Tears of love – Chapter 4

Tears of love

Chapter 4

Theme: A New Beginning

A month later,

 

“Be quick, or it might get late before we reach home,” I heard Mrs Helena’s voice. “Be careful and don’t slip on the bathroom tiles.” She cautioned me.

 

I shouted back, “I’m coming, mom,” and chuckled. “Lastly, I’ve got enough stamina now, unlike two weeks ago. I can jig, hop, and sprint now.” I retorted and chortled like a baby.

I shut the bathroom door and strapped myself naked by peeling off the white towel from my body. I hung it on the iron hanger inside the room that had two extra towels.

I walk to the mirror and examine myself. Though I have lost weight, my body is still moderate. Let me just say I love this new body of mine. It’s awesome.

I examined my beauty, and I couldn’t help but feel jealous of myself. Yep, I knew it was weird, but I was jealous. I wonder why a man would make a beautiful man like me go through hell.

However, I hadn’t recovered any of my memories. But the ugly ones are still there. It’s still stuck in my brain, unwilling to leave. It was like a magnetic field glued the ugly memory and my brain inside my head.

All thanks to Mrs Helena. No, she’s no longer Mrs Helena, she’s now my mother. She’s been there for me and cares for me like her daughter.

She’s the reason why I’m gradually coming out of my pellet. She’s the reason why I’m recovering so quickly.

She kept doing everything to make me happy and gave me different types of inspirational words. She keeps bringing me fruit, medicine, and injections of different kinds just to make sure that I get my health.

“Marvel!” Mom screamed. “What are you waiting for? I haven’t heard the running water since you entered.”

She banged her fist on the bathroom door when she didn’t hear any reply from me. “I’m coming in right away.” She said, and I could hear the working of metal against the door, which suggested that she was trying to break in.

“I’m okay, mom,” I said, and I could hear her sighing in relief, followed by the sound of metal, which stopped. “I’ll be out there in a minute,” I assured her.

She said, “You’d better hurry,” and I heard her footsteps echoing away, which meant that she was returning to the ward.

I shake my head vehemently, pushing down the ugly and painful memories before locking them in the deepest and darkest part of my brain. It’s a place that I’ll never remember again. I locked it with a heavy padlock and threw the key away.

I took in a breath of relief and replaced my brain with all the words Mrs Helena had used to inspire me.

I will stop reminiscing about my past and keep filling my head with what I will do once I leave this place. I’m planning my future.

I picked up a new toothbrush from the one that was neatly arranged on top of the mirror and some toothpaste.

I opened the tap to rinse my mouth and brushed my teeth. In the twinkle of an eye, I’m done.

I shut the tap, returned the brush and picked up the sponge. I opened the shower and allowed the cold water to pour on my body.

My breath seized as the water touched my skin, and I felt refreshed at the same time. Hastily, I rinsed my body with the sponge.

After what seemed like forever, I was done bathing. I walked to the hangar, picked a new royal blue towel, and wrapped it around my body.

I sigh once again as I take a magnificent step out. It’s time to start a new journey in my life. It’s time to start a new chapter. I’ve left the past behind and am facing the future.

“What took you so long?” Mom’s voice welcomed me as soon as I stepped out. “I was damn worried about you. It took all my strength not to break down that goddamn door.” She ranted while pointing at the bathroom door.

“Goddamn door,” I repeated with a whispering tone.

My eyes trailed after her hand. I could see that she was already halfway through breaking the door. “Are you seriously going to break down the door?” I asked while walking past her to the hospital bed.

If it weren’t for the methylated spirit and antiseptic scent that filled the atmosphere, one would have mistaken this place for a bedroom. That’s because it was decorated like one.

It had a plasma television and a decoder, which were connected through the entire ward. The doors were damned clean and sparkling. Their bathrooms are always neat.

The hospital had a garden, a parking lot, and restaurants. It’s another paradise in the whole of New York.

I squatted down beside the bed and dragged the black bag that Mom had brought in earlier. I placed it on top of the bed and opened it. It contains the clothes I will be wearing today.

She insisted on shopping for me. She said I should wear new things today since it’s the beginning of my new life.

I checked the bag, and it was like she brought the whole stuff from the shopping mall for me.

It contains a long navy blue gown, a necklace, a wristwatch, pants, a headband, earrings, shoes, and bangles. It was like I was going on an outing.

“Don’t tell me you brought all this for me?” I asked in a haze. My gaze examined the new accessories she brought. “Are we going to a wedding ceremony?”

“No, I wasn’t planning to break the door.” She replied instead, and I knew she was trying to avoid my question. “I was planning to remove it from its hinges.”

I turned around and exclaimed, “What! That’s ludicrous.”

“You think so?” She whispered while inching toward me. “I can turn down this whole building because of you. You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

I mumbled, “That’s just an exaggeration.” and returned to what I was doing.

“I mean every word I said,” she assured me, and embraced me from behind, making me stiff. “I can fly the whole world because of you.”

I turned around to face her, and I could see that she was blinking rapidly. That could only mean one thing: she’s trying hard to suppress her tears.

“Don’t cry,” I said quietly, hugging her tightly. “I know you can do more than that,” I said, making sure that the sincerity in my voice was perceptible.

It’s not an exaggeration. She can do it. Though she’s the owner of the hospital, she still paid for some doctors outside New York to come and perform a different checkup for me.

She paid for their flight, not counting the extra tips she gave them when they were done.

What about all the stuff she kept buying for me? I’m sure they would cost a hell of a lot of money. She even named me after her daughter, who is studying in Canada.

She told me that her daughter hardly comes home as she prefers Canada. That’s why she named me after her.

She offered me shelter in her house. She’s a single mother. Her husband went missing eight years ago.

“What caused the death of your husband?” I could remember asking her.

She replies that she went on a business trip and never returned. She ordered a different search party because of him. They kept searching day and night for three years, yet it was futile.

“You’re thinking again, aren’t you?” Her voice brought me back to reality.

I shuttered, “How did you know?”

“Because you aren’t doing any activity,” She embellished and disengaged the hug. She held my arm and stared into my face. “Tell me, what’re you thinking about?”

I stared at the floor. “Nothing,” I mumbled, my voice barely more than a whisper.

“You know what?” She said and chuckled. “You can be a good liar to everyone else, but not to me. You’re a bad liar.”

My eyes lit up with curiosity about how she knew I was lying. “How did you know?” I forced myself to ask.

“Because you are staring at your feet,” she replied.

I argued, “I’m just trying to avoid eye contact with you. I’m shy.” I looked down again.

“There you go,” she said and scoffed. “You’re lying again.” I quickly raised my head, and she laughed. “I caught you, didn’t I?”

I nodded my head and said, “You might have caught me today, but you won’t be able to do it next time.”

“I can’t wait,” she yelled, and let go of my hand. “Now, get dressed or do you want us to book another day here.”

I exclaimed, “Never!” and turned to the bed to pick up the gown.

I untied the towel and allowed it to fall freely from my body.

“At least you should’ve told me to leave before exposing your button to me.” She said, and I could hear the irony in her tone.

I huffed and turned to face her, giving her full access to my breasts. “What’s there to hide again?” I asked, nonchalantly.

“Did you want to make me blind?” She yelled and used her hand to cover her face.

I walked toward her and whispered in her ear. “Aren’t you the one that takes care of me when I’m unconscious?”

“Yes, I’m.” She said, still burying her face.

I thought of a trick to make her uncover her palm. After a few seconds, a thought suddenly crept into my mind. “Did you want me to go unconscious again?” I asked.

The trick works perfectly. She uncovered her face and cried. “Never! Over my dead body.”

“Gotch!” I exclaimed and fluttered. “My trick worked on you perfectly.”

She murmured, “Naughty girl,” and turned to walk out. “I’ll be waiting for you downstairs. You can leave the useless stuff here; the cleaner will take care of it.” With that, she walked out.

I smirked and felt proud of having someone like her.

Perhaps this earth isn’t so bad after all. I concluded in my mind and got dressed.

T.b.c

See you on Sunday