Who Did What?

On a sweltering day in the warehouse, the air thick with sweat and grime, I was right in the thick of it. My colleagues and I were clearing out storage lockers that once belonged to clients who had lost their possessions to auction. The work was relentless, the atmosphere stifling, but we pushed through, determined to complete our tasks. My phone rang abruptly, jarring me from the rhythm of our labor. The screen displayed my dad’s name, and as I answered the call, I was met with the gut-wrenching sound of his tear-filled screams. My heart plummeted to my stomach, and the room seemed to spin around me. “He’s dead! He’s dead!” my father sobbed, his voice barely comprehensible through the tears. My mind raced, and panic set in. “Who?!” I demanded, desperate for answers. As my father relayed the tragic news, I struggled to process the reality of the situation. A relative of mine, someone who had been an influential figure in my life and the lives of those around him, had passed away under the most heartrending circumstances. Although our relationship had grown distant over the years, his Hollywood aspirations and the role he played in shaping my own path had left an indelible mark on my life. The phone call seemed to go on for an eternity as relatives reached out to one another for support, trying to come to terms with the devastating loss. In those few seconds before I knew who had passed, my mind ran wild, imagining the worst possible scenarios and the unbearable pain that would come with each one. Upon learning the identity of my fallen cousin, I was shattered. I abandoned my post at the warehouse, barely holding it together as I stumbled to the nearest liquor store. I picked up a six-pack of beer, my crutch and my refuge in times of pain, and retreated to my room. I fell onto my mattress, feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders. Alone with my anguish, I cracked open the first can and let the bitterness numb my senses. My tears mixed with the alcohol, blurring the line between self-pity and self-destruction.