The Peacock 13

 Melissa returns with a trolley laden with two pots of coffee, cups, saucers, utensils,  apples, oranges and cookies.  I also notice cheese and crackers.  We are all going to be fat blimps by the time our time is finished here.  This is but the break time before Carl resumes his talk, which has been holding all of us spellbound.  Beginning with Carol, one by one we walk over to the trolley for our afternoon plunder.  Carl has left the room but returns quickly, carrying a glass of water.  The big orange cat has not budged from it's place on the sofa, and I imagine that that is his usual resting spot.  His sofa, and his particular cushion on the sofa.  Only Aaron and Jesús are talking to each other, in Spanish.  Aaron cracks what appears to be a joke and Jesús is laughing.  I imagine he would be as witty in Spanish as in English.   Perhaps because he speaks his mother tongue, but Aaron alone seems able to bring our Colombian guest out of himself.  

We are all settled again, each in our place.  Carl resumes his talk.  Carol has closed the window, protesting that it is cold.  I am not going to argue, even if I do like the sweet fresh air blowing in.  She does seem a bit on the bossy side, but I shouldn't be surprised.  She is after all a world famous concert pianist.  

"I was eighteen and Melissa was thirteen when our dad committed suicide.  We had been here with him just two days.  Just after breakfast he left the house.  Melissa saw him, and told me later that he was carrying a hunting rifle with him.   It wasn't long before we heard the gunshot, and at first thought nothing of it, since dad had mentioned that there was a marauding bear in the area.   We were busy playing video games in this very room, and decided not to worry about it.  Dad didn't come back. Being two independent teens, we didn't think twice about getting our own lunch.  We returned to Super Mario. It was getting near dinner.  We went out looking for him.

We discovered his body, lying prone on the ground, way out near the magnolia tree.  His gun was next to him, and half his head had been blown off  Blood everywhere.  We returned back to the house to call the police, but the phones weren't working.  Now we are almost certain that Dad had deliberately disconnected them.  Why, we still haven't figured out, but his behaviour had been particularly odd the last couple of years.  We decided to return to the body.  I don't know why, as if seeing him dead like that once already wasn't already horrible enough.  

But the body was gone.  It had disappeared.  There was of course blood on the ground where he had fallen.   As well as shocked and bereaved and horrified, we were suddenly also in fear of our lives.  Melissa and I agreed,  We would have to leave.  Immediately.   We packed a few things together, clothes and food mostly, and toiletries, then we found our way to the road.  It must have been near midnight when we got to the highway.  I don't know how many hours we were walking.  There were hardly any cars on the highway, but we had little choice in the matter.  We started to hitchhike....