Short Stories

15 minutes

15 Minutes        

"Mom can you drop us off at dads yet?" I asked my mom after I followed her to her boyfriend's kitchen.

"Don't you guys want some left over cake from last night?" She asked me implying that she wanted me to go back out on the porch and ask my two younger siblings, the obnoxious brat I called a brother and a quiet squirrel I had for a sister.

I turned back around and stumbled down the hall of the little house. It was really quite cute, small ad comfy but feeling much larger on the inside. I had nothing against being here. It made my mom happy, and they guy treated my mom right. She treated her like she was a queen and he treated us really good too.

"Do you guys want cake?" I asked as my siblings both perked up. Great now my boyfriend was going to be upset because he was already on his way to my dad's house, and we were not going to be there when he got there. "Well come get it then."

"Can we go now?" I repeated after we had had cake and wasted another 15 min. My boyfriend was texting me impatiently.

"What Charlie, do you have somewhere better to be? Is Harley waiting for you?" Harley is my boyfriend of 6 months in 3 weeks.

"Maybe..." I said cheekily.

"So he is more important than your family?" She was upset which is what I hated doing to her. I hated making her upset.

"No, He is just waiting at the house for me."

Still upset she got up and started to round up my siblings, this and that. "Well why is he waiting there anyways?"

After she asked the question she walked away showing that she did not really want an answer.

We got our stuff together and my mom dropped us off at my dad's. The only reason we saw her today on a weekend was because she had to take us to the intoxicatingly clean dentist.

I spent the rest of the day doing not very much of anything with my boyfriend. My dad and I drove him home later, around 9, after which, when we returned home, I proceeded to text Harley till 1:00 in the morning, till we had decided we needed some sleep. I fell asleep faster than I could think about falling asleep.

"Charlie! CHARLIE! Wake up!" My dad was shaking me awake. I looked up at him in that groggy state of unknowing. "Your mom is in the hospital! She has had a heart attack."

I grabbed my phone looking at the time. 1:15. I was no longer in groggy state.

"Get your sister up and get dressed. We are going to Vancouver, to the hospital." My dad continued. Turning to go wake my brother up.

I ran to the other side of my room shaking my sister till she was up, telling her what was happening. We both threw on the first pair of sweatpants and T-shirt we could find.

I stood by the door while my dad counted the hours it had been since he finished his beer on his fingers and my sister tied her shoes.

We drove the hospital in quiet, all of us in shock, none of us knowing what to do.

When we got there my dad was asked to come into the hospital leaving my siblings and I in the waiting area of the emergency. It was very white and barren. I remember seeing someone sitting alone in the corner. I held onto my siblings hands not wanting to think about what I knew had happened. What I had a feeling had happened.

Finally, my father came back, accompanied by a nurse, or maybe a doctor. I am not sure. We were taken to an empty room and asked to take a seat.

"There is no easy way to do this," the man, whatever he was, said. He looked at my father with an asking look. I knew then that what I was thinking was right.

"Your Mother," My dad started, having to swallow deeply before he continued. I was already crying. It was like when my parents told us 3 years prior they were splitting up and I knew before a word had left their mouths and soon they were crying with me while my siblings were lost as ever. "Your mom has passed away."

From here the doctor took over. Uttering words like "we tried everything we could" and "It happened in her sleep" My life was changed forever. In those 15 minutes of sleep I went from whole to torn apart, and all I could think of was that I could not remember if I told her I loved her when she dropped us off. Since then, I swear to never take a single goodbye for granted.

-Based on true events-

Rest in Peace Mom

Love from your daughter

1971-2014