Chapter 3
Two nights before our big hike, my mother's sister, Veronica, came over for dinner. My father always likes to invite her over for dinner as her husband died of a heart attack. My father almost treats her like a child of his. He has even suggested to her that he will chip into her college education, as Veronica is now into her graduate education.
A slender girl, in her mid twenties, with a spotless face, blue eyes, and caramel colored hair, she was a beauty to see. Her respectful, but cool personality aided to her character. She was truly one of a kind.
She came in just as I was finishing up setting the table. Her face immediately lit up when she smelt what the dinner was.
“Yum, are you all cooking that meaty lasagna that I love?”, she inquired.
“You betcha. That stuff is good! How is the degree coming along?” I responded.
“Fine I guess, government is an interesting subject. Seeing how this country works is truly an amazing thing. Yaou know, people here think that life is all mountains, and everyone is all the same, but the one thing my college courses have taught me is that there is a world around us, but the only real motive in the government is for government's own interests, the rest just pawns. Oooh, I am sick to my stomach right now. I am going to lie down.”
And with that she was gone, leaving me with a lifetime's supply of thought. What did she mean? Is what she said really true? At the time, at least, I did not really believe what she to be true, our government must have our best interests at heart. They could not really trick the whole population?
….
We sat down at the table, a warm platter of lasagna starring back at us. My father questioned my aunt on how school was, how she is coping with the loss, and general questions about her life.
One of the questions that caught my attention was when my father asked her what she learned about our government's response to natural disasters.
My aunt calmly said, “Oh, Sam, you do not want to know the real motives behind the government's response to natural disasters. You see, it is all about how to gain more votes. Their real thinking is 'How can I gain more votes?'.”
“Don't you think you sound a little foolish, Veronica”, my father responded.
“One day, Sam, one day, you will realize that the government is not here for you anymore than a criminal. That will be the day.”
“And I hope that day never comes, in fact I suspect it never will. Do you need to see a therapist? You seem full of anger.”
“One day, Sam! And that day is closer than you would ever think.”
After that heated exchange, dinner was dead silent. You could hear the drops of water falling from the pipe outside. My aunt and father just sat in silence stewing. I decided to bring up our hike the following day.
“Aunt Veronica, did you hear about our big day tomorrow?” I asked fanning the flames.
“In fact I did, I am so proud of you for getting back on your feet and challenging the beast again. I know your mother would be very proud of you.” she said, slowly regaining her composure.
“This is exactly what she meant when she told my father for us to let the wind let the wind take us.”
It was at that time that my aunt just got on her knees and cried. She sobbed uncontrollably for five minutes straight. She could not stop. After a little while she draped herself on the floor, tears flooding down her cheeks. My father and I did not know what to do.
“My life sucks.” she managed to choke out after a while, “my husband is dead, my sister is dead, and I am now realizing that my own government hates me! I just want to die!”
It was at that time she pulled up her shirt to reveal cut marks draped around her wrists. It was a gruesome picture, with red lines covering her wrist, one still oozing out little spurts of blood.
“I wish I could just go and see the rest of my family on the other side!” she screamed before making a mad dash for the knife kit.
For a split second my father stood motionless, not fully being able to comprehend what his sister-in-law's real intentions were. Within seconds, however, he came to understand the gravity of the situation and ran like I had never seen him run before as he tackled Veronica just before she reached the kit.
“I will not have another family member die, whether you want to or not!” he bellowed, “You should have told me the condition you were and I would have found you help! Instead, you turn to this!”
And with that he started sobbing hysterically himself, causing my aunt to cry deliriously too.
And there was me sitting at the kitchen, alone, again, hopeless, again. Here I was my aunt attempting suicide before crying like a little child on the floor. My father tackling my aunt and then sobbing like a two year old. What has happened to my family?
I decided to just get up and try to salvage what is left of my family. I slowly rise and pick both adults up, putting them on the couch, clean up the blood from my aunt's cut, along with the all of the dishes, smashed, on the floor from all of the madness before I sat on the couch myself.
“Should I finish my homework?” I thought to myself. No, I finally decided, I had pretty good excuse.
I got up the next morning, my aunt and father still lying on the couch, the first time in years cereal not sitting on the table waiting for me, and got myself ready for school.
I would not be late for school on this morning, I needed to get out of this house of doom. “Would we still go on our hike tomorrow?” was the first question that came to my mind at the time. It seemed like the next day's climb was in jeopardy with all of the madness of the day before.
As I walked to school that morning only one more thought entered my mind: “What would my father's boss think of him being late for work?”.