Housemates

Heart attack

Arianne

I wake up to my phone ringing. Who the fuck is calling me at this hour?

Its 2pm.

I answer the call without bothering to check the name first.

"Hmm?"

"Arianne?" My dads thick accent fills the phone.

"Papá? Oh my god hi" I sit up and look at the mirror across the bed to see how bad I look right now incase he turns this into a FaceTime as well as trying to act like I've been awake.

"come stai cara??"
(How are you dear?)

"davvero bravo papà, è stato fantastico qui. ho incontrato questi grandi-"
(Really great dad, it's been amazing here. I met these great-)

I get cut off.

"sì sì bello ma non è per questo che ho chiamato"
(Yeah yeah cool, but that's not why I called you)

oh.

"non lo è?"
(It isn't?)

"tua madre," he starts. His voice goes weak.
(Your mother)

"cosa è successo a mia madre?"
(What happened to my mom?)

"lei è in ospedale. Ha avuto un infarto."
(She's in the hospital. she had a heart attack)

..

"Qué?"
(What?)

I wait for him to say he's kidding but he doesn't instead he just goes silent.

"¿qué tan malo es?"
(How bad is it?)  I ask him realizing I've now switched to Spanish which is a lot easier for me than Italian.

English surpasses all of the languages I know but they don't speak it.

"con ella un riñon las cosas van a ser dificiles."
(With her own kidney things are going to be hard)

I internally groan. This is not what I wanted to hear from him. He was supposed to call and talk about how much they missed me and how things are quiet back home without my rambling ass.

My father tells me he's going to send me money for a ticket back home in case I want to visit my mom and hangs up leaving me sitting speechless on my bed.

I really do want to go and see her but things aren't that easy with the program.

Fuck the program man. I should've just moved here. I jump out of my bed and run to my backpack I kept the list in one of the zippers.

I unfold the almost ripped paper and look for that one rule about traveling.

10. Obtaining written permission before traveling.
(Students must obtain written permission from their natural parents and host parents if they want to travel. Further; the area representative must be informed of the travel plans a minimum of three weeks ahead of departure. Travel without adult supervision, either alone or with a group, is forbidden. Students should not miss school to travel, the only exception being trips sponsored by the high school.)

Fuck fuck fuck fuck.

There are too many wrong things right now.

One. My mom is in the hospital due to a heart attack.
Two. I cannot travel without an adult and I'm pretty sure the Kingstons aren't that free to go to Italy right now.
Three.  I can't miss school. ITS THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. The only reason I'm not at school today is because they gave us a day off due to maintenance.
Four. I don't know what they meant by must be informed three weeks before the departure but IT HASNT BEEN FIVE MINUTES.