To: Jonas Zebila
From: Abi Zebila
Subject: Please reply. PLEASE!!!!!
Friday, 29 May 2015
Dear J,
Another email from me where I hope all is well with you. You didn’t tell me about your purple day. All is not well here, unfortunately. Gran was rushed to hospital while I was at work yesterday.
Daddy didn’t even bother to leave work. Mummy had to call my office to get me to pick up Lily-Rose. I had to bring her back to work with me because I was up to my ears in client reports and billing, and the billing had to go out yesterday. Lily had a great old time, she was the centre of attention from all the residents. Mrs Lehtinen was the worst for it, practically adopted her there and then, showing her off as something as close to a great-grand-daughter as she could get.
Did I tell you Mrs Lehtinen is here at the home now? Do you remember her? She was from Finland and her family lived next door and she was great friends with Gran. Her family moved away when I was about five or six. She loved you, I remember that. She’s not been here long but on the first day she recognised me even though I hope I’ve changed a little in twenty years. I didn’t really remember her until she reminded me that it was her who had given Mummy the idea for those sleep boxes that we slept in as babies. And then, of course, she asked about you and it all came flooding back: how you were always her favourite because you used to wolf down those God-awful Jim bars she kept giving us. (I looked them up on the net to find out why they were so boak. Marmalade foam covered in chocolate. I can’t believe Mummy let us eat them.)
Like I say, Mrs L practically stole Lily-Rose from me and kept telling her stories about what I got up to when I was her age. It would have been embarrassing if they didn’t all show me as being the most amazing five-year-old!!
On the way home we dropped by the hospital to see Gran, Lily-Rose and I, but she wouldn’t see us because she didn’t want us to see her like that. Three days ago Lily’s telling her jokes and now Gran won’t see her. So much pride. So much stupid pride. That’s what our family’s problem is – too much pride, don’t know when to swallow it. I mean, would it have hurt Gran to see Lily? I know it can be scary seeing someone looking frail, but she may not come out of hospital. We may never see her again because her pride makes her worried we’ll see her looking vulnerable.
I’m gutted, Jonas, really gutted.
Tell me. Just tell me something. Anything.
I love you.
Abi
xxxx
P.S. Do you want some pictures of Lily-Rose? I may have a few (thousand).