The Unforeseen

Billie pedaled faster, the wind hitting her face as she raced towards her house. She was looking forward to spending the community Tuesday inside her home with her little brother. She had been worried about her friends since the start of the day, and she was relieved that they were doing alright, contrary to what she thought. Feeling a sense of happiness, Billie continued to pedal faster.

As she approached her home, she saw that there was a small crowd in front of their yard. Soon she realized there were cops and medics. Her heart sank, and her mind raced with loads of possibilities as to why the police were there.

'Is it because they found out we trespassed? and wandered in the woods?' Billie got agitated as she slowed down towards her house.

She dropped her bike, nervously walking towards her house. 'Should I just surrender and tell them that it was a mistake?' Billie thought to herself.

She approached the nearest cop, who was busy writing something in his notes.

"Umm, sir--It's uh-- I'm Billie --I uh--," she stumbled upon words, struggling to converse.

Just then, her father called out to her, rushing forward.

'Seems like Mama and Dada are back home already, or were they been called?!' Billie wondered anxiously.

Just a while ago she was feeling happy and carefree.

"Billie---oh honey," he hugged her, and Billie felt sad for some reason. It's over; she's going to get to jail.

Her father took her by the arm, leading her toward her mother who was crying uncontrollably on the sidewalk.

"Umm, Mama?" Billie was confused to see her mother crying on her behalf since she wasn't the type to cry in public.

Billie felt like she was walking in a dream, watching everything unfold in slow motion. As her father helped her mother sit down, Billie felt a cold fear spread through her body. What was happening? Why were the medics here?

Suddenly, she heard her mother's wail, a sound of pure agony that pierced through the quiet neighborhood. Billie's heart sank as she realized that something was very wrong. Then she saw the stretcher the medics carried out of her house, and she knew.

Her little brother was dead.

"No, no, no," Billie whispered, her voice barely audible and her eyes surveying the stretcher carefully. "Simmy."

She felt like her legs were glued to the ground and hard to lift. She wanted to check if it was her brother even though her rational part was sure of it. Nothing could comfort her now. Her world had shattered into a million pieces, and she was lost, adrift in a sea of pain and grief.

Then her father spoke, his voice choked with tears. "Simmy had tried to bathe on his own, and when we came back--- I'm sorry, Bill, I'm sorry."

Billie felt like she had been punched in the stomach. It was all her fault. She should have been there, watching over him. She should have known that he was too young to bathe on his own. But she wasn't there, and now Simmy was gone, forever.

She wanted to scream, to cry out in protest against the cruelty of fate, but no words came. She was numb, a shell of herself.

When the medics tried to get him into the ambulance, Billie finally lost it. She ran after her brother, trying to wake him up from the dead.

"NOOOO!!!! SIMMYYY!! BOY, I'm back--I'm back now!! Talk to me!" she said hugging her brother.

Her father and mother tried holding her back. Billie threw a fit, trying to break free. Her mother was hugging her hard, crying on her shoulder, as she stared at the ambulance that vanished at the corner of the street.

"No--Dada it's my fault--I left him--I'm a selfish bitch," Billie said, her voice sounding lifeless.

"Nooo, stop that--it's not your fault, Bill," her mother tried to comfort her of the mishap.

"No mama, you should drown me -- I should die," Billie broke down crying, and her parents hugged her.

She stood there for what felt like hours, holding onto her parents as they wept, trying to make sense of the senseless tragedy that had befallen their family. Billie knew that nothing would ever be the same again. She would always carry the weight of Simeon's death with her, a heavy burden that would never be lifted.

It was a custom in the town to bury their dead quicker, so Simeon's funeral was held that evening. Billie felt numb as she went through her brother's stuff to bury with him at the funeral and saw that picture he drew of Billie and himself.

Billie clenched the paper and cried like a baby. Her mother entered the room and pressed her shoulders for comfort as she saw the paper she was holding.

"Don't you want to keep this?" her mother asked, and Billie nodded quickly, folded it neatly, and kept it in her black trench coat. She was still in the denial stage of grief and wished it was all a dream.

The evening of Simeon's funeral arrived. Billie couldn't believe it was happening, that she would never see her little brother again. As they drove to the cemetery, Billie stared out the window, lost in her thoughts.

When they arrived, a small gathering of family and friends was already there, standing solemnly near the freshly dug grave. Billie recognized a few faces, but most of the people there were strangers to her. Her parents greeted the guests while Billie stood by the grave, clutching a bouquet of white tulips.

As the funeral procession began, Billie felt her heart sinking deeper and deeper. She couldn't bear the thought of her little brother lying in a casket on the ground. The casket was lowered into the ground as the pastor recited a prayer. Billie stood still, feeling numb and disconnected from the world around her.

She remained at the grave, clutching the tulips, unwilling to leave. She knew she had to face the reality of the situation, but it seemed impossible to accept. Her parents stood nearby, watching her silently.

"Surely, I have failed you as a sister," Billie whispered to the grave. "I should have been there for you, protected you. I'm so sorry, Simeon."

Her parents approached her, and her mother placed a hand on her shoulder. "You didn't fail him, Bill," she said softly. "You loved him, and he loved you. That's what matters."

Billie looked up at her mother, tears streaming down her face.

Her father put a hand on her other shoulder. "We all loved him, Billie. And he knew that. You don't need to blame yourself."

Billie wiped her eyes and looked at her parents. "I just miss him so much."

Her mother pulled Billie into a hug, her voice sounding weak as she said, "We all do."

Billie stared into nothingness, feeling something was off when she saw Miron waving at her in a distance.