Chapter 5

I spent an hour reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to my mom. It had been her favourite book in the series. I didn’t like to read much but only did it because mom loved them and I enjoyed reading to her just like I had just done. I read till I was tired before I closed the book and laid on the well trimmed grass beside her grave. 

At first, our staff found it creepy that I felt comfortable lying beside a grave but to me it was not just a grave but my mother’s bed. She was there and I never had to feel afraid when it came to her. I would spend hours here and it was always easier to talk to mom about issues I could never talk to Dad about.

“Mom, Dad may be coming over to join you soon so you won't be lonely anymore. But I would be. Without the both of you here, it would be very lonely. Who would take care of me then?” I know I should not be so negative about Dad’s recovery but I can't help it. The situation was not looking good and it was better if I prepared myself mentally for it. 

“I am trying to be positive about the situation, Mom but it is difficult to remain positive when the medical team has given up on him. They may pretend to try to help him but I can see it on their faces. They don’t think Dad would get better. I don’t blame them though. Anyone who sees dad’s state would also have the same thoughts. 

“I don’t know what I would do with my life mom, I was not prepared to navigate this world alone. What about the business? Who would take care of it? I am not prepared to handle a company and hell would bend over before Uncle Jason gets his filthy claws in our company”

Uncle Jason was my dad’s brother and he was a greedy bastard. Dad and Uncle Jason were the only children of their parents. While Dad had worked to establish the construction company, Blick Construction, Jason had turned to gambling. Dad used to give him money because Jason was his older brother and he wanted his brother to have a good life but Jason had almost caused Dad to lose the company as he almost drove it to the ground with bankruptcy. At that time, Jason was the managing director which gave him access to the company’s funds. 

That was when Dad’s eyes opened and he drove Uncle Jason out of the company and he had not taken it lightly. Ever since it happened, he barely kept in contact with us and we preferred it that way because whenever he came around, it was always to ask for money. 

The main reason I would never let Uncle Jason near Dad’s company was not just because Uncle Jason gambled but also because he was terrible at management, probably worse than I would be. When Dad was tired of constantly giving Uncle Jason money, he opened an import company for him but he ran the business down with poor management in less than a year. So that was not going to be happening with dad’s hard work.

“I wonder if he was contacted that dad was sick. He hasn’t come around in over a year. Maybe Dad gave him enough money to last for a long time. I  hope he doesn’t show through”  

If anyone saw me right now, they would think I was crazy. Well anyone except the people who lived in our house. They are used to it now.

“You know I have never felt bad that I don't have uncles and aunts like the other people I know. At first I was jealous of how my friends had a family vacation and all but now it feels relieving. It would have been better to have another sibling though.”  

The cool breeze that gently caressed my cheeks as I lay down there reminded me of Mom. It felt like she was sitting down beside me and was caressing my cheeks with the abc of her hands that were always so smooth. I miss her so much it hurts. 

I may have been able to cry but I was emotionally exhausted at this point. I had cried my eyes out and they hurt. I had to wear a pair of shades as I sat under the sun because it was painful to be outside without them. 

I had exhausted my complaints so I moved on to tell Mum all about my trip. I made sure not to leave out any details including how I had avoided Dad’s call because he usually bugged me about coming back home. It was almost sunset when I concluded everything I had to say. 

Speaking to someone about what is going on with you makes things easier especially if they could not give you the judgemental stare or advice, not that mom would have been so harsh. 

I decided to watch the sunset before heading back to the house. Today was productive since I was able to talk to Mom and get so many things off my chest. I was feeling better so I would go straight to check up on Dad after watching the sunset. I had not gone back to the bedroom since I was driven out by Duke.

I think I am in the right frame of mind to go there now and not get too emotional and cry like an idiot. I was staring at the sunset when I heard a voice from a distance. I was going to ignore it because I thought it was the workers conversing among themselves but there was a sort of urgency in the voice as it got louder.

I looked back to see one of our staff running towards me. She seemed to be saying something but I could not make out clearly what she was saying as she was a little bit far from me. I stood up, dusted the grass off my pants and picked up my books before hurting in her direction. 

I wondered what was making her call me in such a hurry. She did not slow down until she got to me and by then she could not utter a single word. As she got to me, she bent down with her hands on her knees as she struggled to catch her breath. 

She attempted to speak but she couldn’t utter a single thing so I gently patted her back and tried to help her calm down. 

“Hey, take it easy. Calm down first before you try to say anything” She still wanted to speak so she raised her hands to my shoulders to shake me. She was wheezing seriously and I totally understood how she was feeling. 

The distance from the main house to this place was not close at all. It took a good fifteen minutes or twenty minutes to walk around the house to get here and it seemed as though she ran from the main house down here in a hurry to tell me something. Dad had wanted Mom’s grave to be far from the main house, he didn’t want it to be easily accessible to just anybody which was why it was a bit far from the main house. I thought it was unnecessary at first but when I started to have my private time with her, I understood what dad was aiming for. 

She probably was not used to running a lot so she was a bit disoriented. I continued to rub her back as i waited for her to calm down so she could properly tell me what she wanted to tell me. 

“Hazel your dad…” she gasped for air. My hand stopped stroking at the mention of my dad and my actions took a complete 180.

“What happened to my dad?” This time I was no longer calming her down. I grabbed her by her shoulders and made her stand up. I could not even wait for her to speak before I attacked her with more questions shaking her vigorously.

“Answer me, what happened to my dad? Is he okay? Please say something?” I did not give a damn that I was not giving her space to answer me but she was still there catching her breath which she should have done already. How hard could it be to run from the main house here?

“Your father…” She stopped mid-way and I almost shoved her to the ground in frustration. I tightened the fingers I had on her shoulders and I saw her wince at how tight I was gripping her but I did not care. 

“Talk to them, stop cutting your words short, what happened to Dad?” this time I could not help but yell and her eyes widened in fear as she saw my face become furious at how annoying her stalling was becoming.

“Your dad is awake”