Not after what happened.
She still remembered it all. All that happened two months ago.
It was a beautiful day. I woke up to the sounds of birds chirping outside my window and headed down to prepare my dad’s favorite breakfast for his birthday. However, the man would not sleep past 6 am, and I found him standing by the stove.
‘Dad, you should have let me cook today.’ I said annoyingly.
‘Why? Is today a special day?’ He said with his smile.
I huffed, ‘Happy Birthday, Dad. Thank you for being there for me all this time. I love you.’ I said, kissing him on the cheek.
‘Thank you, darling.’
He patted my head and went to give me my breakfast. We continued with our usual chatter. He asked me my plans for the day, and I told him that I would be cooking him dinner today for his birthday. He smiled and said he wouldn’t miss it for the world.
She couldn’t stop her tears as the memories of her father’s last day filled her head. How he had kissed her goodbye and told her he loved her for the last time. How he teased Mrs. Willow on his way out. Their annoying old neighbor did not like them for some unknown reason.

She remembered waiting for her dad. Having cooked his favorite dish, she sat by the couch, killing time waiting for her only friend to come home. The only person in her life whom she could count on. She ran to the door when the doorbell rang and opened it with a smile only to see too grim-looking officers looking at her.
Everything they said after the word accident was a blur. Jeraldine had stopped listening. They sat her down and told her that her dad had been drinking while driving his boss around. The car had hit a curb, which led to his death; he died on impact. They had declared the case drunk driving and didn’t feel the need to investigate.
Jeraldine wanted to ask them to, but she couldn’t find her voice.
The officers left, and she sat there on the couch. Mrs. Willow came and cried, but Jeraldine couldn’t. It took four hours for her grandmother to come, and the old woman hugged her and cried. Jeraldine knew arrangements had to be made, and as if her body and mind were on autopilot.
The funeral was done, and so was the service at home. All her dad’s friends came, and hugged her, and apologized for her loss. And it angered Jeraldine that they had all believed the officers. All his friends thought it. Everyone who claimed to have known her had had simply accepted the man to have been drinking.