I Took Her Fall, Now They Disown Me

On my 18th birthday, I take the fall for my sister, Josephine Walker, and plead guilty to felony hit-and-run. My parents fall to their knees before me, kneeling on the floor until they bleed. "Edwin, you've saved our family! When you get out, we'll spend the rest of our lives making it up to you!" Josephine, too, wraps her arms around me and sobs until she passes out. "I'll never forget what you've done for me, Ed. I owe you everything," she says. I endure the humiliation for their sake, clinging to the promises they made me. At last, after serving my full sentence, I walk free. At the dinner table, years of exhaustion catch up with me, and I let out a quiet sigh. Hearing that, Dad slams his fork down on the table. "What's with the sighing? Is the food not good enough for you? You think we've had it easy while you've been gone all these years?" "Oh, so now you're too good for our food? Maybe prison didn't teach you anything. We should send you back for a few more years!" Mom exclaims as tears well up in her eyes. Beside them, Josephine bursts into tears. "What right do you have to feel sorry for yourself? Because of you, I can't even show my face around here! Everyone laughs at us. They all say I have a murderer for a brother!" "You're nothing but trouble! You should've died in that accident!" Then the door slams shut. I look down at the cancer diagnosis in my hands, the paper soaked through with rain. And strangely, I feel calm. Maybe it's for the best. I can finally pay for that lost life. Chapter 1 I went back to my room, with everything still being exactly as I had left it. My yellowed college acceptance letter still sat on the desk. Once, I had been the one my family was proud of. A family portrait hung on the wall. In the photo, I looked happy and full of promise. My sister, Josephine Walker, nestled against me while beaming at the camera. She had just gotten her driver's license that year and insisted on taking me out for a drive in her new car. But then a stray cat darted into the road. Josephine swerved to avoid it and hit an elderly man passing by. She was horrified, shaking uncontrollably. I looked at her pale face, at the tears streaming down her cheeks, then calmly called the police. "It was me. I hit him," I said. I took responsibility for everything. Josephine's life was just beginning, and I couldn't let this ruin it. But what about mine? I reached up and took the family portrait down from the wall. The glass had already come loose from the frame because of the humidity. I gave the glass a slight bend, and it shattered with a sharp crack. Then, I picked up the sharpest shard and held it against my wrist. I could hear Josephine's desperate sobs all over again, see the blood running from my parents' knees, and remember the promises they'd made with such certainty. It turned out it had all been a lie. I closed my eyes and made the cut without hesitation. Blood spilled onto the acceptance letter on my desk, staining it red. I could also feel the strength and warmth draining from my body. I was freezing. I curled up on the floor, wrapping my arms tightly around myself. Tears slipped from the corners of my eyes. But somehow, it felt good. From now on, Josephine could hold her head high. She was free from the shame of having a murderer for a brother. My parents wouldn't have to live with other people's judgment because of me anymore. At last, they could finally be free of me and start their lives over. And I wouldn't have to live with the pain of my illness anymore or face the way they looked at me. Outside, fireworks boomed in the distance. Right. It was Thanksgiving, a time when families came together. "Dad, Mom, Josephine… I hope you have many more Thanksgivings together. I'm leaving now. I won't bother you anymore," I thought. But if I could go back and do it all over again, I would still have pushed Josephine aside and taken the wheel myself. Chapter 2 When I opened my eyes again, I found myself floating in midair. My family should have stormed out in anger. Instead, they were all huddled together in the narrow hallway. Dad crouched in the corner, smoking one cigarette after another. Cigarette butts were scattered across the floor around his feet. Mom leaned against the wall, trembling as she cried silently. Meanwhile, Josephine sat on the stairs with her knees drawn to her chest, her face hidden against them. Her shoulders shook with each sob. The heavy silence stretched on until Dad finally spoke. "Did I… go too far just now?" he asked in a hoarse voice. Josephine jerked her head up. Tears streamed down her face, and she snapped, "Dad! How could you say that to Edwin? He just got home, and he's still not well…" At that, Mom could no longer hold back her sobs. "It's all my fault! I never should have said those things!" she cried out as she slapped herself. "How could I have said that to Edwin? He'd suffered so much in prison. How could I have treated him like that?" She pounded her chest, overcome with remorse. "I'm a horrible person!" Dad caught her hand, his eyes bloodshot. "Stop. Please. W-We were all under so much pressure. For years, we poured everything we had into his legal case. We drained our savings and ended up in debt. "We couldn't even go outside without feeling everyone's eyes on us. And at home, we were always afraid that something might happen to him in prison. I… I was just exhausted." Dad's voice carried a subtle vulnerability. He went on, "I've failed as a father. I couldn't protect my own son, and I took my anger out on him." Josephine shook her head as tears ran down her cheeks. "It's not your fault. It's mine! If it weren't for me, Edwin never would have gone to prison. Our family never would have ended up like this!" Then, she shot to her feet, as if she'd suddenly remembered something. "No. I have to apologize to him. I have to tell him we didn't really mean any of those things!" With that, she moved to open the door. My heart clenched at the sight, and I instinctively reached out to stop her. "Don't come in! Please, don't come in!" I begged in my head. But my hand went straight through her. I looked down at myself. My body had become a translucent outline, and there was no shadow beneath my feet. I was already dead. I could no longer feel pain, and I couldn't stop them either. Just as Josephine reached for the doorknob, Mom caught her arm. "Don't." Mom wiped away her tears, and her expression hardened into something unyielding. "Let him have some time alone. He's too upset to listen to us right now. "Come on. Let's go get something from his favorite place. Once he's cooled off, we'll apologize to him." Dad stubbed out his cigarette and rose to his feet. "Yeah. And we'll pick up a good bottle of wine, too. We'll start over." As it turned out, they hadn't really hated me. They'd just been overwhelmed by everything they were dealing with. I drifted behind them, watching as they supported each other down the stairs. All at once, a lump formed in my throat. I wanted so badly to tell my family that I'd never blamed them. I knew what they'd been through and how exhausted they were. That was why I'd chosen this way out. From now on, they wouldn't have to carry the weight of my problems anymore. … Dad, Mom, and Josephine walked into a shopping mall and went straight to a jewelry store. There, Mom pointed to a gold necklace in the display case. "Just get this one, Charles." One look at the price tag, and Dad frowned. "It's so expensive. We can't—" "It's for Edwin!" Mom cut him off. "When he came home, we didn't even have a gift waiting for him. And then we said those terrible things to him. "He's always been such a good kid. Ever since he was little, he's always put Josie first. We owe him so much. We'll make this his birthday present." Just then, Josephine pulled several crumpled bills from her wallet and pressed them into Dad's hand. "Dad, this is what I made from my part-time job. It's not much, but I want to help." Dad looked at the two of them, then finally nodded. "We'll take this one. Please box it up," he said to the sales assistant. They never made it to my favorite restaurant. Instead, they spent every last dollar they had on a necklace for me. I stared at the elegant gift box, my emotions in turmoil. I hadn't been a good son or a good brother. I was the one who had dragged my family down. Chapter 3 By the time my family got home, night had already fallen. They stepped inside with a little gift box in hand, wearing faint, relieved smiles. It was as if that tiny box held all their love and regret. Dad placed it right in the middle of the dining table and said softly, "When Edwin comes out, we'll give this to him. He'll love it." Mom nodded, then headed into the kitchen, where she immediately began getting dinner ready. "I'll make his favorite spaghetti. Maybe it'll bring us some luck. I just hope things will finally start getting better for our family," she said. Josephine followed Mom into the kitchen to help. "Mom, let me help. I'll toss the salad." Warm light filled the kitchen as their quiet conversation drifted through the house. In the living room, Dad took a clean towel and began wiping down my bedroom door. He wiped slowly and firmly, as though he could erase not only the years of dust, but also the distance that had grown between us. I drifted beside him, looking at the new gray hairs at his temples and the lines around his eyes. The sight of it all made my chest tighten. "I'm sorry, Dad. I let you down. I couldn't make you proud. Instead, I became a burden." Moments later, Mom came out of the kitchen carrying a steaming plate of spaghetti. "Charles, go get Edwin. Tell him dinner's ready." Dad set down the towel and walked to my bedroom door. He raised his hand, but for a long moment, he couldn't bring himself to knock. He took a deep breath before speaking in an almost pleading tone. "Ed, come out and eat. I-I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have said those awful things to you. Please don't let what I said get to you." There was nothing but silence on the other side of the door. Dad's expression faltered. Then, Josephine came over and called softly, "Please come out, Ed. Don't be mad at us, okay?" Still, there was no answer. Tears welled up in Mom's eyes again. "Why does he have to stay mad for so long?" She stepped up to the door and knocked hard. "Edwin Walker! How long are you going to keep this up? We know we were wrong! Do you want us to tear our hearts out before you'll believe us? "Open the door! Whatever you have to say, we can talk it out!" Her voice cracked as she fought back tears, helplessness and panic creeping into her words. Dad took Mom's arm and shook his head. "Give him some time to calm down. We were the ones who hurt him first." After saying that, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a key, and handed it to Josephine. "Josie, this is the spare key to your brother's room. Keep it. Once he comes around, he'll come out on his own." He thought I was just angry. He didn't know I would never be able to answer him again. Josephine took the key and held it tightly. … The three of them sat at the dining table, but no one touched their food. The spaghetti Mom had made for me sat there, its heat fading, just as my body was slowly growing cold. In the end, Dad sighed, picked up the plate, and carried it to my bedroom door. "Ed, I know you're hungry. And I'm aware that you're angry, but please don't go without eating," he said as he carefully set the plate on the floor. "I'm leaving the food right outside your door. When you're hungry, just come out and eat." With that, he led Mom and Josephine away. I sank to my knees and stared at the plate of spaghetti, now cold. Tears slipped down my face. At least I was no longer a burden. From now on, the three of them could live their lives in peace. Chapter 4 Early the next morning, someone began pounding urgently on the door. Dad thought I had finally changed my mind and hurried to answer the door. Instead, he found a middle-aged man in a sharp suit standing there. "Excuse me, is this the Walker residence? I'm looking for Edwin Walker." Dad paused. "I'm his father. And you are?" The man pulled a business card from his briefcase and handed it to Dad. "Good morning. I'm Bernard Shaw, the attorney who represented Edwin in his case." I drifted behind Dad, confused. The case was already over, so why was Mr. Shaw here? Still, Dad ushered Mr. Shaw inside. Mom and Josephine emerged from their rooms when they heard the voices. Mr. Shaw got straight to the point. "Mr. and Mrs. Walker, I'm here because I have some good news to share with you. "The family of the elderly man who was hit in the accident recently contacted me. They're willing to submit a letter asking the court for leniency, and they want to drop the case." At that, Dad, Mom, and Josephine stared at him in stunned silence. Dad's voice trembled as he asked, "W-Why?" "It turned out the man had already been seriously ill. His doctors had told his family he didn't have much time left," Mr. Shaw explained. "The accident was only a trigger, not the primary cause of his death. "His family had been carrying that guilt for years. They felt it was too much for a young man with his future ahead of him to shoulder all the consequences. "With their written statement, I can petition the court to reopen Edwin's case. I can't promise the conviction will be completely overturned, but at the very least, we can significantly improve his record. That could make a huge difference when it comes to finding work and getting his life back on track." All at once, a glimmer of hope broke through the darkness. Dad was so overcome with emotion that his lips trembled. He gripped Mr. Shaw's hand and exclaimed, "Thank you! Thank you so much!" Nearby, Mom and Josephine burst into tears of joy as well. "Oh, thank God! Edwin finally gets a chance to start over!" Mom wiped away her tears and immediately ran toward my room. "I'm going to tell Edwin the good news! He's going to be so happy!" She rushed to my door, pounding on it as she called out excitedly, "Open up, Ed! You're going to be okay! You won't have to live with that conviction for the rest of your life!" However, there was still no response from inside. The smile faded from Dad's face, and a sense of dread washed over him. "Josie!" he yelled. "The key! Get the key and open the door!" Josephine panicked. She fumbled for the key in her pocket, her hands shaking as she struggled to get it into the lock. Then, the door opened with a click. The morning sunlight streamed through the window, revealing the room's disarray and the dark stains of blood. I lay on the cold floor, the blood beneath me already congealed into a dark red stain. My college acceptance letter, stained red with blood, lay beside my hand. The metallic smell of blood hung in the air. Without warning, Josephine's scream shattered the morning silence. "Ed!"