froze.
“It’s Matty, guys. You’ve got to open up.” Jon grabbed a towel and
wrapped it around himself, leaving me in the bathroom where I sunk
to the floor, still in shock and in tears. My uncle helped me to my
feet this time and grabbed my suitcase as he guided me out of the
room.
Jon handed me my phone on the way out. As I looked
at it to check the time, I saw the display:
Donna Wilson-Shraeder (Missed 3 calls)
It also showed I had one voicemail from her. I’d
forgotten she’d called the previous night, just before... I berated
myself for not taking the call. Why had I
silenced the phone? I would have answered on the second call, had I
known!
When we got into the adjoining room, I listened to
the voicemail as Matty finished packing his things.
“ Your parents tell me you’re in
Greece with Jon and your uncle,” she began. “I’d forgotten about
that. I hope you’re behaving yourself.” She laughed a little, but
it sounded strained. “Sweetie, I need you to call me as soon as you
get this message. It’s important. I love you.” Her last two
sentences seemed slurred.
I pulled the phone away from my ear and checked for
another message, but it was the only one she’d left. I checked my
texts, my emails, hoping for some other communication from her, but
there were none.
What was important?
Did she know she was dying? Did
she call to tell me goodbye? Her calls were placed minutes
apart from one another. I couldn’t help but think that maybe I was
dreaming. In a daze, I tried to call her back.
After one ring, the call was answered. “Livvy?” It
was her husband, James.
“ Can I talk to Granna?” I asked,
sniffling, but waiting for the handoff. I wanted to hear her voice
one more time.
“ Livvy...” That was all he needed
to say to evoke another fit of tears.
“ She... called... me,” I told him,
gasping for breath in between words.
“ Did she?”
“ Last night. She said she had
something important to tell me.”
“ I’m not sure what it was, Livvy,”
he said softly. “Maybe she knew, I don’t know. Every time I checked
on her, she’d tell me not to worry; that she didn’t want to burden
me, and that she’d be fine. I should have trusted my gut instinct
to take her to the hospital.” His voice was full of remorse, and I
felt bad for him, and even worse for myself. Maybe she was going to
tell me how she felt. Now I’ll never know. “I loved her so much,”
he muttered.
Jon walked in the open door and stood across the
room from me, bags in hand.
“ I loved her, too,” I whispered, my
throat tight. “Do you think she knew that I loved her?”
“ You told her often,” he
says.
“ We’re coming home,” I
explained.
“ I’ve spoken with Jack.”
“ Are you okay?”
He paused, then cleared his throat. “I’m not sure.”
The way he said it, though, I wasn’t sure, either. “I’ll see you
when you get back in town.” He’d hung up before I could tell him
goodbye. I could only assume he was trying to hide his emotions
from me.
A minute later, my father was at the door. Jon kept
his distance from me, but I could tell he was concerned. Dad looked
worse than my uncle did, dark circles beneath bloodshot eyes. He
took one look at me, and I rushed into his arms, crying. He held me
tight, and he was quiet at first before he started talking to my
uncle.
“ Is everyone packed?”
“ Yeah,” he’d answered.
“ Why is that bed still made?” Dad
asked curiously. I glanced over, and saw a mint on the pillow. I
prayed for someone to come up with an answer, because I knew I
couldn’t.
“ This was my room,” Jon said
quickly, as if he’d been anticipating the question.
“ Yeah, Livvy and I were next door,”
Matty lied. “Sorry, I gave you the wrong room number,
huh?”
My dad didn’t answer, and I didn’t bother to look up
to see his expression. Even if he didn’t believe the story, I knew
he wouldn’t confront us now. He hugged me into him tighter
“It’s Matty, guys. You’ve got to open up.” Jon grabbed a towel and
wrapped it around himself, leaving me in the bathroom where I sunk
to the floor, still in shock and in tears. My uncle helped me to my
feet this time and grabbed my suitcase as he guided me out of the
room.
Jon handed me my phone on the way out. As I looked
at it to check the time, I saw the display:
Donna Wilson-Shraeder (Missed 3 calls)
It also showed I had one voicemail from her. I’d
forgotten she’d called the previous night, just before... I berated
myself for not taking the call. Why had I
silenced the phone? I would have answered on the second call, had I
known!
When we got into the adjoining room, I listened to
the voicemail as Matty finished packing his things.
“ Your parents tell me you’re in
Greece with Jon and your uncle,” she began. “I’d forgotten about
that. I hope you’re behaving yourself.” She laughed a little, but
it sounded strained. “Sweetie, I need you to call me as soon as you
get this message. It’s important. I love you.” Her last two
sentences seemed slurred.
I pulled the phone away from my ear and checked for
another message, but it was the only one she’d left. I checked my
texts, my emails, hoping for some other communication from her, but
there were none.
What was important?
Did she know she was dying? Did
she call to tell me goodbye? Her calls were placed minutes
apart from one another. I couldn’t help but think that maybe I was
dreaming. In a daze, I tried to call her back.
After one ring, the call was answered. “Livvy?” It
was her husband, James.
“ Can I talk to Granna?” I asked,
sniffling, but waiting for the handoff. I wanted to hear her voice
one more time.
“ Livvy...” That was all he needed
to say to evoke another fit of tears.
“ She... called... me,” I told him,
gasping for breath in between words.
“ Did she?”
“ Last night. She said she had
something important to tell me.”
“ I’m not sure what it was, Livvy,”
he said softly. “Maybe she knew, I don’t know. Every time I checked
on her, she’d tell me not to worry; that she didn’t want to burden
me, and that she’d be fine. I should have trusted my gut instinct
to take her to the hospital.” His voice was full of remorse, and I
felt bad for him, and even worse for myself. Maybe she was going to
tell me how she felt. Now I’ll never know. “I loved her so much,”
he muttered.
Jon walked in the open door and stood across the
room from me, bags in hand.
“ I loved her, too,” I whispered, my
throat tight. “Do you think she knew that I loved her?”
“ You told her often,” he
says.
“ We’re coming home,” I
explained.
“ I’ve spoken with Jack.”
“ Are you okay?”
He paused, then cleared his throat. “I’m not sure.”
The way he said it, though, I wasn’t sure, either. “I’ll see you
when you get back in town.” He’d hung up before I could tell him
goodbye. I could only assume he was trying to hide his emotions
from me.
A minute later, my father was at the door. Jon kept
his distance from me, but I could tell he was concerned. Dad looked
worse than my uncle did, dark circles beneath bloodshot eyes. He
took one look at me, and I rushed into his arms, crying. He held me
tight, and he was quiet at first before he started talking to my
uncle.
“ Is everyone packed?”
“ Yeah,” he’d answered.
“ Why is that bed still made?” Dad
asked curiously. I glanced over, and saw a mint on the pillow. I
prayed for someone to come up with an answer, because I knew I
couldn’t.
“ This was my room,” Jon said
quickly, as if he’d been anticipating the question.
“ Yeah, Livvy and I were next door,”
Matty lied. “Sorry, I gave you the wrong room number,
huh?”
My dad didn’t answer, and I didn’t bother to look up
to see his expression. Even if he didn’t believe the story, I knew
he wouldn’t confront us now. He hugged me into him tighter
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