The Undertaking of Adam Novak Read online

  The

  Undertaking

  of

  Adam Novak

  A Novel

  by

  Sofie Hern

  The Undertaking of Adam Novak

  Copyright © 2019 Sofie Hern

  All rights reserved

  No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the author.

  Cover photo courtesy of Matt Artz - @mattartz

  Cover design by Sofie Hern

  Names: Sofie Hern

  Title: The Undertaking of Adam Novak / Sofie Hern

  ASIN: B07WL867M5

  Subjects: FICTION | Suspense | General

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Contents

  PART ONE

  The News

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  22

  The Funeral

  23

  24

  25

  26

  27

  28

  29

  30

  31

  32

  33

  34

  35

  36

  37

  38

  39

  40

  41

  42

  43

  44

  45

  Thanksgiving

  46

  47

  48

  49

  50

  51

  52

  53

  54

  55

  56

  57

  58

  59

  60

  61

  62

  63

  64

  65

  66

  67

  PART TWO

  The Move

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  Murphy’s Law

  22

  23

  24

  25

  26

  27

  28

  29

  30

  31

  32

  33

  34

  35

  36

  37

  38

  39

  40

  41

  42

  43

  44

  45

  46

  Closure

  47

  48

  49

  50

  51

  52

  53

  54

  EPILOGUE

  For Rudy, Eddie, and Roman

  “After girl is grown,

  her little brother, now her protectors,

  seem like big brothers.”

  —Terri Guillemets

  “Family is not the most important thing.

  It’s everything.”

  —Michael J. Fox

  PART ONE

  The News

  November 7, 2014

  1

  ADAM

  I pace the bright linoleum floor of the waiting room at Golden Valley Hospital. My mind is a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts that accompany such circumstances. I glance at the ticking clock on a wall and wonder what the hell is taking so damn long. It feels as if I’ve been pacing for hours and I’m surprised to see that only minutes have passed. The clock taunts me. Tick-tock.

  A young woman with spiked up black hair and small frame holds a whimpering baby in her arms, rocking back and forth. An older man is fast asleep in a chair at the far corner with his head cocked back in full snoring mode. His arms are crossed over his chest, being held there by an enormous belly and a thick gray mustache covers his lips.

  The reception desk is occupied by a middle-aged woman. Her blond hair is pulled tight atop her head. She yawns as she studies what I assume are medical records or some such thing on the computer. I’m attracted to the clock on the wall like an insect to a light trap. Tick-Tock.

  My nerves are getting the better of me. I attempt to sit but become restless and I continue to pace the floor with my hands in my pockets.

  The waiting area is bright due to a set of windows composing a wall overlooking the parking lot. Arranged along the walls are blue plastic chairs that form a rectangle of vacated ass spaces. On the stained coffee table sit a few outdated magazines along with a discarded bag of potato chips, used napkins and plastic cups. The television is showing a re-run of a Law & Order SVU episode, on mute.

  The knot in my stomach grows as the minutes tick by. Tick-Tock. As I turn from the windows I see a doctor crossing the room and he’s heading my way. The knot in my stomach loosens, leaving in its place a sense of relief—if only temporary.

  With a come-ahead motion of his head, he summons me to a quiet corner. He’s a short man in blue scrubs with a matching cap. His thick glasses make his brown eyes look small. Once in front of me, he removes his cap, revealing a crown of gray surrounding a shiny scalp.

  He exhales and says, “I’m sorry, Mr. Novak. We did all we could, but…” his voice drifts off and his shoulders fall.

  The words feel like a kick to the gut. I stand there, unable to speak as the world around me revolves in slow motion. Nurses pass without a glance, the ticking from the clock becomes louder in my ears, and the voices around me are a muffled unison of hums. I double over and rest my hands on my weakening knees, unable to breathe. This can’t be happening, I tell myself. This must be a mistake.

  The doctor places a hand on my shoulder as the world returns to me. "Mr. Novak, are you alright?”

  He just crushed my world, how the fuck can he ask that question?

  “Yeah,” I say. “I’m… how? What happen?”

  “Her heart, Mr. Novak. She arrived at the hospital in full cardiac arrest and we were unable to bring her back. I’m so very sorry for your loss.”

  I shake my head in disbelief. A heart attack? She’s thirty-fucking-eight years old! That’s what I want to say. Instead, I say, “Can I… uh, see her…. her body?” I don’t recognize my own voice. My breathing quickens and my hands start to shake.

  “Yes, of course. Please, follow me.” With a touch of my arm, he leads the way.

  The labyrinth of hallways and doors seem endless. We pass door after door of rooms where patients recover or wait for treatment. Visitors browse vending machines in the waiting areas. A few patients roam the hallways, pulling along their oxygen tanks or IV poles.

  —

  My mom used to volunteer at different homeless shelters and soup kitchens in the Henderson area. As a child, I’d tag along with her to help during the holidays or in the summer when school was out. It was at the soup kitchen on Nevada Hwy that we met Tianna.

  I was twelve and small for my age; a
scrawny kid with shaggy sandy hair, brown eyes, and milky skin. Tianna was fourteen and from the moment I saw her I knew she was something special. She was a skinny young girl the color of rich caramel and beautiful big brown eyes. Though she was taller than me by a couple of inches she looked small.

  She was sitting at a table by herself polishing off a cup of vanilla pudding. Most of the people had cleared out after lunch and I approached to say hello but she said nothing.

  Every day that summer for three weeks she sat at the same table to eat a cup of vanilla pudding and read a beat-up copy of Little Women. My mother, who was a social worker, noticed the pattern and became concerned. Though Tianna refused to talk to me during those three weeks, she and my mom became friends. My mom would bring her books and Tianna would stay long after service to help us clean. I learned that Tianna's mother abandoned her and that her father had died when she was eight. With no relatives that she knew of, she’d been sleeping over at Sun City church where she learned of the shelter and soup kitchen.

  Tianna was still not talking to me, but I didn’t mind because she still made my volunteer time worthwhile. That summer was the best summer of my life, the summer I met the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.

  Within weeks, after my mother worked her magic, we became Tianna’s foster family and two years later we became her adoptive one.

  Soon Tianna and I became inseparable. We’d go to the movies, the park, the arcade, you name it. It was always Tianna and I. On the Fourth of July in 1993 when I was fifteen, I confessed my love to her. We were on the roof of our house looking up as fireworks illuminated the night, on a colorful blanket in what was a hot night in the Nevada desert. My hands were drenched in sweat and I wiped my left hand on my shirt. My heart pounded in my chest as I reached for her hand, but she pulled hers back with a swift motion and propped up on her elbows.

  “What are you doing?” she said.

  I sat up, crossed my legs and placed my hands on my knees. I felt my face flush as sweat trickled down my spine. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the heat of the night or embarrassment. I swallowed hard, cleared my throat and stared right into her eyes. “I love you, Tianna,” I said and immediately looked up to the sky as a burst of color exploded into the night. When I looked back, her mouth was hanging open.

  I shrugged. “I figured you knew. I mean, we’re always together.”

  Silence.

  My mind was a mess and I couldn’t take my eyes off her. In the years I’d known her, she’d turned into a beautiful girl. Her caramel skin, illuminated by the fireworks, glowed with perspiration. He eyes, two shining jewels, danced with amusement and her curly hair swayed with the breeze. Though she disliked the sprinkle of freckles across her nose I found them perfectly placed. And her smile, I should have known by that smile, sweet and kind. A sister’s smile.

  She lay down again and took a deep breath. The silence that followed was as heavy as the air. I looked down at her for a long moment.

  With her eyes closed, she broke the silence. “I love you, Adam. And I love your parents for what they’ve done for me.”

  More silence.

  After a few minutes, she opened her eyes and looked up at the sky, avoiding my gaze.

  “Adam, you’re my little brother. That’s it… and,” she said before I could respond. “I can’t see you as anything more. I’m sorry if I ever gave you a different impression. We do everything together because we’re best friends. That’s all we are. That’s all we can be.”

  I gave a slow nod and lay back down, our shoulders touching. I felt tears behind my eyes, but blinked them away and waited until the feeling of loss left me before speaking again. “Fireworks are lame tonight.”

  We never spoke of it again for years. You’d think that with that stomping on my heart, my feelings would diminish. You’d be wrong. Quite the opposite in fact.

  —

  The doctor stops in front of a door and steps aside to allow me in.

  The room is too bright despite the lack of windows and the smell of antiseptic is overwhelming. Everything is quiet save for the buzzing of the fluorescent light overhead. The machines used in an attempt to give her life have been turned off and now stand guard like loyal robots. Wires surround her like slim fingers grasping at what little life might still remain. With my hands shoved in my pockets, I approach the bed.

  I can hear my blood rushing in my ears to the rhythm of my fast-beating heart. She looks to be sleeping and a pang of hope hits my heart. It is a mistake!

  “Tianna,” I whisper and wait for a response that would never come.

  Her black hair is spread over a pillow like a tree against a setting sun and her beautiful brown eyes are closed. Forever. I lean in to kiss her forehead and tears cascade over her. As I pull away tears continue to flow, but I don’t bother to wipe them away. I can actually feel my heart breaking as the small seed of hope dissolves into nothing. I take her hand and hold it over the beating of a heart that weeps. I kiss her hand and then place it back by her side. “I’ll take good care of your boy. I promise.”

  –

  I walk out of the hospital to a warm November afternoon and everything around me feels strange as if the world changed during the minutes spent in the building. I sit in my Jeep for a moment, knowing my most difficult task is yet to come. I grip the steering wheel and rest my forehead on the back of my hands. How do I tell that sweet boy that his mom is gone?

  –

  The streets of Las Vegas are full of activity—as usual. Tourists, a constant presence, make driving a fucking nightmare. With Aaron’s school being on the other side of town I must avoid the strip at all costs. I drive with no idea how to proceed. It bothers me to see people laughing and having a good time while my heart is being ripped apart.

  Uncertain of how to break the news to Tianna’s boy, I pull over in front of his school but remain in my car. How the fuck am I going to do this? I rub my face with my hands, and then cup them over my mouth, shaking my head.

  I search in Tianna's belongings for her cell phone and find a few missed calls from Rita, Tianna’s best friend. I look at it for a moment, unsure if I should call her back and decide to wait. I drive to the park across the street to get my thoughts in order.

  School will be over in less than an hour, which gives me some time to compose myself and think exactly what to say to Aaron. I call my sister, Julia, but get her voice mail. Of course. She never answers my calls, and why would she? We’ve not spoken in months and I decide against leaving a message. Furthermore, she never got on with Tianna. My twin sister is a complete stranger to me now.

  My mind soon becomes overwhelmed by the fact that I don’t know what to do or who to go to. My hands are shaking and my heart continues to beat out of control. I simply cannot wrap my head around what’s happening. I have lost the love of my life and I’m unable to grasp the reality of it. I refuse to accept it. With Tianna’s phone in my pocket I get out of the car and make my way to a nearby bench.

  The wind hits my face and it feels cool, almost soothing in the dreamlike afternoon. The park is small with a jogging path, two canopies on either side with picnic tables underneath. Scattered around are colorful benches and there are trees everywhere. I walk with my head down and my hands deep in the pockets of my jacket.

  Tianna works late on Fridays so I volunteered to pick Aaron up from school and then drive him to her work. Aaron and I have our secret spot—that’s what he calls it—where I wait for him. I reach the secret spot now, a yellow bench under a Desert Willow tree. Tianna’s phone vibrates in my pocket to the tune of Super Mario Brothers—her favorite game. Rita is calling.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi. I’m… sorry. I must have the wrong number.”

  “No, wait!” I say before losing her. “It’s Adam.”

  “Oh! Hey, Adam. Is Tianna around? She didn’t come to work today, so I wanted to check and see if she’s feeling okay. Been calling her all day, but she doesn’t pick up. Is everyt
hing okay? Don’t tell me they decided to leave today instead?”

  She speaks so fast I can’t get a word in. Tianna and Aaron were to leave for Reno for the weekend the following morning.

  “She’s not,” I say.

  I sink on the bench unable to find the words and grip the phone. I shut my eyes and I can hear children playing across the street.

  After a moment she says, “Adam? What is it?”

  “She… she passed away, Rita.”

  “What? Is this a joke? Are you…” she trails off and I can hear her crying. A soft, low cry.

  I rest my elbows on my knees and hang my head, holding the phone with one hand and pressing my eyes with the other.

  Neither of us speaks for a few seconds.

  “How?” she says through sniffles but doesn’t give me a chance to respond. “Where is she? Where are you?”

  “I’m at the park. The one in front of Aaron’s school, I—”

  “Oh, my God, her boy. Have you told him?”

  “No, no. I’m waiting for him.”

  “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  “Rita, please don’t drive like this. I’ll—”

  The line goes dead before I can finish. “Great,” I mumble and shove the phone back in my pocket.

  With my own phone, I dial my brother Jaycob's number but stop. He’s been working the night shift for a security company for a few weeks now and may be sleeping. I know he needs to know, but… not yet. I place my elbows on my knees and cover my face with my hands. Tianna’s gone, my Tianna. A lump in my throat appears and I keep fighting the tears, but the thought of Aaron not having his mom brings them out.

  Ominous gray clouds gather above and the air feels heavy and I know the rain will start to fall at any moment. I watch the world continue to move as ordinary as ever. Parents are starting to assemble in front of the school to wait for their children. Nannies pushing strollers; fathers check their phones, and others mingle amongst themselves. They have no idea that my world has stopped and that the life of a child in that school will never be the same.

  Twenty minutes later I see Rita’s silver Honda pull in the parking space next to my yellow Jeep and she heads my way. She looks stricken, her face, the color of milk, is wet with tears and her red hair falls over her shoulders. I greet her with an embrace and she sobs into my chest. I put my chin on her head and breathe in the scent of her peach shampoo. “I’m so sorry,” I whisper.