Cursed

“TWO DAYS UNTIL MY BIRTHDAY!”

 I yell as I come running down the corridor into the kitchen where my parents are.

“My baby is going to be nine!!!” says mum with foggy eyes. I hug them both, and go to put on my school uniform on ready for the day. I grab my shirt and pants from my wardrobe, all nicely ironed. My laces are tied in bows from yesterday when I took them off. I put my bags on my back and carry them to car boot. I open the front door of the car. Mum looks over at me. I notice that she looks pale. More pale than usual.

“Are you ok?” I say sympathetically.

“Fine honey” and she starts driving.

She pulls into the school slipway. I kiss her goodbye and head off to my classroom. I run to Mrs Atkin’s classroom. The day drags. All day I find myself thinking of the car ride this morning. Mum looked as if she was going to throw up. I snap out of my trance and focus myself on the division questions on the whiteboard. She’s probably just got a cold.

The bell rings. The day is over. I grab my bag off my hook and head out to the slipway. Just as I am coming out of the school gates, I freeze. My legs feel as if they are made of cement. My arms are as stiff metal. It’s Mason, the school bully. I quietly unlock the gate and run towards the car park. He won’t see me there. I stop at a red Volvo to catch my breath. I look up. Wait a second, that’s dad’s car! Why is he here? I thought mum was supposed to be picking me up today. I open the boot, chuck my school bags in and hop into the back seat of the car.

“Where’s mum?” I ask.

“She is um…” says dad, clenching the steering wheel. “resting.”

I know something’s up. The car ride home is silent. I start to worry. What if she has come down with the flu? I hope mum’s okay by the time I get home.

Dad pulls up into the driveway. I sprint out of the car door and into the house. I can’t see mum anywhere. She’s not in the kitchen or her bedroom. “Where’s mum?” I ask dad in a worried tone.

“She is” dad said “At the hospital.”

 “Why didn’t you tell me?” I say.

“She’ll be out soon.” Dad says.

 I go and try to finish my homework. I find it hard to concentrate with all the worries floating about in my head. I look down at my empty worksheet. What if mum has to stay in hospital for a whole year? What if she gets really sick and she isn’t allowed to come home. I push the thoughts out of my mind and get to work. I just hope mum will come back to us soon.

RING. Dangit. It’s my alarm. I roll over with a loud groan and turn it off. Time to get up for school. At least it’s Friday. I quickly get ready and jump into the car. School drags -  worse than yesterday. What is 6 hours seems like forever. Finally the teacher says the magic phrase,

“Class dismissed.”

I bolt out of the classroom and into the car park. Dad’s car is right next to the junior school parking lot. I jump into the car and dad starts driving home.

“Is mum home from the hospital yet?” I ask.

“Not yet.” Dad says. “But we can go see her.”

 “This afternoon?”

“We can go straight there.”

“Why is mum in hospital anyway?” I ask.

“She has a case of flu.”

I sit back in my seat and relax. I can promise myself that she will be fine.

We finally pull up at the front of the hospital. I open the car door and step onto the pavement. The air smells of cigarettes. I walk through the metal doors with my dad and into the hospital. The walls are white as a bleached shirt. The reek changes from cigarettes to disinfectant. I skip to the lift while dad speaks to the lady at the front desk.

“Floor 3.” says dad.

We ride the elevator in silence. I enter the ward. It’s mum! “MUM!” I shout with joy. I run to the bed as fast as I can and leap into her arms. “My darling!” replies mum. She’s looking better now. Maybe she can come home.

“Why are you in hospital?” I ask. “I just had a big cold.” Says mum. I feel relief washing over me. Just as this moment, her eyes roll back. I pretend not to notice and give her another hug. All of a sudden a doctor comes out of nowhere and asks us to leave. I go and sit next to the glass door to try and hear the conversation he’s having with Dad. I know Mum says that I should never eavesdrop but this is important. All I hear is “death” and “dangerous.” The doctor and dad come back in. Dad looks like he is about to cry.

“What happened?”

“Nothing of your concern.” He says with a stern voice. Instantly, doctors come rushing in and wheel her away. What is happening? What won’t Dad tell me?

I can hear coughing from down the hall. It must be mum. I run down to the emergency room with Dad. Mum is behind curtains with doctors. I can’t see anything. All I hear is a loud buzz. Uh oh. Now the whole room is silent. What’s happened? What have they done? A doctor comes out with a worried expression on his face. “Something has gone wrong.” He says. That’s it. I’m going to find out. I tear open the curtains. As soon as I see mum just lying there I start to cry. Tears upon tears coming out. “W-what happened.” I say between sniffles.

“Your mother has had a stroke and well…” The doctor says

“She’ll be alright though? Won’t she?”

“I’m afraid it was fatal.”

“She is alive right?”

“I’m so sorry.”

I fall to my knees. She’s dead. She is no more. I never got to say goodbye. It’s like my heart has been ripped out of me and I have been left in a wasteland all alone. I feel isolated from the rest of the world. I just want to sit on the hospital floor for the rest of my life and never talk to anyone again. My life is useless now. Some birthday.