In a hurried panic, I decide to try to call my mom again.
The phone rings.
Beep
"Please pick up," I beg.
Beep
"Please pick up," I repeat in my head after the second dial tone.
Beep
"Pick up, Mom...."
I lose a glacier-sized chunk of my hope after each ring. My heart begins to sink Titanic style, slowly and painfully.
"Hi-" My mom's voice comes on over the phone!
"Mom! Thank God. Where are you? I'm so worried and Bri has been asking about you and-" I blurt out, somewhat relieved but still panicked.
"-this is Callie Williams. I'm not around my phone right now, but if you leave a message, I will get back to you as soon as possible."
"Please record your message after the beep," a robotic woman's voice plays.
I let go, tears flooding my face. I am ugly crying, sobbing, just hoping. Hoping that nothing else today could go wrong. I slink into the corner of the sterile, white hospital room. I don't want Bri to see me.
But she does.
"Jo Jo...?" My sister questions. She is getting visibly anxious.
Someone interrupts us by knocking on the door. As quickly as I can, I swipe away the tears and pull my hoodie up, trying to conceal my red, puffy face.
The door clicks open.
"D-Dad?" I rub my eyes. It couldn't be.
"Oh, oh. Come here." He puts his arms out for a hug, a foreign gesture for me, as I have been deprived of any comfort today.
I run to him and hold him close. I try to control my breathing as well as I can. I try to conceal my sobs. The deep breaths let me catch a nose full of my dad's scent. Musky yet refined, with a hint of pine and chestnut.
"I'm sorry it took me so long to get here," he apologizes.
His eyes flicker toward the hospital bed that is draped in white.
"Oh, my little Bri baby, how are you?"
"I-I'm um... okay?"
"I'm glad you're alright," he says, clearly not picking up the questioning tone hidden in between the layers of Brianna's voice.
"There was a bad accident on the way. I had to find another route," he explains. "I'm so sorry I was late."
I share with him my concerns with him about Mom, but he downplays my feelings.
"I tried calling her, dad. She wasn't picking up!" He didn't get it. I am scared. Something serious could have happened. I know better than to say that this day could get any worse, because that's usually the moment where the thunder roars, the sky turns grey, and it starts pouring.
My dad, finally seeing my point, responds after a brief second. "Okay, that is strange."
Then it clicks. The accident... that couldn't have been my mom... could it?
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Haha I'm evil, aren't I? Add to your library (if you haven't already) to see what happens next!
-The very cruel J
YOU ARE READING
8/10
RandomA heartbreaking story about a girl Joanna, Jo Jo for short and her 8 year-old sister, Brianna. For these two sisters, going to their local fair was not as much fun as they had expected. Jo Jo leaves Brianna alone for a minute or so and returns to fi...
