The Billionaire Wants Her

Episode 3

"I've almost forgotten what it feels like to have you around." Tessa Andrew, Mia's mother said. Years of hard work were telling on her. She looked frail and tired.

"I know. It's work. I barely have time for myself." Mia replied to her mother. They were in Tessa's tiny crib. It was small but homey. It wasn't where Mia had grown because they were always on the run from her mother's possessive and abusive boyfriends.

"I can tell. Mia, I understand that you're doing your best to keep us afloat and out of debt, but you're working too hard. It's telling on you already. You don't want to end up in your early forties looking like me." She said all these holding Mia's hand.

"Ma, there's nothing we can do or turn to. We're all we've got and I'm the healthiest amongst us three so let me do this. You've done enough. You've sacrificed enough. Let me do this." Mia used her free hand to rub her mother's which was over hers.

"I love you, Mia. I'm sorry that you have to do all this while I do nothing. I'm sorry you have to burden yourself with such responsibilities." Her mother said sobbing.

Mia hated whenever her mother cried. Her mother was so used to crying that it pissed her off sometimes, especially when she was little.

Her mother's boyfriends would hit her and she'd do nothing; just sit there crying. It was tiring. Crying was tiring.

"Where's he?" She asked quietly.

"In his room. Go. I'm sure he'd be happy to see you." Her mother urged her on and she went ahead. She stopped by his door and peeked in. He was reading something.

She stood by the door, just watching him. When she had gotten her fill, she stepped in.

"Hey." She spoke up. He turned to the door and flew across the room to hug her at the door. Tears brimmed at the corner of her eyes and no matter how she tried to keep it in, it fell.

She wiped it away immediately.

"How are you, Jer? You look so big and grown. Are you eating well? D'you sleep early? Are you taking your drugs?" She asked at once cradling his face and turning his whole body as if to see any scar.

"Chill, Mia. I'm good. I'm eating well. I sleep early. I'm on my meds. Any other thing?"

"No, I've just missed you so much." She hugged him again, this time placing a kiss on his forehead. He went back to his reading position after they disengaged.

"What are you reading?" She asked him and he smiled.

"It's a Bible. Mommy calls it the Big Book of Hope. See, it has illustrations and it's very nice."

"Oh really?" Mia said in disinterest. She'd lost interest in faith and concepts like God, heaven, and all.

There was a time she believed it with her all and she believed he was in that stage too. He'd eventually get over it when he sees life for himself. She thought.

"Let's go get ice cream." She said ruffling his black hair.

"Yay." He gestured, flailing his hands in the air. "After my Bible study?."

"Sure, after that. I'll be with Mother." She took a long glance at the room before leaving. She had always hated it here. She'd promised to take her family out of here soon. It was her dream to.

"Hey, I'm making pasta. Come join me." Her mother called from the little kitchen. She went to join her. She settled down on a high stool.

"I saw the groceries. Thank you."

"Ma, you don't have to thank me. It's my duty. I should be doing more."

"You shouldn't. Pass me the scotch bonnet." Her mother requested and got up from the stool and passed it.

"So-how are Renee and Ashley doing?"

"They're good. They send their greetings." Her mother passed a weak nod.

"Any man? Boyfriend? Fiancé? Anything?" She asked again.

"No, Ma. I'm always working so I haven't had time for dates and stuff."

"You should have time for those. You're extremely pretty and anyone would kill to have you. D'you want to end up lonely?" Mia noticed the like me hanging at the end of the sentence but chose to say nothing.

They both felt it. Silence ensued between them. Tessa cooking and Mia deep in thought as she watched her mother.

*******

"D'you like it?" She asked Jerald who was stuffing his face with ice cream.

"Is it humanly possible to hate ice cream?" He asked and she chuckled. She missed this. Hanging out with Jerald.

"I guess not. What have you been up to?" She asked, trying to catch up on the boy's life.

"Nothing. Just the usuals. Being in and out of the hospital. Chugging meds and being forced to maintain my healthy sleep schedule." He said it so casually that it hurt Mia.

"Okay. So what d'you do for fun, Jer?"

"Nothing. What's fun like? I can barely walk and I'm supposed to be having fun. I wonder why I haven't slumped now. We've been walking." He said before licking his ice cream.

Mia blinked back the tears in her eyes and turned the other way when a stray one fell.

"We should head back. I don't want to fall here and embarrass you further." He spoke after a few seconds.

"Jer, you don't embarrass me. I'm happy to be here with you." Mia reassured him but he scoffed.

"I'm not. I hate the park. It's a reminder of how I can never be like my mates. How I can never live a normal life. These kids don't have their lives glued with restrictions. I do. I want to go home." He said with a sad smile.

Having a hole in the heart wasn't anyone's plan. When he was younger, he always fainted and had attacks. He was later diagnosed with a hole in his heart and surgery had to commence. There was no money for surgery, so Mia had to leave the house and look for a job to help with meds and also save for his treatment.

The meds were only sustaining him, not treating him and they were very expensive. Tessa had called Mia during the week that Jerald's health was getting worse and the doctor said the surgery needs to commence immediately.

Where would she get the money so quickly? She didn't have rich friends or anything.