20 Days Off

6

The dream I have is the same as the last.

I'm at my mom's funeral, feeling so alone with my mom gone. The pain shakes the world I'm in and the grief starts drilling a hole through me. Literally. I run through the forest, away from the funeral and fall into a black pit as my body starts disappearing. I'm scraped and bruised and panting. The ground breaks and I fall.

And then comes the quiet part. My volleyball girls are around me, hugging me and crying along with me.

My entire family, from both sides, come too and I'm suddenly surrounded by all the people I love, words flooding and overwhelming me.

I wake up sweaty despite the cold air.

The mixture of emotions floods me again.

The funeral seemed so dream like. The comfort of my friends and family helped me a lot but the pain is still fresh.

I stay cuddled in the quilt but the sweat is too much. I decide to take a cold bath. I head to the bathroom on the second floor.

I take a bath, shivering the whole time. Definitely not hot anymore. I finish changing, putting on a warm outfit though I have my bathing suit ready.

I walk out and head back up to put my pajamas away.

"Heather? We're going to the hot springs today." Jón says, standing at the doorway.

"Yup. Got my stuff ready." I reply softly.

"Good. We'll head to town later this afternoon. Tomorrow, we'll go skiing." He says, walking towards me.

I raise an eyebrow. "Okay."

"I thought maybe you'd be more surprised with that surprise. You okay?" He asks, sitting on a boxed chair.

I nod. "Yeah."

He smiles understandingly. "You sure? You don't look so good."

I sigh and sit down beside him, observing the shelves full of souvenirs from around the world and cute stuffed toys.

"Just had a bad dream, I guess." I say, looking out the window now.

"About aunt?" He asks quietly.

I nod and he puts an arm around me.

"You may have a lot to do, since you're such a talented young woman and someone people look up to but no one expects you to have it all together and always okay. At least, no one should. Especially after this." He says.

I nod and lean my head on his shoulder, taking a deep breath.

"Well, I'm guessing Auntie Grace is waiting." I say after a while.

He stands and helps me up too. "You know it. It may be early but mom's an early riser. And we've got a fun day ahead."

We head downstairs where the rest wait.

"You all have fun okay? I'll be at the hospital if you need me." Auntie Grace tells me, finishing her breakfast.

She kisses us all goodbye as she heads off to work.

Uncle Harold's about to leave for work too. "Have fun, Heather."

I nod and thank him as he leaves too.

"So, you all ready?" Kristián asks.

I nod and smile. "Definitely."

In a few minutes, we're out in Jón's car on our way to our first stop. The hot springs here in Reykjavík.