Another Hospital Stay
Chapter 7
"After that, they were extremely careful and a month before you were born, Josefina receives a terrible phone call, telling her that Omar had been in an accident and that he was interned in the hospital with severe injuries. She was told that there was a fifty-fifty chance he would survive. Your father died a few days later, from uncontrollable internal bleeding. My poor Josefina was devastated, she wouldn't eat nor would she talk about what happened. And I'm sure you know the rest from what I've told you. But your mother was…is…extremely beautiful, as are you," she says, a tear glistening in her eye. She gets up and heads towards the door. "I'm going to prepare you something to eat, mija, so you won’t be hungry on the flight." With that said, she disappears into the hall and downstairs, leaving me alone in my room, everything that she had just told me in a whirlwind going around in my head.
I lie back in my bed and just stare up at me ceiling when a certain someone popped into my head. Someone with an afro and light brown eyes, someone that had injured me, and someone who had given me their phone number. As weird as this may sound, I can't seem to get him out of my head for some odd reason. I sigh and get up, shaking my head before heading downstairs and into the kitchen, where my grandmother was cooking something.
"Hi, abuela," I say, going to sit at the kitchen table and resting my arms on it. I lay my head on my hands and just watch her do whatever it was she was doing.
"What's wrong, mija? You seem sad today," she asks, bustling around the kitchen.
"Nothing. I guess I'm just nervous about seeing my mom again after so long," I say, closing my eyes and causing that vivid memory of when my mom left that fateful day fifteen years ago.
"I know what you mean. Don't worry about it, mija. Who knows, maybe she'll be well enough to be able to come home at last," my grandmother says, making the sign of the cross.
"I wish for that more than anything," I say, chewing on my lower lip.
"I know, mija. I wish for that, too," she says, placing what she had just cooked onto a plate and putting it in front of me. "Now eat. You're about to leave as soon as your grandfather gets here," she adds, pulling out a chair and sitting down with me.
"What was he going to do before he got here, anyway," I ask, starting to eat.
"I have no idea. He didn't tell me," she says, starting to tidy up the kitchen. I don't say anything, just sit there for awhile, picking at my food, pretending to eat. After a few minutes, I hear the front door open and my grandfather's booming voice announcing that he was home. I get up and walk over to him, giving him a brief hug.
"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you or abuela that I'm leaving. I just didn't want you two to get mad at me and try to stop me, that's all," I quickly explain all in one breath.
"It's all right, mija. You don't have to explain anything. I understand," he says, hugging me back and smiling. "Oh, and I've got something for you, by the way," he adds, pulling something out of his pocket and handing it to me.
"Why do I need this," I ask, looking at him quizzically.
"I figured you might need one now that you're leaving your grandmother and I. Besides, your grandmother wanted me to get you one just in case you need something," he explains. I turn the cell phone he had handed me over in my hand and examine it.
"Thank you, abuelo," I say, looking at him and then at my grandmother. "I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise."
"Mija, it's getting late, we should get going," my grandfather says. "Do you have everything ready to go," he adds, heading towards the door. I nod and run upstairs to my room, throwing my messenger bag over my shoulder and grabbing my suitcase. I carry them both downstairs and into the living room. My grandfather picks up the suitcase and carries it out to the car, putting it inside the trunk.
I see my grandmother standing near the door, tears streaming down her face. I walk up to her and pull her into a tight embrace. "Don't worry, abuela. I'll be fine."
"It's not that, mija. It's just that I'm so used to having you around and thinking that you're not going to be here is just unbearable. Not only that, it's also that this is going to be the first time you've been away from home for a long time," she says, looking up at me sadly.
"I know. Well, I think abuelo is getting aggravated with me. I should go now. Bye, abuela. I love you," I say, giving her a hug and a kiss before walking out the door. I head towards the car and get in the passenger's seat, looking back at the house where I see my grandmother standing at the door. I wave a goodbye and blow her a kiss. She smiles and waves back, sending me a kiss as well.
I lie back in my bed and just stare up at me ceiling when a certain someone popped into my head. Someone with an afro and light brown eyes, someone that had injured me, and someone who had given me their phone number. As weird as this may sound, I can't seem to get him out of my head for some odd reason. I sigh and get up, shaking my head before heading downstairs and into the kitchen, where my grandmother was cooking something.
"Hi, abuela," I say, going to sit at the kitchen table and resting my arms on it. I lay my head on my hands and just watch her do whatever it was she was doing.
"What's wrong, mija? You seem sad today," she asks, bustling around the kitchen.
"Nothing. I guess I'm just nervous about seeing my mom again after so long," I say, closing my eyes and causing that vivid memory of when my mom left that fateful day fifteen years ago.
"I know what you mean. Don't worry about it, mija. Who knows, maybe she'll be well enough to be able to come home at last," my grandmother says, making the sign of the cross.
"I wish for that more than anything," I say, chewing on my lower lip.
"I know, mija. I wish for that, too," she says, placing what she had just cooked onto a plate and putting it in front of me. "Now eat. You're about to leave as soon as your grandfather gets here," she adds, pulling out a chair and sitting down with me.
"What was he going to do before he got here, anyway," I ask, starting to eat.
"I have no idea. He didn't tell me," she says, starting to tidy up the kitchen. I don't say anything, just sit there for awhile, picking at my food, pretending to eat. After a few minutes, I hear the front door open and my grandfather's booming voice announcing that he was home. I get up and walk over to him, giving him a brief hug.
"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you or abuela that I'm leaving. I just didn't want you two to get mad at me and try to stop me, that's all," I quickly explain all in one breath.
"It's all right, mija. You don't have to explain anything. I understand," he says, hugging me back and smiling. "Oh, and I've got something for you, by the way," he adds, pulling something out of his pocket and handing it to me.
"Why do I need this," I ask, looking at him quizzically.
"I figured you might need one now that you're leaving your grandmother and I. Besides, your grandmother wanted me to get you one just in case you need something," he explains. I turn the cell phone he had handed me over in my hand and examine it.
"Thank you, abuelo," I say, looking at him and then at my grandmother. "I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise."
"Mija, it's getting late, we should get going," my grandfather says. "Do you have everything ready to go," he adds, heading towards the door. I nod and run upstairs to my room, throwing my messenger bag over my shoulder and grabbing my suitcase. I carry them both downstairs and into the living room. My grandfather picks up the suitcase and carries it out to the car, putting it inside the trunk.
I see my grandmother standing near the door, tears streaming down her face. I walk up to her and pull her into a tight embrace. "Don't worry, abuela. I'll be fine."
"It's not that, mija. It's just that I'm so used to having you around and thinking that you're not going to be here is just unbearable. Not only that, it's also that this is going to be the first time you've been away from home for a long time," she says, looking up at me sadly.
"I know. Well, I think abuelo is getting aggravated with me. I should go now. Bye, abuela. I love you," I say, giving her a hug and a kiss before walking out the door. I head towards the car and get in the passenger's seat, looking back at the house where I see my grandmother standing at the door. I wave a goodbye and blow her a kiss. She smiles and waves back, sending me a kiss as well.