CHAPTER 5 - THE CALM BEFORE SOMETHING
1130 Words
We arrived at AUTEX Hospital and joined the other patients waiting to see the doctor. After several minutes, it was finally our turn, and we were called into the doctor’s office.
“Good afternoon, Doctor,” Mum greeted as we stepped inside.
“Good afternoon, ma. Please, have a seat,” the doctor replied politely, pointing toward the chairs in front of his desk.
His name tag read: Dr. Kazim Leo.
Mum and I sat down while the doctor adjusted his glasses and looked carefully at us.
“It’s been a very long time since we last saw each other,” Dr. Leo said to Mum with a smile.
“Yeah,” Mum replied. “Work has been keeping me busy, as usual.”
Dr. Leo chuckled softly. “That’s life these days.”
Then his attention shifted toward me.
“Crispo, right?”
“Yes, Doc,” I answered.
“How are you doing?”
“I’m fine, sir. And you?”
“I’m doing great.” He smiled warmly. “Wow… look at you. You’ve grown so much. Your mum wasn’t exaggerating when she talked about you.”
I raised an eyebrow playfully. “I hope she only said good things.”
“Oh, definitely,” he laughed. “She said you’re smart, cool, and sometimes stubborn.”
“Well… all of those are true.”
The doctor burst out laughing. “I like you already.”
“Nice meeting you too, Doc,” I said, stretching out my hand for a handshake.
“My pleasure.” He shook my hand firmly before turning serious again. “So, what brings you here today?”
Mum immediately explained everything that happened in the kitchen—the blackout, the headache, and the shattered plate.
Dr. Leo listened carefully before nodding.
“Alright,” he said. “Let’s run a few tests and see what’s going on. Come over here, champ.”
He stood up with his stethoscope hanging around his neck and motioned for me to come closer.
After several checks and examinations, Dr. Leo finally cleared me. According to him, there was nothing physically wrong with me.
Even though Mum looked relieved, I could still see worry hiding in her eyes.
---
On our way home, Mum insisted on driving herself.
I had offered to drive, but she refused immediately.
“You just had a blackout today,” she said firmly. “You need rest, not stress.”
So I simply sat in the passenger seat, scrolling through random things on my phone while she drove.
A few moments later, I noticed her staring at me through the mirror.
I smiled.
“Is this the first time something like this has happened?” she asked carefully, her eyes still focused on the road.
“Yes,” I replied calmly. “And don’t worry, Mum. I’m fine. I’m sure it won’t happen again.”
She sighed softly. “Have you been stressed lately? Or gotten into any fights?”
I almost laughed at the second question.
“No, Mum. No fights. No stress. I’ve actually been happy lately.”
“Hmmm…” she murmured thoughtfully. “Alright. But if it happens again, we’re going back to the hospital immediately.”
Then her expression softened.
“You know you’re the only precious thing I have left in this world,” she said quietly. “I can’t afford to lose you.”
My chest tightened slightly after hearing that.
“I know, Mum,” I replied gently. “And nothing is going to happen to me. I’m not leaving you anytime soon.”
A smile appeared on her face.
Honestly, Mum looked unbelievably beautiful whenever she smiled. Even at her age, plenty of men still chased after her, but after everything my dad put her through, she chose to remain single.
Slowly, she removed one hand from the steering wheel and held mine softly.
And for a moment… the silence between us felt peaceful.
---
The rest of the school week went surprisingly well.
No headaches.
No strange visions.
Nothing unusual.
And most importantly—
Minerva was slowly becoming closer to me.
We were getting along pretty well as friends, though I could tell she didn’t feel the same way I felt about her yet.
But that didn’t matter.
I was determined to make her my girlfriend eventually.
---
Today was Saturday.
I visited Mike at his place earlier, and after hanging out for a while, we remembered we still had homework to finish.
Unfortunately, I forgot my books at home.
So we decided to head to my place instead.
When we arrived, we entered the house and found Mum sitting comfortably in the living room watching Letter of Death, one of the popular Got Passion Concepts productions.
Mum and her GP Concepts addiction, I thought amusingly. Though honestly, I’m not any better.
Mike and I had already seen the movie before, so we ignored the TV and headed upstairs to grab my books.
About an hour later, we finally finished the homework.
Exhausted, we decided to continue watching a movie series we had started earlier called Mystery Family.
I inserted the disc into the DVD player and resumed the episode from where we stopped previously.
The series had already reached episode thirty-six, and things were getting intense.
On screen, two brothers—Chris and Dave—walked into a dark living room before the lights suddenly came on. Their mother stood beside the switch while their father appeared moments later.
The family argument that followed was insane.
The boys talked back aggressively, cursed at their parents, and tension exploded throughout the scene.
Then suddenly—
Chris formed a bolt of energy around his fist.
Mike and I sat upright instantly.
“Yo… this is getting serious,” Mike muttered.
Just when the fight was about to begin—
The screen went black.
WATCH OUT FOR THE NEXT SEASON appeared boldly across the TV.
“What the hell?!” I shouted angrily.
Mike jumped up from the couch in frustration. “No way! They seriously ended it there?”
“That’s such a terrible ending!” I complained loudly. “At least show us what happened first!”
Mike groaned dramatically. “Now we have to wait for Season 2.”
“This is absolute torture.”
Mike suddenly snapped his fingers. “Let’s go see Mr. Cole. Maybe he already has information about the next season.”
Without hesitation, I ran upstairs, grabbed my jacket, and rushed back down.
After informing Mum that we’d be back soon, Mike and I left the house and headed down the street toward Mr. Cole’s movie shop.
If he didn’t have Season 2…
Then at least we were leaving with another crazy movie to watch.
- Writer
