Another Hospital Stay
Chapter 10
I had barely reached the front door when it flies open and my grandma rushes out, pulling me into a tight hug.
"Alexia! Mija, it's been so long! How are you, darling," she says, giving me a kiss. She lets go of me and looks me up and down. "You look so much like your mother, mija. But come in," she adds, grabbing my hand and pulling me into the house.
As soon as I walk in, my mouth drops open. The house was enormous. There was a winding staircase that spiraled upstairs and you could see the top of the house where there was a sunroof made of colored glass and a glass chandelier hanging down from it. I look around and see a huge room off to the side with a beautiful grand piano nestled in the middle. To the left, I see the dining room with a table that was twice the size of the one my grandparents had at home. The floor, I noticed was made of white marble all over the first floor.
"Wow, it's beautiful, grandma," I breath, still stunned.
"Thank you, sweetheart. You must be tired. Let me get Hilda to show you to your room, okay, darling," she says. Not waiting for a response, she grabs a small bell that was sitting at the table in the middle of the foyer and rang it. A few seconds later, a small woman in her late thirties early forties appears.
"Yes, ma'am," she asks, stopping in front of my grandma.
"Hilda, be a sweetheart and take my granddaughter's things to her room, you know, the one that we fixed up for her," my grandma says, placing the bell back on the table.
"Yes, ma'am. Come with me, miss," Hilda replies, grabbing my suitcase and heading upstairs. I silently follow her, careful not to touch anything. As we were walking up the stairs, I noticed that there were paintings hanging on the walls the whole way up. I stop as soon as I see one that looked familiar.
"Hilda," I ask, awe in my voice.
"Yes, miss," she replies, stopping and turning to look at me.
"Who are they," I ask, indicating to the painting that had transfixed me.
"They, miss, are your parents. Ms. Josefina and Mr. Omar," Hilda says, walking back down to where she was standing next to me.
"Did you know them," I ask, not taking my eyes off of the painting.
"Yes, miss, I did. Has anyone ever told you that you look just like Ms. Josefina," she asks, looking straight at me. I turn to look at her and she smiles. "Yes, you look exactly like her."
"Really? My grandmother is always telling me that. But thank you," I say, smiling. I turn my head back to look at the painting and finally see what my father looked like. "Wow, that's really my father," I say to no one in particular.
"Yes, miss, that's Mr. Omar," Hilda says, starting to head back upstairs. "Come on now, miss. You must be tired. Let me take you to your room," she adds. I finally take my eyes off the painting and continue upstairs.
I follow Hilda the rest of the way up to my room in silence. As we were nearing the top of the stairs, she all of a sudden asks,
"What happened to your hand, miss?"
It was then that I remembered about Ray and him squishing me, causing me bodily harm.
"Oh, it's nothing. I wasn't watching where I was going and ran into someone. I fell and landed on my wrist," I explain, still following her. As soon as we reached the top, she turned left and led me down a long hallway with a window at the end. She stops at a huge oak wooden door with intricate designs and sets down my bag. She then reaches into her apron, pulling out a single key. She puts it in the door, unlocking it and pushing it open.
I gasp as soon as I catch my first glimpse inside my room. The first thing that caught my eye was the bed. it was a canopy with thin meshlike material draped around it. The covers were a deep red and the bed frame was gold. My eyes wander around the room, a look of awe evident on my face.
"Wow," I breath, turning to look at Hilda, who was beaming.
"It's beautiful, isn't it, miss," she asks, grabbing my bag and walking in, setting it next to the bed.
"Yeah," was all I managed to get out before my gaze drifted to the window. Actually, it was more of a wall of glass covering the entire wall with a sliding door placed in the center, leading to a balcony. I slowly make my way over and cautiously slide open the door. A slight breeze of air wraps around me, making me shiver just the slightest bit. I walk out to the edge and lean against the railing, looking down. I cock my head to the side when I notice something.
"Hilda," I call out, turning to look inside. She appears at the doorway, smiling.
"Yes, miss," she asks, walking out onto the balcony.
"What is that down there," I ask, pointing at what I was talking about.
"That? Oh, that's just the indoor swimming pool. No one really uses it, so it's pretty much always locked," she explains, looking at me.
"Who has the key," I ask, looking back out.
"Your grandma," she replies, heading back inside.
After she goes back inside, I pull out my phone and call my grandparents. They answer on the first ring. I didn't talk long, just long enough to tell them that I had arrived fine and that I was okay. I talk for about five minutes and finally hang up. I stick my hands inside my coat pocket and keep them in to let them remain warm. I moved my hand a bit inside and my fingers brush against a slip of paper. I pull it out and notice that it was the one that Ray had given me with his number. I contemplate whether or not to call him and after a few minutes, I finally muster up the strength to call.
I pull out my phone once again and punch in his number, taking a deep breath before pressing send.
"Alexia! Mija, it's been so long! How are you, darling," she says, giving me a kiss. She lets go of me and looks me up and down. "You look so much like your mother, mija. But come in," she adds, grabbing my hand and pulling me into the house.
As soon as I walk in, my mouth drops open. The house was enormous. There was a winding staircase that spiraled upstairs and you could see the top of the house where there was a sunroof made of colored glass and a glass chandelier hanging down from it. I look around and see a huge room off to the side with a beautiful grand piano nestled in the middle. To the left, I see the dining room with a table that was twice the size of the one my grandparents had at home. The floor, I noticed was made of white marble all over the first floor.
"Wow, it's beautiful, grandma," I breath, still stunned.
"Thank you, sweetheart. You must be tired. Let me get Hilda to show you to your room, okay, darling," she says. Not waiting for a response, she grabs a small bell that was sitting at the table in the middle of the foyer and rang it. A few seconds later, a small woman in her late thirties early forties appears.
"Yes, ma'am," she asks, stopping in front of my grandma.
"Hilda, be a sweetheart and take my granddaughter's things to her room, you know, the one that we fixed up for her," my grandma says, placing the bell back on the table.
"Yes, ma'am. Come with me, miss," Hilda replies, grabbing my suitcase and heading upstairs. I silently follow her, careful not to touch anything. As we were walking up the stairs, I noticed that there were paintings hanging on the walls the whole way up. I stop as soon as I see one that looked familiar.
"Hilda," I ask, awe in my voice.
"Yes, miss," she replies, stopping and turning to look at me.
"Who are they," I ask, indicating to the painting that had transfixed me.
"They, miss, are your parents. Ms. Josefina and Mr. Omar," Hilda says, walking back down to where she was standing next to me.
"Did you know them," I ask, not taking my eyes off of the painting.
"Yes, miss, I did. Has anyone ever told you that you look just like Ms. Josefina," she asks, looking straight at me. I turn to look at her and she smiles. "Yes, you look exactly like her."
"Really? My grandmother is always telling me that. But thank you," I say, smiling. I turn my head back to look at the painting and finally see what my father looked like. "Wow, that's really my father," I say to no one in particular.
"Yes, miss, that's Mr. Omar," Hilda says, starting to head back upstairs. "Come on now, miss. You must be tired. Let me take you to your room," she adds. I finally take my eyes off the painting and continue upstairs.
I follow Hilda the rest of the way up to my room in silence. As we were nearing the top of the stairs, she all of a sudden asks,
"What happened to your hand, miss?"
It was then that I remembered about Ray and him squishing me, causing me bodily harm.
"Oh, it's nothing. I wasn't watching where I was going and ran into someone. I fell and landed on my wrist," I explain, still following her. As soon as we reached the top, she turned left and led me down a long hallway with a window at the end. She stops at a huge oak wooden door with intricate designs and sets down my bag. She then reaches into her apron, pulling out a single key. She puts it in the door, unlocking it and pushing it open.
I gasp as soon as I catch my first glimpse inside my room. The first thing that caught my eye was the bed. it was a canopy with thin meshlike material draped around it. The covers were a deep red and the bed frame was gold. My eyes wander around the room, a look of awe evident on my face.
"Wow," I breath, turning to look at Hilda, who was beaming.
"It's beautiful, isn't it, miss," she asks, grabbing my bag and walking in, setting it next to the bed.
"Yeah," was all I managed to get out before my gaze drifted to the window. Actually, it was more of a wall of glass covering the entire wall with a sliding door placed in the center, leading to a balcony. I slowly make my way over and cautiously slide open the door. A slight breeze of air wraps around me, making me shiver just the slightest bit. I walk out to the edge and lean against the railing, looking down. I cock my head to the side when I notice something.
"Hilda," I call out, turning to look inside. She appears at the doorway, smiling.
"Yes, miss," she asks, walking out onto the balcony.
"What is that down there," I ask, pointing at what I was talking about.
"That? Oh, that's just the indoor swimming pool. No one really uses it, so it's pretty much always locked," she explains, looking at me.
"Who has the key," I ask, looking back out.
"Your grandma," she replies, heading back inside.
After she goes back inside, I pull out my phone and call my grandparents. They answer on the first ring. I didn't talk long, just long enough to tell them that I had arrived fine and that I was okay. I talk for about five minutes and finally hang up. I stick my hands inside my coat pocket and keep them in to let them remain warm. I moved my hand a bit inside and my fingers brush against a slip of paper. I pull it out and notice that it was the one that Ray had given me with his number. I contemplate whether or not to call him and after a few minutes, I finally muster up the strength to call.
I pull out my phone once again and punch in his number, taking a deep breath before pressing send.