TRAGEDY
It was a lovely spring day. I was walking home from the bus stop from my last class at uni, bouncing along, and listening to my music. I went in the front door of our unit block, walked up to our floor, and put the key into the lock of our unit.
I didn't expect what I heard. Mum was inside, sobbing hard. I turned the key and went in. She was sitting on the couch in the lounge room, crying her eyes out.
"What's wrong, Mum?" I asked. She couldn't stop crying but held out a note. I took it. It was a note from Dad. I read it, and my heart sank to the centre of the earth.
It read:
Tanya, I have left. I have been unhappy for years, but now I have found the love of my life. We are moving to Melbourne.
By the time you read this, we will be there. I have taken most of my things, but I have two large boxes in the basement storage area, which I will have someone pick up next week.
I have transferred $10,000 to the joint account. As you can see, I cut my ATM card and left it here, so I won't touch the account anymore.
I am sorry, but I simply cannot deny my destiny.
Art
I was stunned. I stood there, reading the note over and over as if the words would disappear if I read them enough times. But of course, they didn't.
Mum was still crying uncontrollably. My heart was shattered, but I was too overwhelmed by the news to cry, yet. Finally, I managed to step over to the couch, sit down and hold Mum tight.
She cried into my shoulder, soaking my shirt. I started crying too. For minutes, that's all we could do.
Finally, exhaustion set in, and we stopped crying. I walked to the kitchen and retrieved a box of tissues, and we blew our noses and dried our eyes as best we could.
"Mum, I can't believe this," I said. "I knew you two weren't the happiest, but I never expected this."
"Me either, Sonya. I always suspected him of playing around with his assistant, but I figured that as long as he kept coming back home, he loved us and wouldn't leave like he did."
"Wow, I never knew that. But Dad and I never did talk much."
"How could that bastard
do
this!" Mum shouted angrily. "I loved him with all my heart and all my soul, despite his faults. I thought we would get through life together." She started crying again, and I held her tight.
I couldn't think of anything to say to help Mum. I was in deep shock myself, dizzy and numb.
We spent the rest of the afternoon that way - holding each other tight, cursing the bastard, wondering what the hell happened. I finally managed to collect myself enough to tell Mum that I would fix dinner.
I walked into my room and threw on a tracksuit and slippers. I washed my face in the bathroom, looking at my ravaged face. "What a dick!" I shouted to myself about Dad.
I went to the kitchen and found two quick microwave meals and popped them in. I saw a bottle of white wine in the fridge, poured a glass for us both and went into the lounge room. "Thanks, Sonya," she said with a weak voice.
I went back to the kitchen and slopped the meals onto plates and set them on the kitchen table, and set out forks and knives. "Dinner's ready, Mum," I shouted out to her. I sat down in front of mine and stared at it, not really knowing if I could ever eat again.
She stepped in and sat down with her empty wine glass. "Need a refill?" I asked.
"Uh, no, not right now, thanks."
Like me, she was too stunned to start eating. Finally, the aroma got to me and triggered hunger, so I picked up a fork and knife and started cutting into the meal and chewing a bite.
It was hard work, with my feelings gutted, but I kept eating until I had finished about half. Mum had started, too. After a minute, she wolfed down the rest of her dinner, her body needing replenishment after all of her sobbing.
That inspired me to finish mine, and afterwards, I picked up the plates and rinsed them off. "Let's go back to the lounge room, Mum," I said, and I led her in. We held each other again, and we were silent for a long time.
Mum then said, "I never had any idea he would actually leave. I've been as good to him as I've known how. I've always supported him through his troubles, and never burdened him with mine. How could he do this to me? To us?"
"I don't know, Mum. I didn't see it coming, either."
We spent the rest of the evening that way - wondering, cursing, crying. Finally, we were spent, and we got ready for bed. After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I went to my bedroom and put on a nightie. I turned out the light and crawled into bed.
My mind was still reeling. I couldn't stop thinking. The numbness returned, so I didn't cry, but I felt so awful in the pit of my stomach. Hours passed, and when I turned my head and looked at the clock, it was after 2:00, and I hadn't come close to falling asleep.
I went to the toilet and peed, then coming out I heard my mum muttering under her breath. I knocked on her door and said, "May I come in, Mum?"
"Of course, Sonya," she replied.
I went in and said, "I can't sleep. You either?"
"No, I can't."
"Can I come to bed with you, Mum?"
"Yes, Sonya, I'd like that."
We cuddled without speaking. It was comforting to have her hold me. I felt her love, and I slowly drifted off to sleep.
THE DAY AFTER
Mum's alarm went off at 6:00. She staggered to the bathroom. I lay in bed and sleepily wondered why I was in Mum's bed, then yesterday's news came crashing into my consciousness with a thud.
My mind suddenly exploded with renewed energy. I was paralysed and helpless for a minute. Then Mum came in, and we looked at each other, each still too stunned to speak.
I slumped off to the bathroom and had a shower. I returned to my bedroom and put on nice clothes for uni before I realised that it was Saturday. I took them off and threw on jeans and a t-shirt.
The rest of the day, we muddled around the unit. I suppose we ate, but our bodies were on low-level automatic, so I didn't remember what. In the late afternoon, Mum's anger rose up after rereading Dad's note. She said, "Come with me and help."
I didn't know what she meant, but doing anything was good to distract me from my shock. We went to the basement, and she got into the car and pulled it next to our storage unit. Then she stopped it and opened the unit. "Help me with these boxes," she asked.
It dawned on me what she had in mind, and I smiled for the first time since I walked into the unit yesterday. We loaded the boxes into the boot of Mum's car and locked the storage unit.
After we drove onto the street, Mum said, "Search for the tip, would you, Sonya?"
"With pleasure, Mum."
I pulled it up in the map app, and we drove to the tip. We carried the boxes over to the edge of the tip and gleefully dumped them. We laughed hard, then when hugged and cried. We still had so much to process.
It was just before 5:00. Mum said, "We didn't have much for lunch. How about we eat out for dinner?"