Broken Strings

C H A P T E R T W E N T Y - F I V E

Anisha shook her head, her eyes holding despair. She couldn't make it through the day.

"I'm tired. I need to sit down. I can't do this." She gave Ryan and Mira an apologetic look.

"Help me. I just need to sit down." The words were a whisper. They were her silent plea for help.

No one could help her. Nothing could help her.

Andrew's arms were wrapped around her as he helped her walk over to the secluded bench near the Star Wars Ride. He handed her the water bottle from her purse and sat down next to her.

Mira stood behind her mother, wrapping her arms around her mother and smiling.

"Mommy, I wanna go on Space Mountain. Ryan said I'm a scaredy cat but I'm not. He's just a little baby. Can we plwease go on it?"

Anisha kept looking between Andrew and Mira. She gave Andrew a short pleading nod, begging for him to leave her alone.

Anisha wished she had the energy. She wished she had the strength to walk, to talk and to laugh alongside her kids.

But she didn't. She didn't even have the energy to smile. Everything took too much energy, too much effort.

She didn't though. She had tried. And she didn't.

"Anisha, we can go home. The kids have been to Disneyland so many times. We can bring them back another day." Andrew's voice held a silent promise.

He would fix everything. He would.

Starting from himself. To their marriage. To her.

Anisha could see the color highlighted behind his words.

Another day - because he expected their marriage to be okay now that he was sorry. He was sorry and now everything was supposed to get better.

But she couldn't get better.

Bitterness filled her.

It wasn't fair.

Why her? Hadn't she suffered enough her entire life?

She just wanted one day. That's all she wanted.

One day, where she didn't have to worry about the pain in her stomach. One day, where she could just laugh and smile without the constant fear of fainting. One day, where she could just be happy.

Where she could smile and just be happy.

And feel loved. And feel wanted.

Sad was the only feeling she knew. Being sad was normal for her, it was the only thing she knew how to do.

Anisha shook her head. "No, I just need a little break. You should go on the rides with them. Make sure Mira sits with you."

Andrew's lips parted, to argue. To tell her that she wasn't okay and they should just go home instead.

"Please. I'm fine." Even though she was far from fine.

She hadn't been fine for a long time now.

"Oh uh. Okay. Call me if you feel dizzy again." He leaned down, pressing his cool lips against her warm forehead.

Andrew turned around to follow Mira, who was already pulling her brother towards Space Mountain. He turned back to face Anisha, once again. He was scared.

For the first time, he was scared of losing her. The words were on the tip of his tongue again.

He couldn't understand the coded language behind Sebastian's words. Twenty-seven days.