Hit Hard

Charlene put her folder down on the white entry way table. She walked across hall of her apartment. She loved the sound of her high heels on the dark wooden floors that covered all of her duplex apartment. She walked into the kitchen and leaned up against the granite-topped island and sighed.

She looked out the windows at the city around her. Both her living room and bedroom had a wall that was mostly windows as well. She liked that it was open. She loved everything about her house. It was her baby. She had to work hard for it, and she had made it into what she considered was the epitome of the modernly classy style.

When she finished, she walked up the staircase to the second floor and went down the hall to her bedroom, and started working on her computer. Her phone rang.

“Hey, mom!” Charlene said.

“Charlie Anne!” Her mom exclaimed. “I’m surprised you haven’t called me yet.”

“I don’t like being called that anymore.” Charlene replied. “You know that.”

“I’m sorry, but that’s what I’ve know you by since your brothers nicknamed you that when you were four.”

“Mom, they did it to annoy you.” Charlene rolled her eyes. “So how are you and dad hanging in there?”

“Good.” Her mother replied. “We had Aunt Annie’s birthday lunch today. I wish you could’ve come, hon.”

“Me too, but I just can’t leave and come to Oklahoma whenever I want.”

“I know, but Jason couldn’t come either.” Her mother said. “Y’all left us here.”

“After what happened, don't you think that both of us would want to get as far way from there as possible?” Charlene asked.

“I know, but - “

“Please don’t do this now.” Charlene begged.

“I won’t. I have to go anyways. Your father and I are going to dinner.” She paused. “He says ‘Hi”.”

“Bye, Mom.”

“Bye, Charlie.”

Charlene rolled her eyes. She knew why her mother insisted on calling her “Charlie Ann”. Her brother had nicknamed her that when she was four, before he died. For her mom it was familiar. For Charlene it was a painful reminder of the day her brother died.

Charlene had grown up with two older brothers, Jason and Tyler. It was summer, and Tyler was home from college. He had just had his freshman year at University of Oklahoma playing for the football team. He was taking Jason, who at the time, was a senior in highschool, and Charlene who was a junior, out to one of his high school classmates’ reunion bonfire the night he died.

Charlene still remembered the night vividly. It was dusk. The road was damp, and Tyler was speeding in his Jeep while telling Jason about the beauty of college football and sorority parties. Charlene sat in the back seat and fiddled with the frayed edges of her cut off denim shorts.

“Charlie!” Tyler called. He glanced at her in the rear view mirror. “What's it like without me around all the time?”

“Boring!” Charlene stretched her arms over her head and felt the air rush over them. She loved riding with the top down. Especially when they went fast. “Jason is such a snooze!” She pushed his shoulder from behind.

“Am not!” He turned to face her. “I’m definitely the funnest brother.”

“Hah!” Tyler bragged. “I’m the one with the car that brings you two along to all the parties.”

“Ty, there are like 10 people in this town.” Charlene said. “Everyone goes to the parties. I could find a ride from anyone.”

“Not as fun of a ride tho-”

Charlene didn’t know what happened, but she felt the car jerk off the road and speed down a small hill. She looked up in time to see the car going straight towards a huge tree. She jolted forward and hit her head on the seat in front of her when the car collided with the tree. She tried as hard as she could to keep her eyes open, but her eyelids fell, and she just couldn’t keep them open.

They were all wearing seatbelts, but still, Jason got a concussion, and broke his nose and collarbone, and Charlene was knocked unconscious, got a gash up her arm, and had terrible whiplash but Tyler was sitting right where the tree hit the car. He was declared dead on the site.

It killed Charlene to think about that night. Her and her brothers were best friends. She didn’t think her mom would understand what it was like to feel the car go off the road, and to only be able to scream as she saw a tree headed straight for her big brother, then feel pain of her head hitting the seat of the car, and to fade into unconsciousness right when your siblings need you. She couldn’t understand the memories that were tied to that nickname. She didn’t think her mom would ever stop using her nickname.

She picked up the framed picture of her and her brothers from the year before their accident. It was taken on Tyler’s last football game as a senior in highschool. He and Jason were holding their helmets and laughing with Charlene who was in her cheerleading uniform. It was a candid picture taken after a win that perfectly described their close relationship. Charlene made a mental note to call her brother soon.

She sat in silence for a few minutes when her phone woke her from her trance. Her boss was calling her. At eleven thirty at night. She rolled her eyes angrily and ignored the call. She did not want to deal with him right now, but there was something she had been debating doing all night. She opened up the folder that she had thrown on her bed and put Claude’s number into her phone. After some hesitation, she tapped out a text to him, and after even more hesitation, she sent it.

Notes