(279) The weather was sunny

I was eleven. It was my birthday.
It was the last days of the school year and the days were quiet. During recess, I was sent to the director's office. He had a clipped beard and a grey pullover. I sat in front of his desk and he told me that my aunt would come to bring me to hospital. I asked why. After a long sigh,  he replied that my mother has been in an accident. I asked if it was serious, but he didn't know. I went to my classroom to grab my vest and my bag, then i waited until Françoise arrived. 

In her car, on the way to the hospital, I did'nt feel anything. My Auntie's deeply worried face didn't augur well, but i didn't know what to think. I was just wondering if i could blow out my birthday candles eventually.

Françoise struggled with the nurses to let me be allowed to enter the room. I understood why they were so reluctant when i opened the door.

There were machines, tubes and wires, bandaids, and in the middle of this medical mess, was my mother, laying still.

I took her hand and called her.  She woke up. The neck brace was preventing her from turning her head, so I climbed on the side of the bed for her to see me. Her left eye was blinded by a bandage. She was unable to speak, as a tube was jammed in her mouth. A huge sadness came over her face and tears fell from her right eye. I felt something had broke up deep within me. I started to cry too.

She held my hand very tight. One of the machine started to ring insistently. The nurses rushed into the room, Françoise grabbed me behind while a doctor was telling they would bring her "back to the block". Half a hour after, this was it.

She had a car crash on the way to the toy shop.
She had an accident because she wanted to buy me a gift, and I hastened her death in the hospital.
Since then, I never celebrated my birthday again.

(Illustration : Uneekl4ever)
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