INGRID (ENGLISH VERSION)

RETURN TO AUSTRALIA

During the following evening, I called mum and asked her to visit me, because I had to make a very important discussion. At the same time, I also informed my siblings about it, so they would also be at my place. Nobody had a clue about what I was going to say and they thought it was about dad's legacy. Ingmar suspected that something was happening, but as soon as he was trying to mention anything, I'd say: "Not a word! I'll talk, when the time comes".

When the time came, we all gathered at my place and I was shaking like a fish thrown out of water. Monica was the most terrified of us all as if she knew. I was looking at Monica again and again, wondering what was happening to her. She would rarely visit us, while when she did, she would constantly be in tears and now she had lost almost thirty kilos and had brown hair. And who was that? Monica, who has always been a redhead chubby girl. When she came home, just before the others had arrived, I hugged her and she started sobbing.

"Monica, what's wrong with you?", I asked.

"I've done everything wrong in my life", she said to me.

"What have you done wrong?"

"All choices I made were wrong".

I stayed in silence for a while and then told her: "You want a divorce, right?"

She shook her head. "Since I got married. I thought that children would save our relationship, but..."

"This is the biggest mistake that we, women, do", I replied. "We try to keep a relationship healthy, by having children, but then, things become even worse".

"I want to move back. Take my children and move back to Kirkenes. Now that mum is around. I want to be with my true family".

I felt a noose around my neck. Monica was saying all this, while a few minutes later I was going to announce to my family the fact that there was a possibility of me dying. "Oh, my sweet sister", I said and hugged her. Now I was going to be the one who would start crying.

After everybody was present at home, I decided I was going to talk to them without showing much emotion. "Well", I started. "I need to announce something to you. Nobody knows anything, except for my cousin, Vigge".

"Nor me?", Ingmar asked.

"Nor you".

"Are you pregnant?", asked Anna, whose mind was sharp as a tack, already in that age.

"Honey, had I been pregnant, I wouldn't have gathered you all up here, as if it were a council. Now enough with your questions and let me talk to the end".

Nobody said a word, so I could go on. "Well, I visited the doctor, because I was suffering from aches in my bones. I was checked twice so that we made sure there wasn't any mistake, but, unfortunately, the results were the same. What I was informed about, was that I have a tumour on my bones. In other words, I have bone cancer. But I don't want you to be frightened at all. I know that we went through a very difficult time with dad, therefore my therapy is taken care of. I'm not such a selfish person so that I let myself be taken away by this thing. I will overcome this. There is no chance that I don't".

I stopped talking for a while and silence was spread throughout the room. Ingmar opened his mouth about to say something, but I stopped him, saying: "Darling, I'm not done yet. I've got more to say".

"Thus, I spoke to Vigge, who is a surgeon and this is what he suggested. That I move to Australia so that he can check up on me and I start chemos there. I own a house in Sydney, so we could move in, there. Are you joining me?"

"Ingrid, of course, we are moving there, for as much as it is needed. Until you become totally healthy, we are staying in Australia. Anna will start Junior High School there".