Figuring it Out

T W E N T Y - F O U R | K I S S 'N' C R Y (II)

The second day of competition began over an hour ago. Val and Rosaura had only just arrived from their hotel room. Now, the two of them were stretching and dressing into their costumes for the most important program of their lives.

Rosaura turned towards the hallways to see Laura running towards her, phone in hand.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Laura pressed the phone to Rosaura's ear. "It's your mom."

Rosaura frowned. She spoke to her mom last night and everything had been fine. Her mom knew better than to call her minutes before her performance. If she wanted to wish her luck, she would usually do it through a text or call early in the morning.

"Hello?"

"It's about damn time you picked up the phone." Her sister, Haya's voice flooded through the other side.

"Why are you calling me, I'm going out on the ice in literally half and hour."

Haya snorted. "Once again, it's always about figure skating."

Rosaura remained silence, but she could see that her sister was itching for a fight as usually. "I have to go."

Before she could cut the phone, Haya blurted out "Mom's in the hospital."

Rosaura froze. "What do you mean she's in the hospital?"

"It's just like you to not notice a single thing even though you were under her roof for over two weeks!"

"Cut the bullshit and tell me." Rosaura said in a cold voice she had never used in her life before. She could see Laura and Val staring at her, so she walked out of their vicinity to a small area that didn't have anyone else.

"Stage four carcinoma. The cancer has spread to her lungs. The doctors are saying that she only has a couple of days to live." Haya explained.

Rosaura felt as though her lungs were filling with water. It was hard to breath—to swallow. She gripped the phone tightly, to the point in which her knuckles became white.

Rosaura's voice broke, "Can I talk to her?"

"She's in the ICU." Haya replied but then her voice turned uncharacteristically soft. "She woke up a few minutes ago, I'll see if she's able to talk."

Rosaura nodded, not realizing that Haya couldn't see her movements. She slid against the wall and waited impatiently for Haya to reach her mother's hospital room. She couldn't believe that she was so blind not to notice the sickness. Her mom didn't prepare food on the first day of her trip and she had kept to herself most of the time. Rosaura was too self-absorbed to see the state of others—Haya had been right about that.

The phone line crinkled before Rosaura heard a croak, "Hello?"

So weak. She sounded so weak. Tears sprung to Rosaura's eyes. "Mom, why didn't you say anything?"

Her mother sighed on the other line. "I didn't want you to worry. You are so close to achieving your dreams, right in the middle of competitions, you didn't need any distractions."

The tears were pouring down Rosaura's face, but she didn't care anymore. "I'm going to come right now, I'll take a taxi to the hospital."

"No," her mother said sternly. "Finish your competition, you can visit me after."

Rosaura didn't reply but her mother pressed on. "Promise me you'll finish your program before coming. You are going to affect Valentin's futures as we, don't do this." Her mother begged.