Dyani

Part 21

Saturday, I had dreaded the weekend all week. I would go to work by three every saturday, but on sunday I wouldn’t have anywhere to go. The previous evening I had dropped myself on my bed, not being able to get back up, but unable to sleep too. Usually when I got home from work, I would sleep almost immediately. Not that friday, I was so tired that I actually couldn’t sleep. Over an hour I just lay there, too tired to move. Eventually I had fallen asleep and woke up in the morning, I had locked my door, with Elmo inside with me. Not wanting my father to come in and hurt me again. I unlocked the door and Elmo went downstairs, probably to greet Thijn. His litter box was placed in my room, because he was almost always on my bed and his food and water was also in my room. I filled it up every morning when I prepared myself for school and usually when I woke up in the weekends. I put my laptop on my bed and switched it on, after that I went to give Elmo his food for the day and with a little time to spare I cleaned out his litter box and put it back. Our father was still sleeping, even though it was past eleven. He would probably get up in an hour or so and go to the grocery store, giving Thijn the opportunity to choose if he wanted to come with. I went to take a quick shower and got dressed, while I was upstairs in my room, I heard my father waking up in his room, staggering to the shower. That would keep him busy for either an half an hour or an hour. If he didn’t have a hangover he would shower for half an hour, like every morning, if he did have a hangover, he would be there for half an hour, trying to soothe his aching head.

I sat down on my bed and put my laptop on my lap, connecting my phone to my laptop. The first thing I did was adding my music to the device. When I was done I disconnected it and went to check my e-mail. Soon I heard footsteps on the stairs, it was Thijn, I was sure of it.

‘Good morning Dyani,’ he said while he entered without knocking.

‘Good morning,’ I replied with a soft smile.

‘Are you okay?’ he asked me.

‘Why do you ask?’ I was very surprised by his question, since he never really asked me how I was doing.

‘You called the doctor yesterday. I don’t want you to be sick.’

A smile crossed my lips, he had turned in such a sweet little boy.

‘I’m okay, honey. How are you?’ I asked him.

‘I really miss mommy. Especially when I go to bed, because she doesn’t read to me or sing for me or give me a kiss,’ he said with a sad look on his face.

‘Come here,’ I said, while I put my laptop on the ground.

He came towards me and sat next to me on the bed, hugging me, gently I tried to sing one of the songs our mother used to sing when we couldn’t sleep. I wasn’t nearly as good as my mother had been, but it seemed to soothe Thijn. He cried a little and I shed some tears as well, which didn’t do my voice much good. I hadn’t even heard dad come up the stairs. I was a little startled when I saw him in the doorway.

‘Hey guys, do you want to come to the market with me?’

‘I’ll go with you!’ Thijn said, jumping up and down.

‘I’d rather stay, I still have to do some homework, I have a test on monday,’ I said.

‘I’d rather have you with me, I’m not the one cooking?’ he said, shuffling his feet.

‘I’ll write a list, if you like?’ I offered.

‘Please. You can add some sweets and stuff you might want?’ he said.

Usually I would buy my own sweets, cookies and almost anything besides normal food. I guess this was yet another way for him to say he was sorry. Only weeks before we would never feel awkward around each other, we would have laughed and joked around right now. That was history, he had changed so much, so had Thijn. I probably had changed too, but I didn’t really notice that about myself.

‘Sure.’

Thijn and me, got up and I took out a piece of paper and a pen, we all went downstairs and in the kitchen I wrote down everything we needed. I added some crisps for Thijn and a packet of sweets for myself. As I handed my father the note, he grabbed my hand.

‘Did you put anything on there for yourself?’ he asked.

‘Yes, a some sweets,’ I answered, he didn’t let go of my hand.

‘Come here, I would like to give you a hug,’ he said.

He let go of my hand, to give me the opportunity to choose if I wanted to hug him or not.

‘Be gentle, my back still hurts,’ I whispered, so Thijn couldn’t hear me.

He pulled me into a hug and smiled at me.

‘You’re still my princess,’ he whispered.

I didn’t dare answer, I just squeezed him, to let him know I heard him.

‘Maybe I’ll see you before going to work. You will have to get some take-away or order in tonight.’

‘I know. If we don’t see you, good luck at work,’ he said.

‘Thanks dad,’ I whispered.

Thijn and my dad left to do the groceries and I went back upstairs with a bottle of soda. Soon I was working on my homework and did so for about an hour. When I was done I emptied my bag, to fill it back up with books for monday. When I was putting books back in the bag, I found the diary. A little puzzled I held it in my hand, I stepped back and sat down on my bed. I put the little book on my lap. It struck me as very odd that every time I put the diary away, I seemed to forget about it instantly and only seemed to remember when I found it again. I run my hand past the name Abigail, then I opened it.

The training you will receive by these words, have been passed down generation to generation, but all of them had the possibility to train with their mother. As you might know our family line, on your mothers side, only brought forth girls, Thijn, your little brother is the first boy born on our side of the family. Your mother had told me she would never give you this book, because she didn’t want you to be trained. This wasn’t true, deep inside herself, she wanted to train you, but your father has always been in her way. I don’t want your father to be put in bad lights though, he was a kind man, he just didn’t want to believe in magic.

Downstairs the door slammed, like Thijn always did. I looked at my phone for the time, it was nearing three o’clock. I closed the book, I really needed to process what I had just read. Did my grandmother really want me to believe I was able to use magic? Or did she mean like a magician, illusions and things like that?