Chapter 5 Accidents happen

After the humiliation of writing the rest of my sentences on stage, I had to follow the priest to his office. It was a large wooden office, with bookcases everywhere. There was a whole shelf with only bibles behind his desk and a huge statue of Jesus on a altar. I had never seen a bigger Jesus statue before in my life. This was so weird. Was this a school or a church?

'I know your hand is hurting right now from writing. So, that is why I don't want you to write, but I need you to pray with me.' the priest said.

'What?' I asked. Was he really serious right now? Pray?

The priest cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow. He was surprised by the question.

'Eh, what do you mean, sir?' I asked with other words.

'You are different than most young girls.' He was walking around me, checking my expression from every angle. 'You don't have a father do you? I can feel the lack of a man in your life. The part of respect is never teached to you.'

'I don't know who my father is.' I said honestly. I never met the man and my mother doesn't want to talk about him. I don't even know what he looks like.

'Please kneel down here.' The priest knelt in front of the big statue and was waiting for me to do the same. I was hesitating. I had no idea how to pray. What was I even supposed to say? 'Catharina.' he said annoyed.

'I don't know how to pray.' I was getting nervous all of the sudden. I didn't even feel nervous on stage. But here, alone with this man, I was so nervous. My hands were a little shaky and my face was all red. The priest just smiled at me.

'I can teach you.'

I knelt down on the ground. I looked at him hopeful to tell me what to do. I had no idea what I was doing or why I was even doing it in the first place.

'So, what I need you to do is relax your body. Relax your mind. Close your eyes and take deep breaths.'

I heard the priest next to me inhaling deep and exhaling too. My eyes were still open. I didn't breath the same way as him.

'Feel the calm energy. Inhale and exhale.' he continued.

I felt ridiculous. I tried to breath very slow, but I was not calm and I didn't calm down either. 'I can't do this.'

'Breath with me. Close your eyes and breath with me.'

I tried to breath at the same speed as him. Inhale and exhale. Inhale and exhale. It was getting better and better. But my knees were hurting now and the clock hanging at the wall to my right was annoying as hell. I was nowhere near being relaxed, when he said:

'Now fold you hands together and lower your head. Just talk to him. If you have any questions, just ask him.'

With my hands folded together and my head down low, I was thinking really hard for something to say. 'Hello, eh, God. I don't know what to say or what to do. This is the first time I try this. If you are real and listening, please know that I try to be good and that it wasn't my fault for all the bad things that is happening around me. I never wanted for anyone to get hurt. Please make my mother happy. We have been traveling a lot. She can use some rest and love for once. Thank you.'

'That was very good, Catharina.' the priest looked actually proud at me.

'Well, eh, thank you. It felt kind of ridiculous for me to be honest.'

Suddenly there was a loud crack, followed by a bang. There was dust all around us and smoke. What was happening?

'Fire.' was the first thing the priest said. 'I have to put the fire out.' We both jumped off the ground and he ran to the door where a fire extinguisher was hanging. He quickly extinguisher the fire with it. When the fire was out, I finally saw what happened. The altar was broken and the statue was laying on the floor. There were pieces broken off. The fire was from the candles on the altar. How was this possible? Was it my curse?

'I'm sorry.' I said, taking a step back from all of it.

'You didn't do anything wrong, Catharina. This could have happened at any time. I am just glad we didn't get hurt.

I was glad we didn't get hurt too, but I couldn't deny this was the second time an accident happened at school. First the ceiling yesterday and now this stupid statue. Ten months I had to survive before the curse was lifted, only then I can't die until I turn hundred years old. The question was: was I going to make it till then? And how am I going to make it without anyone getting hurt or dying because they are close to me? I knew it was harder to survive, because it was getting closer to my birthday. I just really don't want anyone to get hurt. Again.

Mom had to pick me up. After spending a hour of reflecting my behavior, I got to go. I knew mom was working, but the school buses were all gone, so she had to pick me up either way. She went back to the diner she was working at and we got inside together.

'Harry this is my daughter.' She introduced me to the owner, her boss.

'Hi, my name is Cat.' I said.

'I'm glad you're here Cat. I'm Harry by the way and please can you fill in today? My dish washer broke and now we have to wash it by hand and we have no extra personnel.' The man with gray hair and a tiny mustache, seemed really desperately. 'I will pay you.' he even tried.

'Fine, but then you are going to help me with my math homework.' I said back.

'Deal.' He gave me a huge smile and an apron. He leaded me to the back of the kitchen. 'This needs to be clean. I would like it to be clean at 5pm, but I don't know how far you will get. Just do your best.' There were a lot of piles with dirty dishes.

I started to clean the plates first. There were a lot of them, so I first quickly rinsed them, then brushed them until they were clean and placed them on top of each other, making another pile. It was for me a better way to clear my head than the exercise with the breathing I had to do with the priest. I cleaned the plates, the cups and a lot of the cutlery too when the kitchen was filled with a whole new set of cooks. They were making dishes. I got help from one of the men drying everything. We worked so quick, I got sweat all over my body. But we weren't ready working, because every time a plate came back we had to clean them too. It was a lot of work, but I didn't mind doing it. The other man, with black hair and also sweat on his forehead, was humming along the radio that was on in the kitchen. I wasn't paying attention at what I was doing when I felt something sharp on my hand. .

'Shit.' I cursed. I took my hands out of the sink that was filled with water. I sliced my hand to a knife I was cleaning. The water slightly turned red now. A deep cut across my left hand was bleeding fast. The memories of the doctors during the holiday came back. 'No, no, no.' I was shaking my head. I was trembling on my feet.

'We need some help over here!' I heard the other man scream. He held me up, when he noticed I was almost falling over. I was kind of out of breath, heaving a minor panic attack.

I could hear different men scream and trying to stop the bleeding with towels. I was zoning off to a place I didn't want to go. Back to the scientists.

'Car, eh, Cat.' my mother corrected herself. She knelt before me and cupped my face. 'Breath, honey. You are okay. You just sliced your hand. You are okay.' When she saw me shaking my head, she said: 'Look at me. You are totally fine. Just breath.'

'I can't.' I finally get out of my mouth. My mother had no idea how it was like to be cut open day after day. They took out my organs a few times. I didn't die once, until I was too weak to heal myself. I looked into my mother's eyes and relaxed a little. When I finally calmed down, I whispered: 'It's already healed.'

'Oh, right.' Mom stood up and handed me another towel. 'Hide it.' She turned around to her boss and said. 'I will bring my daughter to the doctor.'

The older man with the gray mustache nodded. 'Yes, yes, go. I am so sorry Cat. See you tomorrow Julia.'

We ran outside the diner and got into the car. I was laughing out loud when mom turned the key and drove away.

'What's so funny?' mom asked.

I couldn't stop laughing. 'Did you see Harry's face. He almost had an heart attack by seeing all that blood. And you being called Julia is also funny. And all these chefs trying to stop the bleeding. I thought it was really funny.'

Mom shook her head. 'What if you didn't slice your hand, but your wrist. Would you still be laughing?'

'They tried it already. I didn't die.' I laughed again.

Mom gulped. 'They sliced your wrists?'

'Yes.'

Mom hit the brakes and we stood still in the middle of the road. 'Carmen, that is not funny at all. You still don't want to tell me what they did to you. This isn't a joke. I don't want to loose you. You are all I have.'

Now it was my time to gulp. I lowered my head. Mom was right. Mom was all I had and I was all she had. 'I am sorry mom. I am not ready to tell you. But I will. I promise.'

'Fine. But you can't come to the diner anymore. How the hell are we going to explain the lack of injury on your hand?'

Now we were both laughing. Mom never cursed like that. This town was changing us in more ways than we knew about.