The Anklet
Every morning when Hailey woke up she touched her right ankle. Is my anklet still on my ankle? Good. Every morning it was still there, and she could breathe a sigh a relief. Sometimes her friends asked her why she never took that woven black pull cord anklet off. She would always shrug and say, “I just like it.” Her friends then asked her why it never was gross and dirty. She again would shrug and say, “Who knows. I’m glad it’s stayed in pristine condition though.” Her friends would roll their eyes at her big vocabulary, and that would always be the end of the conversation. Hailey had a reason for wearing this anklet. It was her secret, and she would never share it with her friends. It was personal, so personal she couldn’t even say the reason out loud to herself. Her parents didn’t know either, and the anklet often annoyed her mother. “Hailey, take that off. We’re going to a nice wedding. That anklet is not nice.” Hailey would simply shake her head no and jump in the car. The anklet caused tension between Hailey and her mother, but it was worth it. If her mother ever found out why…Hailey shuddered every time that thought crossed her mind.

It was the last Monday of the school year. Hailey grudgingly opened her eyes and did her normal ankle touch. Instead of her hands hitting woven fabric, her hands hit skin. She jumped at her own touch. Her skin there was not used to being touched by anything besides the anklet. It’s gone. No. it can’t be gone. This was it. Hailey had a pact with herself. The day the anklet no longer is on my ankle is the day I tell the truth.  Hailey wasn’t ready. What I did…no one will look at me the same now. Hailey pulled the covers over her head, and she lay in bed gasping for air. I can’t. Hailey heard her mother yelling, “time for school! Get up now!” but Hailey ignored her mother. Hailey heard the creak of the first stair, and knew her mother was coming. She felt the whoosh! of cold air as her mother yanked back her covers. “Get up.”
Hailey didn’t move, and whispered, “I know what happened to Dad.” The color faded from her mother’s face, giving her skin a translucent look. Her mother slowly shook her head.
“He left us,” her mother responded in a hollow tone. Hailey heard the pain in her mother’s voice, and her eyes began to fill with tears.
“No,” Hailey responded, “I know where his body is.” Her mother froze, and Hailey could see her hands shaking.
“No.” her mother was visibly shaking.
“I was the one…I was the one who buried him.”
“No.” her mother’s voice was shaking, and she looked as though she might pass out.
“I did as I was told, I’m sorry. He destroyed our car, and told me to sit on the side of the road. I sat there, on the hottest day of August, and I could see the heat radiating from the asphalt. There was a rabbit across the road, with big, brown ears, and it made me laugh. Then I heard a loud bang. I ran towards the bang, and there was Dad, a pool of blood forming behind his head. I saw a guy, in heavy boots, sprinting away. I did what I thought was right. I buried him. Then I sat on the side of the road, tears streaming down my face, until someone took me to the police station. I found my anklet in his hand, and I took it. He’s gone, he’s been gone for 8 years now.”
Her mother opened her mouth, tried to say something, but all she was able to do was gasp for air. Hailey walked over to her mother and gently touched her shoulder. “I love you,” she said. Her mother, still gasping, put her hand on top of Hailey’s, as if to say “I love you too”.
Minutes later, Hailey’s mom spoke. “take me to the spot.” Hailey nodded, and began to walk downstairs. Her mother followed slowly. They got into the car. Hailey drove because her mother was still in shock. Hailey began to drive and a few minutes in, her mother mumbled, “turn left.” Confused, Hailey did as told. “Pull in here.” Hailey did. Her mother walked into a store with a dark window. 20 minutes later, her mother loaded something into the trunk. As she sat down in the passneger’s seat, Hailey gave her mother a look that said, “What’s going on?” Her mother just shook her head and said, “Drive.” Hailey drove, and got to the spot. Suddenly, she was 8 again, a little girl dressed in her favorite pink dress and mary jane shoes. Hailey shook her head, trying to escape the memories. Her mother got out and grabbed the bag from the trunk. “Walk,” she said to Hailey. Hailey led the way, and they soon reached the spot.
“We’re here,’ Hailey said, her voice cracking as her eyes filled with tears. The memories came flooding back, but Hailey pushed them away. Her mother took something out of the bag.
“A headstone. Your father deserves that much,” she said, mostly to herself. Hailey didn’t respond, and as her mother placed the headstone in the ground, she felt a tear slide down her cheek. She brushed it away.  Her mother came and put her arm around Hailey. Both were smiling through their tears, knowing what they had done was the right thing.
Hailey no longer felt guilty. She knew she had given her mother the closure she needed, and Hailey got the closure she needed. The loss of that anklet broke her heart, but it helped both her and her mother lose the guilt they both felt and receive the closure they needed.