I don’t wear watches. It seems that no one does anymore, except for the older generation that grew up without phones. My sister wore a watch. She was 12 when she asked for one for Christmas. She got one but soon destroyed it. She spent all of her money on a new one, just to break it again.
I’m sitting at my kitchen table, a cup of tea steaming next to me. The house looks gloomier than usual today. The kitchen was shrouded in grey light, the sun hiding behind clouds since it rose. It’s almost as if the world knew what happened. I’m holding her watch in my hand, running my fingers along the smooth face. She never went anywhere without a watch. If she were still here, maybe now I would ask her why.
I sighed and got up with the intention of getting honey for my tea. I stood, my loose grip failing as I watched the face of the watch shatter against the ground. I mumbled curse words as I grabbed the watch by its strap and set it onto the table. There were a few remaining shards of glass on it, and the hands were broken. It was badly damaged.
I suppressed tears as I went to grab the broom from the closet. I sweeped up my mess, thinking about how much I missed her. I also thought about how I was supposed to break the news to my boyfriend, Will. I wondered how he would react.
He liked my sister enough. They were never close, and he mostly just tolerated her. He didn’t like how much she cut others off in conversation, and how she always insisted she was right without considering others opinions first. I always shrugged when he said this, because he was right, but I didn’t want to admit it. Especially now.
I dumped the shards of glass from the dustpan and into the trash. I heard keys jingling from outside the front door before the door opened, the heavy footsteps from Will echoing throughout the room. He walked into the kitchen, his nose pink from the chill outside.
“Hey,” I greeted in a weak voice, setting down the dustpan on the counter.
I walked up to him quickly, wrapping my arms around his neck and inhaling. He smelled like cotton candy, which was typical for him. I buried my head into the soft shoulder of his grey hoodie. He wrapped his arms around me and we stood together for a while.
“You’ve been smoking,” I said into his shoulder.
“My brother called today. Said he just got out of rehab, and he needed some money. I couldn’t give him anything.”
“I’m sorry,” I murmured as he let go of me.
“It’s for the best,” He said, giving me a weak smile.
I knew that smile. It was heavy with disappointment in his younger brother, the sadness that he could never shake. He knew that his mother had always wanted him to take care of him, but how could he if his brother could never take care of himself in the first place? His sadness weighed on me like a brick. I always wished I could do something.
“My mom called today,” I sighed, “My sister died.”
“Oh my God,” He said, his expression dropping, “Are you okay?”
My eyes welled with tears as his question hit me. I feebly shook my head no. I was wrapped up in his arms once again as I felt warm tears fall from my face.
“What happened?”
“We don’t know,” I said with a shaky voice in between sobs, “They found her dead on the outskirts of highway 51 this morning. My mom just called and said she was dead, didn’t say anything about how or why.”
“It’s okay,” He said, holding me tighter.
“It’s not okay,” I replied, crying harder.
I don’t know how long we stood there. It felt like days until the tears stopped flowing and I stood sniffling into his hoodie.
“Why don’t you lay down?” He suggested, rubbing circles onto my back, “I’ll make coffee or something, and we can watch a movie.”
I nodded and disconnected from him, collapsing onto the living room couch. It was no surprise to me that I fell asleep, tired from all the crying. I was momentarily disturbed by the ringing of my cell phone, but it was quickly silenced as Will took it into the other room and answered it with a, “Hello?”.
I awoke again to a loud crash of thunder from outside the house. I stood up, the blanket that Will set on me falling to the floor. I quickly picked it up and set it on the couch before my gaze snapped to the kitchen. I saw my sister there, her ghastly figure standing ominously with a luminescent glow, holding the watch that I had broken earlier. I blinked and she was gone.
My heart pounded as I hurried up the stairs to mine and Will’s room. I opened the door slowly, glancing back to make sure she wasn’t there again. I then walked in and shut the door in the same silent manner, getting into the bed and falling asleep again. I dreamt of her dead body and the ghost of her that stood in my kitchen.
The funeral was two days after I learned of her death. It was cold and rainy, the people crowded around me shrouded in black. They provided no warmth.
The casket was closed. Nobody asked why. My parents didn’t tell anyone why. But I knew. I couldn’t shake the visual of the bullet hole in the center of her forehead, the one that Will had to tell me about.
I felt empty as I stared at the fine wood. I was expected to make a speech to the whole crowd, but my parents knew I wouldn’t. A priest spoke a few words before my father did, talking about Luna’s life. All I could hear was the raindrops hitting the casket and dripping onto the ground.
The next day, I went to her place. I was supposed to be cleaning everything out and getting the property ready to go back on the market. I noticed her house as soon as I drove up to it. It was large, much larger than any other houses on the street. The dark siding made the house seem like a looming cloud over the block.
I parked in her driveway and got out, walking into her house and up to her bedroom right away. My father would come for the large furniture later, but I had to pack up her clothes. I started in her closet, turning on the light and staring at everything she had. The walk-in closet was filled with designer clothes, more expensive than anything I ever owned.
I folded all of the hanging clothes with care, putting them all in a box. It took me a few hours to get through the majority of the closet, including the shoes, and all I had left were a few felt boxes that remained in the corner.
I opened one, finding outdated Gucci coats covered with dirt. I didn’t think anything of it, putting it in a separate box so it could be cleaned later. I opened the next box and stuck my hand in, pulling out a shirt that felt like it was caked in something. I brought it out of the closet and towards the light, finding the white shirt to be covered in rusty red spots.
I immediately gasped and dropped it, the shirt fluttering to the ground. My head filled with different thoughts. Who do I call? What do I do? Who really was my sister?
I stormed out of the closet and picked up my phone, dialing Will’s number. I hyperventilated into the phone. He picked up on the 5th ring.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Will, you need to come here. Right now. I’m at Luna’s house and I-- I found something and-- you need to get here right now.”
“Take a deep breath. I’m leaving right now, I’ll be there soon. Do you want me to call the police or something? Or your dad?”
“No, Will, just please, get here as fast as you can.”
He hung up the phone after that. I anxiously took a deep breath in, glancing at the shirt laying on the floor. I looked back to my phone and decided to call my dad.
“Hello?” He answered.
“It’s me, Dad,”
“Oh, hi. How’s cleaning Luna’s house going?”
“How much did you really know about Luna’s life? About what she did?”
“I knew enough I mean-- why?”
“I just found a bloody shirt in her closet.”
There was a brief pause on the other side of the phone. I felt my heart race against my chest as I heard my dad sigh on the other side of the phone.
“There was a lot that you didn’t know about Luna,” He said, “She--”
“You knew?!” I said, cutting him off.
He sighed into the phone again. “Listen, this is not a conversation to have on the phone. We need to talk--”
I hung up the phone, setting it down on the bed nearby. I heard the door open downstairs, footsteps going up to the room following that. Will came in, his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes wide. I immediately pointed to the shirt on the floor.
Will looked at it with wide eyes, walking around it and closer to me.
“I don’t know what to do,” I said with a choked-up voice.
Will grabbed a broom nearby and used it to scoop up the shirt, moving it back into the closet. However, when he picked it up, a little slip of paper fell from the pile of fabric. I immediately picked it up. It read Stefan - (755) 809-7873.
Will came out of the closet without the shirt and the broom, moving next to me to read the paper.
“My dad said that there were a lot of things that I didn’t know about Luna,” I started, “Do you think this guy would tell us?”
“This could be dangerous,” Will said, “I mean, wouldn’t you rather hear it from your dad than some guy we don’t know?”
“My dad has been lying to me for years now. Right now, I trust this guy much more than him.”
Will sighed, grabbing his phone from his pocket and dialing the number. He put in on speaker phone as it rang.
“Ann’s Italian Dining, how may I help you?” A man with a gruff voice said on the other side of the phone.
Will and I looked at each other, clearly taken off guard.
“May I speak to Stefan?” I asked, keeping my voice firm.
The man on the other end of the phone hung up, causing jaw to drop. Will’s eyes narrowed.
“That’s a bad business move,” Will said, earning a glare from me.
“Should we go there? Ask for Stefan?” I said, crossing my arms.
“I don’t know,” Will started, “Everything seems shady and... just wrong. I hate to say this, but what if we end up like Luna?”
I formed my mouth into a thin line and looked down to the ground.
“I have to know, Will.” I said in a small voice.
“All right,” He said in the same small voice, wrapping his arms around me for a hug.
We stood together briefly before he let me go, taking out his phone and looking up the directions for the restaurant. We left Luna’s house quickly, driving to the restaurant. It looked like every other restaurant. It was a little run-down, but it blended in with every other shop on the street.
Will held the door open for me to walk in. The host stood behind a wooden podium. He was tall and had broad shoulders. His eyes were dark and unforgiving, and he glowered at me as I walked in.
“Hi,” I greeted, “We’re here to see Stefan.”
“Table for two,” He replied immediately, grabbing two menus.
“No, I--” I started, but was cut off.
“Table for two.” He repeated.
Will and I exchanged a confused glance as we followed the man. He set two menus down on a booth by the window before walking away. We sat down, not touching our menus.
“What is going on?” Will said.
“You’re asking me,” I said.
“There’s a man walking towards us.” Will said, looking behind me. I didn’t turn around to face him.
The man slid into the booth next to Will. He looked friendly enough, and vaguely familiar. He was a tall, very muscular man with dark hair and eyes that looked black. He had an unlit cigarette in between his lips. He took out a lighter as soon as he sat, lighting his cigarette before putting it back in his pocket.
“So,” He said, taking a drag, “What are you two doing, asking for me?”
“You’re Stefan?” I asked.
He nodded, taking another drag.
“Do you know my sister, Luna?” I asked.
His eyes immediately flicked up at me, and he froze.
“What about her? What happened?”
“Why was a card with your name and your phone number in a bloody shirt in her closet?” I asked in a firm voice.
“Who are you? How do you know Luna?” He shot back.
I sighed, wanting him to answer my question. “I’m her sister. That’s my boyfriend, Will. So, tell me why your card was in a bloody shirt in her room.”
Stefan sighed and took a final drag of his cigarette before putting it out.
“Luna and I were in love. We dated our senior year of high school. After we graduated, she wanted to go to college, but I had to run my family business. I’m sure you can tell, it’s not just a restaurant. We run the mob for this part of the town. I had to break up with her to protect her, and I put her on a protection list. The mob monitored her and always made sure she was saved. She came back to town after college. We reconnected, but I knew we could never be together. Sometimes I came into her house after jobs, bleeding and injured. She would take care of me. I felt back for always crashing into her place in the dead of night, so I started funneling money into her account. I don’t know. It’s a mess, but I know she’s safe.”
“She’s not,” I said, “She’s dead.”
“What?” He said, his voice breaking.
I swear I could see the tears in his eyes, but he quickly shoved them back down.
“What happened to her?” He asked, voice breaking.
“She was shot. The funeral was yesterday.”
There was a silence at the table for a couple of seconds. Stefan grabbed another cigarette and lit it quickly.
“The protection list extends to heirs after the original holder dies. Seeing as she had no children, that transfers to you.”
“Why? Why can’t it just end?”
“I don’t know. It’s a tradition.”
I sighed. “So what? I’m going to be watched for the rest of my life?”
“Until I die, yeah. Pretty much.”
I sighed one more time, getting up. “Well, Stefan, thank you for your time. We’ll be going now.”
Will and I got up, leaving the restaurant and the secrets behind.
Two days later, we’re sitting on the couch at home. A movie is on the television, and there is a cup of tea steaming next to me. Will’s hand is in mine. My attention turns from the television to a moving bush outside. Will squeezes my hand, turning my attention back to him. I smile, knowing we are safe.