That Day

Reilly McKevitt

Contest #76

8 January 2021

That Day

That day I woke up with a smile, and an ounce of hope. The type of hopefulness that provided clear skies, sunny days, and a field of flowers that danced peacefully in the wind. Some days it was hard to speak. The doctor said it was anxiety. That I had so much in my brain but it wouldn’t let it out. But that day? That day felt different.

That day the sky was pink; vibrant, and glimmering with possibilities. The morning calls of early birds had finally begun. My legs, clad in the worn, gray wool dangled over the silken sheets of my bed. My room was systematically cluttered, and my houseplants popped out in stark contrast to my dull white walls. 

That day I crept down our stairs, the carpet worn and peeling from the relentless stomping and dragging of feet. I found my sister Venus in the kitchen, occupied with a frying pan, and attempting to cook eggs. I wanted to tell her she looked pretty. 

“Hey, Camille!” She greeted me cheerfully, her blond ponytail bobbing with an equal amount of enthusiasm. 

Instead, I smiled in return. 

That day, we had egg sandwiches and grapefruit juice for breakfast. We ate in silence. I wanted to tell Venus that her cooking was great. Mom and Dad came down a few minutes later, after we had finished eating. I wanted to tell them good morning. They had proud eyes and tired smiles when presented with their own plate of breakfast. Jack, our nine-year-old brother came down later with messy hair, a whiny voice, and a sheepish grin. I wanted to tell him about the new comic section I had found in the newspaper.

That day, Venus convinced me to go on a walk with her and our family dog, Tilly. As we walked, I remembered the Christmas we had received Tilly. How he was supposed to be all of ours. I remembered how Venus, with her bubbly personality and soothing voice had stolen him away. I didn’t mind, because Tilly’s tail wagged harder with her than it ever did with the rest of us. I wanted to tell her that Tilly was destined to be hers.

That day Venus and Tilly padded across dampened leaves and splashed in the bank of the icy cold river. I sat at a distance picking at rocks, choosing which ones to choose for my rock collection. “Hey, Camille!” she called, “Are you ever going to join us?” I wanted to say yes. 

That day, Venus and I greeted Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, their eyes brimming with wisdom, and their faces full of wrinkles. They sat at their porch, merrily reading the local newspaper. Venus’s blue eyes twinkled at them and she cracked a joke that made them laugh outrageously loud. I wanted to tell her that I didn’t get it. But instead, I laughed along. 

That day we all sat and ate dinner together; as a family. We had large plates of spaghetti and meatballs. I wanted to tell Mom that her cooking was great. Later, when the blush of twilight seeped across the sky, I caught Venus sneaking out her window; off to see Brian, a boyfriend I had long come to like, and even consider a part of the family. But I never told her, so Venus would never know. “You can’t tell Mom or Dad. We’re just meeting at Brancheau Park, ok? I’ll be back soon anyways.” 

That day, I watched Venus climb out of her window with long golden curls, a blue leather jacket and a pleated skirt. I wanted to ask where she got that jacket. It was pretty. I marveled at her cheerleading trophies aligned across her shelves and perfectly spaced. I wanted to tell her how cool they looked. How I wanted to be a cheerleader like her. After an hour or so, I checked on Mom, Dad and Jack. They were consumed by the TV, and I was a ball of anxiety waiting for my older sister to come back. She had been gone for an uncomfortable amount of time. So, I snuck out. 

That day, I hid in an umbrella of darkness and listened to an argument break out between Venus and Brian. The argument was loud enough to hear from behind the thick brush I hid behind. The couple was in Brian’s car, and the windows were cracked barely an inch. When I try to remember what the dispute was I come up blank. Something about cheating I think. I listened and watched as they screamed angrily at each other, with unimaginable fury. 

That day, I watched a flurry of hands and teeth, violently digging into each other. I wanted to tell them to stop. That they were scaring me. But they didn’t even know I was here. Before long, Brian’s body went limp. And I had wanted to scream. I ran home without a second glance, breathless and shocked.

That day, I sat on the edge of Venus’s bed and watched her crawl back into her bedroom. It was pitch black outside. Despite the incident, her hair was still perfectly styled and there wasn’t a single scratch on her body. Her smile was bright and there was her normal joy within her eyes. “It’s late, Camille. You should go to bed.” I wanted to tell her that I saw what happened.

That day, she kissed me goodnight, and I slid into the silken shelter of my bed with a spiraling head and an unhappy heart. I wanted to tell her I was scared. Scared of what she had done.

Today, I sat in an interrogation room. “Do you think your sister could’ve killed Brian, Camille?” An officer asked. 

I shook my head no. I wanted to say yes. 

That day, I had wanted to speak, to hear my voice, and feel the syllables roll off my tongue in sweet, smooth waves. But today — and for the rest of the days ahead of me — I never, ever wanted to utter another word or else all the secrets would come tumbling out. One by one.