Unknown

I was an only child, 12 at the time, and I already understood what had happened. My parents were in a freak accident. Their car had collided with a semi-truck on a slippery road that rainy night. They kissed me goodbye as they headed out the door in their gown and suit, heading to dinner to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Their smiles disappeared as the door closed slowly, letting the darkness fill up my room, and so then moonlight seeped through the curtains. I fell asleep that night awaiting the smell of my favorite peanut butter pancakes served with bacon and eggs. Hoping to hear the sound of my mom's footsteps up the stairs, which would stop in front of my door. Taking a second, she would slowly twist the knob, and slightly swing open the door to my room. My beautiful mother then would smile as soon as she saw me propped up on my bed while rubbing my eyes, waiting for my vision to clear so that I could see her gazing at me across the room. It will only take her a few steps to reach me and give me the biggest squeeze she could muster from her gentle body. Full of giggles as we make our way down the stairs to dad burning the pancakes or, as he claims, toasting them. We all have a laugh looking at each other as the fire alarm goes off. That was our routine every Saturday morning. So I would never have expected that tomorrow morning would be any different. That morning I kept shuffling in bed, tossing and turning until I eventually decided to open my eyes. I had to force myself awake, vexed because my mom didn’t wake me up like she always does. I sat up and exhaled, trying to let my disappointment pass. It was their anniversary, so I’m sure they came home late and slept in from the exhaustion of celebrating, which I often witnessed when they'd come home from parties. I quickly left my bed and put my slippers on, headed downstairs to fix myself a bowl of cereal. I checked the clock in the kitchen to see what the time was; 8:30 in the morning. I was contemplating whether to take a peek at my parent's bedroom but I shook off the idea and settled on letting them rest. I took my bowl of cereal and went to the living room to watch some cartoons. After about half an hour passed, I finished breakfast. Then I continued to watch. Unknown to me, another hour passed and I became impatient with my parents for not waking up yet. So I make my way up the stairs and into their bedroom, wanting to barge in and let myself be known. But to my surprise, when I swung their door wide open, it was empty. Their bed was made with everything in its place. Bewildered, I wondered where they could be. It was Saturday and it was their day off. I paced around their rooms looking for clues if they had come home at all. No, there was nothing there. No sign of the clothes that they wore last night was in the humper. I checked their bathrooms, but nothing. I was starting to get anxious. So I headed downstairs to the garage to check whether their car was gone. I breathed a sigh of relief. I guess they didn’t come home last night at all. It was a little reassuring, but it's not like them to stay the night elsewhere besides their annual business trips. Realizing that, invasive thoughts started popping into my head. Did they get robbed? kidn*pped? An accident? Trying not to let my anxiety get the best of me, I decided to phone our family friends and their business partners, to whom no one had answered. I kept dialing everyone we knew and still, no one picked up. I’m starting to get frustrated. I need answers. I can’t just wait anymore. It's already past noon. I thought long and hard, and eventually, I decided to get dressed and head out to the police station a few blocks away. One lesson from many that my parents have lectured me about is whenever I am lost or missing, I need to find a police officer to lead me back home to them. In this case, it was my parents. I eventually made my way there. I took some money, keys, and my school bag with me. I finally reached my destination and pushed open the glass doors of the station, trying to make eye contact with the front desk to get her attention. She looked at me perplexed and asked me what I was doing there. I took a deep breath and explained to her the situation. She replied with questions and I answered them. When was the last time I saw them? Did they leave any notes or messages? She then asked me if we had any relatives around here, and I told her none, my grandparents had all passed away, and both my parents were an only child. At best, the people we could rely on in times of need were family friends. I gave her the address and phone number of an emergency contact. It was my Uncle Tom. He was dad’s best man and they were each other’s partners at their Law Firm. She dialed the number and it rang to voicemail. She sighed and walked around the desk towards me and guided me to take a seat in one of the many blue chairs lined up against the wall. She told me she would send officers to Uncle Tom’s house to inform him I was at the station so that he could pick me up and, in the meantime, stay with him. She then gave me her name, Deputy Officer Layla Hicks. She gave me a business card and told me to hold on to it so that if I wanted any updates, I should phone her. I held onto the card and placed it inside one of my school bag pockets for safekeeping. Officer Layla then headed into the office, then after, two police cadets came out and made their way toward me. They introduced themselves as Officer Collins and Officer Jameson. I replied with my greeting and they returned with smiles on their faces, as they complemented my name. I too then smiled in return. Before they left for Uncle Tom’s place, they assured me that everything would be fine and that my parents would come home soon. I lingered in the comfort. Time passed on as I was preoccupied with watching a show on Officer Layla’s phone, as she was kind enough to lend it to me for entertainment. A figure slowly walked toward me and I gazed up to meet the eyes of Uncle Tom, who had a worrisome look on his face. He held me in a light embrace and softly said “Your parents are still missing, darling, but everyone’s doing their best to locate them. But for the time being, you will have to stay with me. Is that okay with you Rosie?” I swallowed back my tears and anxiety, to muster up a reply with a nod as I buried my face into his warm chest. Officer Layla walked up to us and I handed back her phone as I thanked her. Uncle Tom sat up still holding me like a toddler. He thanked the officers on our way out. We got inside his car and headed to his residence. On the drive there, feeling exhausted, I had fallen asleep in the car. I awoke from my nap to find myself in an unfamiliar room as uneasiness was rising in me, memories of today’s events filled my head. I figured out that I was already settled in Uncle Tom’s home. Contemplating whether to move about or to wait to be checked on, I sat up on the bed and looked around. To my surprise, the door slowly opened and revealed Mr. Robinson, who was Uncle’s butler. A soft smile curled up on his face as he greeted me with a gentle bow, “I hope you had a wonderful rest, Miss Winters. Sir Herald is waiting in the dining room for you. Dinner is ready to be served.” I immediately dismounted off the soft bed and replied with a smile, “Wonderful evening Mr. Robinson, thank you for having me. I shall head over there now.” I replied. I found myself sitting at the grand dining table filled with a row of my favorite dishes. Overly delighted as I gawked at them, they looked so appetizing. A chuckle came out of Uncle, “My dear, help yourself, you need to fuel your body to grow and be strong.” I smiled at him and aimed for the spaghetti. I momentarily left the thought of my parents while enjoying the abundance of food that came with brownies and ice cream for dessert. I felt stuffed because I couldn’t help myself as I had skipped lunch for the day. Uncle Tom then spoke, “if you are finished, Miss Ann will help you to wash up for bed.” I nodded in reply and said, “Uncle, please do tell me right away if any news of my parents turns up. Thank you once again for your hospitality and generosity.” His eyes beamed in delight, “You are such a lovely young lady, no need to worry, you will hear from me if there be news of your parents.” I walked toward him and gave him a good night hug. I had finished washing up and was now lying there again on the comfy bed, engulfed by the comfort of the white satin sheets. Still no messages of the whereabouts of my parents. I don’t know if sleep will visit me tonight but I stay put awaiting it. To my heart's desire, I dozed off into the night. The next day came, and I accidentally slept in. Feeling ashamed, I quickly made my way out of the room and into the main hall to greet everyone with a good morning. There I found my Uncle sitting in the armchair with a cup of coffee in one hand and a newspaper in the other. He caught on with my presence, put his cup down, and smiled at me, “Good morning dear, how was your sleep?” I walked to the sofa next to him and sat down, “It was wonderful but I couldn’t stop the worries running on my mind.” I replied honestly. “Of course, It must be hard for you to be without your parents for so long. But don’t fret, later after brunch, we will head over to the station for an update. Does that sound good to you my darling?” I nodded in response. Feeling pleased, I headed to the dining room with my Uncle. After breakfast, we were on our way to the station and I couldn’t help but observe the gloomy clouds painted in the afternoon sky. I guess there will be a chance of rain. I hope mom and dad are found. I miss them. Finally, we are here. I quickly unbuckled my seatbelt so we could make head inside the building. Once in, we were met by Officer Layla standing at the front desk. She bent down to my level and we exchanged greetings. She revealed to us that there was a John and Jane doe who turned up at Saint Mary’s hospital the next town over and that they had matched my parent's description. I was relieved and devastated at the same time. We rushed our way over there through the midday traffic, and at last, we arrived. I held onto my uncle's hand as we navigated our way into the corridor and finally reached a room. The nurse guided us in and there I saw both my parents bound up in bandages, oxygen masks, and IV fluids. They were in the worst possible state, comatose. The doctor had explained to Uncle Tom that the impact of the accident took a massive toll on their bodies and that they were in critical conditions, not knowing the chances of life. I broke down crying, sobbing so hard I had to be taken out of the room and into another. Once I finally calmed down, I made my way into the room again. Everyone let me be alone with them. I held both their hands as I sat in between their beds. Tears started to escape my eyes and there I was quietly letting them fall. Without knowing, time had passed and Uncle Tom entered the room holding dinner in his hands. I had no appetite but I knew he wouldn’t leave until I had eaten something. He lightly tapped on the sofa in the corner and placed the sandwiches he bought on the small table. I made my way over there and sat next to him. He opened a water bottle and unwrapped the sandwich for me. I hesitated to take a bite at first. But seeing him take a bite on his made me want to eat mine as well. As we finished up our little dinner, Uncle cleaned up for me. He then gave me a soft little embrace and said “Your parents… They're very strong and I know that they’re fighting because they have you. They love you very much and I know all they want is to be with you. So don’t worry dear, they’ll wake up soon.”