Fateful beginning of vacations

Chapter 40: Sandra's somewhat different vacation start

The sun shone through the window and a gentle wind blew through the room. Kathi opened her eyes and sat up. She was in the guest room. How had she gotten here? What had happened last night? She slowly remembered. Her mother had an accident. A fatal accident. No, it couldn't be. After her father, her mother too. What was to become of her? Where should she stay? How would she manage without her mother? Tears streamed down her face again and she buried her face in her hands. She didn't notice how the door opened and someone entered the room. She noticed someone gently nuzzling her neck and jumped up. Sandra was standing next to her and was as startled as she was. She didn't say anything, but just sat down next to her and hugged her and continued to cuddle her head and neck while Kathi continued to cry.

Kathi had lost all sense of time, she didn't know if it was minutes or hours since Sandra had entered her room. She gently released herself from the embrace and looked into her friend's eyes.

"Thank you." she said softly.

"You don't have to thank me for that, it's obvious that I'm here for you." replied Sandra

"What are you doing here anyway? Is school over already? Did I sleep that long?" asked Kathi.

"Well, it's just about 10:00. My mother thought it would be a good idea to let me get out of school after yesterday, so I'm on vacation, so to speak, and then I stayed over right away. My mom brought me a few things last night after we put you to bed," Sandra explained.

"What actually happened last night?" asked Kathi.

"Your aunt said it was some kind of nervous breakdown or a fainting spell. She couldn't say for sure. She spent half the night crouched beside your bed, not taking her eyes off you for a moment. I took care of Sarah during that time and when she went to bed, I lay here next to you. If something had happened, I could have let your aunt know. But she could use some sleep too." Sandra explained how the evening went.

"I see. Where are the two actually and how are they?" wanted to know Kathi.

"They're both doing well, considering the circumstances. I'd say you were more affected by the whole thing, understandably, if you ask me," Sandra replied.

"Can you imagine how I feel? Only remotely?" continued Kathi.

"Well I can only guess. You probably have a mixture of sadness and despair inside you and feel that your life is completely out of joint and you don't know how it should or will go on. Right?" concluded Sandra.

"Quite fitting, unfortunately." sighed Kathi.

"Do you want to come with me and at least have a coffee? You can't just hole up here forever, even if you feel like it." Sandra asked.

Kathi sighed again, "I bet you won't give it a rest if I don't come, will you?"

"You don't have to come if you don't want to, but I'd love a coffee." said Sandra and stood up. "So you're coming?" she asked as she held out her hand to her.

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Sarah just lit a new cigarette. Last night felt like the worst night in recent times. Even all kinds of dreams could not have topped this. The evening was already terrible. Actually, everything was terrible as she had to realize. She pulled on her cigarette and took a sip of her coffee. She heard the front door open. A short time later her mother was standing in the kitchen.

"Morning Sarah. Were you able to sleep halfway?" she greeted her daughter.

"Well, I slept, but not well." replied Sarah.