Key to Perfection

When Life Hates You

I used to wish for a sister or a brother... Scratch that, just a sister. I wanted a playmate and someone to tell everything to and have fun with.

In the present time, I'm glad that wish wasn't answered.

"Hey dad! I'm home!" I called from the back door. I had just come home from the movie theater with my friends Natalie, Jared, and Rose. No response, just empty silence. I saw dads shadow on the stairs, a sure sign he was trying to surprise me, a game we had started playing to see who was scarier.

"Dad, I see you on the stairs! You can come out." I said peering around the corner to try sneaking up on him. The shadow didn't even flinch.

I slowly turned the corner and jumped out.

"HEY DA- AAH!" I screamed, as a fun game of sneaking up on each other turned into another awful memory.

There, on the stairs was dad. He upside down on the stairs, it looked like he had fallen down the stairs. His neck bent at an odd angle and blood coming from a wound on his head. I was starting to cry but no tears would come so  I just huddled against the wall, slowly inching down so that I was sitting on the ground. I sat there breathing heavily and staring at the body, deceased? That was still unconfirmed. I wanted to cry, I wanted to scream but any noise welled up in my throat and just evaporated. I wanted to close my eyes and wake up to my normal life, but they were glued open and this was no dream.

I slowly got up and reached for the phone on the counter, fumbling with the buttons. I called 9-1-1. "There is a body at my house in 1912 cove falls crescent. He is my dad, I don't know if he's dead or alive. Come quickly." I then hung up and the phone slipped from my fingers, crashing to the ground. I sat there in my fixed position, eyes mesmerized by the motionless form in front of me. All noise colour, and reality ceased, trapping me in an uncertain world of nightmares. I didn't hear the sirens that stopped in front of our house, I didn't hear the heavy boots that clumped on the floor and put my dad on a stretcher. I didn't feel the hand that reached out and grabbed my arm, pulling me away from the scene.

There was a nurse there, and a psychiatrist to see if I was finally mentally deranged from trauma. The nurse wrapped a thick wool blanket around my shoulders and told me that the doctors would help him and he would live.

That's better than mom got it. I thought to myself.

She was kind but I knew that she was giving me the sympathy eyes right now. The nurse asked if I needed a hug and I curtly replied that she didn't understand and only my dad gave me hugs. The woman grabbed my shoulders and turned me to look directly into her eyes.

"My mom got into a bike accident. Her ribs were fractured and her lung was punctured. We thought she would die but the doctors took care of her and she is now living in California in a tropical breeze. They can help your dad too! And don't worry, if you actually looked at me you would see that I wasn't giving you the Oh you poor thing look because I hated it too." She said with a smile. Then putting her arm around my shoulder and drawing me close.

I didn't resist because it felt good, like mom hugging me. This person understood me too, at least in some areas. I didn't draw back, I leaned in and slowly a tear fell from my eye.

"We can help him. We'll take care of you too. Don't worry." The nurse said, seeing the salt water slide down my cheek.

"There's no one else to take care of me if he is gone," I said. Bottom lip trembling.

If that's the case I will personally take you under my wing and give you a home! By the way, my name is Matilda Burna." She said laughing softly.

Dad was strapped into the plank and in the ambulance. Everything was going to be okay.

My dad would be fine, if he wasn't, the nurse... Matilda would give me a home, at least until they found another family member. Everything was fine for now.

And by now, you know how "fine" turns out in this story.