▍ATLANTA, GEORGIA. DECEMBER 23, 1971 — FLASHBACK !
the hospital room was deafeningly quiet. so quiet that you could hear a pen drop. that was the level of silence that filled the room. in these kind of situations, the young girl's thoughts would go crazy.
reyna sat in the armchair next to her father's bed, holding his hand while tracing bits of nothing on his palm. she noticed as the days went by as she visited him, his physique was becoming thinner and his pretty brown skin was slowing losing its color. even though he never showed it, she knew for a fact her father was suffering. the way he was sleeping so peacefully spoke for itself.
they knew this day would come, it was just a matter of when, which is why elvira began making preparations even before they learned of his worsened condition. he made some last-minute alterations to his will and conveyed his funeral wishes to his wife. he had his private chats with his children about how their lives would be without him, as difficult as it was.
so all they could do while they waited was support their loved one and make sure he was as comfortable as possible in his final moments.
reyna's mother, elvira, sat across from her in the other armchair. she slumped on one side of the chair, rubbing her temples while staring blankly into space. there was no doubt that her mother was stressed.
elvira was in denial after her husband, marvin, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. she became more closed as the days went by, which was odd to reyna and her brother. she couldn't bring herself to face the reality of losing her husband and parenting two children on her own in a matter of time. it would be an understatement to say she was terrified.
what got to reyna was the fact that she couldn't help her father. that there was nothing she could do to relieve him of the pain he's been in for the past four months. she felt totally useless. if reyna had the choice to trade places with her father, she would do so in a heartbeat, no questions asked if it meant he would no longer be in pain.
he was her other half, her protector, her everything. just thinking about the possibility of him not being on this planet anymore made her heart break. reyna could no longer fight back the the tears that's been threatening to fall down her cheeks since she entered the room. she discreetly wiped her face with the back of her free hand, letting out a few sniffles.
