What happened?

Part 7: The letter that doesn't have a destination - but a purpose

Amy

So, we've been back in Africa. I was glad to see my godchild Bakari again. He missed me alot. But the situation changed. Of course, not my situation with Bakari. I still love him endlessly now. He's part of my life and became something like my real son. Well, now I came back and I know who the persons of my dreams are. I know what happened and most important of all.. I know who I am. I was really overwhelmed by the situation when I was with Christina but I started to realize everything on my flight back only. I couldn't think clear at all. The flight was awful and I have no idea how to deal with these new feelings in my daily life now. The first days back to work were just horrible. I messed up everything and had several times of fading out during the classes. Some of the students started to worry about me and so did some of my colleagues because I told nobody about the meeting with Christina. Only the people who came to India with me knew about it, but nothing about my story. I tried to work even more than I did before just to distract myself, but in the end I ended up taking some researches and I got to know about us. My family. Didn't work out well for long because I got into some terrible sleeping issues after working for literally days without any sleep. Not good for someone whose job is teaching at a school. I really wanted to go back to ask Christina even more questions and just to have her around..

Christina

Well, meanwhile, Taniv knew about Amy but apparently he wasn't that happy about it. I actually didn't see why. He was like a secret diary or something. Maybe it was because of his image of his streets. The streets were dangerous and mysterious spots for him. Or maybe it was because of the fact that Amy left me alone again and he just cared? Or maybe even the fact that he didn't want to lose me? I have no idea. I tried to talk to him about it multiple times because he turned into my "real" dad, but he never wanted to talk. It made me feel really bad. I started to worry every single night. I laid in my bed every day and had thoughts like "I shouldn't have come here. Since I'm here, all that happens to the family is bad. I'm the reason the family split up and got worse. I'm just causing trouble. I don't belong here!" I even played with the thought to leave. I was glad when I was at work because that meant I couldn't ruin anything at home. Taniv and Shivani even started fighting or like arguing. Probably about me. I loved both of them. The kids too of course. They took me as part of their family and are really caring... but I felt like I just caused alot of family drama. I tried to be the nicest and handsome ever to show them that I am really thankful for everything and that I can be different. Well, "different"... I've never been the bad girl. By "different" I mean that I was more than just punctual all the time, I helped in the household more than ever before and showed my love to Taniv, Shivani and the kids.

One day, I actually fainted in the kitchen while doing the dishes, but luckily, no one was there to see me. A plate and a cup broke. Well done Christina... I got up from the bottom and just sat on a chair to see clear again, because I was really dizzy, but oh well, guess who came in the next moment? Taniv. I didn't remove the broken dishes yet so he just stumbled over it.

"Christina. What happened? Why are you sitting there and why are the dishes broken?!" he said and looked at me with a serious look on his face.

"I.. I can explain that -" I said but he cut me off, surprisingly caringly stroke my shoulder with his hand, took a deep breath, shook his head and walked out. My head sank to the table and I started sobbing. I tried to make it alright but it still happened the other way around?! I really wished to have Amy around this time.. I also really hoped on a sign of my sisters. It would've been just in time. I just needed something to pick me up.

Lauren

Soon after we found out that Christina and Amy are save, we tried to find out more than just the fact that Amy is in Africa? Where is Christina? Is she a teacher too? Is she in India? Well, Dani stayed in contact about it with her friend. The chinese girl tried to get a list of the attending schools, but it wasn't that easy. Only like a month later, she reached something. The list was uploaded on the website and there was luckily only one African school, but without any address or telephone number. We tried to find somehing on the web but we only found an address that wasn't actually given for the "school" - but still the only thing we had. We decided to take that one chance, wrote a letter and hoped the letter would make it's way to Amy. The letter didn't have a real destination, just a purpose. It should bring us Amy home - or at least bring her in contact with us.

Amy

So, my health problems got better and I started to live a normal life with my knowledge about my sisters again. But one day a really crumpled and dirty letter crossed my way and everything changed again.

It was just another morning. I was about to teach a class, but that morning I crossed the PO Box to get to football pitch where I had to pick up my class. And wanna know something? Snow in June! It's actually impossible that it snows in Cape Town, but it actually does sometimes at the Table Mountain, which we were close to. So, we actually got some snow!  Well, like I said I walked along the frosty fence. It was really winy too. And suddenly, near the PO Box, I saw an envelope flatter in the wind. Like, on the bottom. I picked it up. It was dirty already and also wet from the snow. I wiped the dirt away and just saw the big name "AMY" in the front. And the address of our school. I checked the sender address and had froze. It came from America. I carefully opened the envelope to pick out the letter.

"Dear Amy,

we hope you receive this letter as soon as it's possible. It's Katherine, Lisa, Lauren and Dani. We found back together and we are currently in America. We are so glad that you are save and we can't wait to take you back into our arms. It's been a painful time without you and Christina. Is she with you? Is it she alright? Please call us as soon you read this. We miss you.

We are save.

Hugs

Katherine, Lisa, Lauren, Dani and Haku (Lauren's boyfriend :)"

There was also a picture of them in the envelope. They looked similar to the persons in my head. Well, it was them, I could definitely sort them out, but I mean, they have changed. Like grown. I saw the little girl... Dani?... when she was around 12 I think.. and now it's the tall girl on the picture. A tear rolled down my face. That was what Christina told me about. My sisters... And suddenly alot of things came back into my mind.

I saw all of them, including me, standing on a stage or something like that. First I saw us putting our hands together in the middle and throwing them up together and then I saw us bowing down, all hand in hand. Plus, I heard voices, us, saying "And we're Cimorelli". It made me so emotinal. I leaned against the fence sobbed into my hands. It started snowing meanwhile. I took a deep breathe, put my head torwards the sky and yelled, in a soft and sobbing tone "I'm here."

I stayed there for a while until I got really cold. I rushed back to the main building of the school and reported myself as sick. When I got back into my room, my home, I instantly sat down on my desk and turned on the desk lamp. It was really dark in my room at this time of the year. Well, I picked some paper and wrote a letter to Christina. I put in the picture I got and rushed out to the next post office to be sure it arrives there safely.