What happened?

Part 8: We can't do anything but waiting

Christina:

It has been 3 months since Amy and I met... and still no contact. I have been countings the days and wondered if I will ever get any notification if she was save. I've become much more worried about everything since the inccident. Well, I went to work every day, stayed awake till the middle of the night and was the shiest ever in front of my family. Sounds like the opposite of me, right? To continue the story, I checked on the local post office every day, but I heard the same line every day. "No, sorry. Nothing new." After a few weeks they even started trying to cheer me up by adding a "Maybe check back tomorrow, Christina." I was well known at the post office. But one day, everything changed.

So, I was about to do my 1 mile walk to the post office after work, but I was really demotivated. I already heard the same line in my ears, so I decided to just go home. It was the first day since 3 months that I didn't appear in the post office. Hours passed and nothing happened. I sat at home playing a board game with the kids. Little did I know there was more to come this night...

Around 9pm, someone knocked on our door. We didn't expect that at all. Taniv opened and just like a minute later, I saw the nice lady from the post office walk in. She had a dirty letter in her hand and then she gave me kind of a heart attack.

"Where were you today? We all have been waiting. This letter arrived last night. Is this the letter you were waiting for?" she smiled and handed me the letter. And yes, it was a letter from Amy. I felt a tear running down my face. This nice girl made her way to my home at this time... just to hand me a letter. I jumped around her neck like a little child. Then, I walked up to the couch and sat down to open it. The lady left and my family let me alone in the room. I was shaking when I opened it.

"Dear Christina,

I hope you have a seat right now because I think I got amazing news for you. I just received this letter... from Kath, Lisa, Lauren and Dani. I was shook when I found it. You first told me about those people, my sisters, and now I get this crazy letter. My life just flashed in front of my eyes. I remember it. I can't believe this is happening. Please tell me I'm not dreaming. They are save. I wanna get back to them. Right now. Is there a possibility for you to come over to Africa? Or how are we gonna solve this? We both do not have the budget. What am I gonna respond?

Your sister Amy

PS: Look at this picture. How angelic are they?"

Of course I didn't have the money to afford a flight and stay on my own, but this letter made me the luckiest person alive. I haven't been smiling that much since the inccident. My heart was full of joy and hope. But how am I gonna afford a flight ticket and all the stuff around? I was happy, but there was still this feeling of insecurity in me. I lowered my head and thought about it until I fell asleep on the couch.

Dani:

"Do you think the girls got our letter?" I asked.

"We don't know Dani. You keep asking us this question since we sent out the letter. We won't know until we get a response..." said Lisa when she walked into the room with a bowl of cereal in her hands.

"...sounds like you don't believe it.." I replied.

"Dani, stop this. We all wait for a response. We can't do anything else than wait at the moment.  It's hard. We know that." Katherine tried to calm me down.

"..What time is it in Africa right now?" I stumbled.

"Should be reaaaaaally early in the morning." Haku responded.

"Do you think Amy is asleep?" I continued.

"Dani! Stop now! We all are concerned about this but we can't change it!" Lauren shut and ran out of the room. I stood there not knowing what happened. My Sugar yelled at me. The others looked at me with a concerned but expecting look. I looked around and then my tears already streamed down my face. I silently walked out of the room and out of the apartment. It was dark already, so I looked up for a spot brightened up by a streetlight. Wow, just a bus stop that was bright enough. Well, a bench and light - enough for me. I took my phone and called up Hoa in China. I prayed for her pick up. I needed her. She was there for me the past years.... in exactly those moments.

"Dani...?" someone mumbled on the other side of the phone. It was Hoa. Thanks God.

"Hoa? Do you have time? I need to talk.." I sobbed. She sounded different.

"Oh Dani, what's wrong?? I sadly don't have much time, because -" I cut her off.

"Life is so hard at the moment. We all work overtime to get keep on living. I haven't told my sisters, but I have to take medicaments to survive my shifts. I think some of my sisters are as stressed out and I'm afraid to stress them out even more. I heard Lisa crying last night and Katherine fainted a few days ago. I had to promise her not to tell anyone. It all gets too much recently. I wish I could just come back... go to school like a normal girl... and have movie nights with you. Can I please come? I need a timeout.. Or can you come here?"

Hoa stayed quiet. Did I say something wrong? What happened?

"Dani...I wish I could come. But I can't. Not at the moment. This is kind of a long story.. ZrHzHrHRz" she said and suddenly the connection was dead.

"Hoa? Hoa???" I yelled, but nobody answered.

I leaned towards the glass of the bus shelter I was sitting at. I stared at upcoming busses and passing cars until like 11 or 12 at night. I even missed my last shift. I just couldn't get to work. Little did I know that right when I was sitting there, something moved in Africa.