THE SHOCKING NEWS

"Go ahead," Damian encourages me, his voice filled with understanding, but obviously, he is as much worried as I am.


With a deep breath, I swipe up the receiver button and bring the phone to my ear. "Nanny Aisha?" I greet, my tone tinged with a hint of anger.

"Ellie, my dear? Is that you?" Nanny Aisha's voice comes through the line, but something in her tone sends a chill down my spine.

Setting aside my anger and judgments, I focus on the concern in her voice. "Nanny, what is wrong?" I ask, fear creeping into my voice as I sense her distress.


"I am sorry, dear. Forgive me. I... should have called you sooner, but..." Her voice falters, and I can tell from this side of the line that she's far from okay.

"What is it, nanny? What should I forgive you for? What did you do? I mean, what happened?" My heart pounds in my chest, the fear rising with each passing moment. If Damian wasn't holding my hand, I would be clutching at my chest in panic.


And then she says it. The words that strike fear into my heart like a dagger. "Your father, my dear. He is not well. He..."

"PAPA?!" My voice rises in disbelief, and my mind reels with the implications of her words.

As the words leave Nanny Aisha's trembling lips, my world shatters around me. The ground beneath my feet feels unsteady, as if something is ripping it off me, and I am suddenly on my feet without even realizing how I got there. Damian's hands are on my shoulders, anchoring me in place, but I can't shake the feeling of being completely unbound. My heart feels like it stopped beating ages ago, and yet I can feel it pounding in my chest, a frantic rhythm that matches the turmoil raging within me.

Despite Damian's comforting touch, I find myself shuddering uncontrollably, my entire body trembling with fear and uncertainty. It is as if a cold chill has swept through me, leaving me feeling vulnerable and exposed.

"What do you mean my father is not well, Aisha? What exactly is the problem? What happened? Where is my father right now?" I manage to force the words out of my mouth, each syllable weighed down by a heavy sense of dread.

Nanny Aisha's voice trembles as she tries to explain, her words like a dagger piercing my heart. "Your father has been battling with health issues for a long time, and I am afraid that he has gotten worse in recent days."

The realization hits me like a ton of bricks. How could I have been so blind to my father's suffering? How could I not have known about his deteriorating health? Anger and guilt swirl within me, mixing with the overwhelming sense of fear.

"A long time, nanny?" A tear drops as the situation sinks in. I may not know what exactly the issue is, but for nanny Aisha to make this call and sound like this, I am afraid this is not looking good at all. 'How long has that been?" I demanded, my voice tinged with frustration and disbelief. "Why am I only hearing about this now, huh? How is he? Where is he?" The questions spill out of me in a torrent of emotion, each one fueled by the desperate need for answers.

Nanny Aisha's words cut through the tumultuous storm of emotions raging within me, bringing with them a sense of urgency and desperation that grips my heart like a vice. As she speaks, her voice trembling with emotion, I feel a knot form in the pit of my stomach, a mixture of guilt, fear, and confusion swirling within me.

"There are a lot of things that you need to know about your father, my child, but I can't explain that for now," she continues, her words heavy with sorrow. "I kept quiet because your father asked me to. He never wanted you to know, but I can't anymore. I can't bear seeing him this way, which is why I decided to go against his will and let you know, Ellie. And…" Again, she wavers, leaving me hanging in curiosity with my streams of tears that not even Damian's efforts to wipe away are bearing any fruits.

How can this happen? How can this be true? 'And what, nanny? Tell me what exactly the issue is. Is he hospitalized? Is he being well taken care of?" I ask.

'Listen, my child," she starts, her voice faint. 'You know that I cannot lie to you. I never said a word or tried to reach out during your fights with your father all this while. But now I am doing so, Ellie. I am pleading with you. Your father needs you now more than he has ever needed anyone in his life. I beg you, please, to come back home to your father, dear, even just to see him. I am pleading with you."

Her words hang in the air like a weight, pressing down on me with an intensity that threatens to suffocate me. My heart feels like it's breaking into a million pieces—the pain of knowing that my father is suffering and that I have been kept in the dark about it tearing me apart inside.

I turn to Damian, my eyes filled with tears and confusion. What is this? Why is this happening? The questions echo in my mind, but the answers elude me, leaving me feeling lost and alone in the face of this sudden crisis. My sight is vague, my mind is a whirlwind of thought, and my body is trembling like a catastrophe just hit me. I feel like I am floating on a quagmire that is pulling deep into its depths.

Somebody, please tell me that this is not happening. I want someone to tell me that I just had a very horrible dream and I will wake up from it soon. This can't happen! This can't be happening.

I shut my eyes as I collapse in Damian's welcoming embrace, tears breaking with ease through the walls of my closed eyes.

God, how?

God, why?