Unscathed

7. Sleeping Curses

I woke up feeling disoriented but surprisingly somewhat rested. Instead of the discoloured ceiling I was expecting, I found the bottom of my sister's bed on the top bunk. I had slept almost peacefully after what felt like forever. I wanted to stay in that bed until Eric came to wake me up. Like that story where the young girl gets cursed with sleep and only wakes when her prince kisses her. I would pay someone to send me into a deep sleep. It was silly, but people need something to believe in.

I rolled out of bed still feeling groggy, but after splashing my face with water, I was a little more refreshed. The smell of something chocolatey led me to the kitchen to see my mum making chocolate toast and my face brightened instantly. She had reacted surprisingly well when I told her about Eric. We had a nice, authentic talk afterwards that helped me see how truly resilient she was. Between losing her husband, raising two daughters on her own, the war, me leaving for the hospitals, and now Eric, if I was in her place, I would've collapsed. I don't even remember seeing her crying after Dad's funeral. She was just that good at keeping her emotions hidden. 

"Oh god, I missed these so much," I said as I sat at the table in front of my plate.

"I did too. Mom hasn't made these since you left," Lizzy complained.

"Shush up and eat, Elizabeth. You know how hard chocolate is to come by," Mum reprimanded. 

"Okay, okay," I quieted them, "Onto more interesting things," said, raising my eyebrows in a teasing way.

"Oh god," Lizzy moaned. Mom looked on, amused. 

"Mother, since Lizzy isn't being very accommodating to my questions, I shall direct them toward you, in hopes that you'll  be a bit more obliging."

"Ask away," she said, trying to appear serious but failing miserably. Lizzy was still squirming in her seat.

"Yesterday, I came home expecting to see my beloved mother or sister open the door and welcome me with an embrace. Instead, I see a young man I had never met before in my house. Now, who was this young man?"

"That young man, my dear, was your sister's-"

"You know what, um, I'll explain," Lizzy shouted, raising her hands in a show of surrender. 

"Oooh, story time!" I laughed.

Rolling her eyes, she started speaking, "Brandon and I have been seeing each other for a while," she stated simply.

"What happened to the little girl that screamed in disgust whenever a boy came near her?" I asked, unrelenting.

Shrugging, she returned to her toast, making it clear that this conversation was over.

"How've you been doing, Mel?" Mum asked, concern replacing the amusement on her face.

"I've been holding up," I answered vaguely, "Emily takes great care of me."

She nodded, looking uncomfortable for some reason.

"Everything okay?" I asked.

Her face was clouded with anxiety as she looked up, and she took a shaky breath before she started speaking. "Well, Eric's parents visited us a couple days ago."

My stomach dropped at the mention of his name as my mother continued speaking.

"Since you're leaving and Eric..." she hesitated, "Isn't home either, we decided to have them move here for now. We have space, and it'll be more economical than living in an empty house. We could use the company anyways."

I waited for her to say something else, but when it seemed like she was waiting for my reaction, I asked,  "You're telling me this because...?"

"I just wanted to know if you were okay with it. I mean, if you were to stay behind..." she trailed off.

Slightly irritated, I explained, "I'm not staying, and we both know that. As for having Eric's parents move in, by all means, go ahead."

"Well that settles it, then," she muttered.

The rest of the breakfast, Lizzy kept us occupied with stories of school and catching me up on everything that had happened while I was gone. She was talking about Mrs Goldberg and her cat that ran away. That's when the telegraph machine came to life. Brushing off the crumbs from my skirt, I went over and read over the words lazily. Understanding the message, my eyes widened, and I felt a strange panic mixed in with a little bit of regret. 

"Mom, Liz, they need me back at the hospital."

Scrunching her eyebrows, Mom asked, "Weren't you given a week with us? Why do they need you back?" 

Worried, Lizzie questioned, "Yeah, is everything okay?"

"I don't know," I answered both of them, "But I should get packing. I'm sure they'd only call me if it was important."

***