Chapter 10: An Important Call

This couldn´t be true. Mr. Vankovic probably said this to the wrong girl. I had a father. I could remember him saying goodbye to me as if it had been yesterday. "No, you´re wrong. I grew up with the best father I can ever imagine", I told him. But he looked at me like I was crazy or something. Why didn´t he believe me?

"Rachel, listen: Last night I received a call from the police. They found your father´s corpse. The weird thing at that is the fact that an investigation said he had been dead for almost 18 years. Though his body looked like he died only hours ago. I´m truly sorry for you and you don´t need to pretend you had a father. That would be impossible." Mr. Vankovic seemed really worried about me but that didn´t change the fact that he was talking the biggest crap I had ever heard. I didn´t understand what had happened. My father couldn´t be dead.

I found his hand resting on my shoulder. Quickly I shrugged him off. "You´re lying, right? My opinion about some things are not for your liking and now you try to convince me of such shit!" I almost screamed but I didn´t care. I wasn´t insane!

Reaching in my pocket I took out a photo of my family and showed it to my teacher. On it my mom and dad together with me at the age of eleven could be seen. That was the proof that my father never died. Even if he actually did a couple hours ago I refused to believe it. My family was so perfect, as well was my life and that could never be true. Mr. Vankovic eyed the photo closely and I could see in his eyes that something was very wrong. "You´re sure then that this picture isn´t faked?"

Slowly, but still I could feel myself run out of patience. Biting my lower lip I fought back my tears of anger. What if he was right and Dad gone?

"Let´s call your mother. I need to make some thing clear", he said and walked with me behind him into the principal´s office. I didn´t care whether I was with Carl and him in the same room. All I could think about was my father.

Arriving there Mr. Vankovic picked up the telephone and handed it over to me. I stared at the two men standing in front of me and ordered them with my eyes to leave the office, which they did. As if I was in a trance or something my fingers slowly pressed down button by button and called Mom. My hands started shaking as I lifted the it to my ear and listened to the sounds the phone made. "Allen here."

I swallowed hard and answered my mother´s voice: "Mom? It´s Rachel... what happened?"

The fact that she sounded as if she had wept for hours scared me. Usually she was a kind and funny person. "Oh, dear, so you´ve been told already, right?", she sobbed quietly after that and then continued. "I´m so sorry that you had to find out through the school. But I think I wouldn´t have been able to tell you." She spoke very softly. She could probably feel the tears running over my face at that moment.

"Have you also heard about how it happened?"

"No", I said truthfully. My teacher hadn´t told me why he had to die. I wiped my tears away and waited for her to answer, which came after a short silence between us: "His neck was broken. Deep scratches were found everywhere on his skin. They guess he had been pushed from the bridge they found him under. What I am about to tell you is something you´re actually not to know. He lost an amount of blood before he hit the ground, although nothing could be found... Rachel, your father died last night but they say he´s been dead for years."

"I already knew the last fact. But...", I breathed in deeply before continuing, "How is that possible? They must have made a mistake during the investigation. Mom, you and he said goodbye to me before I came here for this school year. There has to be something wrong!"

My mind protested against everything that had happened during the last hour. And I needed an explanation for all this.

Another silence got between us. It was obvious that my mother thought about how to tell me. Or even whether to tell me? But I could sense that she knew more than she wanted to tell. "Rachel,... shortly I was informed about the Moonlight Festival in your school. I will do everything to come here before it will take place. We have to talk about so much. All I want from you is not to worry about me. Everything´s alright with me and the house. I´ll explain everything when I´m here, ok?"

Although I knew she couldn´t see me I nodded before also adding a "yes". At that moment I wanted my mother to be here with me. I wanted her to hug me and stroke my hair as she always did when I was smaller.

"I love you, Rachel. I´m sorry something like that had to happen but nobody could avoid it. One of your teachers and the principal had been informed and they, as well as you, are not to tell anyone about that. Not even Marianne. I have to quit talking to you because the police is almost here. Goodbye, love."

"Bye. I love you too, Mom", I told her and then put the phone down. Taking deep breaths I dried my eyes once more and then left the office.