Finding Maya

Chapter five

I laughed at Mom. “I can’t believe you said 60! That’s almost as funny as when you used to tell me that you were 21.”

Mom looked at me and grimaced. “Sweetheart, this isn’t the time or place to talk to you about this but once we get home we really need to sit down, the three of us, and discuss something very important.”

“Uh huh, I already know Mom.” I smiled.

Mom looked at me shocked and I saw Dad raise his eyebrows and lean closer to Mom.

Dad cleared his throat which instantly gained all of my attention.

“Maya, how do you know? Has something happened to you?”

Ok, what the hell is wrong with the oldies? I’m starting to feel like I just walked into an episode of the Twilight zone. If I was ever going to walk into the Twilight zone I’d rather it didn’t happen when we are so far above ground in a freakin’ plane!

I pulled a face and spoke to them both “Ok, Dad, Mom. You are starting to freak me out here. I was joking with you guys, I was going to say that I already knew that Mom was really like two hundred years old and she just uses damn good moisturiser. What the heck is going on with you two? Did you guys get stuck into the valium before we got on the plane?”

They kept looking at me like I was the strange one.

“Knew it, you two druggies have gotta lay off. No wonder you’re both mental, drugs are bad m’kay?” I laughed waiting for them to join in.

Neither of them did.

Mom cleared her throat and rubbed her hands on her jeans while Dad just stared at me open mouthed.

I had just about enough by this stage, I hate that feeling you get when everyone is in on something except for you. One thing I really dislike is feeling like everyone is laughing at me because they think I’m slow.

I growled out, surprising even myself with the noise I made. “Right, stop this crap you two. I wanna know what the hell is going on. If you two think this is funny then I beg to differ.”

Mom and Dad recoiled slightly from me, both of them shocked. My vision was almost tunnel like as I focussed on the two of them. Everything started to become crystal clear, like all my life I had been wearing the wrong prescription glasses and suddenly I had been given the right pair.

I couldn’t believe that both of my parents were looking at me like this, like I was holding a loaded gun and demanding their wallets or something.

Let’s face it, if anyone would ever hold a gun in our family my Mother was the usual suspect.

Mom hesitantly placed her hand on my shoulder, I let out an involuntary growl at her action but didn’t say anything to her as I didn’t trust myself to speak and not say something that I would later regret.

I realised that everything in the plane was starting to become too loud, my senses were feeling like they were ready to explode, I flung my hands over my ears to try and muffle the sounds but the action was useless. More and more sounds started to assault my hearing. I tried to push aside the noise of the people around us and the roar of the engine and focus on a more distant discussion.

What the frig? How the hell am I able to hear the bloody pilots?! What the fuck is going on?!

I was starting to get really scared now and all I want is for my Mom to make it better.

I risked taking my impotent hands away from my ears. With the removal of them it was like something had clicked and suddenly my hearing returned to normal.

I looked up at my Mom and started to cry. Now normally I’m a ‘suck it up princess’ kind of person but in this instance all I wanted to do was cry and have my Mom take away the ouchie.

“Sssh, sssh, its ok baby. Let it out.” Mom soothed, pulling me closer to her and I lay my head against her chest while she covered my left ear with her hand and all I could hear was the sounds of her heart beating. I heard Mom’s distorted voice through her chest ask Dad to go and get a cup of water for me. Dad must have still been in shock because she had to repeat herself more forcefully.

Dad replied “Ah…ok, I’ll go get one…okay.”

Dad’s reply came out so faint as the sound of Mom’s strong heartbeat was just about all I could hear.

He must have got up at some point because when Mom lifted her hand from my ear a little while later I realised that he wasn’t with us.

Mom smiled gently “Maya, how are you feeling sweetie? It was your hearing wasn’t it?”

My eyes widened “How did you know? What the heck is wrong with me, Mom?”

She reached up and tucked a stray hair behind my ear, all the while her eyes never leaving mine. She smiled at me sadly and sighed.

“Maya, things seem to be progressing suddenly and your Dad and I have to speak to you about the changes that are going to happen to you very soon but here, on the plane, it’s just too risky my sweet. When Dad comes back, drink the water he’ll give you and try to sleep.”

I started to interrupt but she raised her hand to stop me.

“Darl, I know you think you won’t sleep but trust me when I say that you will want to very soon. I have seen what you just went through before and both times the people slept for hours and hours afterwards. It takes a lot out of you and you’ll need your rest. Dad and I will explain as much as we can as soon as we can. But just so you know, there is nothing wrong with you at all, ok?”

I was focusing on watching my Mom’s mouth move as she spoke, trying so hard to fight the sleep that was now pulling at me. Dad must have come back as she was talking because Mom raised the cup up to my mouth and told me to take small sips.

Once I had taken a few she raised her hand to my forehead, closed her eyes and said sleep now. As I was leaning back into my seat I realised that although I had understood what she said,  she had not moved her mouth.