Lost in Paradise

Chapter 3

From the restroom, Nadia slowly hobbled to the room where she was assigned. Upon entering the room, she immediately saw her cellphone on a small table next to her bed. She sat on the corner of the bed and picked up the phone, she then noticed a sticky note behind it saying…

"Ivan's Car Wash & Repair. They said your car is ready tomorrow morning… Sorry again."

She smiled at what she had read, knowing it was from that man. She did not want to be ridiculous, but she could not resist criticizing his unpleasant penmanship.

She put down the sticky note on the table before trying to turn on the cellphone. It’s now working, as soon as she opened it, she saw 12 missed calls. She excitedly checked the call logs one by one only to found out that it was all from Rebecca. She knew this would be the case but part of her still hoped that at least one of those missed calls was from Joshua but she failed, she was failed again.

Nadia slowly laid down herself on the bed. The room has four beds but she’s the only patient here. Wearing a patient's clothes, Nadia is now in the hospital after the man brought her here despite her objections. She told the man several times that she was in good shape and her injury was not serious, that she wanted to go to the repair shop immediately to have her car repaired. But the man insisted and imposed that he will take care of the car repair and said that it’s best for her to be consulted first so that her injury won’t worsen. Nadia had no choice but to follow the man since he was the one driving the bicycle, also she does not know where to go in case the man leaves her in that situation. She realized that if she protested, the man might leave her, it was dark, she doesn’t know the place, and she has an injury. So she had no choice but trust the stranger. Nadia does not quickly trust people especially those she does not know well, but there is something in that man that makes her feel doubtless. She knew the man had a sense of responsibility because the moment he hit her, the man stopped immediately to check her condition and offered help.

The hospital has only a few patients when they arrived, so Nadia was immediately assisted and treated. She also noticed that some hospital staffs seem to know the man as they greeted him and asked who was with him. Nadia didn’t hear the man's answer because she was approached by the nurse. After being treated, the doctor advised her to rest and stay the night so that her injury would not be stressed out.

Ivana Hospital is a small and classic institution and is the only hospital in the town. The hospital has only a few patients but there are times when the patient’s arrival is torrent to the point that the hospital can barely manage because of the insufficient number of doctors and nurses so the locals often volunteer. Patients with complex illnesses are often transferred to another nearby hospital in the city.

~~~

The morning arrived. After convincing her doctor that she’s good to be discharged, Nadia directly went to the Billing Section to pay for her hospital bills. In her awe, the nurse told her that all her bills were already settled. The nurse said that the man who brought her to the hospital paid the bills before leaving. Nadia didn’t expect the man to do such a thing. She wanted to pay him back or at least thank him but she doesn’t know how, she doesn’t even know his name. The man did not come back since the night she was admitted so she never had a chance to ask his name. Nevertheless, Nadia chooses to not bother herself with the guy since she has another thing to prioritize – her car. She took out the sticky note from her bag and handed it over to the nurse. It was the sticky note the man left along with her phone.

“Anyways, do you where is this?” she asked

“Aah Ivan’s” said the nurse after reading the note.

“It’s just close. From here, you turn right then just follow the sidewalk. You’ll reach Ivan’s after passing 6 light poles” she explained with gestures.

“Got it. Thank you so much”

Nadia went out of the hospital and followed the path the nurse had directed. She still had some pain in her left leg but her gait was fine. While walking, Nadia circled the sight around her. The place was cozy, clean and quiet. There are not much houses, most of the vacant places were taken over by different kinds of plantations. The breath of wind was cool even though it was a sunny day. She enjoyed inhaling the fresh air because she knew it was free from pollution, very different from the air she used to have in the city.

Nadia has already passed three light poles, but she still thinks she's far from Ivan's. The nurse said that it was just close, she had only passed three poles but was feeling tired already. She did not realize beforehand that the poles were so far apart from each other. She had walked a long way and looked like she still had more to walk. The nurse tricked her when she said it’s just near or they just have a different concept of the word "Near". She knew she was in the province, and unlike in the city, people were accustomed to walking here so perhaps what’s near for them was far for Nadia. She could now feel the pain in her leg getting worst, but the beautiful view of the place was able to alleviate her tiredness. The atmosphere of the place also relaxes her and somehow makes her feel comfortable. She just kept walking hoping she could reach Ivan’s in no time.