I ring the bell
my step-mother greets me
she slaps me in the face
shock, dismay, anger, fear
“Your father died and you should have known.”
who is she to treat me like this?
I glare at her for seconds, she returns the same

Silence for a moment
“Where have you been these past years”?
far from the turmoil, I say
we hate each other
I retreated from my dad’s life
his insidious stare
his menacing mind
his crafty presence
“you have caused his death;
you drove him mad with your ***** tricks.”

I move closer to her face
to clarify
she shuts me up
no slap this time

I go to the morgue
heart attack
touch him
the last
she can’t accuse me
she has no one
I have a life