Aiden’s P.O.V
The elevator doors open, it welcoming a white and light pink uniformed young girl behind a wheelchair. My cheeks lift up below my eyes as I smile back at the old woman seated on the wheelchair with whom I’ve spent time for some days when I stayed over at the hospital, leaving them way to enter I stroll out to the room, my heart begins to pound before I see her. It’s been a long time to check on her state as I’ve been caught up in other things, I wait by the door , taking a deep breath in I let it out, my hold on the plastic bag tightens when my mind recalls negativity. I close my eyes and plaster a smile on my face, I grip onto the door knob and I push it open, the fake smile on my face turns real when I see mom seated on the bed looking at me, her eyes glistening with happiness.
“Good evening,” my voice cheers her up, light wrinkles appear at the corners of her eyes, she sits straight and moves forward away from the bed head board, her eyes move up and down examining me.
“You’ve gotten thin,” her comment makes my heart feel at ease in some way, it’s really been a long time hearing her nag.
“Have I?” I ask curling my brows as she says that every time I visit her even if it’s the following day. I walk in and put the plastic bags in the cupboard, I sit on the stool beside the bed “How have you been?” I take her hand and bury them in my hands “I missed you,” my words come out on its own, softly.
“Are you off? You are not in your uniform,”
“Yes,” I nod, not ready to tell her that I lost my job and boyfriend as well.
“I missed you too,” she lifts her weak hands and cups my face “I know how exhausted you are,” her sounds low voice shows nothing but sympathy “I know that you want to give your dad justice,” her small eyes look into mine “And I know how hard you are trying, but Aiden,” my name rolls down her tongue affectionately “You can give up, there is nothing wrong in doing so,” she continues, her words make me feel better “Everything is going to be alright” she says.
She knows exactly what is going in my mind or how I feel by just looking at me, no matter how hard I try to show that I’m totally fine. It’s true that mothers know their child well.
“Everything is going to be alright,” I bite my lower lip and nod, even though that some part of me disagrees to the statement as I know what will happen if I give up or continue to investigate, it’s the same result anyways. The words of Eric, my senior officer repeats in my head 'you are no equal to stand against them, know your place.’
My gaze never wishes to move away from her vibrant face with her beautiful smile “It surely will,” I add passing her a smile of assurance as I know that even though she is consoling me right now, inside, she is not in a state of doing so, she has really gone through a lot since the day dad was arrested, all our relatives and neighbours believed what was in the news the most heart-breaking moment is when our family turn away in hard times. The ringtone of my phone takes me out of my thoughts “I’ll be back,” I walk out of the room.
It's Blake.
“Where are you?” he questions as soon as I answered.
“Hospital,” I run my hand through my hair, I lean against the wall and look down.
“Be right there, I’ll….,”
“You don’t have to come,” I interrupt before he could even complete his sentence, I know what the following words would be “Didn’t Eric tell you not to meet me?” I chuckle softly when our argument replays in my mind.
“I don’t care about him, Aiden wait….,”
“Blake,” I interrupt again, this stubborn brat seeks for problems “You are on duty now. And it’s not like we are not going to meet up again, it’s just for a few days, stay out of his sight he is surely mad at you because of me and,” a spontaneous smile plays on my lips, “Do your job well. Don’t get into trouble, I’m not there to save you anymore.”
“Aiden,”
“Yeah?”
“Are you alright?”
After a moment of silence I answer “Yes, of course I am,”
“It's good that you are,” he cheers, his laughter breaks my ear drums “You were so cool when you slapped Eric,”
“Isn’t he still your superior?” I remind him.
“That’s okay, I’m talking to someone to whom he is no longer superior so no respect given. He threw things around in his room in rage and yelled at others. You just missed the scene.”
“Yes, I did. My hand automatically made the move before I could register what happened,” I laugh at myself.
“OH! Speaking of the devil, alright Aiden I got to go” he hangs up.
I put the phone into my pocket and I look up at the ceiling, a weary sigh leaves my lips at the thought of how I’m going to find another job soon.
“Ms. Aiden,” my thoughts slide to the back of my mind. I stand straight away from the wall when Dr.Jason comes to my view “Are you okay?” he asks when I step forward.
“Yes,”
“I wanted to inform that your mother needs to go under the treatment by the end of this month so I hope the payment can be settled asap,”
“Sure,” I take the paper he hands over and pushes the folded paper in my pocket. I walk in to the room.
It has been a while I had dinner with mom as I was working overtime the pass few days. We chat for the whole night, her smile never leaves her face till she fell asleep. I pull the duvet over her chest and I sit on the stool, taking her fragile hand in mine I place my head on the edge of the mattress, caressing her hand by forming circles with my thumb until my heavy eyelids finally shut down.
###
I hide my hands into my blue jacket’s pockets as I lean over the pole by the bus halt, I pull the visor of the cap down to cover my face from the sun rays. anxious to leave as I’m already late because I went back to change my clothes and to take the file. This is just great, I’m late for the interview to show my sense of punctuality.
Buzz!
I take out my phone, without looking at the screen I swipe up the green call icon knowing who it would be.
“You didn’t even look for me when you came back,” Lisa wails dramatically.
“It’s because I’m already late. I have to attend an interview,” I reply, her voice cheers me up.
“A new job?” her voice comes out loud, “It’s been only two days that you lost your job, don’t you think that you should relax,” she sounds serious.
“Relax?” I repeat, rolling my eyes, “I don’t have the time for that.”
“I knew that you would say that. Anyways, what’s the job?”
“As a personal bodyguard to the interviewer's son,”
“Personal? Bodyguard? And son?”
“Stop over thinking and put away your wild imaginations,” I chuckle, aware of her thoughts, the playful sarcastic tone enough to expose her inner thoughts.
I was ready to take over any job as long as I’m paid right now, I just applied for all the job vacancies, even for a waiter in a cafeteria. The reply I received from this person named Mr. Mintz was instant and this is the only job which matched my qualifications and experience so far.
“Hey, I gotta go, I should perform next, let’s hangout at night,” she hangs up.
A frustrated sigh leaves my lips when I look at my phone screen to check the time, the interview will be at ten and now it’s nine thirty, my mind orders to hail a taxi where as my heart denies it, they continue to debate and I finally chose to go with my mind, it is always reasonable. I walk ahead further from the bus halt to the main road, I wait for the cab, my gaze follows the small car icon on the phone screen.
“Hey,”
I lift my head to see a guy, his brown hair contains different shades as for the sunlight, his hair brushed up with few strands falling over the right side of his forehead, the warm ivory skin shines when his lips spread to a big grin. He stands in front of me on the road his height shorter than mine as I’m on the pavement, he removes his sun glasses and steps forward “You remember me?” he asks pointing at himself, the set of teeth never covers.
“You?” I look at him curious with furrowed brows, “No,” I snap.
“Think carefully! In the restaurant?”
“Oh,” my brain never takes a moment to think “I don’t,” I reply dryly as I check the location of the driver again.
“Alright, look at me,” he stands straight and waves his hand in the air close to his face, my lips curl to a crooked smile, I move my head backwards.
Who is this person? His expression and behaviour is just like my annoying literature teacher in high school.
“When you kicked the bad guys, I was on the floor” he takes another step forward, “Damn, you were so cool,” his compliment comes with a thumbs up and raised brows.
“I see,” my brain finally loads the image which he described “You were the one……,” I spot a car passing by recklessly, hopping forward I grip his arm and I pull him towards me immediately, his body crashes on mine.
I rub the back of my neck, awkward, I step back leaving a decent distance between us,
“The one who was beaten,” I complete my sentence without wasting a second I stroll to the opposite direction where the taxi has stopped.