Olifina: Love And Trouble

37. Day Of The Dead.

The streets were littered with burning candles. Initially, Mum hadn't gone to the mortuary to see Dad. She was still shocked about his death, frightened and not in the best of health. We had received calls from the hospital but they didn't rush us since we had also been affected.

Somehow, the festival quickened her desire to see Dad. Shortly after we got into the reception, Veronica met us. I was surprised but glad to see her.

"Vee!" I called out to her. She was my first friend at Tepoztlan. Rodas and Oliver were more than friends to me, so in the case of friends, Veronica topped the list even if she was the only one on it.

We hugged and she greeted the others and then took a look at my leg. "Oh, you don't have to play Nurse, now."

She laughed at my comment. "I don't mind playing nurse every minute of the day."

"You're exaggerating..."

"Yeah," she nodded, "work can be stressful at times, so I'm not always in the act."

We told her our reason for coming.

"Oh, this is on short notice. I would have loved to offer something. I didn't know you guys were celebrating."

"Yeah, we hadn't planned it. Mum said she was ready to see Dad and here we are."

"How about you, are you ready?"

I nodded in reply to her question. She talked with Oliver and Rodas a little before she left. Rodas was the one who engaged her more. Oliver was not in the mood to talk.

Later on, Mum and I were called in.

Seeing the way Mum fidgeted, I went closer to her and held her hand. She glanced at me and then bowed her head. I tightened my grip on her hand and she turned to look at me. I nodded at her, smiling. She smiled back and we both went in to see Dad.

There was a tag on Dad's leg bearing his name. The room where he was kept was freezing. I rubbed my arm as I looked around the place. Mum was super focused on Dad. A small smile formed on her lips as a single tear drop rolled down her cheeks. She raised her hand to touch Dad but stopped halfway. We weren't supposed to touch him. She let out a sigh.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry for all I did wrong. I did not know what I was thinking. If maybe I hadn't left you all those years, this wouldn't have happened."

I reached to her and placed my hand on hers. She in turn placed her other hand on mine. She fought with her emotions.

"Dad would be at rest now. And he would be happier knowing that we're together. I feel closer to him now more than ever. I feel now he can be with me at all times." I looked over at Mum. "Don't you feel that way?"

Mum started to sob. "I wish I could. I just have so many wishes right now it pains me deep down that they can't be granted."

There was a lot I wanted to say concerning Mum's grief but I chose to keep quiet and hug her instead.

When we went back into the reception, Rodas was the only one there. Oliver had gone out to get something and would be returning to the hospital shortly.

"How about we go to the cemetery? It's just a short distance from where we are."

We both turned to Mum in confusion. "Why?"

"We can visit other families at the graveside and maybe offer them some flowers."

I looked over at Rodas as I digested what Mum said.

"Okay. Let's go."

We bought a bouquet on our way there. When we arrived, we walked along the path between the Graves and the people who came to visit them. Mum gave out flowers to some families and spoke with some who were interested in talking.

We saw a little girl and her mother beside a grave. She hugged her daughter as they both sat on the mat they spread on the ground. They received our flowers with gratitude and we asked if we could join them. They agreed, so Mum and I sat and shared our story with them. We were all in a similar situation and they felt a little comforted by our presence as did we.

A call came in from Rodas. Oliver was back and ready for us to leave. We bade farewell to the mother and daughter then left the cemetery.

The next morning, we had visitors. I was standing on the balcony upstairs receiving some fresh air when I spotted three men coming in our direction. Two were dressed in police uniforms while one wore a suit. Later, Oliver joined them outside and they moved away from the house a bit.

I couldn't hear what they were saying but I felt it was bad. Oliver didn't look happy at all. When they started to leave, I rushed downstairs to meet him.

"What do they want?" I asked as he walked in.

"The house."

"What? Why, what's wrong?"

"Nothing much, I'll handle it." Oliver was trying to avoid the question.

"I know you will handle it. I just want to know what the problem is."

Oliverio sighed. "I'm owing a debt to the bank and they've decided to use the house as collateral. There are also some bills I have to settle."

"Oh, my goodness." I covered my mouth in shock. "How much is it?"

"About six hundred thousand dollars."

"How would you pay it?"

"Bit by bit, I'd cover everything."

"They didn't even consider what happened to us."

"They did, that's why they gave us this number of days. According to them, you guys have your home in Sinaloa and can return there. You guys are the ones affected by what happened so Rodas and I have no excuse."

"Why do we have to return to Sinaloa? I know we have to return but why did they state it out like that?"

"In a few days, they would come and take possession of the house. I pleaded with them and they decided to allow me to reclaim the house after I've paid all my debt."

The news was too much to take in. I knew we would have to return to Sinaloa, Oliver and Rodas might want to visit, but not this way.

"I'm so sorry, Rufina, but we have to start packing today."