Chapter 7

It was a wonderful spring morning when Malia got the message that would go on to change her life forever. The rain had just come when her phone rang, it was her mother.

"Hi Mom," Malia said.

"He's gone," her mother said crying at the other end of the line,

"Mom I don't understand, what do you mean by he's gone?" Malia asked trying as much as possible not to lose it.

"Your father, he's dead," the mother said breaking the sad news.

The phone fell from her hands crashing to the floor.

"Nooooo" Malia screamed. "Dad this can't be true, you can't just die, someone tell me my father's still alive," she said crying and sinking into her pillow.

Her brothers came running into her room to see what had happened, they saw her crying and saying

"Please tell me Dad is still alive," she said, crying even louder. Her brothers joined her in crying too, they cried until their eyes became sore. The pain was just too much for any of them to bear, her brothers sat with her on the bed as she enfolded them both in a bear hug.

"We'll pull through this," she said to them assuringly. How was she going to tell Kyle that her father was dead? she thought, she decided to stick with the lie she had told him.

Mrs. Sue came back from the hospital that evening, her whole body was sore. A kind nurse had driven her home as she wasn't in the right state of mind to drive. Malia had a hot bath prepared for her, She looked traumatized but her children consoled her. That evening she called her brother Jonathan and relayed the news of her husband's death to him, Jonathan was shocked at the news but he took it with utmost good faith, they then planned to proceed with the burial arrangements. Kyle and his parents had no idea that Malia had lost her father, he visited her every day but the family didn't make it so obvious that they lost someone, they also pleaded with neighbors who came to sympathize with them not to make it so obvious that they were mourning.

The burial arrangements were made in secrecy, they didn't wanna bother anybody with their problems so they moved their father's body back to his hometown for burial with the help of Jonathan, Mrs. Sue's brother.

Malia told Kyle that she and her family would be traveling back to their hometown for her cousin's burial and that they would be back in a week.

"I'll miss you, baby," Kyle said as he enfolded her in a bear hug feeling emotional.

"I'll miss you too, don't worry I'll be back" She promised him.

"What about your dad?" He asked her,

"He already traveled ahead of us" she lied.

"Ok be safe," he said as he kissed her on the cheeks, "Bye Mrs. Sue, Bye Mike, Bye Mali," he said.

"Thank you, Kyle, you've been so helpful," Malia's mother said as she hugged him.

Kyle waved as their vehicle hit the road, during her absence he tried to keep himself busy with other things but he just couldn't concentrate because he only kept thinking about Malia, he and Malia talked on the phone from time to time so that way he felt relieved. Something happened while they were away, the bank called Malia's mother and told her of their intentions to repossess their house as their mortgage was past due.

"Please give us more time, and we'll pay you, I just lost my husband," Mrs. Sue said begging the voice on the receiving end,

"I'm sorry ma'am, there is nothing we could do to help you, you have just one week to pay us what you owe or risk forfeiting your house to the bank… good day" the line went dead.

Mrs. Sue cried out her eyes again, Malia came running to see what was wrong.

"Mom, what's wrong?" She asked, but the mom was too weak to answer, "Mom talk to me"

"The bank just called, they're taking our house," The mom said sniffling,

"No they can't Mom," Malia said protesting.

"Yes they can," the mother said.

Malia couldn't hold back her tears as she joined her mother in crying. Mali and Mike soon came in with their uncle from where they had gone to buy some groceries. When they came in they met their mother and sister crying.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Mike asked, but she didn't answer. Her brother Jonathan came into the house and met his sister crying,

"What's happening here? He asked, "Why are you crying, Martha?"

"The bank called Jonathan," she said still crying.

"And what did they say?" He asked.

The mother was too weak to continue, so Malia spoke.

"They told Mom they were going to repossess our house in a week if we don't pay the mortgage uncle," Malia said.

The uncle took off his hat and sat on a chair, her brothers didn't know whether to cry or not, they innocently asked their

"Where are we going to stay if they take our house?"

Mrs. Sue flared up in annoyance at the boys but she was held back by her brother and daughter.

"Martha pull yourself together, don't do that" Her brother shouted at her.

"Please Mom stop" Malia begged her.

The mother soon realized what she had done, she immediately got up and left the living room where they were all seated and went to lock herself up in her bedroom.

"Mom, Mom" Malia called after her.

"Let her be Malia," her uncle said. "She'll come around"

Malia came to comfort her brothers and assure them everything was going to be alright.

Jonathan was the elder brother to Martha, the mother of Malia, Mali, and Mike. Their father Sue had been a childhood friend of Jonathan, while growing up, Sue fell in love with Martha and they both got married. Jonathan on the other hand was a farmer, he had inherited the farm after their father passed away, he had been a big support to his sister and her family when Sue was still alive. Jonathan lived in faraway Arizona while his sister and her husband Sue relocated to Knoxville when he was still alive in search of greener pastures, that was before Malia was born. Jonathan was a widower, his wife Nadia died when their son Alister was just three years old. Jonathan was alone to cater to the boy, his sister offered to help him raise the child but he refused. Allister was five years older than Malia, at the moment Allister was an astronaut working for NASA, he only saw his father once in a while but they communicated regularly.

Later that evening Mrs. Sue came out of her room and helped Malia in preparing dinner, her brothers were out in the field helping their uncle tend to the animals.

After dinner, they all sat down to watch TV and have some family time together. Mali and Mike soon went to bed leaving Mrs, Sue, Malia, and Jonathan in the living room.

"Malia, would you please turn off the TV?" Her uncle said.

Malia turned off the TV and sat close to her mother, they were silent for a while before her uncle clear his throat to speak.

"Martha, Malia, first and foremost we thank God for the successful burial of Sue." He said, "God knows best and we cannot question his decisions."

"Thank you, Jonathan," Martha said sniffling. Jonathan nodded and continued.

"I want us to discuss a way forward now that your house is about to be repossessed by the bank," Jonathan said.

"About that," Martha said, "I don't know, I'm just confused right now because my mind's clouded with thoughts"

"I've been thinking," Jonathan said "Since I stay alone you all can move in with me, I might be needing some extra help at the farm"

"Wait what? You can't be a serious uncle" Malia said. "Mom"

"Malia listen to me," Mrs. Sue said, "your uncle has a point, I can't keep up with the payment of the mortgage and send you to college at the same time, don't forget your brothers have to go to school too"

"What about Kyle? What do I tell him?" Malia asked on the verge of tears.

"You can break up with him" Mrs, Sue said, "Find someone else remember you got your whole life ahead of you"

"You're impossible Mom," Malia said as she ran upstairs in tears.

"Malia Malia" The mother called after her,

"Leave her be Martha, she'll come around sooner or later," Jonathan said.

Mrs. Sue was sad, she didn't like to see her daughter sad and it hurt her so deeply that there was nothing she could do to help her daughter at the moment.

Malia cried herself to sleep that night, she thought about Kyle all through the night, the moments they shared, and how was he going to cope with the news that she was leaving. Her mother was right, we can't have it all in life. She came up with a plan to leave Kyle a message. The next day at breakfast she told her mother and uncle that she finally agreed to their decision, to relocate, and move on from her relationship with Kyle.

"See, I told you she'd come around," her uncle said pouring himself a glass of juice.

Her mother reached out her hand to hold her smiling,

"Thank you for understanding," she said.

The boys had already been told and they seemed to like the idea because they wanted to spend more time with their uncle and also learn about animals.

"Have you thought about how to tell Kyle?" Her mother asked.

"That shouldn't be a problem," She said, "what do I do about college mom, I already enrolled at Brantford University"

"Don't worry, you can enroll at Arizona University, they're still collecting applicants and it's the second-best university in the whole country" her uncle said as he bit a large chunk of his sandwich.

"Ok uncle, I'll try there, besides I guess I need a change of environment," she said as she buttered her bread, they all seemed happy at the moment as the future looked promising.

That evening Kyle called her, she was reluctant to pick up the phone at first, but she told Kyle they'd be back in two weeks, Kyle complained at first but gave in after she promised him lots of fun when she got back.

"I promise I'll make it up to you Kyle," she said.

"I love you," Kyle said

"I love you too," Malia said hanging up

She sighed and muttered to herself "I hope you forgive me, Kyle, I love you so much but I have no choice" she thought as a trickle of tears ran down her cheeks.