Arabella Is My Name! (Part One)

[Altawell]

I had a feeling that my dad was worried about me. Not sure why I felt this way! Well, maybe he was concerned about my health or maybe it was something else, I wasn’t really sure! The fact that I wasn’t sick nor had any problem puzzled me as to why he was worried most of the time!

That night I went to bed thinking a lot about my dad. Why and why he was behaving in this way?
The next day I was determined to ask him and find out what was wrong. For this reason, as soon as he arrived back home from work, I rushed toward him and said:

- Dad, you must tell me what is wrong! I mean why you are worried about my
health? You know that there is nothing wrong with me!

With a face full of surprise and amazements, my dad said while he was looking with two eyes wide opened and fixed at me:

- Who told you that?
- No one a...

Before I could finish what I wanted to say, my dad interrupted me saying:

- It is the health of your brother I am worried about!
- My brother?
- Yes, your brother!

My dad stopped for a little while, as if he was trying to catch up his breath, then he said, while intentionally lowering the tone of his voice:

- You remember when I took your brother to the doctor last week?
- Of course I remember, how can I forget when we had to wait almost two hours in the surgery and miss our favourite TV programme!
- Kevin is your brother, your only brother and your missed favourite programme will be repeated next Friday…..you know that! The doctor said to me that your brother needs to go to the hospital for an operation.

I felt sad and guilty. I tried to apologise but my dad left the room very quickly. I always had a lot of good and happy wishes in my heart, especially for my dad. I became very close to my dad after my mother died two years ago. That was why I didn’t like to see him worried or upset the way he was, especially that day!

Two days later, my dad was packing few things inside a small case for my brother. Things Kevin may need while he was staying in the hospital. As we were just about to leave the house, my dad said to me:

- Kevin needs to stay in the hospital for about one week or maybe a little longer! Consequently, I need to spend most of my time after work at the hospital. For this reason, I need to ask someone to stay in the house with you when I am not here.
- But dad, I am not a baby! I can look after myself very well; after all, I am twelve years old!
- I know you can look after yourself, but what if I have to stay late or I could not come home from the hospital for one reason or another, you would not like it to sleep alone in this house during the night, would you?! Remember, you are still underage and it is illegal to leave children on their own, no matter what!
- I can come and stay with you in the hospital. In any case, I want to see Kevin there as well!

My dad looked at his watch and started moving toward the front door while he was saying:

- What about your school home work, and your private lessons? What are you going to do about them if you decided to come with me to the hospital?

Well, I completely forgot about these things, but is there a way out of this embarrassing situation! At my age, a baby sitter wants to look after me? No matter what title my dad would give her to make me feel better, I could not accept this!

I followed my dad to the car. Kevin was already there sitting at the back seat quietly looking through the car window at the boy next door.

- Are you ok? I said to Kevin, but he did not reply.

Then my dad said while starting the car engine:

- We need to hurry up. Don’t forget to put on your seat-belt.

The following day my dad was waiting for me with a woman standing beside him near the school gate. I never met this woman before and did not understand why she was with him! She looked rather young, maybe six years, or less, older than me!
My dad looked at me smiling and moved forward as he spoke:

- Arabella, I want you to meet Christine; she will look after you until Kevin leaves the hospital.

Christine extended her hand towards me but I pretended I wasn’t looking.

- Aren’t you going to shake my hand? Christine said smiling.

Then I heard my dad saying:

- Shake hands with Christine. I need to go back to the hospital right now. Be good and don’t forget to do your homework.

Christine tried her best to start a conversation between us but I decided to stay quiet as we walked together back home. Then just as we entered the house, I heard Christine saying:

- Do you like dogs?
- I hate dogs.

Actually, I love dogs, but I did not want to talk to Christine, or so-called Arabella’s new babysitter!





Altawell.








© Altawell 2010