"Brittany, he's gone."

First person:

I was lying in my bed reading when I heard my cell phone ring on the counter at the top of the stairs, so I got up to answer it. My mom called and said, “Brittany, he’s gone.” I knew right away she was talking about my grandpa. She told me to tell my cousin who was in her room typing away on her computer. I had trouble getting it out, but I did, and then I sort of slid onto the floor and stared into space while she started sobbing hysterically. After several minutes, I realized I should do something, so I went over and hugged her while she continued to cry.

Third Person:

On October 15, 2007, Brittany was lying on her bed around five o’clock PM when she heard her cell phone ring. She rarely had her cell phone with her since it would beep at her constantly and the only people who ever called her on it were her mom and cousin, Vikki. Brittany put down her book, “The Vines of Yarrabee” and walked to the counter at the top of the stairs where she had put her phone. For some reason it was close by and turned on. She knew instantly it was her mom because Vikki was in the next room typing away on her computer. Brittany had gotten a call about an hour earlier from her uncle, Glen, who was looking for her mom, and she hoped her mom was calling with more information on what seemed to be urgent.

She picked up the phone and stood at the top of the stairs. “Hi, mom,” she said in a neutral voice that was actually a little perturbed to be disturbed from her reading. Her mom would call her a lot for silly reasons such as to tell her she was coming home and would be there in five minutes and Brittany saw no reason for this.

On the other side, Esther was hesitant. How could she tell her daughter the news? She worked only a few minutes away and it didn’t seem right to tell her over the phone. Yet she had important things to do with the dawning of this news. “Brittany,” she said. “He’s gone.”

Brittany continued to stand at the top of the stairs and didn’t say anything for a few seconds. Her grandfather, which she knew this call was about, had been in a nursing home for over a year and was in a very deep state of dementia, but she still hoped and believed in a miracle. Until the call. When she asked for more information, her mom didn’t have too much but said she would be home in about a half an hour after making some calls and arrangements. Brittany had to tell Vikki, though. It was better to be told the news in person, not on the phone. Brittany’s mom didn’t want Vikki to find out on the phone.

Brittany closed her phone and realized she had somehow gotten onto the floor and was sitting with her back against the wall and with her legs in front of her. She looked at the cell phone in her hand and then at the wall in front of her. The wall was unblemished and clean. Brittany had an urge to hurl the phone as hard as she could against the wall. Maybe she could make a hole.

She had to tell Vikki. Her cousin took a year off college and was living with them while she worked to pay off part of her student loan and figure out what she wanted to do in life. Brittany stood up and walked the few feet to Vikki’s door and knocked. When told she could, she opened the door and stared at Vikki. How could a person tell someone that a person close to them had died? Brittany opened her mouth and tried to say something as Vikki looked more and more perplexed. “It’s Grandpa,” Brittany stumbled. “He . . . died.” While Brittany was looking at Vikki in the eyes and could see her face, she did not comprehend. It was just a face like many faces she saw everyday. She could read from peoples’ expressions what emotions they were feeling at some times, but she didn’t bother to do so with her cousin. Immediately after she made her announcement, she crumbled to the floor in the doorway of Vikki’s room and said, “I feel sick” for indeed she did. She felt like throwing up.

Brittany was a little startled to hear Vikki start gasping for air as she did right before sobbing hysterically. However, Brittany was still in her incomprehensive world staring into space and not realizing that her cousin was crying and that she wasn’t. For several minutes they sat like that: Brittany staring into space and Vikki sitting on her bed crying hysterically. Brittany realized she still had a job to do and thought she should comfort her cousin. She didn’t really know what to do, so she sat on the bed next to Vikki and put her arms around her and laid her head on Vikki’s shoulders and continued her thinking without thinking until Vikki shifted as a sign she didn’t want to be hugged any longer and said she was calling her parents. Brittany nodded and floated out of the room to wander the house.