The Nanny

Chapter Two

So you are probably wondering where my parents and sister, Anisa are.

A few years ago, to be exact 4 years ago on July 17th. My sister and I, decided to go visit our parents for the summer holidays. We studied in Scotland and my parents lived all the way in America, they moved back after our graduation. We planned a trip to surprise them - I still remember their gleaming faces and excitement that was laced in their voices, happiness radiated from their faces and eyes. It had been 6 months since we last saw them. though it felt like a we had not seen them for years.

My parents weren't expecting us, it was about midnight when we arrived home. But they were still awake, in the kitchen conversing while having tea. The love they had for each other was still youthful, they looked so in love. We were exhausted and jet-legged, although Anisa and I fought against the tiredness to sit with our parents for a few minutes before going to rest, and I am glad we did. We talked about university - our classes and the lecturers, the trip and a lot of things that I can't remember that well. But I do remember that we planned to have a family lunch the next day. I do remember vividly, laughing because of dad's silly dad jokes and my mum trying her best to hold in her laughter - she actually found them funny. My sister and I laughed along, as for the first time ever my father had said an actual funny joke, I laughed so hard that my stomach started to pain and tears began to roll down my cheeks.

I woke up really late in the morning about 11:00 o'clock. Anisa wasn't in her room. She got some sleep in the airplane, besides she's an early bird regardless of how late she sleeps, that's her super power. I checked my parents bedroom they weren't there as well. So I asked the housekeeper and she told me that they had gone to the airport to pick up Imad and that they would be back just in time for lunch. That's when I recalled them mentioning it last night, it slipped my mind.

I took a shower, wore a plain pink cotton dress with long sleeves, put on my scarf and helped the chef out in the kitchen, preparing the meal for lunch. After that I decided to text Anisa and ask where they had reached, but she didn't reply. That's odd I thought, though maybe she forgot to charge her phone. I texted both mum and dad, they too did not respond. Maybe they forgot their phones in the car. But dad always has his phone and mum's phone is never on silent.

Imad had texted in the family group that he's flight had been delayed and he wouldn't make it until the next day. No one had responded anything to it, which was odd. Mum would have been disappointed, knowing my mother she would have definitely expressed her disappointment and she had already viewed the message. I thought nothing out of it and came up with a logical reason behind her delayed response to Imad's message.

I tried to call Imad but he too didn't pick up. I was worried. At 2:30 pm, my phone started ringing and I immediately picked up not caring or wanting to know who it is, just wanting to hear my parent's voice or my sister's, any sort of familiarity. I picked up the call and what I heard after, I haven't forgotten - my whole body had weakened, my arms to heavy to carry and my heart to weak to handle the devastating news. I heard my heart break and not break slowly, where one piece chips off then the next, no not like that. It happened all at once, like a stone passing through a window. I felt hollow. I listen, though I am not really there. My thoughts were no longer governed by reason.

I had just been informed that my mother died in a car accident, my father and sister were the only survivors and they were in surgery. Tears fall from eyes, I felt light headed and overwhelmed with sorrow. I rushed to the hospital head not clear, nor my feelings. The nurse tried to calm me down, but how could I be calm, when it felt like my life is swirling in a hurricane. I just lost my mother, my mother that I haven't seen in 6 months. The same mother who had been there for every milestone and every aspect of my life. My mother who nursed and cared for me, who loved me unconditionally even when I wasn't the best or the kindest towards her. I hadn't come to terms with reality, instead I began to reminisce and to my mind it just seemed impossible, because she was alive in my memories.