AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Stay with her,” Dad urged before he ran toward the house.
“Where’s Mom?” Rami cried.
Our next-door neighbor and a firefighter grabbed my dad to keep him from going near the house. A scream tore from within the flames. Mom?
“My wife is in there!”
The firefighters had to help! When I started toward the house, Dominykas called my name.
“No! Mom is in there!” I yelled.
“Mom!” Rami cried, growing restless next to my brother. He continued to call my name while trying to calm Rami down. I held my stomach as I stared at our home while our mom was dying.
Dad yelled for someone to help his wife. A few neighbors surrounded him. Oh my God! This couldn’t be happening!
“Justinas!” Rami cried out for me. I turned and looked at her and then at Dominykas.
“Please sit down with us, Justinas,” Dominykas begged.
I sat on the other side of Rami. When my brother took hold of her hand, I did the same. Dominykas stretched his arm across Rami’s back and curled his hand around my shoulder, grasping a handful of my shirt.
For whatever reason, I kept my eyes on the side gate, waiting for Mom to appear. Every few seconds, I looked down the street to see if I could spot Adomas. All I could see in front of his house were some neighbors.
With the neighbor’s help, Dad made his way over to us. He crouched in front of Rami, and she lunged forward into his arms.
“I’m so sorry, baby.” He sobbed. “I’m so sorry,” he said as he pulled Dominykas and me into a hug. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t save your mother.”
I couldn’t say anything or even wrap my head around what had happened. I rested the side of my face against my dad’s shoulder while I watched the house. As the firemen battled the hot flames, I could see some of the most disgusting, hateful words and phrases that had been spray painted on our home … or what was left of it.
This was my fault.
* * *
The morning following the fire, we were all in the hospital being checked over, when all of my injuries from the alley were discovered. I explain what happened, and the police linked the home fires and spray-painted messages to the incident in the alley. It was weird because Dad cried when he heard what had happened. I didn’t know if he cried because he was still sad about Mom, or because I was hurt, or if he was upset I was out in the alley doing what I did.
Did he hate me?
I went into a silent, recluse mode.
I didn’t want to talk to anyone.
I didn’t want to see anyone.
I didn’t want anyone to touch me.
Before we left the hospital, Rami had a seizure. At least we were at the hospital. Dad was able to get new prescriptions for Rami, which she needed badly. My stomach dropped when the pharmacist told my dad the total. We didn’t even have a home right now.
The week following the fire, we stayed with a family Dad knew from work. The police and fire investigators finished needing access to what was left of our home. I overheard Dad talking to people, saying the police were calling it arson and that it looked to have been motivated by hate groups.
That I caused.
It was finally deemed safe for us to go back to the house and see if anything was salvageable. Dad asked Dominykas to stay with Rami while he and I went back.
On our way, we went by Adomas’ house. Yellow tape surrounded the property, and all that remained were a few braces and the concrete steps. Our house wasn't burned to the ground; not like Adomas’ was. On many of the sleepless nights I’d had since the fire, I wondered if that was because they knew his dad was in possession of banned magazines.
Both Adomas and his father died in the fire.
Same as my mom.
