MABEL'S POV
I was in my room with uncle Kal that day when my dad was not at home even very late at night when he was supposed to be back home and should have eaten dinner.
My heart was beating really fast and I was scared. For what reason? I didn't know and that surely made me confused.
Sweat ran down my face like a water pipe just leaked on my head. Uncle Kal who was beside me noticed this and asked me.
"Mabel, why are you sweating so much under AC?"
But I just kept staring at him without reply because, to be honest, I too didn't know what was wrong with me and I really didn't know how to reply.
"Uncle Kal, Can you help me to call my dad again?" That was my reply to him and he immediately did as I said.
He took out his phone from his trousers and dialed my father's number but it still wasn't picked up and I became more worried.
"Don't worry Mabel, Your dad will be alright. He will soon be home," Uncle Kal said to me so as to make me feel good but it didn't help with my heart beating so fast.
I was almost at the point of tears when my phone rang loud. I stood up from the bed to pick it up, which was still inside my school bag.
Immediately I got my phone, I saw it was my dad's Secretary calling me and I felt hesitant about picking it up. So I left it and wanted to return back to bed to sit and wait for my dad.
"What's Mabel? Why don't you want to pick up the call? Don't you think it might be your dad calling?" Uncle Kal said when he saw me going back without picking up the call.
I looked up at him "Should I? Should I pick the call, uncle?" I asked slowly as a tear ran down my worried face.
Uncle Kal came to me and wiped my tears "Don't cry Mabel... pick the call and let's hear the person out." Uncle Kal said to me and I nodded in approval.
"I should really listen to him first. I'm sure my dad is fine," I thought and hit my beating chest twice to calm it down.
I picked up the phone and answered the call "Hello," I said after I picked up the call.
"Mabel? Can you give the phone to Uncle Kal?" The secretary said calmly like everything was okay but the weakness in his voice sold his calmness off and I immediately knew something was wrong. So I replied "Okay!" like I was going to give the phone to my uncle and I covered the speaker with my hand.
"Uncle, say hello," I said to Uncle Kal and he concentrated without any question.
"Hello," he said after I removed my hand from the speaker and I returned the phone to my ear.
"Kal, the boss is dead! He had an accident and he was rushed to the hospital but he could not make it. He is dead, Kal," the secretary said amidst tears.
My whole world spun and I found myself getting numb immediately. I heard the phrase "Boss is dead.". It rang in my brain over and over again as if it was too much for my brain to contain and too much for my body to handle.
It felt like the air had been drawn out of my soul as I continued staring into space.
"Father is dead? How is that even possible? How can he be dead? He can't leave me all alone. Can he?' I kept thinking as my whole body screamed in denial!
"Kal? Kal?" The secretary called when he realized there was no response after he gave the news.
"Is father really dead?" I asked over the phone to confirm but my voice was already dead. So it only came out as a whisper.
"Mabel? Mabel? I... I told you to give the phone to uncle Kal," the secretary clearly regretted that I was the one he mistakenly told the news to.
His fright gave me the answer I needed and I dropped the phone. All this while, not a single tear fell from my eyes. I just felt numb and dead. I was empty of any thought.
"What happened Mabel? What happened to the boss?" Uncle Kal asked and his face was already wet with tears. He already knew what happened but guessed he didn't want to believe it.
"Father is dead. Let's go retrieve his body." I said and left the room leaving him alone to make the decision of following me or not but he actually rushed after while sobbing miserably and shouting my name "Mabel, please wait," but I refused to even stop for a second till I reached the car.
I entered the car and only then did I wait for him to enter so he could drive to the hospital.
I picked up my phone and dialed the secretary's number again to ask where Father's body was kept. Though, he hesitated at first but later agreed when uncle Kal spoke to him.
We drove to the hospital and I saw his body. He was already cold and stiff. I touched his once handsome and warm face which was then cold and stiff and for the first time, a warm tear ran down my face which I quickly wiped off.
Everyone who noticed I didn't cry was quite worried because they knew how dangerous it was to keep it all bottled in. Especially for a kid like me
"Why don't you cry and relieve yourself of this pain rather than keeping it in just to affect you more?" Uncle Kal asked me one day.
It was during the funeral session that I finally accepted the reality and I landed in the hospital because I fainted!