It Never Stopped Raining
1216 Words
Tesley woke up with Eva beside her, her cousin's head resting against the wall.
“Eva,” she called softly.
Eva blinked awake, her eyes swollen from a sleepless night of keeping watch.
“You’re awake. How do you feel now?” Eva asked.
Tesley’s voice cracked. “Is it really true? My father is gone?”
Tears streamed down her face.
Eva only nodded, her own tears falling. “I’m sorry, Tes. Uncle is no more.” She held Tesley’s hand tightly. “Please... you have to be strong. For Simon. For yourself and the baby in your tummy”
Tesley let out a long shaky breath.
“Bishop Matthew was here earlier,” Eva added gently. “They’re discussing the burial arrangements.”
Tesley clenched the thin bedsheet in her fist, as if holding on to something that could keep her from falling apart. The room felt colder than usual. Not because of the weather, but because something vital had been ripped from her world.
Her father was gone.
Just like her mother years ago.
“I didn’t even get to say goodbye,” she whispered, her voice shaky. “We didn’t get to settle our grudges.”
Eva stroked her hair gently. “He went peacefully, Tes. The doctors said he didn’t even suffer much.”
It's not about that. She knew her father wouldn't have died of blood pressure watching over simeon if she had done well to relieve him. If not for her pregnancy, she would have allowed him to have enough rest.
“This is all my fault. I should’ve been there. I should’ve done more. Maybe if I wasn’t so messed up… so distracted...” Tesley choked.
“Stop that,” Eva interrupted gently but firmly. “You did everything you could. Even with your condition. I’m sure Uncle would be proud of you.”
Tesley turned to the wall, her tears soaking the pillow.
There was a knock on the door. Sympathisers have been coming to pay them condolences.
When the door opened, Mrs. Adele, their elderly neighbor, stepped in. She carried a covered tray.
“I brought you girls some food,” she said softly. “You’ve been in here all day.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” Eva said, managing a faint smile.
Mrs. Adele placed the tray on the table and glanced at Tesley. “You still look pale, child. Eat something. Your baby needs strength.”
At the mention of the baby, Tesley’s hand went to her stomach. It only made the ache in her chest worse.
After Mrs. Adele left, Eva uncovered the tray and offered Tesley a spoon. She shook her head.
“I can’t eat. Everything inside me feels... heavy.”
“You haven’t eaten anything since yesterday.”
“How I'm I supposed to? Mum died, Simon is still there in the hospital with terrible sickness, I have no job and now, Eva....” She choked. “Dad's gone too. How will I survive? How?”
Eva knelt beside her, her voice thick with emotion. “I don’t have all the answers, but we’ll find a way. I can take on extra shifts. I’ll talk to HR, see if there’s any emergency loan.”
Tesley shook her head. “You’ve already done too much. I brought this on us.”
“No, Tes. Don't blame yourself for what you don't have control over. The baby and Simon need you, girl. Please eat.”
Finally, Tesley wiped her face and ate a few spoons, forcing herself to swallow. “When is the burial?” Her voice was thin but steady.
“Friday morning,” Eva replied. “The church will handle most of the arrangements. But we still need to pay for the casket and burial plot.”
Tesley swallowed hard. “We can’t afford it.”
“I know,” Eva whispered. “We’ll figure it out. We always do.”
“And Simon?”
“I already told him. He’s holding up... the hospital staff is doing their best. I’ll go check on him this evening.”
As the sun began to set beyond the window, the weight of reality settled deeper on Tesley’s shoulders. She stared out blankly, her heart bruised and weary.
But even with all that pain, all that darkness pressing in, she couldn’t stop. She just couldn’t.
For Simon. For her baby. For herself.
The days that followed blurred into one another with grief heavy in the air, decisions made through the fog of exhaustion. The burial came and went, modest and painful. Tesley barely remembered the prayers, only the weight of the casket as it was lowered, and Eva’s hand gripping hers through it all.
Life didn’t care that she was grieving. The bills came anyway. Simon still needed treatment. And the baby inside her? It didn’t know what loss meant.
So, Tesley rose.
She took over her father’s small poultry business, waking before dawn to feed the birds, learning the trade through trial and error. Eva remained her anchor, balancing her job while helping with Simon and supporting the household as best she could.
Five years passed.
Tesley was now the mother of a curious little boy with deep blue eyes which isn't like her hazel ones. Maybe his father's. The boy didn't really look much like her, except for the pointed nose and long lashes.
She worked tirelessly, juggling the poultry business and other menial jobs to provide for herself, her child and her sick brother. But the bills kept piling up.
Frustration gnawed at her as she recalled the unyielding tone of the loan shark's agent earlier that morning after she'd taken her son to school.
“Time's up, Tesley,” the loan shark had sneered, leaning against the doorway. “You’ve got until the end of the week, or that poultry farm of yours is mine.”
“Please,” Tesley had begged. “Just... just a little more time. I swear, I’ll….”
“End of the week, or I’ll make sure you have nothing left,” he had cut her off, his tone icy.
Still in thoughts, She sighed as she came out of the poultry house. “I need to wash off my hand,” she muttered, hurrying to the tap.
“s**t,” she let out a frustrated sigh as she turned on the tap and water wasn't running. Their water bill had expired.
Letting out a long breath, she turned away.
As she walked towards the house, her eyes caught sight of a letter peeking out from under doorway.
“Who left this here?” She crouched down, pulled it out, and unfolded it. Her heart sank as the bold print on the paper stared right back at her:
“Final Notice: Electricity Bill Overdue.”
A harsh, hollow laugh bubbled from her lips, a sound of sheer frustration. Just then, her phone rang.
“Is that from the hospital again?” she muttered through gritted teeth, exasperated.
She pulled her phone from her pocket and saw Eva’s name flashing on the screen.
“Eva?” she answered, trying to steady her voice.
“Tesley... you’re not going to believe this,” Eva's voice was filled with alarm and urgency, leaving Tesley frozen in place.
- Writer
