Trash to trillions

HE'S TRASH

There was a huge smile on Caelum Wexler’s face as he came out of the exam hall. He just wrote the last course for the semester, he was in his final year in school, and was counting down to his graduation.

Just as he picked up his bag from the locker room, someone hurled a half empty can of drink at him, startling him. His body was drenched in the liquid, staining his already old clothes.

The people who had gathered around burst into laughter, mocking him.

“Hey, trash collector, take this with you, will you?”

Another hurled a half-eaten burrito, and the rest equally joined in the fun.

“Go on, eat it, aren't you the legendary waste disposal system of St. Clara's State University?”

“Come on, Kelvin, don't be so harsh. Look, you stained his clothes.” A girl kindly chipped in, but the disdainful expression on her face was enough to tell her real meaning.

“What clothes? Those rags he's wearing, do they qualify as clothes?”

“You i***t, remember to write that assignment for me. If I'm in a good mood, I might pay you five bucks.”

“I have never seen someone as broke as this hobo before us. He collects trash, does assignments for people, runs errands and has multiple part time jobs, yet he's always short on cash.”

“Of course, that's the reason his fianceé doesn't want him. She denied him the other day, and even went out with a rich second generation heir.”

“Hahahaha.”

“If you're in her position, you would have done the same. He's mooching off her family, getting them to pay for his education. What a loser!”

Caelum swallowed all the insults and humiliation, and quickly picked up the trash amidst their laughter. As he ran out, someone intentionally tripped him, making him fall face down, and his face landed on waste sauce someone threw the moment she saw Kelvin about to trip him.

“You blind fool, can't you look where you're going? How dare you step on me?”

Caelum gritted his teeth, his eyes burning with fury. He would have taught them a lesson, but in St. Clara's, money speaks. Fighting them would lead to disciplinary action which might get him expelled, and he was in his finals. He must avoid disastrous temptations at all costs.

“I'm sorry, it's my fault for not watching properly.”

He immediately hastened out of the class, not giving them more chances to humiliate him.

“What a spineless loser!”

The moment he stepped out of the faculty building, he felt a vibration in his worn out school bag. He immediately disposed of the trash in a nearby trash can and opened his bag to retrieve his mobile phone. His old Itel had seen better days, the screen was cracked all over, and it was a very old model. The poor thing was basically falling apart.

His eyes widened in shock immediately he unlocked his phone.

“Thirty-four missed calls? What the f**k?”

He checked the number, and the frown on his face deepened. They were all from the hospital. The first thought that occurred to him was that his sick little brother at home had taken a turn for the worse.

Caelum quickly borrowed airtime and called the hospital back.

“Hello…”

“This is St. Clara's university hospital, am I speaking with Rita Marlowe's son in-law?”

“Grandson in-law, yes. What happened?”

“Mrs. Marlowe suffered a heart attack in the middle of the road and got hit by a car. Her condition is very critical and she might die at any moment if she doesn't receive treatment. We have been calling her other relatives to come sign the consent form and pay the deposit, but they all ignored us. If this continues, you will be picking up her corpse.”

Caelum’s heart skipped multiple beats, he himself was on the verge of having a heart attack after hearing the news. His entire body was shaking like a leaf in the wind and his brain was at the risk of malfunctioning.

“I… I'm coming to the hospital right away, please take care of her.”

He wiped the cold sweat that suddenly appeared on his forehead and upper lip. Being distressed was an understatement, he was in full panic mode. Where was he going to get the money to help the woman?

Mrs Marlowe had taken Caelum home four years ago, and betrothed him to her granddaughter, after he saved her from thugs. It was thanks to the old woman that he was able to study so far without being bogged down by student loans. As for his other allowances, it was always seized by the family, leaving him penniless. Then there were his two biological siblings, who were dependent on him with one of them being sick. It was quite understandable that he was perpetually broke. And the old woman getting sick at this point wasn’t convenient at all.

In five minutes, Caelum had run to the hospital on foot. Adrenaline gave speed to his legs and he covered a ten minute journey in half the time. He stopped at the reception desk panting.

“Good morning, where's Mrs. Rita Marlowe's room?”

The receptionist looked up at him, and at once, her face crinkled with disgust. In his haste, he forgot to wipe off the fragments of waste food that his classmates hurled at him. Streaks of spaghetti were stuck to his hair, a part of his face was covered in sauce, his body smelled like chili and cola, and his old raggedy clothes were equally stained.

“Another pathetic poverty-stricken relative.” She muttered under her breath, barely holding back the caustic words at the tip of her tongue. She typed on the computer and looked up at him.

“Fourth floor, room 41B.”

“Thank you.” Caelum nodded gratefully and quickly raced to the elevator. He arrived in the room and saw that there was no one attending to her.

“Grandma!”

He rushed to her, and grabbed her arm, tears welling up in his eyes. Her legs were in a cast, but apart from the basic first aid, nothing else was done. He cupped her face and took a deep shuddering breath, trying to control his emotions.

“Grandma, I'm here now. I won't let anything happen to you.”

Caelum pressed the summoning bell, and in a minute, a doctor came in with two nurses.

“Are you Mrs. Marlowe's relative?”

Caelum turned to them, his face filled with distress. “Yes, why wasn't she being attended to? What if…”

The doctor cut him off, not waiting for him to complete it. “Two hundred thousand dollars.”

“Excuse me?” Caelum's eyes widened in shock, then confusion.

“She needs a heart by-pass surgery, and bone restructuring, so that her broken bones could be reset. She's a high risk patient and the chances of survival are only thirty percent. Most families won't be able to afford the treatment, and it seems as if you don't have much money. I think it's better to discontinue treatment.”

“No!” Caelum snapped, simultaneously jumping to his feet. His shout startled the doctor and he took a step back.

Caelum felt a huge lump in his throat, and a heavy weight seemed to settle in his chest. He didn't have even a thousand dollars to his name, hell, he didn't even have half the amount, but letting the old woman die was not an option.

He shut his eyes, feeling a pounding headache creeping up to his head.

“Please start treatment, I will pay.”

“We can't start treatment without a substantial deposit, you need to deposit at least a quarter of the total amount. She's also anemic and needs blood transfusion.”

“We have the same blood group, I will donate all the blood required for the surgery. And the deposit will be paid, please save my grandma.”

“It's not that I don't want to help you, it's hospital policy. Major medications can't be administered without payment, and she's about to exceed the optimal time for surgery, which will further lower her chances of survival.”

“I said that money isn't a problem. She's the matriarch of the Marlowe family, and the chairman of Zenith group, do you still think the family can't afford her treatment?”

The doctor kept silent at this point but his eyes showed that he didn't believe him. If she was truly from a rich family, why did all her contacts whom they reached out to refuse to pay or sign?

Caelum quickly dialed his fiancé's number, but there was no response, even after calling ten times. One of the nurses scoffed. “I knew it. How could this broke hobo possibly afford the required treatment?”