ELEVEN
—A Night Before
The room temperature was hot as Vanessa and Lam engage in a hot argument. Vanessa was crying bitterly.
‘I’m not going anywhere, I’m not going!’
‘If you like, cry till forever, you are going with me!’
‘I’m not going; you didn’t even tell me this before. I cannot go, I can’t leave Rick, I can’t live without Rick.’
‘Exactly! Real reason I didn’t tell you. Before you ruin your life, I’m sweeping into action,’ Lam chuckled mischievously. ‘You think you are wise huh? No, you’re not. We are catching our flight first thing tomorrow morning so you only have tonight to pack your things!’
Vanessa cried harder, ‘I’m not going anywhere. I will kill myself if you force me. I’m not leaving Rick or I will die.’
‘Oh you want to kill yourself? Go ahead and I will tell you my kind of doctor wake the dead. Go ahead and please yourself, just make sure you do not cut your throat nerves, or you’ll regret it when you wake up,’ he started to storm inside.
’You can wake the dead and you didn’t wake mom,’ she cried out.
Lam stepped on his steps instantly at her words. It hit him hard. He blinked sadly in thoughts then he stormed inside.
Vanessa slumped to the floor and cried bitterly.
Ten watched, peeping through the window from outside.
All through his way home, Rick was speechless. He couldn’t believe what Ten had just told him.
‘Where?’ he had asked.
‘I don’t know son, they didn’t tell,’ Ten had answered’
She can’t do that to me. Doctor Lam cannot do that to us, he’s a good father and friend to me, he loves me and has never raised an eye to his daughter and mine’s relationship, he was thoughtful, but Ten had no reason to lie. He got home still speechless and went straight to his room. This would have been easy on him if he had seen it coming. Just in a flash, just like that, his dream was shattered. Is this how it feels? All his life he’d never felt any need to worry, he’d never been in want, he’d never been heartbroken, he heard about it from his friends and seen it in movies but he never knew how it felt. This was just like living dead. He could feel nothing but strange in his heart. It was like his heart was being pressed on, being squeezed on. It was like his heart was in a confined space being restricted breathing and being stomped on repeatedly, it was like it was being crushed intentionally, it was like everything. He wanted to cry but he couldn’t, the tears were just not coming. How could he cry when he couldn’t breathe? Then and there, he understood the words “I can’t breathe without you”. He’d always thought that those words were put together by little minds to confirm their stupidity. How can you not breathe and still live and talk about it. But then, everything was clear, something was stomping on his heart and he found it difficult to breathe. That was it! It’s difficult! Everything was normal till yesterday and today— he started hyperventilating.
Rick was lying on the sofa looking sick and pale. He looked like a fillet on the sofa.
Joanne was making hot tea beside him. She touched his body and sighed with worries. She looked up at Ron walking towards them.
‘I don’t understand this again, it’s getting worse.’
‘We should take him to the hospital,’ Ron said.
‘Lam is his doctor and now that he’s travelled with his daughter, what do we do?’
‘And he is also the cause of his problem.’
‘I still can’t believe he did that,’ Joanne said.
‘And I can’t believe you just said that. He is a father. He did what you should have done as a mother. I warned you the kids were getting too close, now see. He’s never been ill before, if one thing his sickness is cough, only cough.’
‘Honey, they’ve been friends the moment we gave birth to them; I’ve been a mother to Van since Audi died so tell me how wouldn’t they be close? There’s no run from that.’
‘Yes I know but that was too much. See how he is now.’
Joanne was thoughtful, ‘only God knows how Van will be now.’
‘Oh that’s what you're thinking right now? Anyways, that’s his problem. He caused it and he is a doctor, so he will take care of her and it’s time we got our son a new doctor.’
Rick muttered out of his weakness, ‘I—I’m not going to the hospital.’
‘Son, I know you’ve never been in a hospital in this situation and you hate going there, but your doctor has fucked you up so you have to now.’
‘I—’ his breath seized and he started stretching and fighting for breath, he couldn’t talk again.
His parents jumped to his aid.
‘Son, Son! Rick!’ Ron snatched him into his arms and started to rush out while Joanne roamed in confusion unconsciously.
‘Joanne!’ Ron screamed.
‘Yes! Yes,’ the scream snatched her back to her senses and she rushed after them.
—Present Day
Rick inhaled hard and exhaled.
Vanessa’s words echoed in his head, I’m back for you! I love you Rick.
‘My love,’ Diane called from the room, distracting him from his thoughts.
Rick startled.
‘Where are you? C’mon in, I’m missing you here.’
Rick rubbed his face with his palms and answered, ‘be there in a jiffy my love.’
He walked in.