The Try
877 Words
Brenda was already awake when the first bell for prayer call drifted across the city.
She hadn't slept.The contract still lay on the small kitchen table where she had left it the night before. It looked harmless, just a stack of neatly printed pages inside a black folder, yet it had occupied every corner of her mind.
She walked toward it, picked it up, and slipped it into her bag. Not because she had decided to sign it.
Because she intended to return it.There had to be another way.
She refused to believe that the only way to save her mother was to marry a man she had known for less than an hour. The thought made her stomach tighten.
She locked the apartment and hurried downstairs just as the first buses began filling the streets. The city was waking up, unaware that somewhere among the crowd walked a woman racing against time.
Her first stop was the Hope for Life Medical Foundation. She had found the address online shortly after midnight. The organization helped patients who could not afford life-saving treatment. Their website was filled with photographs of smiling families and stories that ended with miracles.
Brenda clung to those stories all the way there.
The receptionist welcomed her with a kind smile.
"Good morning. How may I help you"?
Brenda explained everything.She spoke about her mother, the diagnosis, the surgery, the hospital bill, and the little time they had left. By the time she finished, her throat felt dry.
The receptionist listened without interrupting.
When Brenda finished, the woman folded her hands gently on the desk.
"I'm truly sorry about your mother".
Hope rose inside Brenda.
Then the woman continued.
Our next funding review is in six weeks. Every application has to go through the approval committee before any money can be released.
Brenda's smile disappeared.
"Six weeks"?
The receptionist nodded sadly.
"I wish I could change the process".
"My mother doesn't have up to six weeks".
The woman lowered her eyes.
Brenda stood there for another moment, hoping someone would suddenly appear with a different answer.
No one did.
She thanked the receptionist anyway.
The woman walked around the desk and pressed a small card into Brenda's hand.
I'll pray for your mother.
Brenda looked at the card. It wasn't money nor approval.
Just a simple promise from a stranger.
She smiled faintly.
Thank you.
Outside, she looked up at the bright morning sky.
One door had closed.
She still had others. She refused to stop now.
Half an hour later, she stood inside another office.
This one belonged to a businessman named Samuel Grant.
Years ago, Brenda had tutored his daughter after school. The girl had struggled with mathematics, and Brenda had spent months helping her prepare for her final exams.
The secretary disappeared into the inner office. A minute later, she returned.
Mr. Grant will see you now.
Brenda stepped inside. The office was warm and welcoming, with family photographs covering one wall.
Samuel Grant rose from behind his desk the moment he recognized her.
"Miss Michael, It's been years".
He shook her hand warmly.
Emily still talks about you. She passed every exam because of your lessons.
Brenda smiled.
She worked hard.
Please, sit down.
He poured her a glass of water before taking his seat.
Please What can I do for you?
Brenda took a deep breath.
She told the story again.Every painful detail.
By the time she finished, Samuel's smile had faded.
He leaned back quietly.
I'm sorry you're going through this.
Brenda waited.
He rubbed his chin before speaking again.
If this were my personal money...
I wouldn't hesitate.But most of my assets are tied up in ongoing projects. The little cash I have available belongs to the company, not to me.
He looked genuinely disappointed.
I can't authorize that kind of withdrawal.
Brenda nodded slowly. She understood but it still hurt.
He stood and walked around the desk.
I wish I could do more.
He reached into his wallet and placed a small envelope on the table.
It's not much Please take it.
Brenda looked at the envelope without touching it.
May I ask how much?
Five hundred dollars.
It was generous.
It was also painfully insignificant compared to what she needed.
She closed his hand gently around the envelope.
Thank you.
But your kindness is enough.
Samuel frowned.
Miss Michael...
Please Keep it.
Brenda smiled, though her eyes had begun to sting.
If I accept this, your daughter will remember me as someone who came back only to ask for money.
I'd rather prefer that she remembers the teacher who believed in her.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
Finally, Samuel nodded.
You haven't changed.
Brenda gave a quiet laugh.
I wish life hadn't changed either.
She thanked him once more and walked out.
The smile remained on her face until the elevator doors closed.
Then it disappeared.
She leaned against the mirrored wall and closed her eyes.
For the first time that day, the weight on her shoulders felt almost impossible to carry.
But when the elevator reached the ground floor, she straightened her back.
There was still another place to try.She wasn't ready to surrender.
Not while her mother was still fighting.
- Writer
