Below is a small sample of the chapter “The Meeting”. It´s for you to get a feel for the book without revealing too much. Enjoy!


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The next morning I woke up abruptly when the drapery was pulled aside. A lady with a sturdy frame grunted good morning and placed a tray with breakfast on the small table next to me. To be honest it sounded more like a growling than a greeting. Well, I guess she had woken up on the wrong side of the bed.

My head felt like jelly and I rubbed my eyes before reaching for the remote. One press and I could lean back while the bed slowly moved upwards. I stared at the tray and wrinkled my nose. I didn't feel like eating anything. Next to me the drapery was closed but I could hear the patient on the other side. I guess she wasn't as tired in the mornings as I was. The sound that she now made left nothing to imagination. Gosh, did she never learn how to chew with her mouth shut?

I looked back at my tray. Porridge, eggs and fresh fruit. Not bad at all, maybe I should try to eat something. I forced down the food even though I didn't feel any hunger, I knew I had to eat to gain strength. Still slightly nauseous it was a relief when the robust lady came back to collect the leftovers. I kept my tea and looked out the window. I could hear how the door opened but didn't pay attention, after all it was a busy place with nurses coming and going all the time. It wasn´t the noise that made me look up, it was the feeling of being watched.

First we didn't say anything. She stood like a ghost at the end of my bed with a flower pot clutched tightly in her hands. I couldn't move, nor say anything. It was like all my words were glued to the throat, and they didn´t move any direction.

We stared at each other like it was the first time we met and the minutes passed by slowly. Probably it would have continued that way if a nurse didn't come in to look after the other patient. She greeted Mia hastily and pointed to a chair at the window before turning to her duties. After getting the chair, Mia pulled it closer to the side of my bed. She sat down carefully, like she was afraid to break it. She looked around and when she saw the windowsill she used it as an excuse to get up. She turned her back to me while arranging the flowers. Was it me or did she take extra long time before she came back? I barely looked at the gift and I didn't thank her. I was grateful there was a drapery between me and the other patient. I didn't want her to see how I greeted my visitors. She wouldn't understand. My mind went round and round. So many tears I had shed because of the girl in front of me and when I thought of it, I was still confused. Why did she leave? And most importantly, why did she come back?

I studied her in silence. Her characteristic nose was the same, pointing a bit upwards which made her look stubborn. She was thinner than I remembered. She had always been slim but at our age most people had gained some extra kilos, or at least bigger hips. Her lean face revealed a few wrinkles and made her look a bit older than she actually was. She was still beautiful though, with her shiny hair in a strict hairdo and carefully painted lips she looked almost like a movie star. I noticed she had coloured her red hair and she could now be taken for a blonde. Only her freckles revealed her true nature. She had a slight tan and I couldn't help but wondering if it was real. She had always just turned white or screaming red, nothing in between. Either way she made it work, and it looked good with her white cardigan and discrete silver jewelry. If I should describe her in one word it was elegant, and the t-shirts and manchester pants that I remembered were long gone. She must have gotten tired of my silence and cleared her throat, still looking at her hands placed in her knee.

“I understand if it's weird that I show up like this. I didn't even give you a heads up.” She paused and rubbed her chest like she was in pain. It was obvious she was uncomfortable but I was determined not to make it easy for her.“I guess I was worried that if I had said anything you wouldn't have wanted me to come. I just...”She paused again like if she carefully selected the words.“When your mum told me what happened...I just had to come and see you.”