A Sister's Heart

Chapter 4

IVY

As the bell rang indicating the end of the school day, Ivy sat in the carpool lane waiting for her son to emerge from Linden Elementary. Matthew had just started sixth grade and he was one of those kids who loved school and learning new things. He was in math club, science club, chess club and art club, although his father had been trying to coax him into joining a sports team; football, baseball, basketball, you name it, he tried it. He was much more into science and had won 2nd place at the science fair last year.

The line moved forward slowly and with now only three cars ahead of her, she spotted her son. He came running out of the building, excitement all over his face. "Hey Mom!" He shouted, waving so enthusiastically that it almost broke Ivy's heart, since she knew what news lay ahead for him.

"Hey," she managed. "Did you have a good day?" She tried to sound as upbeat as possible, and failed, as Matthew clambered into the backseat. Ivy could already feel the emotions bubbling inside her and they could come flooding out at any moment, so she avoided eye contact with the eleven-year-old. Reaching the end of line and maneuvering the car out of the school's lot, Ivy listened to her son recount the highs and lows of his day; from the group project he had been assigned to the terrible food choices in the cafeteria for lunch. Each tale became another distraction from the realities of the day, but it wasn't enough to stop the tears from forming in the corners of her eyes.

Minutes later, they pulled into the driveway, one the perks of living close to the school, where Lauren was waiting for them. "Don't!" She started. "I forgot my key again!" She stood there watching as her little brother gave a snort of laughter. She knew why he did it of course; Lauren had a habit of losing things; her phone, her lip gloss, her keys. This wasn't the first time she had been stood on the doorstep awaiting their arrival.

Opening the door, the kids rushed past their mother and ran straight up to their rooms. Ivy dumped her bag on the nearest chair and automatically began to make herself a coffee before noticing the flashing light on the answering machine. She prioritised her coffee and once she had seated herself at the kitchen island, she reached over and pressed the little button next to the blinking light. "I'm at JFK. My flight leaves at four-thirty. See you soon." It was her sister, Veronica, straight to the point as usual. No airs and graces, just the facts. If the flight was due to leave at half past four, then she should arrive at the house by seven, and Diana wouldn't be far behind. Ivy knew what she had to do.

"Hey kids, I need you downstairs now!" She called out, and waited until she heard footsteps before adding, "In the kitchen."

Her son barrelled in first, went straight to the fridge and grabbed a carton of apple juice. "Mom, where's Grandma? I wanted to tell her about my school project." He seemed happy. Lauren sauntered in after her brother, phone glued to her hand.

"Actually, that's what I want to talk to you about. Why don't you both sit down?" It wasn't really a question and her kids did as she had requested, sensing the importance in her voice.

"Is Grandma okay?" Matthew enquired, He was such a sweet boy and very caring, especially when it came to his family, and that was evident is this moment as he realised that something was wrong and wanted to be there for those closest to him.

Ivy closed her eyes, deciding on how best to break the news to her children and took a breath, knowing that in a moment, their lives would be forever changed. Opening them again, mere seconds later. She began to speak. "After I had dropped you both off at school, I came home, and I couldn't wake Grandma." Matthew had started crying; she could see him welling up. "I called an ambulance and when they arrived, they declared it. Grandma died this morning." She finished, tears once again blurring her vision as her son threw his arms around her. His cries pierced the air and as they held each other, their tears mixed together, soaking his sweater and her blouse.

Lauren was crying too; silently. She stood and darted from the room, clearly not wanting to be around them right now. Ivy called after her daughter, who shouted back that she wanted to be alone.

Her attention was pulled back to her son when, through his sobs, he tried to talk. "I don't... want her... to be... gone. She can't be! I didn't... get to say... goodbye!" The weight of his words crushed her, and she drew Matthew closer to her, and deeper into the hug. Seeing her kids this upset, it broke her. She decided not to tell them that their Aunts were coming, hoping that the surprise of their arrival would lift their spirits a little.

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Author's Note - Thank you again for givinh this a read and please don't hesitate to leave a comment. Emma xxx