When We Were Young

Chapter 7

Paula came to work for the next few days. Rafael was true to his word. They rarely crossed paths. He made sure to leave early in the morning before Paula showed up for work and came back from work late at night after Paula left for the day.

Rafael left her instructions through the elderly English housemaid, Mrs Bradshaw. This routine continued for the next few days. Paula wondered why she felt bothered by his absence. She missed seeing those dark eyes even if they only glared at her nowdays.

Hazel barely recognized her the first week. She always stayed in her dimly lit room staring at the walls, lost in her own world. She refused to acknowledge the presence of Paula. She neither looked at her nor speak to her. It tore at Paula's heart to see her dear Hazel in that robotic condition.

"She is a kind and lovely woman. She doesn’t deserve all this," Paula wanted to scream at the heavens.

Then one morning, Paula went into Hazel's room. She found her sitting on the edge of the bed with the same dazed look on her face. Paula felt her heart constrict in pain as she saw no improvement in her despite the many hours she spent showing Hazel her family photos.

She showed her the baby photos of her and Andres. She showed him her pictures as she nursed the twins but Hazel had looked at the pictures not really seeing them.

"Hazel," Paula whispered over the lump forming in her throat as she knelt besides Hazel on the thick Persian rug.

Hazel turned her head and after a brief moment of staring at her, her eyes suddenly widened in recognition.

"Paula! Is that you, my child? ," she murmured in disbelief as tears darkened her eyes.

Paula felt like weeping for joy when those words came from her. These were the words she had been waiting for for almost two agonising weeks.

Hazel had finally recognised her!

A tremulous smile traced her lips as she nodded her head with tears spilling down her cheeks. A thin arm shot out to trace her face. A small smile then flickered on Hazel's pale face.

"I am not imagining! You are real! You are real!," Hazel said in amazement as she touched her face with such tenderness that she remembered.

Hazel reached for Paula with a sob. She hugged Paula so tightly, as if afraid she would vanish and leave her alone again.

"You are really my Paula. You even smell the same," she choked out the words, feeling her chest tight with suppressed emotions.

Then her small feeble body began to tremble in Paula's arms. Paula joined her and the two of them cried together. Afterwards Hazel fell asleep in Paula's arms feeling exhausted with all the crying.

Her nurse came to tuck her in her blankets. She held Paula's hand with a pleading look in her eyes as she slipped back into unconsciousness under the influence of pills the nurse had given her. Paula knew what she was silently asking so she had answered her with a smile in her eyes and remained by her bed holding her small hand.

She stayed for a little while. She tiptoed out of the room when she saw that Hazel was deep asleep. She went into the small garden, which had become her favourite place for the past few days.

Paula inhaled the fresh fragrance feeling exhilarated with the improvement of Hazel's condition. At midday, she rushed into the kitchen and prepared Hazel's favourite dish of paella.

Hazel had taught her all her secret recipes. Beaming, she carried the tray to Hazel's room. Her heart sank when she entered the room and found that Hazel had returned to her zombie mood.