Stef could recall so vividly the phone call that came from her mother early one morning the following week.
“Hello…hello…who is this?” she said sounding confused, sounding like she wondered why she was on the phone, wondering why she was talking to some stranger.
“Mom, it’s Steffanie, your daughter, is everything okay?”
“There’s something wrong with that man that stays here, he won’t get out of the bed. I need to make the bed. Would you be so kind as to come here and make him move? I have things to do you know.”
“I’ll come right now mom. Go make yourself some tea and wait for me in the kitchen okay?” Stef said as she jumped out of bed.
She was in the car five minutes later racing across town towards her folk’s house. She had called Emily to forewarn her that something was up and asked her to meet her at the house.
When Stef entered the house she went directly to the kitchen. Her mom was sitting at the table sipping tea as she was directed to. She didn’t even realize there was anyone in the room with her until Stef laid her hand on her moms shoulder. Evie nearly dropped her teacup because she had been so lost in thought.
“Mom, you okay?”
“Whatever do you mean?” her mother replied.
“I’m going to go upstairs for a minute okay? Emily’s coming over, maybe we can all have tea together.”
Stef wanted to take the stairs two at a time but her stomach was tied up in such knots she took them one at a time. She was petrified beyond belief because she wasn’t sure what she was going to find. Her heart was racing and she could barely breath by the time she reached the last stair. She could see that her parent’s bedroom door was ajar. She pushed the door until it was open all the way and just stood there looking towards the bed.
“Dad...Dad?”
She rushed to the side of the bed and reached out for her father’s hand. It was shockingly cold. She shook his shoulders but there was no response.
“Dad, wake up. Please…wake up!” she whispered feeling the first inkling of tears form in her eyes, but she’d known the minute she felt his skin it was already too late. She sat on the bed next to him and stared at his face. He looked very peaceful and she was grateful that he had gone this easy, in his sleep, with no drama, but she was also deeply saddened by the fact that there was no goodbye’s, no time to reminisce, no time to see his eyes sparkle or watch as his smile lit up the room again.
She lay down beside him and gently rested her head on his chest. She lifted his body slightly then wrapped her arms around him knowing this would be the last hug she would ever have with him. The tears began to pour out of her like a river that had suddenly been undammed. She lay like that until she heard the back door slam. Emily would be equally devastated, actually more so, with this sudden loss. She had always been his pet. Emily and Eddie had always had something special, something different. Stef wasn’t sure why that was she just knew that that’s the way it had always been.
She prepared herself for what was about to take place when Emily came into the bedroom. She kissed her fathers cheek then untangled herself from him and stood up. She tried to wipe away her tears but they kept coming like a faucet that had broken a gasket. When Emily stepped into the room, when she saw Stef’s face, she seemed to crumble.
“Oh no Stef, no, no, no,” she whimpered just as she did as a child.
Stef stepped forward and took her baby sister in her arms and the two of them stood there and wept for a long time before going back downstairs to sit with their mother.
When they walked back into the kitchen they saw her face light up like a candle and for a brief moment they held out hope that she, their mother, was the woman in the room with them but that was not to be.
“Oh goodie! Company. Would you like some tea?”
“Hello…hello…who is this?” she said sounding confused, sounding like she wondered why she was on the phone, wondering why she was talking to some stranger.
“Mom, it’s Steffanie, your daughter, is everything okay?”
“There’s something wrong with that man that stays here, he won’t get out of the bed. I need to make the bed. Would you be so kind as to come here and make him move? I have things to do you know.”
“I’ll come right now mom. Go make yourself some tea and wait for me in the kitchen okay?” Stef said as she jumped out of bed.
She was in the car five minutes later racing across town towards her folk’s house. She had called Emily to forewarn her that something was up and asked her to meet her at the house.
When Stef entered the house she went directly to the kitchen. Her mom was sitting at the table sipping tea as she was directed to. She didn’t even realize there was anyone in the room with her until Stef laid her hand on her moms shoulder. Evie nearly dropped her teacup because she had been so lost in thought.
“Mom, you okay?”
“Whatever do you mean?” her mother replied.
“I’m going to go upstairs for a minute okay? Emily’s coming over, maybe we can all have tea together.”
Stef wanted to take the stairs two at a time but her stomach was tied up in such knots she took them one at a time. She was petrified beyond belief because she wasn’t sure what she was going to find. Her heart was racing and she could barely breath by the time she reached the last stair. She could see that her parent’s bedroom door was ajar. She pushed the door until it was open all the way and just stood there looking towards the bed.
“Dad...Dad?”
She rushed to the side of the bed and reached out for her father’s hand. It was shockingly cold. She shook his shoulders but there was no response.
“Dad, wake up. Please…wake up!” she whispered feeling the first inkling of tears form in her eyes, but she’d known the minute she felt his skin it was already too late. She sat on the bed next to him and stared at his face. He looked very peaceful and she was grateful that he had gone this easy, in his sleep, with no drama, but she was also deeply saddened by the fact that there was no goodbye’s, no time to reminisce, no time to see his eyes sparkle or watch as his smile lit up the room again.
She lay down beside him and gently rested her head on his chest. She lifted his body slightly then wrapped her arms around him knowing this would be the last hug she would ever have with him. The tears began to pour out of her like a river that had suddenly been undammed. She lay like that until she heard the back door slam. Emily would be equally devastated, actually more so, with this sudden loss. She had always been his pet. Emily and Eddie had always had something special, something different. Stef wasn’t sure why that was she just knew that that’s the way it had always been.
She prepared herself for what was about to take place when Emily came into the bedroom. She kissed her fathers cheek then untangled herself from him and stood up. She tried to wipe away her tears but they kept coming like a faucet that had broken a gasket. When Emily stepped into the room, when she saw Stef’s face, she seemed to crumble.
“Oh no Stef, no, no, no,” she whimpered just as she did as a child.
Stef stepped forward and took her baby sister in her arms and the two of them stood there and wept for a long time before going back downstairs to sit with their mother.
When they walked back into the kitchen they saw her face light up like a candle and for a brief moment they held out hope that she, their mother, was the woman in the room with them but that was not to be.
“Oh goodie! Company. Would you like some tea?”
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