Sound of Silence | Teen Ink

Sound of Silence

April 16, 2015
By Max Meyers BRONZE, Amery, Wisconsin
Max Meyers BRONZE, Amery, Wisconsin
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

It is about 10:49 A.M.; Sarah just woke up and ate breakfast. Rain hit the window in a relaxing rhythm.  The dog, Sweetheart, had just walked inside and shook off the water on her back.  The letter wasn’t addressed like the normal letters she got from David, but she thought nothing of the abnormality.  Sarah opened it with a knife; letters from David were special, and Sarah never used her thumb like she did with the other pieces of mail.  Sarah had saved every article she had received from David and kept them in a Convers shoe-box on the top shelf of her closet.  After using the knife, she set it down, a soft click is heard as it makes contact with the granite counter top.
Dear Sarah Price,
We regret to inform you that David Price was killed in action on the morning of April 4, 2013.  An enemy force ambushed him and his squad, and an enemy soldier threw a grenade.  David jumped on it, saving his entire squad.  Your husband will be remembered as a brother in arms and a hero.  Without his sacrifice, many other good men would have died.  I offer you my deepest condolences.
Sincerely,
Colonel James Carmichael
Colonel James Carmichael
United States Marines

Her heart deflates at the first word.  Sweetheart senses something is wrong and shuffles over, head down and her tail between her legs.  Sarah collapsed into the chair, and the dog put her head on Sarah’s knee.  Sarah reread the letter again and again, crying uncontrollably as the dog whimpers softly.  After an hour of just sitting motionless and sobbing.  Slowly she stands up and shakily walks to the bedroom.  Each step seems impossible, but she continues to push forward.  Determined to not let the grief become overwhelming, she opens the closet door and flips the light switch on.  The beam of light shines down on her wedding dress.  It feels like just yesterday she and David were walking down the aisle.  She remembers the night David proposed to her and the first day they met.  Snapping out of her flash-back, Sarah reaches for the old cardboard box full of letters.  Being heavier then she anticipated, Sarah let the box hit the floor with a loud thud.  Sitting down on her knees she grabs the top letter and reads it, then sets that one off and grabs another.  She continues doing this for about a half of an hour.  Sarah made it through a quarter of the way down before tears start forming in her eyes.  Then she is startled by a reminder on her phone about a doctor’s appointment she has later that day.  Still beaten down from sadness, Sarah decides not to go and calls the doctor to cancel.
Needing a glass of water, she enters the kitchen again and retrieves a glass from the dishwasher that had just finished running.  The cup is still warm.  The cold from the water quickly makes its way to the outside.  Sarah, quickly gulping it down, lets out a coughing fit.  Regaining her breath she fills the glass not quite half way full and gingerly sips it.  Still in uncontrollable sadness Sarah tries her voice,
“Come here Sweetheart.” The dog almost jumps up and goes immediately to her.  Sarah reaches for a bag of treats in the cupboard and says, “Sit baby.”     
The dog sits and eagerly but patiently awaits the treat.  Sarah lowers her hand, and the dog gobbles it up but fiercely gently.  Sarah pats the dog on the head and praises her by saying, “Oh good girl; who is a good girl?” Just as she finishes saying “girl”, the phone rings.  A little startled, Sarah reached for it and hit the accept button and a faint beep is heard.  “Hello?” her voice is much shakier then a few seconds ago.
“Hey honey, how did the doctor’s appointment go?”  The voice belonged to David’s mom, Lana, who Sarah grew close to.  Sarah tenseness up hoping she doesn’t have to answer that question, but after a short pause, she spoke. 
“Lana… I canceled the appointment because I just got a letter that David had died.  ”
“Oh.  ” Silence struck Lana as the news sunk in.  After a very long pause, she finally speaks with a voice full of confidence and determined not to cry but with a hint of shakiness in it. 
“I can be over in thirty minutes; do you want me to bring John?”
With a weak voice, Sarah replies, “No thank you, John looks too much like David.  ”
“Very well dear, I’ll see you soon.  ” Even though Lana was trying to be strong, Sarah could still hear the weakness in her mother-in-law’s voice.  Sarah sits down in the leather couch, curls up under the blanket, she closes her eyes and cries.  Sarah drifts off to sleep and dreams about the very first date her and David had.  Smiling in her sleep she looked happy.  Lana had come in and decided not to wake her.  Lana sits in the recliner and watches T.V. with soft volume and subtitles.  Looking up and seeing the darkness had crept up and blanketed the outside world.  Lana stands up, stretches, and walks silently over to Sarah who is still unconscious.  Lana thinks nothing of it and walks to the kitchen to make some eggs. 
Sweetheart senses something isn’t right and nudges Sarah with her nose.  After a few moments of Sweetheart prodding and finally barking Lana says, “What’s the matter girl?”  After barking more and Sarah not even flinching, Lana runs over to her and shakes her.  She starts crying when nothing happens.  The sound of silence is deafening. 
Lana tries one last time to wake up Sarah.  With no response Lana puts her fingers on Sarah’s neck the check the pulse, with no signs of life Lana calls 911 to report the body.  With shaky hands Lana reaches for the phone and struggles to press the buttons for 911. 
“911 what is your emergency?” The dispatcher calls out. 
“My daughter in law just died…of natural causes.  ” Lana’s voice is bleak, she feels small but sounds calm. 
“I’m sorry for your loss Miss, but I’m going to need the address, so we can get someone there to pick her up.  ”
“The address is 3310 Silent Gate Nook, Umatilla, Wyoming 9832, US,” Lana says this and her head spins.  The effect of two loses in one day is crippling. 
“Thank you Ma’am, I’ll have someone out there right away,” The dispatcher says this as if she has said it a thousand times before but still manages to have care in her voice. 
“Thank you and good night.  ” Lana hangs up the phone. 
Fifteen minutes later, the police officer pulls in the drive way, followed by an ambulance. 
The emergency responders walk side by side up the walk way.  The paramedic is carrying a black roll.  The next few moments are a blur for Lana, and she is dazed.  After collapsing back on the chair, all she is able to focus on is the responders coming in, and she pointed to Sarah’s body, which still has a smile on her face.  The paramedic places Sarah in the body bag and zips it up.  Another paramedic comes in from the truck with a silver cart.  The two work together and set the bag gently on the cart and wheel it out.  The officer is filling out a report and asking all sorts of questions, but Lana is just too shocked to answer them.  The officer understands she is in pain;   he crouches down and is at her level.  The police officer says very calmly and clearly,  “Ma’am are you going to stay here? If not, I will need your home address and a number I can reach you at.  I’ll come back tomorrow and fill out the report.  ”
Lana nods her head and says, “I’m going to stay here and watch the dog.  My cell phone number is 555-867-5309.  ”
“Alright Ma’am, you need to try and get some rest.  Goodnight… Is there someone you can call?”
The officer’s question rang in Lana’s ear.  She hadn’t told John about Sarah. 
“Yes, I can call my husband,” Lana coughed out the words and felt uneasy.  The officer nods and exits out the front door.  The sound of silence is there again.  Lana sits motionless drinking it in.  She breaks the coldness of the empty room by calling John and telling him what happened.  Then goes upstairs to the master bedroom and grabs a picture of Sarah and David.  She stumbles slowly to the guest bedroom and climbs in bed.  Lana lies in the bed and cries herself to sleep. 
A week passes and it’s the funeral.  Only four people are left now, Lana, John and two of David’s close friends.  The caskets are lowered one at a time first Sarah’s, then David’s.  John holds Lana close as they both cry.  David’s friends are standing motionless next to the couple.  After the caskets are buried, Lana walks to the graves next to Sarah’s and reads the inscription aloud. 
“Yvonne McCartney, loving mother, daughter, and wife.  ” After reading that one, she looks at the next one.  “David McCartney, loving father, son, and husband.  ”
“These two graves belong to Sarah’s parents, and now David and Sarah join them in their sleep,” says Lana softly.  David’s friends say good bye to Lana and John then walk off.  Again the sound of silence is overwhelming, as the couple cries in each other’s arms at the graves of their family.



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