Multiple Voices
“Is this miss Sullivan,” the voice at the other end says
“Yes, how may I help you?”
“Oh-” My mind drowns all that followed. I suddenly felt dizzy. This shouldn’t be happening; I collapse to my chair and find the courage to say “Yeah I would be there in a few minutes.”
Grabbing my bag, I walk out of my office and lock it up (though I must confess I do not know how I did any of this) and get into my car. Praying that everything would be alright, I tried calling Margarita, but get her voicemail. As I really was not in the mood to talk to a machine, I cut the call.
“Dear God, if you can hear me please make everything alright. Please” I close my eyes as I mumble the prayer, hoping to connect with whoever was out there. As I open my eyes, I realize my error; I did not cut my speed as I navigated around the bend. I hear the screeching of tires and a big bang.
Jeff is really annoying me as he talks about that stupid girl. What part of ‘I am done with her’ does he not understand? Does she have to do anything wrong, for me to be bored and disgusted with her. I really don’t know why I hooked up with her in the first place. She is just too dumb and blonde.
“Richard I just think you are being a dick” “I think you should cut her some break. She really has deep feeling for you.”
“Well I don’t and I am done with a capital D with her” “kipesh, what part of that hasn’t registered in your brain yet,”I reply.
Out of nowhere a drunken bastard comes charging like a wounded bull and slams into me. Walking over “Are you drunk or something!” I scream only to realize she’s a woman.
“I am sorry, it is my fault.”
“Damn right b#*, it is your fault, and you didn’t answer my question. Lady, are you drunk?”
“No I am not,” she says in a tearful voice. She wipes her eyes; I took a really good look at her. Huge balls of tears are pouring down her eyes like a faucet being turned on. She is really good looking but she is a wreck. Suddenly I feel bad.
“Am sorry for sounding harsh but you shouldn’t drive like this.”
“I need to get to the hospital, I just got a call that my mother is dying,” she suddenly says out of nowhere.
When I heard that, the way she said it like her world is crumbling all around her and she didn’t know how to stop it. I felt a tug in my heart. I wanted to wrap my arms around her and dry her tears. The longing was so great that I almost did it.
“You know what, you obviously not in the mood to drive; I would take you to the hospital.”
She looks surprised and says “so what about the damage to your car?”
“Well we can fix that later; let’s get you to your mama first.”
Then moving forward we walk towards the car, I go to the back and opened the door for her.
I watch the interaction, I feel sorry for the girl as she is obviously not okay. I wonder if Richard is going to tear her up like he usually does but he does not. In all my life Richard has never surprise me more, he listens to her, walks over to the car with her, opens the door for her and tucks her in like a baby. He then informs me, we were going to the hospital where the girl’s mother is. I really don’t know which is stranger, the fact that he didn’t give her a hell of a time over his bumped bummer or that they are all going to the hospital. What I am trying to say is this, for some unknown reason, Richard is being that nice to her; the nice Richard I know would probably ranted her head off and drive away, no complication, no hassle. I turned to see what the girl was doing in the back. She was sitting stiffly upright as if she were scared that failure to do so would cause her to shatter into pieces. I must confess I felt unilateral pity for her, she just has that thing that draws pity on her; wait is a good pity pity and not that other one, one also admires her with the pity. Weird I know, yeah tell me about it.
I wonder about the man driving, I do not know his name. I wonder what his story is. I really feel bad about showing him my weakness; I really do not show my emotions that much. I am a lawyer, what do you expect. But it is my mother we are talking about here; the very thing dear to me. I try very hard not to imagine her dead, it was painful to. The nurse who had call had just giving me the barest minimum information “your mother was in an accident”. How am to know what exactly was up with her. “Lord she had better not has died and please do not let her die”. My phone rings, I check the ID; it is Margarita, my sister.
“Hey I just saw your voice message, wassup?” I dutifully recounted all that I knew
“Are you at the hospital now,” Margarita asked.
“No am on my way there,” I said.
“Alright I will see you there.” I put the phone aside and allow my thoughts to run to mum. My mum is one of those strong mothers who can single-handedly take down whatever comes their way. My father had left her when she was carrying me. It drove her mad but she pulled herself out of it. She demanded that people not pity her and went ahead to make a name for herself. She always says that one day she had looked at her kids and it hit her that she was not the only one affected by the incident; so she made us a promise to make things easy for us. She really did her best; the bestest she could possibly do. My mother is a gem, and I will always hold her in high regards. She better not die now, as I would love my children to know her, which would possibly be in a long time as I really do not have any prospect now. Before you could say Jack Robinson, we are at the hospital. I jump out of the car and rush into the hospital.
Seeing her jump out like a wild animal that has just being let out of the cage made me want to scream at her. Damn it, does she want to die too. The car was still moving while she pranced out of the car. But somehow I subdue my rage; anyways she was out of the car and it would only be Jeff who gets the butt of my anger anyways, so I calm myself. Steading my emotion, I walk out of the car and walk hurriedly to the hospital.
Watching him get out of the car, made me realize that this in fact, is no ordinary event; yes I know, I knew she had touch something in him, but just did not realize to what extent it had. It is as if he had found his heart and is now officially human. Dang I think to myself, this is going be a long night. I get out of the car and walk to the hospital too, did you think I am going to miss this drama; heck no, for all the coins in the world, I will not. I trudge to the hospital wondering if the car had known how today will go, but how is it going to play out? I ask myself. The sight that confronted me takes the breath out of me; in the few minutes that I hesitated, something had happened, because the girl was in Richards embrace and they both seem content being there. Wondering what I had missed, I walk over to find out.
“Her mother is undergoing a major surgery,” he says, as the girl is just too numb, or let me put it in a better way, too dazed to answer. Well I have to tell you that, that still did not abate my curiosity, so I made a mental note to probe him further, when we are alone. Beside we are in the hospital and there is just this hush-hush feeling you get in this sterilized environment. So I sit down beside them and the night pass in a blur, the only thing though that sticks to mind though, is how somehow in a unreal way that I cannot describe, Richard and Emily, I finally knew her name during the long night, get pretty comfy, like they had been best buddies for long. The next thing I know is, I open my eyes and it is morning, apparently I had fallen asleep at some point. I stretch a bit and look over to their side, they were both sleeping peacefully.
“Hi”
I look up and see a guy in white robe, he is obviously the doctor.
“Do you mind if I wake Miss Sullivan”
All I could really think is, ‘how dumb is this guy and what kind of question is this.’ But I smile at him and gently tapped both Emily and Richard. Emily then wakes a lady who I have no idea when she got here, but I assume correctly that she is Emily’s sister.
The doctor informs Emily that her mother had pulled through the operation and that she has been moved to Intensive Care. This brought a smile to Emily’s smile, she then hugs her sister. Then it is decided that the girls should go and come back refreshed. As we leave all the hospital, I pray that Richard doesn’t mess this one up again as Emily is pretty nice and sweet. They both leave the hospital holding hands.
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