LOVING SAM

Meeting Sam

After the meeting with the clients, I heard out of the office to get a snack. Famished by the work that I have been doing. Drowning in my thoughts wondering about the girl I dropped at the hospital, she seems so innocent sleeping there on the hospital bed even with those bruises and scars could not hide her beauty, who is she? I shack my head to remove the beauty thoughts. I feel a hand touch my shoulder from the back, startling me, looking back only to see Tim with a smile.

‘Man, I have been calling you for sometime now, what are you thinking about?’

‘Nothing.’

He scoffs in disbelief, ‘It can’t be nothing with you brother. I know you remember when you were busy looking at Kim and you were daydreaming about her those days. That is the same look you had now but a little more different because it was intense.’

I look at him for a while and ask him, ‘What are you talking about?’

‘You know what I am talking about Leon,’ he taps my shoulder, ‘What is going on?’

I look at him, directly at his eyes, ‘Don’t you ever mention that name in my presence ever again!’ turn to look for where I was going for a snack before this one takes away my appetite, ‘There is nothing going on.’

With what has happened and his eagerness for videos of my humiliation, I do not think that I can trust him with anything. So, I continue on my way.

‘Ok, bro, where are you going?’

‘To get a snack.’

He blows loudly, ‘Good, wooo, I am also starving.’

I stop myself in my tracks, ‘I really would like to be alone right now.’ I turn toward him take out a few dollars from my wallet and give him, ‘You can get something to eat somewhere else, have a good day.’

I leave him there probably wondering what is going on with me. Get to the restaurant and by myself a simple meal there. After eating I leave and head for the hospital, upon getting there, I can see the nurse, Tracy about to leave and I call to her.

She stops and looks at me, ‘Sir, how are you?’

‘I am doing good and how are you?’

‘I am good, about to head home.’

‘I can see that ma’am, any news on your mysterious patient?’

‘Not yet, sir.’

‘Ohh, thank you!’ I wave at her, ‘Have a good trip back home.’

‘Thank you, she turns to leave.’

Ambling to her room, I slowly get there. And take a look at her just once and leave immediately. Getting home, I remember while at the gate, I have that hospital bill paper that was handed me by the nurse. I take it out and my mother calls to me telling me to come inside eat and rest.

‘I am coming, mom,’ I quickly put it back in and rush into the house and there, the food is set before me. I usually do not eat this early when I get home.

She gazes at me who has barely touched his food and asks, ‘Why have you not touched your food?’

‘I, I, I, I am, Ummmm I am just not used to eating at this hour.’ I stammered a lot before saying it.

‘Eat, I do not care about your eating hour.’

‘Ok, let me eat.’

‘How was your day?’ she asks.

‘My day was good, busy but good.’

‘Ok, that’s good to hear, what about that girlfriend of yours, I have not seen her yet, yet she usually comes and budges into the house like she owns the place, how is she and where is she?’

‘I don’t know.’ I did some food in my mouth.

‘Why?’ she stops eating, ‘How could you not know how she is and where she is the same girl you wanted to fight your whole family for?’

Hearing my mother say this, I remember how I had fought my family and threatened them if they ever mentioned anything about her ever again. How silly and stupid that was. And to finally know who I was fighting for after two years (I scoff with a smirk on my face) how delirious I was. Blinded by love.

‘She is gone mother, let us leave it at that and you were all right about her.’

She searches on my face trying to see something as she enquires, ‘What happened.’

I push the plate away because I do not want to talk about it at all, ‘I think I am going to go ahead and sleep.’

I walk out of the kitchen and my mother says nothing more but I know it is not over, she will come again enquiring of her to get a full story but no, not from me.

As I enter the room, I remove my shoes and drop on the bed and sleep.

The next morning, slowly I wake up ready to go and clean myself first and then go and there my mother is already done with the chores but I cannot see her and I am running late. I eat a little bit and rush out, get in my car and drive off.

Listening to music, while trapped in my thoughts, I barely recognise my ringing phone. Which is buzzing continually on my side. Getting my work I barely check my phone as I drown myself into work focused completely on what is before me, my work desk filled with papers. My assistant Tanyaradzwa enters the office and stares at me strangely.

‘What?’ I say as I return my eyes back to my desk to continue my work.

‘You did not tell me that you slept on a hospital bed and that you broke up with your girlfriend because she cheated.’

I raise my head, ‘What? Who told you that?’

‘I heard it yesterday when she was here and it was loud, the others heard it too.’

‘Ohh, that,’ I wave my hand dismissively, ‘It is nothing?’

‘What happened sir?’ she takes a step getting closer, ‘Are you alright?’

‘You should return back to work, Tanya.’ I raise my head, ‘Being nosy does not suit you.’

‘Ok sir,’ she leaves the room.

A cold chill runs through my spine, my heart beat rises. How many heard me speaking to her yesterday and what is going on?’

I raise my head and make a small prayer asking God to help me, something that I have never done in my entire life.

I continue working without checking my phone which is vibrating on my desk. A few hours past and I remember the bill, the hospital bill that I have not checked yet. I quickly check my pockets and realised that I have left it at home and I have not even paid part of the bill. I take my phone and rush out of the office, giving orders quickly and abruptly. Get into my car and drive off headed for the hospital. My heartbeat rises as I enter into the hospital, hoping nothing has happened to her.

I head towards the reception and ask about the young lady and she calls over a nurse to enquire of her also and the nurse looks at me.

‘Is nurse Tracy here?’

‘No, she has a nightshift today.’

‘Ok, can you help me?’

‘Yes, how can I help you?’

Quickly rush in to explain to her about the events that have occurred. I can see her eyes are filled with questions, she asks me to take her to the young lady and I lead the way. She smiles as if she knows something.

She tells me to sit down and wait for her. Later on, she returns back to me with documents in her hands. And explains them to me and hearing what I was hearing and reading what I was reading I was dropped in a haze.

I asked, ‘What can I do?’

She answered, ‘Sir, she needs to be assisted but no one has shown up for her yet.’

That hit home, as I remembered I said I would assist to look for her family, but I just went and drowned myself in my chaotic life.

‘Can you get me the bill?’ I ask her.

‘Yes, of course,’ she quickly leaves to get it.

Drop myself in a hospital chair by her bed and drift in thoughts, why am I so eager and willing at touched by trying to help this young lady? Who is she and what is going on with me? Put my face in my hands and rub it in.

I get up and look at her, ‘Who are you and what is going on?’ I sigh audibly, ‘What am I doing here?’

The nurse quickly gets in with the bill. A give it to me and leaves. I do not check it. I wonder what I can do. I send a text to my mom and tell her tonight I might not be coming home.

The nurse returns and I ask her if I could stay overnight? She agreed and I went out and bought food and returned back to the room and sit beside her and eat as I watch her without looking at the bill again.

All those bruises and the malnutrition on her and I have been hit with, a document with things I did not foresee. I just thought she would just be alright and I would just go home but now I have to see this one through somehow my heart is telling me so. I stay by her all night watching her and dose off into a deep sleep on the chair.

Early in the morning I wake up to a sound of coughing, a young feminine cough. Slowly I raise my head. I watch her laying on the bed coughing. Her body so fragile as if another cough would break her entire bone structure.

‘Good morning!’ I greet her in a daze, my mind not yet clear.

I get up off the chair, stretch my body and yawn slowly and I remember there and then that I am in the hospital. I look at the bed and I can see her looking at me with confusion wondering who it is that is beside her. A strange face she has never seen before.

‘Who are you?’ she asks.

In a split second before answering I rush to call the nurse and the nurse that is here now is Tracy and she quickly follows behind me to see the young woman awake, confused and without much strength and she rushes to call the doctor.

‘Finally, you are awake,’ I say as I return back to her, ‘I am the person that brought you to the hospital when you passed out in the road.’

‘Passed out?’

‘Yes, and you have been out of commission for about three days.’

She stretches out her hand and takes the bill paper that is in front of her, ‘And this is?’

‘It’s a hospital bill, do not worry about it.’ At this point I feel so happy that I forget I am a total stranger to this young lady before me who I have been worried of her wellbeing.

‘Sorry but who are you sir?’

I freeze, hearing her question remembering now that she does not know me and that we are strangers. I move forward toward her and I clear my throat.

‘My name is Leon, I am the person who brought you to the hospital when you passed out in the road and I assume that you were also headed for the hospital that day.’

She pauses and looks at the nurse beside me and back to me who she is still wondering why I am so happy to see her awake. Even I do not know why because I barely know her. this is all so strange for her but to me it is rather not so much because I have been here for the past few days I have met her but she does not know so it is understandable.

I reach out my hand for the bill and she hands it over to me and I look at it for the first time and my heart pounds once and twice hard and I move out of the room and clean my eyes and the bill is still there, thousands of dollars including pending treatment. I wait and watch, I can pay them but… I look back into the room and at the paper.

I walk over to her, ‘What is your name miss?’ I ask her.

‘Sam,’ she replies.

I look down and back at her face again, ‘Young miss, do you have relatives or friends that we can call to let them know you are alright?’

She looks at me and looks away laying herself back onto the bed and does not answer. I move my hand a bit and take it back.

‘Ok,’ I look at nurse Tracy beside me, ‘Please make sure she gets treated well of her diseases and issues and if you need anything, call me.’

Tracy nods and gets into the room to start caring for her there and then.

With haste, I make for the door out of the hospital and while out I purchase some food and return back with it and give it to her, fruits, juices and so on. I set it before her and tell her to eat as I sit down.

She looks at it and me, ‘Why are you being so nice to me,’ her question hits hard.

I gulp and reply, ‘I do not know.’

She takes the bag of food I just brought for her to eat and she begins to eat hungrily. Putting more than she can chew in her mouth. I watch her for a while and then I dose back to sleep on the chair.

I wake up startled; she is done eating and she has been looking at me as I sleep. Laying on the pillow sideways. I clean my eyes, and rise up and stretch myself. I head for the reception and begin the payment for her hospital bills and I realise that she has to undergo a procedure. She is terminally ill and did she see what it was or has she been told what it was?

‘Sir, the two hundred dollars has been paid already for the tests, now what is left is for the procedures and other things.’ She says.

I nod and proceed paying the fees. Distracted by my thoughts processing a lot of things but she is there sleeping in the room comfortably.