My name is Jakov and I'm fourteen years old. Unfortunately, I know how everything in your life can change in one day. This story is about how I lost my mother.
Let's start at the beginning. I was born in 2011. Since my mum died in 2015, I couldn't spend much time with her , but I am happy that I met her. From my memories, I know she was a beautiful and caring mother. She loved listening to music, just like me. If it wasn't for her and my dad, I would be a completely different person. She taught me a lot of things, such as how to be polite. I also remember that she was really funny. She worked as an accountant . Life was really great. When she was a kid, she had good grades, and she was always the best in her class. She used to tell me stories from her work, when she was young...When I was a baby, we always spent time together because my day was working on wind farms all over Croatia. He would come home every weekend, and would go back on Sunday evening. Since I was little, I don't really remember all of the things that we did together, but I'm sure that it was fun. As my parents just moved in, there was still a lot work to do, so usually went to those furniture stores. I loved going there bcause I could play in their playrooms. We had fun at the weekends when my dad was at home. Back then, every day was fun: my mum and I would usually walk to my grandma and grandpa's house, and we had lunch together. I also loved that because I could greet every person on the street. At that time I couldn't even think of losing someone as important as her. At Christmas we would usually decorate our Christmas tree, and take a family picture by it together. In summer we used to go on holiday in a place called Biograd na Moru. I also loved that because we would usually sleep in the afternoon, and go on the beach and enjoy the sea and the sun.
Everything changed on 9th May 2015. We wokeup in the morning feeling happy. The day was sunny and it was warm outside. I was running around the house. We had lunch and I went to take the afternoon nap. That say, we were planning to go to Ikea furniture store. I woke up, we got ready and sat in the car. I don't really remember the drive, but I'm pretty sure it was going well. And then we got on the motorway. After a few minutes, we came to the first intersection where we were supposed to turn left. On the sidewalk there was also a woman taht worked as a traffic police. It turned green for us to turn. But, as we were in the middle of the turn, I saw a black motorcycle coming at us at high speed. He ran through the red light. I also heard that traffic policewoman blowing her whistle as the motorcycle crashed into us. The impact was really hard. He hit at the side of the car where my mother was sitting. My father was driving. I know we rolled over three times, and ended up on the roof of the car. I was the only one in the car that was conscious. At that moment, I didn't really know what had happened, but I knew it was bad. Suddenly, I heard someone banging on my door. People who stopped to help us opened my door, and tried to unbuckle me from my seat. I still remember their voices yelling: ˝The kid is in the car, the kid is in the car!˝. The interesting fact is that I wasn't crying. Maybe it was the shock, or maybe I was just in my own world. After they got me out from the wrecked car, one kind lady picked me up. She was in shock, too, but she tried comforting me and keeping my eyes away from the crash site. When the police arrived, the intersection was already packed with cars. The policewoman from earlier was crying and waiting for her chief to come. My day also woke up. I know I heard his voice shouting my mother's name and trying to wake her up. Some other people also tried to do the same thing, but they couldn't.
After some time, the ambulance came, too. They got my dad and me inside. They took us away to the hospital. Since I wasn't really sure what had happened, I was comforting my father inside the vehicle. He was crying and had some injuries. When we got to the hospital, the doctors had to separate us. There were ten doctors all around me. They did all kind of tests on me, searching for any minor or major injuries. From what I remember, I haven't been in there long. After the doctors did everything they needed to do, my granpa and grandma were waiting for me in the hospital hallway. Grandma was crying because she knew what happened. My dad was still in the room, he had some cuts on his head so the had to sew him up. One doctor called me into the room again to put a collar around my neck. My dad got out of the room, too. We drove back home. The police picked my dad up, and he had to make a statement about what happened.
The next morning came. I slept through the night. That afternoon my whole family gathered in our living room. Everyone was in shock. In the evening my father told me what happened. He told me that my mum was gone. That she died. I was crying for two hours because i couldn't imagine my life without her. Her funeral came. My mum's cousin stayed with me because she wasn't really mentally prepared to go to see her for one last time. They spent their whole childhood together. Iknow it was really hard for her. That day we gathered in our home yet again. It was silent.
A few months before she died, she told me something. She told me that she would be really happy to see me playing the guitar. She wanted me to play one song that she liked. The title of that song was Good Riddance by a band called Green Day. My favourite band right now. If she were alive today, some things wouldn't be the same. maybe I would live in another country, city, go to another school, do other things, listen to different music... Iknow it would. Now every day when I play my guitar, I always remember her. I play Good Riddance every single session. As the years were passing, I noticed that my dad was giving everything that he could to ensure that we live in good conditions. And I would like to thank him for that. he works really hard, and gives everything in his power so we have food and shelter. I'm really glad that we get along. he took a really good care of me when I was just a small kid. We also kept all the traditions that we had when my mum was alive.
It feels like every year is getting harder and harder. Both for me, and for him. We have both lost someone important, in different ways. he lost his wife, someone to drink coffee in the morning, someone to chat in the afternoon and someone to watch movies at night. I lost my mother. The most important person in everyone's life. Someone to tell my problems. Last year was especially hard. We marked ten full years without her. It was really hard for me to focus on school, my goals and all other important things. It was really strange to say that it has already been ten years without her. So many things have happened since she died. Two new babies in our family were born, many different events my dad and I went to, I started and finshed my music school, did many concerts..., I could go on and on. But one thing is for sure, she is, and forever will be missed. Since she died, everything I did was for her. Not for me, for her. I've tried my best to do it all the best I could. I will continue doing itthat way, trying to be as happy as I can.
Ana, 19 August, 1982 - 9 May, 2015