Katalina
It was a sleepless night for me.
I was tempted to cancel the trip to the countryside, but when I brought it up, Huracio made it clear that if we cancel, I wouldn’t be able to visit Grandma in the next one year. I don’t know why he said that, and didn’t have the courage to argue with him as he was very angry about being lied to. How mad will he be if and when he finds out that I have been in contact with Mum?
I couldn’t help but wonder.
Later at night, Emilia sent me text messages, asking if I was okay, but I was too embarrassed to reply.
The next morning, Huracio was still not talking to me. When I tried to touch him, he swatted my hands away and left the house at dawn. Distraught and scared, I sent him several messages, begging for his forgiveness.
Stone picked Emilia up and drove us to the airport where Huracio’s helicopter was. Due to his presence, I didn’t have to speak to Emilia. I was unable to meet her gaze and just kept my head bowed until we got to Ursburn.
Ursburn is a small timber village and a six hours drive from the city. It is my hometown.
Every three months, Mum and I would pay Grandma a visit, spending the weekend with her. Sometimes, when her arthritis flares up, Mum would move in with her, spending a week or two. If the situation is dire, she would have Grandma transferred to the city’s hospital for proper care.
Grandma didn’t know about the wedding because Mum said she would use it to surprise her because Grandma had been urging her to get married again. Now that I knew that it was a lie, I felt really bad for Grandma.
When it was time to visit her a month ago, I lied to her about how busy school was and used the six hours traveling distance to explain my absence. When she asked about Mum, I lied that Mum had travelled with her boyfriend. That was why I didn’t want Huracio to show up. He is supposed to be on a vacation with Mum. How would Grandma feel if she finds out that I married my Mum’s fiance? I dare not even imagine it. It would probably kill her.
3 hours later, we landed in Ursburn and took a taxi to my family house. Now alone with Emilia, I couldn’t avoid talking anymore but also had no idea how to start the conversation. Luckily, she also seemed not to be in the mood for this talk. So we made the drive in silence.
Because the trip home was impromptu, I had no time to inform Grandma of our visit. Therefore, when Grandma’s private nurse saw us struggling with the bags of gifts I hurriedly got at the airport earlier in the day, she was shocked.
“Miss Katalina, is that you?” She exclaimed excitedly.
“It’s me, Aunty. How have you been?”
“I have been fine as you can see. But the same can’t be said for your Grandma. You and Ms Helena have kept her worried these past few days.” She looked behind me and frowned. “Where is she?”
“I already explained to Grandma. Mum is traveling. She just likes to worry. Take me to her. Let her see how fine I am.” I said, feigning exasperation.
“Aunty, good afternoon.” Emilia finally got a word in. The nurse greeted her enthusiastically and we all headed inside.
Grandma’s house is a five bedroom Victorian duplex with a large terrace and a flower garden in the courtyard. I lived here until my Dad died in a car accident. After that, Mum and I moved to the city. Mum tried to convince Grandma to sell the house and move in with us, but she insisted on staying in Ursburn. “You can do whatever you like with the house after I am dead and gone. Until then, this is my home.” She screamed at Mum on one of our visits. Since then, Mum stopped trying to persuade her.
After her arthritis got worse, she had to move from her first floor bedroom to one of the visitors’ bedrooms downstairs. That was when Mum hired the nurse to fake care of her.
As I headed into the house, I couldn’t help but be worried. Mum’s words echoed in my ears. What if Dad was truly not my Dad? Maybe I shouldn’t ask her anything. We should just have a great weekend together and I will pretend that Mum never said what she said.
It felt like the reasonable thing to do.
“Grandma! I am home!” I yelled the moment I stepped into the living room.
She was seated in a wheelchair, knitting a purple sweater by the fireplace. It wasn’t anywhere near winter, yet the fireplace was burning.
I turned to the nurse with a quizzical gaze.
“She has been suffering from chills. The heat helps.” The nurse quickly explained.
“Oh mine, Grandma. Why didn’t you tell me? We spoke three days ago, didn’t we? Why didn’t you tell me?” I grunted and hurried over to her side.
“Didn’t you say you were busy with school? What are you doing here, child?” Grandma scoffed.
Despite her stern voice, her eyes were shining. She was happy to see me.
“Emilia, you are here too?” She reached out for Emmy, completely ignoring me.
“Yes, Grandma. Why didn’t you tell us you were sick?” Emilia asked in a soft voice. She covered Grandma’s hand with her second hand, rubbing it to give her more warmth.
“It’s nothing. All I needed was this extra heat. I am fine. You must be tired. Katalina, there is some leftover lasagna in the fridge. Warm it up for Emmy.” Her voice rang out.
“Just for Emmy? What about me?” I pulled a face.
“There is enough for just one person. Go find something to eat before dinner. Give the lasagna to Emmy.” She retorted, rolling her eyes.
I prepared some pot roast and I and Emilia shared it with the lasagna. We sat with Grandma, chatting with her. Not once did she mention Mum. I nearly doubted the nurse’s words.
In the evening, we had mashed potatoes with cream cheese and deep fried chicken breasts. After the meal, it was time for Grandma to go on her evening walk. I took this opportunity to have an alone time with her.
The house is sitting on 4000 square feet of land. It is bordered by trees and covered in carpet grass. There is enough space for walking, and the air is always fresh in the evening.
Considering that autumn just settled in, the breeze tends to get a little chilly, if not windy.
Holding onto a pouch filled with walnuts, I chatted with Grandma as we made our way round the familiar paths.
“Grandma, can I ask you something?” I asked cautiously as we started the second lap.
Having run the questions I had through my mind, I couldn’t come up with a gentler way of asking. The only way forward was to be subtle, yet direct.
“Of course. What is it, child?”
“It’s about Dad.”
“…”
Grandma paused. Her silvery eyes darkened, and her breath caught in her throat.
Feeling like a jerk, I reached out for her back, ready to steady her if her legs gave out on her. Luckily it didn’t.
“Grandma, I am sorry. Forget about it.”
She huffed, clearly relieved that I backed off.
My Dad, David, was an only son. He had Grandma’s silver eyes, and tall gait. He was a broker who worked for the only law firm in Ursburn back then.
When I was 6, Dad and Mum went on a work related dinner date at Dad’s office. On their way home, they got into multiple collision accident that claimed five lives. Mum was lucky to escape with mere bruises. According to her, Dad saved her life by cushioning the hit with his body.
Grandma was devastated. She was so furious and decided to invest all her wealth in seeking justice for Dad. Unfortunately, the truck driver who caused the accident also died. The company that owned the truck couldn’t be sued because a week prior, they had reported the truck missing.
Ursburn is pretty small. When that truck went missing with a full timber load, everyone heard about it.
Once Grandma discovered that no one was going to pay for her son’s death, she started losing her vigor, and her health started dwindling. Since then, Mum and I have always been careful not to say anything about Dad…
Having lost the courage to continue asking, I silently accompanied her in making three rounds around the compound. After that, we returned to the house, both looking dejected.