The only disappointment in these times, would be the fact that it wasn't a white Christmas as they had hoped it would be. Even though it probably would be an insignificant amount of snow flakes falling, they had wished to see some. Despite being from Middle Eastern descent, now settled in The Netherlands, and Christmas not being a part of their religion, they liked the holidays.
This day however, didn't go as planned. Not in the least bit. On the contrary. It turned into one of the worst experiences in this year. And let me tell you... 2013 was a year full of negatives mirrored to the positives in 2012 for them. December 2013 was the month they thought they would lose everything.
The 23th was a very normal day. The family had made time to spend with each other during the day, while they had their individual plans during the evening. The father had the last night shift at work before the holidays, whereas the mother had planned to go on a shopping spree with her sister-in-law and the latter's son. The two sons in their late teens would attend a Christmas gala with two cousins, while the eldest, a daughter, would stay home enjoying a movie by herself awaiting the shopping group's return.
The first to leave the house were the shopping group. After finishing with preparations and dressing up in neat suits fit for the occasion, the gala group of four left the house and last was the father whom went to his night shift a little before midnight. Before leaving he had asked the daughter to call his wife asking her where she was and when she would be home.
Calling though, seemed a harder task than possible. Because when she did call her, the woman was out of reach. She heard the dial tone, but was redirected to the voice mail after several rings. Her mother was one to forget completely about her phone, so she tried to call her cousin, who would even pick up a phone when he slept. With him however, it was the same story. After calling the third member of their party, she started to worry. What was the chance of all three of them not picking up their phones?
Before trying anything else, she called her brother, who was at the gala at that point, to try to reach their mother. When he as well phoned her back announcing the same result, she grew suspicious. The last resort was to alarm her father, asking him if he heard something. He hadn't.
The next thing she knew, was her brothers and cousins had already begun a search party in only their suits on a winter night, since the shopping group and the gala group had gone to the same location, and her father had joined them at a latter point. They had even contacted the police. She herself had already tried to call everywhere they could have been, but gained no results. The clock had ticked 3 AM away.
When there weren't any results at 4 AM, the group had grown tired and scared. The daughter alone at home had already worked away two cups of coffee in an attempt to stay awake and lessen her headache, while the search party had grown blisters and aching feet. At that point however they had gained more information. They had found the missing party's car, completely untouched parked where they had probably left it. The police was alarmed, but deemed to be of no help and the girl's desperate and futile phone calls to hospitals only to gain no information at all scared all of them.
What had happened?
At half past 4, they learned about their whereabouts. The three were at the police office and were unable to get more information than that. It was not allowed, they had heard. Why, they didn't know. Why they weren't contacted, was also an unanswered question. They only received one answer. They would get more information the next day.
At 5 they had returned back home, with the two cousins. They discussed about possible scenes and at some point even believed that their mothers could have done something wrong. In their minds, the unbelievable happened. Their mother's became criminals, despite desperately denying that possibility.
When at 6 the father returned, they were forced to go to bed, since they hadn't slept at all. Without wanting to argue the angered and worried man's command, they obeyed and headed for their beds. Some without closing an eye, due to the insecurity of their mothers' and cousin's situation.
Early in the morning as soon as the police station opened, they headed for it to get more information. The daughter again, staying home to make breakfast this time. While she herself couldn't get one bite through her throat. She became the mother of an company of men in her own mother's absence. It was her responsibility to feed the men so they had a little energy.
Half an hour later, they returned with no new information. Three times they went to the station, just to hear the repeated words. Only one new thing was said. If the research didn't end today and if they didn't get what they wanted that day, the group of three would be staying there, in jail, for another three days. It would be extended, because during Christmas, no one would work and they could continue whatever they were supposedly doing only on Friday.
So they waited. Supposedly they would be released at around 3 PM on the 24th, which happened to be that day, not so coincidentally. The family still had no idea what the three could have done to be stuck there, but they had no choice but to wait patiently. Fighting and arguing would only result in more bad than good for them. They had no patience, but they didn't have any other choice but to remain in the anxious stage of waiting for more information, while questioning when they would be able to see their families back.
Since the next day all stores would be closed, the daughter and two of the boys went grocery shopping. They did not have the will nor energy to continue their daily routines, but it was obliged. She had to take care of them and the boys took the initiative of watching over the broken and tired girl. They had to stay strong despite being devastated. They had no choice.
During preparations of dinner, one of them received a call from the sister-in-law's phone. Despite not wanting to be too relieved, they all looked in glee yelling for one another to pick up. When at last the phone was picked up, they heard that they had been released and asking for them to pick up. The four boys informed their fathers of the news and the two middle aged men, immediately left for them. The girl cried silently while finishing dinner preparations.
The boys started to eat, while waiting for the elders to arrive. The girl as well joined them. But they ate little, feeling their throats dried up and their stomachs make involuntary loops and turns at the thought of food. She was afraid it would return back on her plate, in a worse condition than what she had managed to make in her state of chaos.
The elders returned with the girl's sister-in-law and cousin, but her mother was still absent. Her eyes sought her father's and the other elders' to find out what happened. The news she received didn't please her at all. They had to still interview her mother, before they could release her. So they allowed the other two to return first.
She served dinner for the second time that day and heard the story that sounded too bitter to be even true.
Her cousin told her about their shopping trip. They had gone to this particular large, expensive store that had lots of sale and searched for clothing there. Because they, as customers, spent a few hours in that four story shop, this staff member seemed to have found the group of three very suspicious. Once they were ready to pay at the cash register, they were harshly handcuffed and brought to the police station where they had to spend the night.
The mothers had been promised that they would contact their children on their whereabouts, which girl announced never happened, as she listened to the story. Because if it had, there would be no reason for the boys to stay out searching for them until the morning. She also learnt that her mother had two epileptic attacks in a timespan of less than 8 hours. Because the three had been put in separate cells, no one was there to take care of her. Only after the second attack, she had been brought outside in her condition.
This was more than enough to anger the girl and the others in the house. But the night of course, became worse.
After clearing the table and while she was washing the dishes, the doorbell rang. Everyone made their way outside and the girl as well followed them. By the time she arrived, her mother was desperately clinging to her father with her face buried in his chest and her shoulders sadly sagged. She watched everyone watch her mother cry in her father's arms and couldn't contain her tears either.
Without letting everyone see her, she silently returned to the kitchen to cry.
There was relief of her mother's return and anger that she hadn't been dropped home or that they hadn't informed them of her release. She had walked the 4 kilometres from the police station back home, crying.
The girl served dinner for the third time that evening. The last to eat were her mother and her father, who had waited for her mother's return before he even touched a grain of rice.
While reading the Christmas greetings of everyone on her social media accounts, the girl had only one status she wanted to post on hers.
"The day you completely lost faith in authorities and the government, they ruin these happy holidays for your family and make you realise that maybe you are not supposed to have a future in their country.
Not even racism can be a complete excuse for this behaviour.
Merry Christmas everyone."
Merry Christmas everyone. I hope yours was better than mine.
~ Saenan.
Merry Christmas everyone. I hope yours was better than mine.
~ Saenan.
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