La India

The weeks had begun to rush by. Soon enough, my summer vacation was coming and I’d be taking the boat back home to the islands with Artmeisa. All seemed to be falling into place.

In the worst times, fate always had a way to throw me off balance and into another pool of sadness.

One day, when I had ridden my bike with Artemisa back from school, we heard loud wailing from outside the house. I creaked the door open just enough to see inside.

My heart got caught in my throat and I felt a jolt of water in the back of my eyes. Manzanita sat facing the door with her face wet and puffy from crying.

The world around me seemed to stop. The only sound that came through was her wails. I could barely stand it.

Artemis took my shoulder and pulled me back into the street. She opened the door like she wasn’t aware of what was inside. Grandmother looked at her like a mad women. She shooed Artemisa out and beckoned me inside the house.

When I stood to walk inside, I felt the floor spin. I was sure I’d get sick that very moment and make a fool of myself.

Grandmother took me by the arm and dragged me inside with such force I was sure I was in trouble. She sat me where she had been sitting a moment earlier, right in front of Manzanita.

She looked at me in such a way that captivated my heart all over again. Her face had lost some of roundness, but it seemed to glow with a light from within.

Her hands had been resting on a plump belly until she reached for my face. She gently pulled my face towards her stomach.

I looked up at her disbelief. I looked at my grandmother, asking wordless questions. She had been glaring at me a moment earlier. Now, she gave me a sympathetic look that I couldn’t understand.

“She’s due in three months,” her voice cracked.

I could barely believe it had been six months since the disappearance of mi India.