. He whispered softly. I looked over Oscar's shoulder. I stared at Daddy on the floor.
18:38He looked so small and pathetic. Like a rat crushed under a boot.
18:44Stella burst into tears from the noise. She screamed from behind the marble pillar.
18:51Daddy, help me! The reporters finally snapped out of it.
18:57Is that Stella? She actually looks a bit like Victor. What? He let his wife die for a bastard!
19:04They threw them right at Stella. The scene completely spiraled out of control. The police showed up after
19:13someone called 911. Grandma pulled me close, sobbing uncontrollably. Let's go home, Lucy. He's dead to us now.
19:23I didn't cry or throw a tantrum. I just watched everything in dead silence.
19:32Before we left, I looked back. Daddy was kneeling before Mommy's portrait. He reached out to touch
19:40her picture. Grandpa kicked him away. Don't touch her with your filthy hands!
19:46Daddy collapsed onto the floor. He looked at me with pure desperation. Lucy, Daddy was wrong.
19:57I completely ignored him. I turned my head to Mommy's portrait. Did you hear that, Mommy? Everyone
20:05finally knows he's the bad guy. After that massive funeral scene, I got sick. The doctor said I had
20:13severe PTSD. I stopped talking entirely. I just hugged Mommy's old clothes. I wouldn't eat. I only drank
20:25brown sugar water. If I ate anything else, I threw up. Everything tasted like rusty iron to me. Grandma cooked
20:36different
20:37meals every single day, but I couldn't take a single bite. I lost so much weight. I looked like a
20:47terrifying
20:48little skeleton. Daddy came by our house a few times. He was suspended from his company. His reputation was
20:58completely destroyed. People threw rotten eggs at his door daily. He wanted to see me. He begged my
21:06grandparents for forgiveness. Grandpa chased him off with a heavy broom. He kneeled outside our front door.
21:14I watched him through a crack in the curtains. He stayed on his knees all night long. It was pouring
21:24rain
21:24that night, just like the day of Mommy's funeral. He was totally soaked to the bone. His wet hair plastered
21:32to
21:32his face. He looked like a pathetic drowned rat. Lucy, I know I messed up. Please just look at me.
21:40You're all I have left.
21:41He screamed through the pouring rain. His voice was totally hoarse. I thought it was hilarious.
21:49I'm all he has left? What about Stella? What about the bad woman? Did they abandon him already?
21:58Grandma walked into my bedroom. She held a warm cup of brown sugar water. Grandma asked me so carefully,
22:08Lucy. Lucy, he's still out there. Do you want to see him? I took the cup from her hands. I
22:16took a tiny
22:18little sip. It was warm and sweet, but I still tasted a hint of blood. I shook my head at
22:26Grandma. I walked
22:28right up to the window. I pulled the curtains tightly shut in his face. I remembered being trapped under the
22:39rubble. I had screamed for him just like that. I screamed until my voice went hoarse, but he only cared
22:49about other people. Now it was his turn to scream. I was going to let him wait too. He could
22:57wait until he died.
22:59I sat in my room drawing pictures. I only used black and red crayons. I drew a pitch black box.
23:10A monster was
23:12trapped inside it. The monster was crying endlessly, but nobody paid any attention to it. Grandpa said
23:22Daddy's company was going bankrupt. Everyone was boycotting his business. Nobody wanted to work with
23:30a murderer. Oscar dug up his fake accounting books. Turns out he wasn't just a terrible dad. He
23:38was a completely corrupt boss too. He embezzled tons of company money. He bought the bad woman a house
23:48and a car. I listened to my grandparents talking about it. I felt absolutely nothing inside. I just kept
23:57sipping my warm brown sugar water cup after cup. I drank until my stomach physically ached, until the rusty
24:07iron taste finally faded. The bad woman got arrested. She was caught at the airport trying to flee. Dad's
24:16company was completely ruined. She drained his remaining bank accounts. She tried to take Stella out of the
24:25country, but Oscar was one step ahead of her. His police buddies caught her red-handed. Grandpa took me to
24:36the police station. I had to give a statement about my custody. I saw the bad woman in the hallway.
24:46She was wearing shiny silver handcuffs. Her hair was a complete rat's nest. Her makeup was totally smeared.
24:57Stella was crying so hard she couldn't breathe. Snot was running all down her face. Mommy,
25:03I want to go home. I don't want to be here. Shut up! Shut up! Stop your crying!
25:09When she saw me, her eyes went bloodshot. She lunged at me like a total madwoman. It's all your fault,
25:16you little bastard! If it wasn't for your bitch mother, Victor wouldn't be completely bankrupt.
25:20I wouldn't be in this total mess! A police officer grabbed her instantly. He pinned her heart against
25:29the wall. Stay still. I hid behind grandpa and peeked out. Her face was completely twisted with rage.
25:39She looked like an ugly old witch. Gaddy was there too. He was there as a witness and as a
25:47victim.
25:48Adam, seeing her, daddy charged forward. He tried to punch her right there. Camille, you vicious
25:56bitch! After everything I did for you, you cleaned out my accounts and ran? That's enough! Did right by me?
26:04Give me a break. If you really cared about me, you would have divorced Irina a long time ago.
26:10And you wanted me to give you a son. And what did you end up with? No son.
26:16So, that was the real truth. They tore into each other like rabid dogs. The cops couldn't watch it
26:25anymore. They forcibly dragged them apart. I looked at daddy's pathetic face. It was covered in spit and
26:33blood. Camille looked completely ruined too. Suddenly, I felt something shift inside me. The heavy boulder in my
26:43chest lifted. I let go of grandpa's hand. I walked right up to the bad woman. You are so ugly.
26:52I finally spoke my first words in weeks. Even uglier than the rats in the ruins. Then, I turned around.
27:00Grandpa, I want to go home. I want my warm brown sugar water. Later, grandpa sorted through mommy's
27:08belongings. He found an old diary. It had a light pink cover. It was mommy's favorite notebook.
27:19Grandpa put on his reading glasses. He read it and cried hysterically. He cried until he almost passed
27:28out. I leaned in to look too. I couldn't read all those big words. But I recognized mommy's drawings.
27:37Tucked inside the pages was a photo. It was a black and white ultrasound picture. It showed a blurry
27:47little shadow. He looked at me with tearful eyes. Lucy, this is your little brother. I was completely
27:56stunned. Or little sister. It turned out that on the day of the earthquake, mommy still had a baby in
28:04her
28:04belly. Grandpa read mom's diary out loud to me. Went in for a checkup today. The doctor said the
28:12baby looks perfect. I want to surprise Victor. I'll tell him on his birthday. I hope it's a boy.
28:19When he grows up, he can protect Lucy. Victor's been coming home later and later. He always smells like
28:26perfume. But I trust him. He promised he'd change. For my two children, I can endure anything.
28:33My tears came flooding out. I thought about the earthquake again. When that huge slab came crashing
28:42down, mom didn't lie flat. She curled herself into a bridge. She used her back to block the rocks.
28:52She shielded me and the baby underneath her. In the dark, she kept encouraging me. She fed me her blood.
29:02She never once said she was hurting. So that was the truth. She was protecting both of us. Me and
29:11the
29:12baby. But what did God say? He said mom was tough. He said save Stella first. He killed his own
29:22wife.
29:23And his unborn child too. Somehow, dad found out. That night, he started wailing downstairs.
29:31He rolled around on the ground. He slammed his head into the wall. His forehead split open.
29:39God just kill me! I'm guilty! I'm a bastard! He was confessing. But it was too late. Mom couldn't hear
29:47him
29:48anymore. The baby couldn't hear him either. And neither could I. I held the diary tight against
29:55my chest. Grandpa, I don't hate him anymore. Grandpa stared at me in shock. Hating someone takes strength.
30:03Because he's not worth it. He deserved to rot like garbage. Dad was going to prison. For financial crimes
30:12and, uh, embezzlement. The amount was massive. Before sentencing, he begged grandpa countless times.
30:23He wanted to see me once more. Grandpa didn't want to agree. But I nodded. We met on a park
30:35bench.
30:36It was autumn. The leaves had all turned yellow. The wind felt sharp and cold. Dad was wearing the
30:45detention center vest. Handcuffs hung from his wrists. Only a few months had passed. But he looked 60.
30:55His back was bent too. When he saw me, his eyes lit up. He tried to reach for me. He
31:01wanted to hug me.
31:03But I stepped back. His hand froze in mid-air. Then he pulled it back awkwardly.
31:10Lucy, you've gotten taller. His voice came out rough and broken. Dad's going somewhere far away.
31:21I may not back come for a long time. I said nothing. I just looked at him quietly. He was
31:27crying hard now.
31:28I failed you. I failed your mom. And I failed that unborn baby too. I'll never repay that debt.
31:36Tears and snot covered his face. I watched him sob uncontrollably. And strangely, I felt calm.
31:46It was strawberry hard candy. Mom used to give me those with medicine.
31:53Mom used to say, candy makes the bitterness go away. Dad looked at the candy. Then he broke down even
32:02harder. His shoulders shook violently. But for the rest of your life, all you'll know is bitterness.
32:09I looked him straight in the eye. Because you deserve it. Then I turned and walked away. Behind me,
32:18Dad screamed himself hoarse. Lucy! Lucy! I didn't turn around.
32:24The wind lifted the fallen leaves. They spun into the sky. Ten years passed. That's long enough for
32:33broken bones to heal. And long enough for a little girl to grow up. Grandma passed two years ago. She
32:40died peacefully in her sleep. Grandpa said she finally went to talk to Mom. Now it's just Grandpa and me.
32:47On my
32:4715th birthday, I woke up early. It was also Mom's death anniversary. Just like every year. But at the
32:58door, I kicked something hard. It was a package. The return address looked familiar. Blackridge Prison. I
33:05carried it inside. Grandpa was coming out of the kitchen. He was holding a bowl of birthday noodles.
33:11Your noodles are ready. Who sent that? An old friend.
33:19A bank book and a letter. The bank book had a few thousand dollars. It was exactly the most a
33:28prisoner
33:29could save in ten years behind bars. The letter was written on cheap paper. The handwriting was shaky
33:35and crooked. Several spots were smeared with ink. Lucy, by the time you read this,
33:40I'll be gone. I'm going to your mother to beg her figness. For ten years, every time I close my
33:45eyes,
33:46I see the rubbles. I see your mother covered in blood. I hear her asking me again and again,
33:51Victor, why didn't you save me? And I hear that unborn child crying too. I kept the candy you left
33:57for me.
33:58The money in the bank book is clean. Live well, Lucy.
34:01The letter was short. I read it word by word. Then I folded it neatly. I placed it beside the
34:11bank
34:11book on the table. Grandpa watched me quietly. He looked like he wanted to speak. But in the end,
34:19he only sighed. Then he shoved the chopsticks into my hand.
34:25Eat before the noodles get sogry. Unknown number. The area code was from the prison. I answered,
34:33Is this Lucy Cole? Yes. This is Black Ridge Prison. Your father, Victor Cole, died by suicide in prison
34:40at 543 this morning. The body, a family member needs to come handle the arrangements. He didn't
34:48leave much behind. Just one final message. What was it? He said, save Irene first. Irene.
34:56My mother's name. He finally remembered to save mom first. Got it. I hung up. Then I kept eating.
35:05Grandpa's cooking hadn't changed in 10 years. It was still perfect. After I finished, I took the bowl
35:12and chopsticks away. I washed them clean in the kitchen. Then I boiled a kettle of water. From the top
35:20shelf,
35:21I took down the old metal candy tin. Inside was a single dark lump of brown sugar. I dropped it
35:28into
35:29mom's favorite glass. Then I poured in the boiling water, slowly melting away a deep red drink. I carried
35:38the glass to the balcony. The autumn sunlight hit my skin. It warmed me all the way through. Mom, look.
35:47He said the brown sugar water was bitter. He couldn't drink it. But what did he know about
35:51bitterness? The pain you took for him? That was real bitter. I looked down and took a small sip. It
35:58was
35:58sweet. The clean scent of sugar cane spread across my tongue. That sickening taste of blood was gone. I
36:04took out the letter and a lighter from my pocket. The flame jumped up fast. It swallowed the thin paper
36:11whole. It swallowed 10 years of late remorse with it. The black ashes lifted in the wind. I drank the
36:19last
36:20sip of brown sugar water. So sweet. I looked into the distance. The sky was clear. Not a single cloud.
36:28So would my life.
Comments