Saving Ant and Sarha

I Don't Want To Go

Anne had left when Ms. Perry had come to the house. The elderly woman was in the living room, absorbed in the programs being shown on TV. Sarha had fallen asleep and Ant had woken up a while ago. Him and Dec were in their room talking.

"It's weird. Part of me is sad she's gone while the other part of me is happy. Does that make me a bad person?"

"No. I can understand why you would feel that way."

"I mean she abandoned us. Me first and then Sarha. Then that lady wanted to make us go and live with her." Dec didn't know how to respond to that.

Anne walked into her house, shopping bags in hand.

"I'm back, Ms. Perry. How were the kids?" The elderly woman got up from the couch she had been sitting on and walked towards the front oor.

"Oh, they were angels." she replied. "They're upstairs. Dec seems just fine for the moment. His fever went down a little and he had a sore throat so I gave him some tea. Sarha is sleeping but her fever went down also. She just has a stuffed up nose and scratchy throat." Anne smiled and reached for her wallet.

"Thank you so much for watching them-" she said, fishing out some bills, but Ms. Perry put out her hand.

"Don't bother looking for money because I won't take it." she said and slipped on her coat. "Good bye."

Anne smiled and waved back. She closed the door and walked upstairs to the boys' room with her shopping bags.

"Knock, knock!" she said, opening the door slowly. Dec was seated in the chair by the door, looking slightly better than this morning. He was sitting across from Ant who was sat on the foot of the bed. "I thought I told you to stay away from him."

"But mom, I'm feeling better. Honestly."

"Okay." she said, although she was still a little unsure.

"So, what's up?"

"Well," she said setting the bags on the bed, "I went shopping." She handed a bag to Dec and another one to Ant. "I got you guys some new clothes."

"What about those two?"

"These are for Sarha. When she wakes up."

"What is for me when I wake up?" asked a groggy Sarha who just appeared behind Anne. Anne picked up the two bags and gave them to Sarha. Sarha's face lit up brighter than Anne had ever seen as the young girl pulled out new shirts, dresses, skirts, pants, and shoes. She gave Anne a big hug.

"Thank you so much!" Anne smiled at how happy Sarha sounded. Did her mother ever buy her things? Many times Anne had thought about Christine McPartlin, about what would possess her to treat her son and daughter the way she did.

The funeral was going to be Tuesday morning, but Anne hadn't told Ant and Sarha yet. She looked at the two kids as they happily looked through their new clothing items. Well Sarha, yes. Ant, not so much. She'd tell them...just not this very second.

********

Later on that afternoon, while Dec was in the shower, Ant, Sarha, and Anne were situated in the living room watching TV. Sarha was considerably better than before, and was now curled up on the couch, her head in Anne's lap while her feet rested on Ant.

Anne sighed, knowing the time was now. She turned off the TV, gaining the attention of the two kids.

"Ant, Sarha," she said gently, "This Tuesday you, Ant, and Dec aren't going to school." They both furrowed their eyebrows. Sarha sat up so that she could look Anne in the eyes.