Patrick
Copyright© 2010 by Peter H. Salus
Chapter 1
I'm supposed to be keeping a "journal." I guess this is it.
I feel quite alone. It's been a terrible few months. Mum and Dad have been upset and I've been upset.
Mary died. She had a cough and didn't feel well and Grandpa Rob took her to the hospital. She had a "malignant thymoma." They operated but she died six weeks later in the Sir Charles Gairdner hospital. Rob was very upset. I could see that. He's still upset. Mum was upset because her dad was upset. Dad was upset because Mum was upset. I was sad and lonely because Rachel was gone. She's in Japan for the year. Visiting her grandparents. Her grandfather retired and they moved from Singapore. When Rachel comes back, she'll be going to Perth College – Mum pulled all her old girl strings to get her into the middle school.
I'll be going to Scotch College. It seemed nice when we visited. It was founded in 1897. It's all boys. Perth College is all girls.
Grandpa Rob is in bad shape. Mum says it's "depression." I just feel it as dark. Very dark. Mum drove to see him a week ago. She spent hours crying when she got back. The house on Margaret River was a mess and Grandpa hadn't washed or shaved and he'd just been eating whatever there was. Mum cleaned up and washed his clothes and bought food. But Grandpa sent her home to Dad and me and Sarah.
I see him sometimes. He sits and watches the river. I can't tell what he's thinking.
It's very sad. And I have no idea what to do.
Rachel sends me e-mail nearly every day. And I answer her. She says Osaka, where her grandparents live, is "interesting." She goes to a special school because she knows so little Japanese. Many of the kids tease her. She's a "Jap" here and a european there. Being different is a problem everywhere, I guess.
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