Victim of Circumstance | UNDER RIGOROUS EDITING

Chapter 7 - Squalls & Dread

||Ndeshi||

In all my life, I wasn't really a people's person. I was never someone to form an easy conversation with people I don't know. I revel in my privacy. My alone time. Some people think just because I talk too much that I'm everyone's friend and that I'm able to approach anyone just like poofff...  But no. I keep my circle small and close and if something happens to the people I consider to be in my inner circle, my blood boils at the level of a scorching lava.

I don't like the feeling that's brewing from within my being. It started when I received a call from my father telling me to meet him at the hospital. I asked him what the problem was but he just told me to get there in the next hour or so. Apparently it's a matter of life and death. As if telling me it's a matter of life or death will calm my ever twisting tummy to stop the flips.

I know this isn't good. I have a bad feeling.

I hurriedly step in my car and start the ignition immediately, reversing out of the parking lot of the Dine Inn and into the street.

I look at the time on the dashboard, stopping at the traffic lights. I tap my fingers impatiently on the steering wheeling, coercing the lights to turn green with heated glare, knowing full well shooting laser fused glowers won't make the lights to speed up or anything. After what felt like ages, the light turns green. I step on the gas instantly, lurching the car forward.

I don't like this. I don't like this feeling intensifying in my stomach. It makes me uneasy and jittery.

I spot a parking space turning into the hospitals parking lot and park my car, leaping out of it as soon I'm sure I have everything I need.

I rush for the glass double doors with Westside Medical Centre ingrained on them and through it, waving a hand at the nurse station at the reception. I don't wait for her to give me direction. I already know the way around the hospital.

I run down the corridor, taking a left turn and into my father's office.

I need to find out now what the hell is going on or else I'll lose my mind.

I find him on the phone, speaking adamantly to someone. He signals with his hand for me to give him a minute.

I wait for him to finish impatiently, doing the finger twisting thing I do whenever I'm impatient.

After what felt like forever, even though they were just mere thirty seconds or so, he hangs up. I don't even wait for him to put the phone in its cradle before I smack him with questions.

"Dad please, what's this? Why did you want to see me so urgently?"

"It's Valeria." he breathes out, looking down at his hands clasped on the desk.

I'm taken aback by the mannerism in which he said this. "What about Valeria?" I ask frowning. My tummy does one of its famous somersaults because it knows full well how this will end. What will come out of my dad's mouth will most definitely crush me. I know that. Valeria was a walking time bomb, and I knew she would explode soon, but I didn't think it will be this soon. No. I didn't think so and I can't imagine anything happening to her. Did she get into an accident? My next thought strikes me hard and set like bolding thunderstorm and I don't like it.

Please let it not be that. Lord let it not be.

I chant silently.

"What?" I ask in a meek voice, my strong façade fading away slowly. I can feel the tears stinging at the back of my eyes, threatening to break lose. "Where is she? In the morgue?" I question.