A few days later, I had already forgotten about that dream. It was spring, the air was just getting clearer, and the temperature warmer, school was out, and I simply had no time to think about strange men who talked to me in weird dreams.
I opened my arms wide that morning, and stretched myself on the silk sheets on my bed. The window was slightly open, and I could smell the mixed fragrance of the different flowers in the garden. I smiled happily as I prepared myself for another lazy day.
As I opened the bedroom door, and made my way to the bathroom, another smell drifted up my nostrils. This time it was the warm and delicious aroma of coffee and croissants that my mother was preparing for breakfast. I could also hear her singing cheerfully, as she got things ready for another day at work.
'isn't it exciting?' she asked as I went down for breakfast. I looked at my mother, Lauren Sheldon, who was the only other member of our small family. She had moved to that island when she was pregnant with me. She had arrived one starry spring night, carrying light baggage, and me inside her. I was born only a few weeks after she had moved to the island. When I was younger I had often asked my mother about my father. She never spoke badly of him – in fact there were many times when her eyes filled with tears she never shed when she spoke of him. She always said that he had loved her a lot, and that even though he had never met me, she was sure that he loved me with all his heart, and she would not say one word more about him. In time I learnt to accept this fact. And yet, sometimes, alone in my bed at night, I couldn’t help but think about who he was, and if he ever thought of me at all.
“What is?” I asked. She laughed her ringing laugh, and answered,
“Oh, everything is. In just a few days you are going to be an adult. Now you can take control of your life. It’s going to be so much different, I know. And then, there’s that big birthday party. You must be looking forward to that, aren’t you? It’s going be like prom all over again.”
“Mum, you really didn’t have to. I mean, you’re busy enough; you didn’t need all this hassle. And besides, it’s not going to be anything like prom. Ricky won’t be here this time. He’s in Sweden, remember?”
“So what? You can always ask somebody else to be your date on that day,” she said cheerfully.
I sighed, as I reached for the milk carton. My mother sat down beside me, a concerned look in her eyes.
“Oh come on, princess. This should be the most exciting age of all. You should be dating lots and lots of boys, and not pining over that one loser that got away.”
“I wasn’t thinking about Ricky,” I said. “I was thinking about dad.”
“What about your dad?” she asked.
“I want to know who he is, and where he lives. And now that I’m going to be eighteen, I’m going to do everything I can to find him, no matter what.” My mother looked down.
“But you can’t. You must never try to find your dad.” I was angry.
“But why? All these years, you always told me that he loves me, and yet you never let me meet him. What is so wrong with him?”
“Nothing is wrong with your dad. But you cannot meet him – at least not yet.” I stood up, and went over to my mum.
“Mum, you’ve been keeping this secret from me for so long. And now I do believe that I have every right to know the truth. He’s my father after all, and I need to know who my father is, if I am to feel like a complete person. So I am demanding from you right now, to tell me where he is, or at least why I can’t go to him.” My mother looked up at me. She was silent for a few moments, and then said,
“Your father lives very far away, in a much different place from this. It’s where I used to live before I came here. We were so much in love, and we were overjoyed when we found out I was pregnant. But in that place, things are very different from here. Terrible things were going on, and for your safety, and mine, and your father’s, I had to leave that place, and lose all contact with him.” I was bewildered.
“What terrible things? You mean like a war, and we were refugees?” She nodded,
“Well, something like that. Let’s just say that, well, the situation in that place hasn’t changed, and you cannot go back there. For one thing, you cannot enter the land so easily, and secondly even if you manage to enter, you would be in grave danger, and putting me and your dad in great peril too – that is, if he is still alive.”
“What do you mean, if he is still alive? Do you think he could be dead?” She shook her head sadly.
“I don’t know, princess. But there were many people who would have loved to see your father dead. And although he was a very strong man, anything could have happened.”
“So my dad was like a politician or something?”
“Yes, I daresay one could call him that. So even if he is still alive, you still cannot go to meet him, not until peace is restored to that land.”
“What about the other countries, can’t they do something for them?”
“It’s not that simple, baby. Someday, maybe you will understand. Everyone is waiting anxiously for freedom – a new… new… leader or something to change everything, but although everyone predicts that it will happen very soon, no one knows for sure.”
“So it’s Independence that they are fighting for?” I asked. She nodded her head in affirmation.
“If that happens, I am sure that you can go to that land and meet your father, if he still lives. You could even go and live there with him, if you like that land. But until then, well, you will just have to bear it with me.”
“And what country is this?” I asked. She shook her head, and said rather quickly,
“I can’t. Not now. I’m going to be late for work.”
“Come on,” I said in exasperation. “Just a name, anything.”
“No, that will take too long to explain, and I don’t have the time right now. But I will tell you about it soon, I promise.” And with those words she walked out. I stared at the door she had closed behind her for a full minute, then I followed suit, and walked out too.
I walked aimlessly for about two hours. I didn’t even know where I was; I just kept walking, trying to let it all sink in. My mother had finally answered some of my questions, but instead of getting an answer, she had simply left me with more questions. I was wondering why the other countries were doing nothing to help these people in their situation. I sat down on the grass, and looked up at the sky above me. As I was there, I said to the emptiness around me,
“Someone must do something to help my people.”
At that moment, I heard a voice behind me, which said,
“Your people are in trouble?” I looked around, and saw a girl who looked like she was around twenty-four, with long brown hair, and brown eyes. I smiled at her.
“Yes, it appears so.”
“Your family?” she asked.
“No, not just my family. The people who live in my country. I have just found this morning that my mother is a refugee from another country, and she had to run because of the oppressive political situation, while my father stayed there to fight for Independence.” She looked surprised, but smiled at me,
“You and I have something in common it seems. Come on, why don’t you come to my house? I’ll make you a cup of coffee, and we can talk.” I shrugged, and followed her down the street. I had nothing better to do that morning, and after what I had just discovered, I knew that nothing could surprise me anymore.
I opened my arms wide that morning, and stretched myself on the silk sheets on my bed. The window was slightly open, and I could smell the mixed fragrance of the different flowers in the garden. I smiled happily as I prepared myself for another lazy day.
As I opened the bedroom door, and made my way to the bathroom, another smell drifted up my nostrils. This time it was the warm and delicious aroma of coffee and croissants that my mother was preparing for breakfast. I could also hear her singing cheerfully, as she got things ready for another day at work.
'isn't it exciting?' she asked as I went down for breakfast. I looked at my mother, Lauren Sheldon, who was the only other member of our small family. She had moved to that island when she was pregnant with me. She had arrived one starry spring night, carrying light baggage, and me inside her. I was born only a few weeks after she had moved to the island. When I was younger I had often asked my mother about my father. She never spoke badly of him – in fact there were many times when her eyes filled with tears she never shed when she spoke of him. She always said that he had loved her a lot, and that even though he had never met me, she was sure that he loved me with all his heart, and she would not say one word more about him. In time I learnt to accept this fact. And yet, sometimes, alone in my bed at night, I couldn’t help but think about who he was, and if he ever thought of me at all.
“What is?” I asked. She laughed her ringing laugh, and answered,
“Oh, everything is. In just a few days you are going to be an adult. Now you can take control of your life. It’s going to be so much different, I know. And then, there’s that big birthday party. You must be looking forward to that, aren’t you? It’s going be like prom all over again.”
“Mum, you really didn’t have to. I mean, you’re busy enough; you didn’t need all this hassle. And besides, it’s not going to be anything like prom. Ricky won’t be here this time. He’s in Sweden, remember?”
“So what? You can always ask somebody else to be your date on that day,” she said cheerfully.
I sighed, as I reached for the milk carton. My mother sat down beside me, a concerned look in her eyes.
“Oh come on, princess. This should be the most exciting age of all. You should be dating lots and lots of boys, and not pining over that one loser that got away.”
“I wasn’t thinking about Ricky,” I said. “I was thinking about dad.”
“What about your dad?” she asked.
“I want to know who he is, and where he lives. And now that I’m going to be eighteen, I’m going to do everything I can to find him, no matter what.” My mother looked down.
“But you can’t. You must never try to find your dad.” I was angry.
“But why? All these years, you always told me that he loves me, and yet you never let me meet him. What is so wrong with him?”
“Nothing is wrong with your dad. But you cannot meet him – at least not yet.” I stood up, and went over to my mum.
“Mum, you’ve been keeping this secret from me for so long. And now I do believe that I have every right to know the truth. He’s my father after all, and I need to know who my father is, if I am to feel like a complete person. So I am demanding from you right now, to tell me where he is, or at least why I can’t go to him.” My mother looked up at me. She was silent for a few moments, and then said,
“Your father lives very far away, in a much different place from this. It’s where I used to live before I came here. We were so much in love, and we were overjoyed when we found out I was pregnant. But in that place, things are very different from here. Terrible things were going on, and for your safety, and mine, and your father’s, I had to leave that place, and lose all contact with him.” I was bewildered.
“What terrible things? You mean like a war, and we were refugees?” She nodded,
“Well, something like that. Let’s just say that, well, the situation in that place hasn’t changed, and you cannot go back there. For one thing, you cannot enter the land so easily, and secondly even if you manage to enter, you would be in grave danger, and putting me and your dad in great peril too – that is, if he is still alive.”
“What do you mean, if he is still alive? Do you think he could be dead?” She shook her head sadly.
“I don’t know, princess. But there were many people who would have loved to see your father dead. And although he was a very strong man, anything could have happened.”
“So my dad was like a politician or something?”
“Yes, I daresay one could call him that. So even if he is still alive, you still cannot go to meet him, not until peace is restored to that land.”
“What about the other countries, can’t they do something for them?”
“It’s not that simple, baby. Someday, maybe you will understand. Everyone is waiting anxiously for freedom – a new… new… leader or something to change everything, but although everyone predicts that it will happen very soon, no one knows for sure.”
“So it’s Independence that they are fighting for?” I asked. She nodded her head in affirmation.
“If that happens, I am sure that you can go to that land and meet your father, if he still lives. You could even go and live there with him, if you like that land. But until then, well, you will just have to bear it with me.”
“And what country is this?” I asked. She shook her head, and said rather quickly,
“I can’t. Not now. I’m going to be late for work.”
“Come on,” I said in exasperation. “Just a name, anything.”
“No, that will take too long to explain, and I don’t have the time right now. But I will tell you about it soon, I promise.” And with those words she walked out. I stared at the door she had closed behind her for a full minute, then I followed suit, and walked out too.
I walked aimlessly for about two hours. I didn’t even know where I was; I just kept walking, trying to let it all sink in. My mother had finally answered some of my questions, but instead of getting an answer, she had simply left me with more questions. I was wondering why the other countries were doing nothing to help these people in their situation. I sat down on the grass, and looked up at the sky above me. As I was there, I said to the emptiness around me,
“Someone must do something to help my people.”
At that moment, I heard a voice behind me, which said,
“Your people are in trouble?” I looked around, and saw a girl who looked like she was around twenty-four, with long brown hair, and brown eyes. I smiled at her.
“Yes, it appears so.”
“Your family?” she asked.
“No, not just my family. The people who live in my country. I have just found this morning that my mother is a refugee from another country, and she had to run because of the oppressive political situation, while my father stayed there to fight for Independence.” She looked surprised, but smiled at me,
“You and I have something in common it seems. Come on, why don’t you come to my house? I’ll make you a cup of coffee, and we can talk.” I shrugged, and followed her down the street. I had nothing better to do that morning, and after what I had just discovered, I knew that nothing could surprise me anymore.
