It happened in January

It happened in January.



I can remember it as if it happened yesterday. I was walking home from school. I was twelve years old, just a kid. I remember the stillness of the afternoon winter air. This happened in January, a depressing month in my mind. Mama used to say it was the month of Death, in my eyes March is the month of death. My grandma died in March, and my Grandpa died in March as well. But the stillness of the air wasn't the only thing that made uneasy feeling come over me. It was the fact that I had left home.
"I knew i never should have left." I said to myself. I meant it in two ways, I shouldn't have left school, and I shouldn't have left home. I trudged through the freshly fallen snow, and opened the front gate. It was as white as snow, but slowly but surely chipping off, and again needed to be painted. I fumbled for my house keys, and i found them, buried in my purse. I opened the red door, and walked in.

The dishes hadn't been washed in weeks, Mom was too busy at work. The house hadn't been cleaned forever. Just then I heard a music box coming from upstairs. I made my way to the second floor, stepping on each single creaking step, of our 1850's home. It was over 200 years old. So special in a way that was unimaginable. I walked down the hall, hearing the music box. I walked into the room. There my dad was, laying on the bed curled up in a ball. wearing the same clothes he had worn the day before, and the day before that. He wreaked with the smell of not taking a shower for days. I was even starting to wonder if Dad had gotten up to use the Bathroom.
"Dad, come on you need to take a shower. You stink." i say grabbing at his wrist.
"No, Shelby. I want to stay here." he moans. Inside of him so much pain.
"Daddy tell me whats wrong? why are you like this?" I ask with tears welling in my eyes.
"Shelby I am sad, and lonely." He has tears in his eyes.

Dad was depressed because He was laid off his Job a year ago, and hasn't found anything yet. I remember dad when he was still happy go lucky dad. But now dad hasn't seen the light of day since he was laid off;

"Shelby, promise me something?" he cried. I held Daddy's hand.
"Yes daddy."
"When I'm done can you give this gun to your mom?" he grabbed a gun from the other side of his bed. I was frozen. He put the gun right to his head, and held the shinny black trigger.
"Dad don't....please." I whispered. I ran out of the room into my room, shut the door softly. Then three gunshots where heard. One.........for himself. Two......for Mom. Three.........for me. I cried. Then I returned to dad's room and cleaned up the blood and called 911. And remembered it happened in January.