The Undertaking of Adam Novak

by Sofie Hern

  She cries and attempts to approach Jordyn but she’s told to stand back.

  “What’s happening?” she asks and the EMTs looks at one another.

  One of them radios in a police unit and Irene is told to step out of the room.

  –

  She leans against the wall in the hallway and continues to cry with her face in her hands. Five minutes later a police officer walks up the stairs and into the room and Irene follows. She stays near the door and one of the officers turns to her. He approaches and leads her by the arm, out of the room.

  “I’m sorry ma’am, but… your daughter is deceased.”

  Irene wants to smile but cries instead as her body starts to tremble. “No!” she manages and the police officer escorts her down to the family room.

  –

  She sits on the sofa and the police officer stays with her until a detective arrives and he goes right upstairs where he stays for a long time. Irene needs to know what’s going on, what’s being said because she isn’t sure why a detective was called. She asks the officer if she can smoke and he says she can. She needs to stay in control.

  –

  Iren’s heart is pounding in her chest and she isn’t quite sure if it’s nerves or pleasure. The detective comes down after a long time and sits next to her. He takes out a notepad and a pen.

  “I’m sorry for your loss, Mrs.?”

  “Irene Novak.” She continues to cry.

  “I’m detective Owen Phillips,” he says and they shake hands. He’s an older man with a bald head and bony skull. His chocolate color skin looks ashy and his hand feels rough.

  “Mrs. Novak, as you can imagine we need to ask a few questions.”

  She nods, but doesn’t understand. Couldn’t the officers just say it was a suicide? Why get this man involved?

  “Was your daughter depressed?”

  Irene nods. “Her aunt passed away a few weeks ago and… her stepdad just moved to California.” Her voice is shaky with nerves.

  “Is her father in the picture?”

  She shakes her head. “He's been gone for years, but… she and her stepfather were close.”

  “Where do you keep your automotive supplies?”

  “In… in the car, but… I… I haven’t used it and… It’s in the car.”

  You’re rambling, Irene. This was not the plan!

  The detective looks at her for a moment, then writes some more down.

  “The coroner will be here soon. Do you mind if we look around?”

  “No… go ahead.”

  He and an officer walk the house and she wonders what the hell they’re looking for and tries to remain calm. She thinks about calling Adam, but has to wait until they make it official. Moments later the detective returns.

  “Anything else we need to know, Mrs. Novak?”

  The question makes her uneasy. “What… what do you mean?”

  “Was there anyone else in the home?”

  “Just me and her... I… I was worried because her school called to tell me that she didn’t show up and I went to check her room and that’s… when I found her.” She’s rambling again. She continues to answer questions and soon the coroner arrives.

  8

  IRENE

  While detective Phillips continues to gather evidence, Irene calls Adam who doesn’t answer. She tries three times with no luck and on her last try decides to leave a message.

  “Adam… I need you, please call me… our daughter is gone!” she cries and ends the call.

  She’s confident that Adam will be home soon, consoling her. He’s a softy and doesn’t have the heart to leave a grieving mother alone. She then calls Colin and tells him what’s happening and he says that he’ll be home in a couple of hours.

  She waits patiently for the authorities to finish their investigation. Periodically the detective comes downstairs to ask Irene more questions. She’s feeling nervous because this is taking a lot longer than she expected.

  The coroner arrives and Irene knows the investigation—no, not an investigation, because obviously, this is a suicide. Whatever the hell this is should be wrapping up soon. Minutes later, Phillips comes downstairs.

  “Please have a seat,” he tells her.

  Her heart starts to race when the detective places a small recorder on the table. What the hell?

  “I need to take your statement, Mrs. Novak.”

  She nods, eagerly but isn’t sure why he needs to do such a thing.

  He hits the record button on the device and starts to speak. “Mrs. Novak, at what time did you find your daughter in her room?”

  “Am I in some kind of trouble?”

  “Not at all. This is routine. I just need to get your statement.”

  She knows she needs to get her story straight from the start. She takes a deep breath and says, “I woke up around eight and found a message on my phone from her school. They told me she didn’t show up.”

  “Do you normally wake up at that time?”

  “Yes.”

  He nods and lets her continue.

  “I went to check her room thinking maybe she overslept or that maybe I’d find her backpack, some indication as to why she missed school,” she makes herself cry. “I opened the door and I saw her and I went to wake her, but she wasn’t moving.”

  “When was the last time you saw her alive?”

  Irene wants to sound like a good mother and not a slob who sleeps all day and doesn’t send her daughter to school. “Last night, at… at dinner, I ordered in and we watched a movie.”

  “How did she appear?”

  “Distant. She um… looked sad and went to sleep early.”

  “You said her aunt passed away?”

  “Yes, a few weeks ago and then her stepdad moved away and… uh… There’s something else I need to share.”

  The man nods.

  “She told me that she had a crush on my husband and since he moved away she wasn’t the same.”

  She needs to sell this so that Adam understands that this is his fault and stays with her, even if out of guilt.

  “Did your husband know that?”

  “No. No, I don’t think so. When she told me, she asked me not to tell him.”

  “When did she tell you this?”

  “Oh, a while back?”

  “Were you upset to learn how she felt?”

  Shit! “No. No, I wasn’t.”

  The man nods. “You found her in bed and what happened next?”

  Irene tries to recall what she did. “Then I took my phone and dialed 911.”

  “Can you tell me where you keep the automotive supplies?”

  “Well, uh…,” Shit! What the hell did she say last time? Okay, calm down, Irene. But she can’t remember what she said before. This is not good. “I… m-my husband was the one to care for the cars. Maybe in the car?”

  Phillips nods to the officer who leaves the room to look for the products. He turns off the recorder and puts it in his pocket.

  “Do you have anyone you need to call or relatives that you can stay with?”

  “My son is on his way.”

  The detective stands and they walk to the dining room as they bring Jordyn’s body down. Irene starts to cry and follows the men to the coroner’s van and watches as they take her daughter away.

  Soon the coroner’s team emerges from the house; carrying paper bags which Irene assumes contain evidence. She wills her mind to go back to last night. Did she miss anything?

  “What happens next?” she asks the detective.

  “She’ll be taken to the coroner’s office for an autopsy and they’ll give us the cause of death.”

  “She killed herself, what more do you want?” Her voice is high.

  “As I said, it’s routine. The examination will tell us for sure. They’ll see if in fact, she consumed the liquid and how much of it.”

  “When will we know?”

  “The autopsy is going to be done within twenty-four to forty-eight hours.
You’ll be able to transfer her body to a funeral home soon thereafter.”

  “When will we know the cause of death?” She hopes that she doesn’t sound too impatient.

  The detective looks intensely at her, making her nervous. “There will be a significant delay. I honestly cannot say for sure at this time. All I can tell you, Mrs. Novak is that there’s more to this than we know. Do you know if she has a boyfriend?”

  She shakes her head. “No. Not that I know of. What do you mean about… more?”

  “We’ll stay in touch. We’ll have more info once we get the cause of death.” He shakes Irene’s hand and hands her his card. “You can reach me at this number if you recall any new information, Mrs. Novak. And once again, I’m sorry for your loss.”

  Irene takes the card and nods at the detective who walks to his car. She is left confused and worried as everyone pulls out. When they’re gone, she turns to go inside, but suddenly feels scared to be alone. She takes a deep breath and walks inside.

  –

  She goes to the family room and sits on the sofa and starts to laugh hysterically. “She’s gone!” she says, laughing. “She’s really gone!” And then starts to cry.

  She doesn’t want to cry though. “Stop it!” she hisses and starts to slap at herself. “Don’t you fucking cry, Irene!” And laughs once again. She takes a deep breath, sinks into the sofa and closes her eyes.

  –

  It’s dark out when she’s awakened by the doorbell and opens her eyes. “Adam!” she says and gets to her feet, but before answering the door, she makes herself cry, so Adam can see just how devastated she is.

  She opens the door and is shocked to see Jaycob standing in front of her.

  “Jaycob, what… what are you doing here? Where’s Adam?” she asks and looks behind him, hoping to see Adam.

  Jaycob turns to see what she’s looking at, then back at her. He stands with his hands in the pockets of his jacket. “He’s not here… he had to stay in LA. Aaron just had surgery and he’s needed there.”

  Irene is confused and furious. She walks into the family room without saying a word and Jaycob follows, closing the door behind him.

  She sits on the sofa and lights a cigarette while Jaycob stands at the threshold.

  “What happened to Jordyn?”

  She says nothing.

  “How did it happen?”

  Irene lets out smoke and says nothing. She sits with one leg crossed over the other wishing that Jaycob would just shut the fuck up. She’s angry now. How can Adam not show up? She wonders. Is that little bastard more important than me? She takes another drag from her cigarette and lets out another cloud of smoke.

  Jaycob takes a step closer. “Irene, what—”

  “Get out!”

  He looks confused. “I’m here to—”

  “Get the fuck out of my house!”

  She puts out the cigarette, walks toward him and he takes a few steps back.

  “I’m sorry. I—”

  Irene launches at him and starts hitting him on his chest and arms. She’s so fucking angry and she needs Adam. Only Adam. Always Adam.

  “Get out… Get out!”

  All Jaycob can do is cover his face with his hands and then Colin walks in. He drops his bag and pulls his mother away from Jaycob.

  “Mom, stop it!” he tells her, as Irene tries to kick Jaycob.

  Colin helps her sit on the sofa. She’s crying and Colin sits with her, holding her.

  “I’m here, mom,” he says, soothing her back. “I’m here.”

  Jaycob is standing at the threshold and Colin turns to him. “Sorry, Jake. I think you better go.”

  Jaycob nods and leaves the house.

  Colin takes a deep breath and asks, “What happened, mom?”

  But Irene is still too angry to speak.

  Colin lets go of her and she gets to her feet. “She drank antifreeze.”

  “What?”

  They’re in silence for a long time while Irene paces the room.

  Colin stands and makes his way to Jordyn’s room and she follows, scared to see what’s left.

  –

  Colin walks in and sees the blood and vomit-covered mattress and pillow. He gasps and steps back, nearly stepping on his mom. He stands against the wall across from his sister’s room and slides down to the floor.

  He sits; hugging his knees and starts to sob. He suddenly feels sick and crawls into the bathroom.

  Irene walks in the bathroom moments later with an orange bucket and fills it with water, then takes it to Jordyn’s room.

  –

  She’s glad that the investigation is over but is still confused as to why Adam didn’t come. She was so sure that he’d be here, consoling her. He did it with the boy, why not now?

  Colin joins her in the room and they start to clean up.

  “I hate you.” Irene’s sure she hears someone whisper and looks around. I’m losing it; she thinks and shakes her head. Keep it together, Irene.

  9

  ADAM

  We lost Jordyn a week ago and I still can’t come to terms with this sad reality. Jaycob stayed in California taking care of Aaron while I’m in Henderson. He’s doing extremely well, Aaron is, and Dr. Barksdale is delighted with his progress. We were told that he may leave the hospital within the next few days. His memory of the accident, however, is still gone. His doctor calls it dissociative amnesia. His brain is protecting him from remembering that horrible event.

  When Jaycob confirmed that in fact Jordyn was gone; I was broken and blamed myself. Still do. I should have thought about her when I left. I should have kept her with me. I should have done more for her. There are so many should-haves and now she’s gone. After Jaycob’s encounter with Irene the week before, I decided best to attend the funeral myself and check on her.

  –

  I’m sitting by her coffin, alone at the cemetery. Everyone is gone and I want to be alone with Jordyn. It feels absolutely unreal to know that she’s in there. The clouds gather and the sun is going down. The smell of rain hangs in the air as it had rained hours before. I look around and know I may be the only one left in the cemetery. It should be closing at any moment now, but I remain seated.

  It’s only been weeks since I stood by Tianna’s coffin, telling her goodbye and now I had to say goodbye to my little girl.

  I was by Irene’s side during the funeral. She’s absolutely devastated and I held her hand through it all. She apologized for her actions against Jaycob the week before and I told her I understood that she was in a bad place when he showed up. She wanted to stay at the cemetery with me, but I told her I needed time alone. She understood and Colin took her home where she said she’d be waiting for me.

  I’m not looking forward to that because I know she wants me to come back, but I can’t and my heart breaks for her. Colin decided to move back home and I’m glad about that. I still don’t know how long I'll be in California and I can’t help Irene. All I can do is make sure that she has what she needs.

  Jaycob and I have been thinking about moving to California permanently. Charles wants to expand his business and maybe open a branch there, but it’s still just talk. Jaycob was hired at Howard’s radio station delivering mail, filing, and doing all sorts of administrative work and he sees no reason to come back.

  The sun is almost gone and the night is getting cold.

  “Adam?”

  The voice comes from behind me. I turn around and find her with her hands in the pockets of her coat.

  “Rita.” I stand and go to give her a hug. “What are you doing here?” I ask.

  “I was worried about you. Jaycob said you might still be here.” She looks around. “They’re closing soon, Adam, and it’s freezing out here… come on.”

  She wraps an arm around my waist and walks me away from Jordyn and I start to cry. We stop and she stands in front of me then wraps her arms around me. I lower my head and cry into her shoulder.

  I am amazed by her streng
th and faith. “She's not here Adam. She's in heaven… and she’ll be with you, always.”

  I pull away and wipe tears away. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don't be sorry. She meant so much to you. You raised her as your own.”

  We continue to walk in the cold and finally arrive at our cars.

  “Will you be okay?”

  “Yes. Thanks, Rita.”

  She gives me another hug.

  “Going home?”

  I shake my head and take the keys from my pocket. “I need to go check on Irene before I head back to LA.”

  “Please be safe.”

  “I will.”

  We hug once again.

  –

  I arrive at Irene’s and I’m glad to see that there’s no one else there. I take a deep breath and get out of the car to the cold night. I walk up the porch, ring the bell and Colin answers the door.

  He looks lost and broken. His brown eyes have shadows under them. He’s as tall as I am now and his blond hair is longer.

  “Hey.”

  “How is she?” I ask as he lets me in.

  “A bit better.” He closes the door.

  –

  I stand in front of her in the family room. She’s drinking wine and puts the glass on the table, then stands to give me a hug.

  “Thanks for coming.”

  I nod and she sits back down. “Did you think about it?”

  I’m confused. “About what?”

  She rolls her eyes. “Moving back.”

  I can only sigh.

  “I need you here, Adam.”

  I sit next to her in silence for a moment.

  “I need to return to LA tomorrow.”

  She sinks into the sofa with her arms crossed over her chest, reminding me of a child who pouts when he doesn’t get what he wants.

  “You don't care, do you?”

  I shake my head and turn to her. “I do… I just…”

  “What?”

  God, she looks so broken. “I need to move on, Irene, and so should you. I’ll help you with whatever you need.”