They Came From Nkozi

1.

ROSEMARY'S POV

|February 16, Wednesday|

Why's it so darn hot in here?

I got up off my bed and fiddled with the light switches until the fan turned on. It was a new house so I had no idea which switch controlled which object. I sleepily walked back to my bed and put my hands in front of me so I wouldn't bump into any unpacked boxes that were stacked up from the move. Then I got back in bed.

I used to live in Denver, Colorado with my Mom and Dad, but now I live here in Gilbert, Arizona with my Mom, Step-Dad, and his kids. My real Dad was a cop. He was the best cop out there! He used to come home late when I was around 7 years old. My mom would always ask what he did at work that day. He would say that he caught someone robbing a bank, or helped a little kid get back home safely. Then my Mom would say how proud of him she was and then she'd give him a little kiss.

One time, I snuck out of my room because I wanted to hug my daddy because I hadn't seen him all day. So I went out there and hugged him and I told him I loved him so very much. He lifted me up and gave me a kiss on my cheek. When he put me down I asked him what he did at work, just how my mommy always asked him. He had said he helped a little doggy get unstuck from underneath an old lady's motorhome. I told him that he was a hero and then I said goodnight to them and went to bed. My dad really was a hero!

Seven years later, when I was 14, my dad was called to do a dangerous police job. There was a man who had kidnapped 3 sisters and raped all of them throughout the span of a week. My dad and other cops surrounded the house where the man was with the girls and they busted the doors open to the house. My dad was one of the first people to go inside the house that day. He was shot exactly in the middle of the heart with a 10 gauge shotgun by the rapist. One of my dad's friends tased the man with a taser.

My dad was rushed to the hospital straight away after that. The hospital called my Mom and we drove to the hospital as fast as we could. When we got there, my dad was in his hospital room laying on the bed. The doctor was in there with some nurses. They were trying to get the bullet out and stop the bleeding. My Mom told me to wait in the hallway because she didn't want me to see my dad like this. I had said a prayer in my head. I prayed that the doctors would be able to get the bullet out and he would be okay. My mom came out of the room a little while later. She said that I need to go home and that she was gonna stay at the hospital overnight with my dad. She said everything was gonna be fine and that my aunt was gonna pick me up and take me back to her house.

It was late when we got to my aunt's house. It was almost 11:30pm. I didn't know my aunt very well. I have only seen her on holidays and birthdays. I didn't know what to say when we got to her house, so I didn't say anything.

As we walked through the front door, my aunt said, "Your dad will be fine, Rosemary, I know he will," she put her keys on the table. "I know the doctor that is helping him. He is very good and he knows what he is doing."

"I really hope so. I love my dad and I don't want him to die." I was close to tears.

"I know you don't sweetie. Do you want to watch a movie with me to get your mind off of it?"

"Yes please," I sniffled.

***TIME SKIP***

We had finished watching "Back To The Future" and my aunt told me she was going to go to bed and to wake her up if I needed anything. I decided that I was going to go to bed too.

I was staying in the spare room right next to hers. It was very nice. It had a queen sized bed with blue sheets and a beautiful wooden dresser with an alarm clock on it.

I got into the bed and wanted to sleep but my mind started to wander. I kept having these scary thoughts. I thought of how my life would be without my dad. I didn't think that he was going to make it, but I kept telling my self that he would. I thought about how sad my mom would be without him. I would have to be around my sad mother if he died. I did not want to think about it anymore. So, I said another prayer and I went to sleep. I slept without dreaming that night.

The next morning, I woke up to the smell of scrambled eggs and bacon. I hadn't eaten since yesterday's lunch so I was hungry. I went out to the kitchen and saw my aunt adding more eggs to the pan and stirring them.

"Mornin'!" she said. "I made some eggs and bacon for you. They are on the table."

I said, "Thanks," and I went to the table and started eating. "This is really good! Thank you."

"You're welcome hun."

I had just begun to eat my eggs when all of a sudden, there was a knock at the front door. I told her that I would get it.

I looked through the peephole of the door and it was Mom. I opened it and she came in and hugged me tight...Tighter than usual. I asked what was wrong.

"Dad didn't make it," her voice cracked. I started crying.

My Aunt came over to us and led us to her living room where we sat on her couches. I was hugging my mom and crying, (well, we all were). It seemed like hours passed as we cried our eyes out.

I never even got to say goodbye to him. I loved him so much. He was supposed to see me go to prom. He was supposed to walk me down the aisle. He was supposed to hold grandchildren in his arms. But now, he can't. He's gone forever. Now, I won't have a true father to experience the rest of my life with. Now it's only me and my Mom.

Present

Like I said, I live in Arizona with my Mom, step-dad and his kid. He has an 18 year old son named Asher, but we call him Ash for short. I like hanging out with him. He is very skilled at playing sports and he loves to read. He is just filled with creativity and imagination and I just really admire that about him. I feel bad for him though because his mom died in a fire when he was 10. I tried to ask him more about it, but that's all I could get out of him. He didn't like talking about it. It made him sad.

My Mom married Ash's dad, who's name is Jack, about a year ago. They met at a bookstore in Denver. My mom worked the register there. Jack came to the store about 3 times every month to buy books. Everytime he bought a book, my mom was the one to scan his books at the register. Since he went there so often, Jack started to talk to her, maybe even flirted a little, because finally one day, Jack asked my mom out on a date. My mom said sure and they started dating. Then he asked her to marry him and she said yes. So now I live in Arizona with them and my Golden Retriever, Max.