Cataindar

CHAPTER EIGHT

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Luisa woke with a start and sat up.  She looked around, the early morning sun streamed through the windows and lit the room; she was in her Grandmother’s house. Her hand went to her neck for the pendant, but it wasn’t there. She couldn’t help but let out a laugh and gave her head a shake.

That had to be the freakiest dream ever, times a hundred as Max would say.

There was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Luisa called.

Her mum entered, looking exhausted. Her green eyes were bloodshot and red-rimmed, her face was grey,

“Hi sweetheart.”

“Oh my god Mum, are you… ok?”

 Her mum didn’t reply but came and sat on the bed and reached out, taking Luisa’s hand,

“Well Luisa, the truth is…” her eyes brimmed with tears, “the truth is, I’m not really ok.”

Luisa felt a knot pull in her stomach.

“What do you mean Mum?”

“What I mean,” said her mum with a broken smile, “that is the reason we have come all the way out here. It is because I will be spending some time in hospital. If something awful happens… well your grandmother and uncle are the only family we have.”

Luisa felt her mum’s grip tighten on her hand,

“Luisa, I love you so much, I’m sorry for this, for not saying before and for…” Her lip quivered, “ruining your summer.”

“Mum, Jesus…” Luisa took her mum’s hand in both of hers, her voice catching in her throat,

“Are you going to be OK?”

“They have to run tests on me, I just really needed you and Max safe… you’ll look after your little brother Luisa?” 

Luisa’s stomach was rolling, and tears pricked her eyes, blurring her vision,

“Of course I will Mum.” She reached over and hugged her mum as tight as she could. Tight enough to hug any illness out of her.  Tight enough to hug them away from her grandmother all the way back to London if she could.

The rest of the day went by like a dream. It felt like it was happening to someone else, with Luisa just a spectator.  Her mum was going into hospital that afternoon. Luisa’s questions about the problem were answered with the doctor’s exact words, her mum had ‘A unique tumour in her brain.  Requiring testing and probable removal.’

 Uncle Hugh arrived to drive her mum to the hospital. Luisa silently sat in the back of her uncle’s car and stared at an empty crisp packet at her feet as they bounced along. 

In the hospital, a young doctor came and met them. He seemed pleased to meet Luisa’s mother, shaking her hand and thanking her for choosing their hospital.  He smiled at Luisa and promised they would do their best. 

It was time to say goodbye.  Luisa’s held onto her mum tightly, inhaling the smell she always associated with comfort and calm.

Her mum kissed her forehead. She promised Luisa she would be all right.  They could come and see her in a few weeks.  They parted and Luisa looked back to see her Mum wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

Hugh stopped off at McDonalds to try to cheer Luisa up.  They sat as Luisa dipped salty cardboard fries into ketchup on a kind of autopilot. 

“Bach,” Hugh begun, he rubbed the inky tattoo on his arm, “oh sweetheart, I’m so sorry…”

 
At their grandmothers’ Max had begun to ask questions.  Hugh explained as best he could, Mummy wasn’t very well, so she had to go to hospital to make her better.  They could visit soon.

 It was time for bed. Luisa flopped laid face down on the bed, unable to muster the will to change out of her clothes.  She just wanted silence. Stillness. It was like she had tumbled down a rabbit hole of misfortune and her old life had charged away without her. She should have known, guessed, she knew her mum had been different…

She woke up sweaty and disorientated. Pushing herself up she pulled off her clothes in the moonlight and got back into bed properly, the sheets underneath were cool and welcoming.

 Letting out a huge sigh she rearranged the lumpy pillow.  As she did so her hand brushed against something held suspended by one of the twirls of the iron bed frame; a thin chain.

“It can’t be,”

She let her hand close upon it, she felt it swing, weighted. With her fingers she followed the chain down.

Her pendant.

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 Heading to Banff & Lake Lousie in Alberta right now for a writing weekend- so some more updates to come. Looking forward to doing some reading on the drive!  Have a great weekend :-)