Carrying My Brother's Child

CHAPTER 4

That night Thomas was coughing a lot. Elena heard him from her room. It sounded like something was scratching his throat. She was used to that sound by now. It was like the floor creaking. The noise the neighbors rooster made. The coughing just kept going on.

Elena lay in bed counting the seconds between each cough. She was trying to figure out how bad things were. She got up after midnight. Went to her parents room. She opened the door quietly. I stood there. Her mother was already up sitting on the bed and rubbing Thomas back. The small lamp on the table made the room look orange. Her fathers face looked really thin. He had lost a lot of weight in the month.

Her mother saw her standing there. They looked at each other. They did not need to say anything. They had been talking about Thomas' health for months. They were both trying to stay strong for him. The Mensahs had been through a lot. Elena Mensah was worried about her father, Thomas.

Elena went to the kitchen. Made some ginger tea. She had learned how to make it from her grandmother. She brought it back to her parents room. Gave it to her mother. Her mother gave it to Thomas. He drank it slowly without opening his eyes. After he finished his coughing stopped a bit. Elena Mensah stayed there until he fell asleep then she went back to her room.

She could not sleep after that. When the sun started coming up Elena Mensah had already made up her mind. She sat on her bed. I looked at the envelope above her bed. It had her degree certificate in it. Her name, Elena Mensah, was printed on it in letters. She had gotten that envelope from the university a year and a half ago. Her mother had cried when she saw it. Her father had smiled widely. She could see the gap where his tooth used to be.

The envelope had been on the shelf since then. It had gotten dusty. Elena Mensah had been walking around with her resume looking for a job. Nobody wanted to hire her. Her father Thomas was still sick. They did not have money for his medicine. Leo was fixing things for people. The money he made was not enough.

Elena Mensah touched the envelope with her finger. Then she got up and got dressed. Went to find Caleb. She found him at his mothers house loading a bag into his car. He was wearing a shirt. Had a coffee cup in his hand. The cup looked fancy, not like something from Huron.

"Elena, " he said when he saw her. He did not look surprised. "I want to know everything, " she said. "What is the job? What are the hours? How much does it pay? What is Julian like?"

Caleb leaned against the car, took a sip from his cup and smiled a little. "Julian Ashworth is thirty-one years old. He has a property development company with offices in San Francisco, New York and London. You would work at his house in San Francisco, " he said.

Elena Mensah wanted to know what she would be doing. "Household chores, " Caleb said. "Cleaning, laundry, helping in the kitchen. There are two maids. You would have your room and bathroom. They will give you food."

Elena Mensah folded her arms. "How much does it cost?" she asked. Caleb told her the salary. It was a lot of money. More than her mother made in four months more than Leo made in six months.

Elena Mensah tried not to look too excited. "Why did you choose me?" she asked. "You know people in the city. Why come to Huron to offer me this job?"

Caleb looked at his cup. Then at her. "I know you, Elena Mensah. I know you work hard. Julian needs someone he can trust. Someone who will not steal from him or talk about him behind his back."

Elena Mensah was not sure if that was a compliment. She decided to take it as one.

That evening she told Leo about the job. They were sitting behind his house, where he kept his tools. He was cleaning a bicycle chain. She told him everything Caleb had said. Leo listened without saying anything. When she finished he put the chain down. I looked at her.

"When would you leave?" he asked.

Elena Mensah said she would leave in two weeks. Caleb would take care of her travel documents and ticket. It was a six-month contract. After that it could be renewed.

Leo nodded. He looked like he was trying not to show his feelings. Elena Mensah had seen that look before when his father left Huron.

"Six months, " he said quietly.

Elena Mensah said she would come back after six months with money to help her family. "That is the plan, " she said. Leo held her hand. "You have to promise me something, " he said. "Promise me you will call me every day just to say you are okay."

Elena Mensah promised. She felt something, in her eyes. She did not cry. Leo did not need words or gestures. He just needed her to be reliable.

Elena Mensah walked home alone in the dark. The town was quiet. She passed the church, the school and the market.

She stopped at her gate, looked back at the town and thought about what she had to do. The stars were shining above. The decision was made. Elena Mensah was going to leave Huron and work for Julian Ashworth in San Francisco.

She thought about this a lot. She thought about her father, Thomas. How he was sick. She thought about her family. How they needed money. She thought about the job. How it could help them. Elena Mensah was going to work for Julian Ashworth in San Francisco. She was going to leave Huron and go to a place. She was going to do this for her family.

Elena Mensah felt a little scared. She was going to be alone in a place. She was going to work for someone she did not know.. She was also excited. She was going to make money and help her family. She was going to be strong, for them. Elena Mensah was going to do this. She was going to leave Huron and start a life in San Francisco.