Her car had died on our way to the grocery store, so she called Daddy to come rescue us.
“It’s my fault. I should’ve taken it in weeks ago. I’ve been so busy with this merger. I haven’t had time for anything else. It’s fine, I gave the tow truck driver our mechanic’s address.” He grabbed his phone and dialed a number. “Lesley, put me through to the board.”
“Michael, where are you?” I heard someone say through the phone.
“I’m sorry, Dale. My wife’s car broke down and I had to pick them up. I can—”
“Can you still make it?”
Mom looked over at him, nodding. Making a sharp turn that caused my body jolt to the right.
“Yes, I’m on my way now. In the meantime, let me bring you up to date on the building codes,” he began.
“Mommy, I want to stay up and wait for Daddy to come home,” I said, knowing he would have to go back to work.
“Daisy, why don’t you ever make it easy on me? Huh? You know you can’t wait up for Daddy. You have school in the morning. We will eat dinner and do bath time—”
“I don’t want a bath. I want to take a shower,” I interjected, gritting my teeth.
“Damn it, it’s starting to pour.” Mom ignored my comment.
Dad pressed a button and some lights came on.
“No, baby, bath time is easier on me,” she added. “Por favor ya no me contestes así, Please don’t talk to me like that anymore.”
“Yes, Dale. The figures need to match the proposal,” Dad kept on talking, ignoring us both.
“But I don’t want a bath.” I kicked my leg against the booster seat, hitting the back of hers. She gave me a warning look through the rearview mirror.
Why couldn’t she let me do what I wanted? I was a big girl. What was her problem? A bath and a shower were the same. They both got me clean. I stared out the window. I could barely make out the trees as we passed them. It really started to pour, and I could hear the drops coming down hard on the car.
“Oye, ni?a, quedate quieta,” she ordered, “Hey, little girl, quiet down. You will get a bath,” she sternly stated. “Is that a red light? Fuck, I can’t see.”
“Ooohhh! You said a bad word. Daddy, she’s in trouble!”
“Daisy, enough!” Dad yelled at me, placing his hand over the phone.
Now they were both making me mad.
“No! I want a shower! I don’t want a bath! I'm not a baby! I don’t want one! I want a shower! I don’t want a bath!” I screamed, kicking my leg against the booster seat over and over again, my feet slamming into the back of Mom’s seat.
“Daisy Julissa Mitchell Martinez!” she roared in Spanish. “I swear if you say one more word…”
I didn’t like it when she said my full name. It meant I was in big trouble.
“No! I don’t care!”
“Daisy, you don’t talk to your mother like that.”
“I hate you both, I really hate you! I wish you would just go away and leave me alone!” I yelled, regretting it immediately.
She instantly turned around and looked at me wide-eyed with a tear running down her face. I had never said that to them before. It just came out. I didn't mean it, I loved them both. I felt really bad. I was about to apologize and tell her I loved them, but I was cut off.
“AMARI!” Dad yelled out, grabbing the steering wheel. “This fucking idiot—”
The loud crashing noise that followed made me want to put my hands over my ears as my body was thrown forward. The car spun, whipping Mommy and Daddy’s bodies all around. I wanted to cover my eyes. I think I was screaming, or maybe that was my mom? My head hit something hard and my body felt like it was on a roller coaster ride, as we tumbled and tumbled and tumbled. I didn't know which way was up and which was down.
For a second, I caught a glimpse of Mommy's face in the mirror, and I swear she mouthed, “I love you.”
It all happened so fast, yet it played out in slow motion in front of my eyes. I heard glass shattering all over me, pieces flying through the air. The sound of crushing metal drowned out our screams.
When we finally stopped, an eerie silence filled the car. All I could hear were raindrops hitting what was left and rumbles of thunder in the distance. I was really dizzy and tired. It was hard for me to open my eyes, but when I did, what I saw…
Would forever haunt me.
***
A week went by before we stood in the pouring rain. A black umbrella placed high above our heads, a man I had only just met holding it securely in place behind us. I watched the raindrops fall, forming puddles all around us, shuddering with every single drop.
She said he was her baby brother who loved me very much but he was a very busy man and couldn’t come visit us. He always sent me gifts for my birthday and holidays so I always believed what my mommy had said. But now I wasn’t so sure.
He never smiled.
He didn’t laugh.
He barely even spoke to me.