Eva reluctantly reaches out to her estranged father at her mother’s request, but he ignores her until years later…when the tables are turned.
Eva sat beside her mother’s hospital bed, observing the pale, frail figure beneath the starched sheets and thin red blanket. Her mother, Alma, wore a silk bonnet, her skin marked by the trials of chemotherapy.
“Eva?” Alma’s weak voice broke the silence.
“Sorry, Mom,” Eva replied, her eyes fixed on the blood transfusion drip.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
“What were you thinking about?” Alma asked, a magazine in her hands.
“Nothing. Everything,” Eva sighed. “How do you feel?”
“Like a bus or train ran over me,” Alma chuckled, then winced.
“Eva? Talk to me,” Alma urged, sensing her daughter’s discomfort with her usual death jokes.
“Do you think you’ll get better?” Eva asked.
“I’m going to try,” Alma reassured her, flipping through the magazine.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
Suddenly, Alma coughed, and Eva offered her water. “Why don’t you rest, and we can talk tomorrow?”
“No, let’s talk now,” Alma insisted, opening the magazine to a page with a fashion designer and a small photo of a man.
“Who is he?” Eva inquired, taking a closer look.
“That’s your father,” Alma revealed. “I have more photographs at home. He left me, Eva, but I don’t think he intended to leave you.”
“No, he left us both,” Eva replied stiffly.
“If I don’t make it, you need to find him, honey,” Alma told her. “You’re only sixteen, Eva. I need to know you’ll be safe.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
Eva, though reluctant, agreed for her mother’s peace of mind. “Okay, we’ll try to connect with him,” she conceded, masking her reluctance. “You need to rest. We’ll talk more when we’re home.”
Alma smiled faintly. “But you look just like me, Eva. You’re only mine.”
Eva cherished these moments when she felt the depth of her mother’s love. She rarely thought about her father, Oscar, except for school projects when she was forced to include him in the family tree. Their life was complete with just the two of them.
The nurse entered, suggesting they let Alma rest after the transfusion. Eva, settled in a chair, looked...
