"Martina!"

My mother called from her bedroom upstairs.

"Coming Mama" I called as I poured the water which she asked me for.

"Bring my inhaler also!"

"Okay!"

I poured the water and poured a glass for myself also.

"Here you go Mama" I handed her the water.

"But where's the inhaler?"

Shit, I forgot.
"it's ok Mama, I'll go for it"

Running from room to room, I searched for the inhaler. I've always told my mother to keep it with her, but she always forgot.
I let out a sigh of relief when I found it sitting on the coffee table.

My breath came out in short gasps as I rushed back to my mothers room.

I opened the door and my hands flew to my mouth to stifle a scream.
Bits of glass from the shattered cup were all over the floor and my mothers hand hung limp at the side of the bed.

I ran over to her, glass cutting the bottoms of my feet, but at that moment I felt nothing.

I shook her violently, and she let out a moan.

She's alive thank god.

I opened her mouth and tried to spray the inhaler in.

"Breathe Mama"

But she couldn't.

I put my mouth to hers and tried to breathe into it like I saw on TV.

"Help, somebody" I called when nothing was working.

Nobody came.

So I let out the loudest, piercing scream I could and the neighbours appeared after a couple of minutes.

I was pulled off my mother and pushed into a hard chest.
They circled around her, and I was pulled out of the room.

●●●

I always hated hospitals, despised them.

My grandmother came as soon as she heard the news. We were now in the waiting room.

A doctor came to us with a troubled look on his face.
And that's when I knew, she was gone.

I ran pass him and a nurse tried to hold me.
He stopped her.

"Let them say goodbye"

I put my hands on her cold face, pushing away her bangs.

"I'm sorry " I whispered as they pulled the sheet over her face.

●●●

Louise, which is what I called my grandmother, brought me home.

We cried in each others arms that night.

I had lost my mother and she had lost her only daughter.

____________________________________

Hi!

Thanks for giving this book a chance.
It gets better.