Nnenne scratched her head, looking around in confusion. She was helpless, she had no money except the one that Adaeze had given her. She thought of borrowing from her neighbors but she knew they'd give excuses.
Then she remembered that her mum had a saving box where she stored money for emergency issues.
"I'd be right back sir" she said as she stood up and flew out of the office.
She got home and ransacked the bedroom, in search of the saving box. Finally, she came across it under the bed. It was a wooden box in the shape of a cuboid. It had a hole so small that you could stick money in but you couldn't remove.
Nnenne didn't have time to start struggling to open it so she threw it hardly to the flow, breaking it open. Loads of squeezed notes fell out. There were different amounts from 200 to 500 naira. She packed the money, shoved in a waterproof and scampered off.
"Here is some money sir, I don't know how much it is but all I know is that you should please help my mother. Biko—please she's all I have" she said panting as she emptied the money on the table.
"Calm down madam, I don't do the payments. It's done at the counter."
She packed the money to the counter and waited eagerly as they counted it. It was a sum of 30,000 naira. She rushed again to the doctor and informed him to start the treatment but he remain adamant on the fact that the treatment cannot commence until the payment is complete according to hospital policy.
**
Nnenne walked into her mother's hospital room, she saw her peacefully asleep. She gazed at her mum with glassy layer of tears in her eyes. She tried her best to hold back her sobs so she wouldn't wake her mum.
Since her dad died, she had always provided solutions but this time she was helpless. She blamed herself for her mum's condition, deep down she felt that if she had stayed home, her mother wouldn't be in that state. She thought of different solutions but none were reasonable enough.
Mrs George whirled her head softly to face her daughter, Nnenne wiped her tears quickly and put on a faint smile. The last thing she wanted to do was add to her mother's problems. She opened her eyes sleepily to see her daughter's worried face right infront of her.
"Nne, you look worried? What did the doctor say? Is everything alright?" She asked, tensed.
She knew if she told her mother the truth, then her mother would give her the letting go lecture and she wasn't ready to listen to that sermon or let her mum argue with her at this tensed moment.
"Nothing mama, the doctors said you'd be just fine" she answered, avoiding eye contact with her mother.
Using a mother's intuition, she could sense that her daughter was lying. She pressed on for answers but Nnenne remained stiff.
"Nnenne, you should know that I know you very well. You're like an open book and I know you're lying to me." She said in a low tone.
"Look my daughter, if anything happens to—"
That was the last thing Nnenne wanted to here at this moment so she cut in immediately.
"—nothing is happening to you mama, the doctor said you'd fine" she stood up from the chair and sat on the bed.
"You'd be absolutely fine." She repeated vehemently, reassuring her mother.
"I don't want to hear that mama"
She was trying to encourage her mother but a big part of her knew she needed the courage even more. She decided to give her mum an explanation but a sugarcoated one that would not leave her worried.
Then she remembered that her mum had a saving box where she stored money for emergency issues.
"I'd be right back sir" she said as she stood up and flew out of the office.
She got home and ransacked the bedroom, in search of the saving box. Finally, she came across it under the bed. It was a wooden box in the shape of a cuboid. It had a hole so small that you could stick money in but you couldn't remove.
Nnenne didn't have time to start struggling to open it so she threw it hardly to the flow, breaking it open. Loads of squeezed notes fell out. There were different amounts from 200 to 500 naira. She packed the money, shoved in a waterproof and scampered off.
"Here is some money sir, I don't know how much it is but all I know is that you should please help my mother. Biko—please she's all I have" she said panting as she emptied the money on the table.
"Calm down madam, I don't do the payments. It's done at the counter."
She packed the money to the counter and waited eagerly as they counted it. It was a sum of 30,000 naira. She rushed again to the doctor and informed him to start the treatment but he remain adamant on the fact that the treatment cannot commence until the payment is complete according to hospital policy.
**
Nnenne walked into her mother's hospital room, she saw her peacefully asleep. She gazed at her mum with glassy layer of tears in her eyes. She tried her best to hold back her sobs so she wouldn't wake her mum.
Since her dad died, she had always provided solutions but this time she was helpless. She blamed herself for her mum's condition, deep down she felt that if she had stayed home, her mother wouldn't be in that state. She thought of different solutions but none were reasonable enough.
Mrs George whirled her head softly to face her daughter, Nnenne wiped her tears quickly and put on a faint smile. The last thing she wanted to do was add to her mother's problems. She opened her eyes sleepily to see her daughter's worried face right infront of her.
"Nne, you look worried? What did the doctor say? Is everything alright?" She asked, tensed.
She knew if she told her mother the truth, then her mother would give her the letting go lecture and she wasn't ready to listen to that sermon or let her mum argue with her at this tensed moment.
"Nothing mama, the doctors said you'd be just fine" she answered, avoiding eye contact with her mother.
Using a mother's intuition, she could sense that her daughter was lying. She pressed on for answers but Nnenne remained stiff.
"Nnenne, you should know that I know you very well. You're like an open book and I know you're lying to me." She said in a low tone.
"Look my daughter, if anything happens to—"
That was the last thing Nnenne wanted to here at this moment so she cut in immediately.
"—nothing is happening to you mama, the doctor said you'd fine" she stood up from the chair and sat on the bed.
"You'd be absolutely fine." She repeated vehemently, reassuring her mother.
"I don't want to hear that mama"
She was trying to encourage her mother but a big part of her knew she needed the courage even more. She decided to give her mum an explanation but a sugarcoated one that would not leave her worried.
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