1980' to 1990's, Indonesia
The pungent scent of disinfectant tickled Vy's senses even before she opened her eyes, alerting her immediately to the reality that she wasn't in familiar surroundings. At least not in the familiar surroundings of home. Frequent visits to the hospital had, unhappily, made her far more used to it than any thirteen year-old should be.
Vy wanted to open her eyes, but she was so tired... Besides, she knew what she'd see if she looked around: white walls, IV lines, scrub-clad nurses, a plastic cup by the bedside with one of those thick plastic straws that tasted like the rest of the hospital smelled.... Opening her eyes just to see that wasn't worth the effort.
The scent of the lavender soap her mother used snuck through the overwhelming smells of the hospital and Vy knew even without looking that she was close by--just as she always was.
"Lily," Jessica said. The sound of a chair scraping against the ground as Vy's mother stood to greet her sister. "Thank you for coming."
"Of course," Lily responded. "How is she?"
"She's doing alright. She'll likely be able to go home in a couple of days."
"So she'll recover."
"It looks like it, yes. I'm not sure what the side effects will be but...."
Everytime Vy came home from the hospital 'recovered' it was only to be left with some indelible mark of her visit in one form or another. A weakened heart, lungs, eyes....she never came out of any battle with illness the same.
"Thank God she'll be alright," Lily breathed. "It's only been a few months since she was hospitalized for hepatitis. And last year it was malaria....."
Jessica's voice quivered when she responded, her tone one of complete overwhelm and despair. "I know. They've given her so many tonics and supplements that were supposed to keep her from ending up here again. I guess they don't work."
"Don't lose heart. Who knows how much they have helped to protect her from? You're doing everything you can for her."
A few moments of silence followed. They were surely embracing, holding tight to one another as they had since they were children.
"What is it this time?" Lily asked.
"Dengue fever."
"My God....."
"It just feels like when I bring her home it'll be only to wait for the next illness to strike. I don't know what to do," Jessica said.
"I do. Next Monday is a school holiday. Why don't you and Vy come stay with me in Palopo for the weekend?"
"That sounds amazing. Vy loves it at your place so much and it's been so long since she's been with mum and dad and her cousins...It's a generous offer, Lily but are you sure?"
YOU ARE READING
The Little Things
FantasyI don't know why and how we could have met, in that beautiful night sky. I don't know why I have fallen in love with you, when our worlds were vastly different. Now, I was watching the stars in the endless night sky, guessing which one was you. I gu...
