yupsy daisy

Morning has broken...

Umm huh. Where's the coffee?

Right here. You know what today is?

The last day of June, I think.

That's right, as per the calendar. But it's also a five year mark for me. This was the day my youngest brother was arrested. Tomorrow will mark five years since i found out he had been arrested and what he was accused of doing. It wasn't until later, at his arraignment, that i found out exactly how it went down, thanks to Grandpa filling in the details. Having been associated with the newspaper in south Georgia for so long, he felt it his duty to give me the inside scoop on news-worthy events. Whether i wanted such details or not.

I thought he had died in 1982...

He did. That's a different story, part of my conversations with ghosts. Back to this one.

(Takes a sip of coffee, still trying to wake up.)

As i was saying, tomorrow marks five years since i found out my brother had been arrested. It was a Sunday and the church i attended was having its Big Coffee Hour. In other words, we were all gathered in the social hall, helping ourselves to the fine foods we had all brought to share. So, there i was, happy as a lark, chatting to all around me in line, putting tastiness on my plate. La diddy dah! Across the buffet table, filling her plate, was the woman who wore hats, a woman i had spoken with several times, including at the women's group for the church. She lived across the street from the family my brother's girlfriend worked for, so we both had her in common.
So there we are in line, across from each other.
And apropos of nothing, she says "You know that girl Ann?"
"Yes, i do."
"She's dead."
"She's dead?" I had stopped in my tracks, no longer seeing the food before me.
"Uh huh. Her boyfriend killed her."
Incredulous, i responded "Her boyfriend killed her?"
"Uh huh." Standing still. Watching me, looking in my eyes.
"Her boyfriend is my brother!" Shocked, choked voice uttered the words.
"Uh huh. He killed her."
"Oh, no!"

Oh, no.

I ran from the room to the church office and called my first brother, in a panic. "Have you heard anything from our youngest brother?"
"Why?"
"I just found out his girlfriend is dead! I'm here at church and i was told he had killed her!"
"That may be true. He called me yesterday to say he had been arrested, but I was out and it went to the voice mail."
"Oh my God! Oh, no! I thought they had broken up! She had told me she had stopped seeing him."
"Well, they must have gotten back together, because she had moved in with him."
"Oh my God!"
Shock, shock, shock.

What did you do?

I left the church and drove down to the house, to see if any of this might possibly be real.
And it was.
Yellow crime tape all around the front yard, the back yard, the house.
And i had to stop the car until the sobs allowed me to breathe again.
And it didn't matter whether it had been an accident or not.
Ann was dead.
Five years ago tomorrow.
Which will even be a Sunday, again.
And i will visit my youngest brother, in his new abode, which he will have for the next four to eight years.