Learning to Love

Jenny

"Dad!"

I knelt down beside him and looked at his face. His eyes were closed and his face was still covered with ash.

From behind me I felt a police officer pulling me back.

"No! That's my dad!" I shouted, but he still continued to grab my arms and push me away. I jerked his arms away and ran back.

"Is he okay?" I asked the lady from the ambulance. She sighed.

"We're doing the best we can."

I was getting worried because it didn't look like he was breathing anymore. The ambulance lady put her hand on his neck, looking for a pulse.

I closed my eyes and hoped he was alright. Even though he didn't really care for me and I didn't care for either, he was still still my dad.

I felt someone's hand on my shoulder. I opened my eyes and looked up. The ambulance lady was looking at me with sad eyes.

"I'm sorry." She said. I felt tears welling up in my eyes. I shrugged her hand away and stood up.

"No." I said. He couldn't be dead. The ambulance lady stood up. She stepped towards me. My head was spinning. I felt weak and tired. My vision was blurry. Half because of my tears of half because I felt sick and tired.

The last thing I remembered was falling. The ambulance lady was asking me questions. I don't remember what the questions were.

I woke up the next morning in a hospital bed. I looked around. There were two police officers standing in the hallway outside my room, talking to a lady in a suit. The lady had brown hair that was messily tied in a bun. She had thin glasses on that rested on her nose. She had her arms folded to her chest and seemed like she was listening very intently to what the police officers were saying.

I slid off the hospital bed and began looking for my shoes. I had just finished tying my laces when the lady with glasses walked in. She kelt beside me, took off her glasses and stuck her hand out to me. I didn't shake it. She had a big wide grin planted on her face. I stood up.

"You must be Maia. I'm Jenny." She said standing up too, and wiping her pants although there was nothing on it.

I knew she was expecting me to introduce myself but I chose not to. Mostly because I just didn't want to and also because of everything that happened last night, was making feel like throwing up.

I must have looked a bit sick because Jenny stepped towards and took my hand.

"Are you okay?" She asked. I took my hand back and backed away. Was I okay? My dad is dead. Dead. I didn't even get to say goodbye. I wished this wasn't happening.

Maybe this was a dream. I was still at home napping, and my dad was on his way back home right now. And this time he wouldn't crash.

Jenny sat on the hospital bed and looked down.

"I'm very sorry about your father." She said.

I felt tears in the back of my eyes. I didn't have to be reminded of it. I remember what happened.

"Whatever." I said. I looked down so Jenny wouldn't see me cry.

"Maia," Jenny started. I wiped my eyes and looked up at her. "Do you have any relatives that you can stay with now that your father is..." She didn't finish.

I thought. I knew absolutely nothing about my mum or her family. My dad was an only child, and his parents died a long time ago.

I shook my head. Jenny sighed.

"Well, that means since you don't have anyone to stay with," Jenny said. "You're going to have to stay with a foster family."

"Foster family?" I said. "No way."