"Alright, thank you doctor." Then I suddenly remembered. "What about the medical bills?"
"I wanted to speak to you about that. The catering company covered a percentage of the bills. However, there is still an outstanding and your mother also needs medication. I'll have the nurse inform you about the exact details."
Just then, there was a beeping noise.
"Excuse me young man, but I must attend to another patient." Dr Barnes said as he got up to leave.
"Thank you again, sir." I said as we both left the office.
I found Ola and Ayo seated in the lobby and walked over to them.
"Michael, I want to see mom." Ola said as she stood up from her seat and walked towards me.
"Of course, you can go ahead." I replied.
I watched as she walked into the room where our mother was and I wondered how mom planned to break the news to her.
"Laura and Idris are here. They said they're waiting downstairs and want to know if they should come up." Ayo glanced up from his phone.
I smiled a bit at that it was just like them to rush to my aid. I already felt better when my closest friends were with me.
"Sure, let them know which floor we're on." I replied.
Minutes later, I heard the elevator doors open and they both hurried toward us.
"Michael? We heard what happened. Is your mom alright?" Laura grabbed my hand and squeezed tight.
"Yeah, Ayo told us everything. We would've gotten here sooner but my phone was switched off and I didn't see the message until a while ago." Idris said.
"Guys, it's okay. My mom is going to be fine." I said, even as I forced myself to believe the words.
When it was late, the nurse suggested that we leave so that my mom could get some rest. We said our goodbyes and headed outside.
"I'll drive you and Ola back home. Idris and Laura can ride back together." Ayo said as we approached the parking lot.
Laura gave me a tight hug.
"If you need anything, don't hesitate to call." She said.
Idris patted my shoulder twice, no words were necessary. I knew he had my back. They all did.
I woke up the next day after a restless sleep. It was 8:00 am on a Sunday morning. Usually, by that time my mom would have had us up and ready for church. But now, I couldn't even bear the thought of going. My dad had always said that we should be strong in the day of adversity. Well, I guess I wasn't that strong because after his death, I practically shut down.
"Michael? Can I come in?" I heard Ola ask through the door.
"Sure." I replied.
I noticed that she was already dressed.
"You're not ready yet?"
I was still in my pajama bottoms and loose white T-shirt.
"No, I'm not going today." I said.
"Oh… well, I'll go with the Johnsons." She said.
"Yeah, you go ahead." I said.
"Alright, see you later." She said as she left the room.
About half an hour later, I got up and freshened up. Once I was dressed, I made my way downstairs. I recalled the conversation I had with my mom just a few days ago. She'd said that I was too young to take up responsibility. Well, I guess life had other plans.
#
Most shops were closed due to it being a Sunday morning, but I found a few that were open. A brief search revealed a somewhat decent-looking building which had a neon red sign displaying the word "Donny's". I decided it was worth a shot and walked in.
The ground floor was split into two sections. To the left was a café where a few customers sat and to the right was a small convenience store which was separated from the cafe by a glass wall an in-built door. I walked over to the counter behind where a man who looked to be in his thirty's stood.
"Excuse me?"
"Good day, shall I take your order?" He took out a notepad and pen.
"Oh no, I'm not here for that. I'm actually looking for a job."
He paused and stared at me.
"You're here for a job…" He trailed off.
"Yes please, I'm kind of desperate."
"Alright, give me a minute." He went through the 'employees only' door.
Shortly after, he returned with a younger guy in tow. He seemed to be around my age.
"Ricky, cover for me will you? You, come with me."
I quickly followed. We made our way through the door in the back and up a flight of stairs before he stopped and knocked quietly on a door.
"Who's there?" Came the gruff reply.
"It's Sam, boss. There's a guy here for a job."
There was silence for a while and then the sound of shuffling.
"Come in." The voice said.
My eyes immediately went to the silver-haired man on the two-seater couch. In his lap was a young woman who looked to be half his age. My eyes widened in surprise before I quickly masked my emotions.
"Why don't you excuse us for a while, sweetheart. I'll call you when I'm through." He said to her before he turned to face us.
The girl obliged and walked out of the room. Subtly, she winked at me.
"You want to see me?" The man said."Yeah boss, this guy came in here looking for a job." Sam said.The man took a cursory glance at me."W
I was just about to come to a conclusion when I heard the front door bang shut. I quickly changed into my regular clothes at lightning speed. I loved my little sister, but let's face it. If she knew then my mom would find out in about two seconds flat. I heard Ola come up the stairs so I stepped out to meet her. The expression on her face made my grin melt away."What's wrong?" I stooped low to see her eyes but she avoided my gaze.
I stood still as I listened to the words that caught my attention. I clenched my fists at my sides as I held in the anger that grew within me. It was one thing to hear rumours about how your friend was dissed or insulted and another thing entirely to listen to it happen in your presence. "Why on earth would I remain friends with a poor, broke girl like you. I wouldn't want any embarrassment at my party, so I suggest you forget about attending. You are going to bring nothing but shame to yourself anyway if you bother coming."
It was about 10 minutes till my shift at Donny’s café was over and despite how exhausted I felt, I was in a good mood. Even the guys at work noticed."Did you win the lottery or something because I don't see what's making you so happy today?" Ricky raised a suspicious brow at me.I'd gotten
It was two weeks since my date with Cindy and so far, things were going well. I had also finally gotten over my inability to form coherent sentences around her. She was very outgoing and sometimes made me do silly things just to see her laugh. I was so lost in thought that I was unaware that a small smile had formed across my lips."Since when did the diagram of a dissected guinea pig have the same effect as watching a romantic comedy?" I heard Laura ask.
On Friday afternoon after school, I went to the hospital to see my mom. Before heading out, I packed a portion of the lasagna that our neighbour, Mrs Johnson, had sent to us the previous evening. After seeing that my mom would be in the hospital for a while, she took it upon herself to send us a meal every couple of days to keep us stocked up. Neighbours like her were truly a blessing.When I got there, I waited a while in the lobby to check my phone. I'd asked Cindy to call when she got there so that I could introduce her to my mom, but it seemed like she was running late again.
I had worked at Donny's café for about 2 weeks. How would it look if I just quit on them?"That decision is left to you. I'll arrange for a weekly allowance to be sent home while I'm here. I've still got some savings that should come in handy.""But what about the rest of the hospital bills?"
I made routine breakfast which I barely tasted and looked for anything distracting on TV but it held no interest to me. I decided to see if any of my friends were free. I needed to get my mind off Cindy and nothing seemed to help.Thirty minutes later, I was at Domino's with Idris, We waited for Ayo and Laura to show up. We had ordered pizza for the group while we waited.