When Love Finds You

The weight I carry

As Sandra got home, she prepared dinner with the last strength she had—and probably with the last ingredients left. It had been such a stressful day. After dinner, she sat down on her bed, her eyes dim and tired, but there was a faint flicker of hope.

"I guess this day could pass for the worst day of my life," she said as she fell backward onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. Her gaze slowly shifted to the old piano sitting in the corner of her room. It was the piano her mother had gotten her before she died. Though they still didn't have much back then, her mother sacrificed a lot to get her that piano.

She got up and walked over to it. Sitting down, she rested her hands gently on the keyboard. On top of it, some handwritten lyrics were scattered, and at the end of each one was the name Hopeful Sandra. She hesitated briefly before playing a tune. Her hands danced gracefully across the keys, the melody sad yet hopeful as it neared the end.

A tear escaped her eye. It was her mom who taught her to play this piece.

> "Whenever you feel lonely and the weight of the world makes you cave, just play this tune and remember that you've come this far. You should be proud of that. Always be hopeful, honey."

Her mother’s voice echoed in her head.

"Mom, I'm trying my best, but it's so hard. I promise not to give up without a fight. I'm fighting, Mom—I am," Sandra said solemnly.

---

It was a new day. The weather seemed to correspond with Sandra’s state of mind—foggy, yet the sun was steadily rising. Sandra was already up—earlier than yesterday. She didn’t want to be late again.

"Mitchell, grab your backpack and let's leave!" she called out while packing her bag and humming a soft tune.

Just like the previous day, Mitchell was dropped off at the junction, and the tuk-tuk brought Sandra to the café. She alighted and paid her fare. Today, she wasn’t late—the sign still said "CLOSED."

She pushed the door open and walked in. Julie, her friend, ran up to her.

"Girl, what’s up with you? You left in such a hurry yesterday."

"I'm fine. An emergency came up—Daniel was taken to the hospital," Sandra replied as she put on her apron, her eyes calm.

"The hospital?! Why? What happened to him?" Julie asked, eyes wide.

"It’s no big deal. He’ll be fine in no time. Let’s better start working and stop this chit-chat before the boss comes," Sandra said, eager to change the subject.

"Yeah, you’re right. I'm off to the kitchen, girl. Catch you later," Julie said as they parted ways.

---

Sandra settled behind the counter and quickly got to work. Soon, the whole café filled with people. The scent of pastries filled the air, accompanied by warm background music. The morning rush was in full swing—lines of customers, tables taken, orders flying in. But despite the immense pressure, Sandra handled it all professionally.

By evening, the crowd had thinned and Sandra finally had some free time. As she packed up to take an early leave and visit Daniel at the hospital, the café door opened—and Andre walked in.

He came straight to the counter. “Hey,” he said.

“Good day, how may I help you?” Sandra responded, then turned and paused. “Oh, it’s you... um…”

“The name’s Andre,” he said with a smile.

“Oh, okay. Hello, Andre,” she replied brightly.

“I’m sorry I had to leave yesterday. My mom was looking for me,” Andre apologized.

“No, it’s okay. You’ve already done so much, and I haven’t even really thanked you for that… thank you,” Sandra said gratefully.

“No need to thank me, it’s fine. I noticed you were about to leave—are you going to the hospital?” Andre asked.

“Yes, I want to go see Daniel,” Sandra said, resuming her packing.

“Well… do you mind if I tag along?” Andre asked, hopeful.

“Yes, no problem. I’d be glad if you do,” Sandra replied, surprised but happy.

“Well, in that case… can I have an espresso before we leave, please, Miss Barista?” Andre said playfully.

Sandra laughed and quickly whipped up an espresso for him. “Here you go, Mr. Customer,” she teased back.

Andre took his drink, paid, and they left the café.

---

They hailed a cab and headed for the hospital. When they arrived and stepped out, Andre paid the fare.

“You didn’t have to do that. I’m already owing you so much,” Sandra said, filled with guilt.

Andre stopped in his tracks and turned to her. “I never asked you to pay me back. I said I wanted to be part of your success story. How can that be possible if I can’t even pay for the cab fare? And besides, how can a gentleman let a lady pay for the ride?” he added playfully, resuming his stride.

Sandra didn’t know what to say, but something within her was shifting. Being with this stranger filled her with a long-lost warmth.

They arrived at Daniel’s hospital room and walked in. Sandra checked on Daniel and introduced Andre to him and Emma.

"Big sis, who is he?" Daniel asked, looking at Andre.

"Oh, him? He… he’s my new friend—a close one. His name is Andre," Sandra said, not quite sure how to define what they were yet. On closer inspection, she realized the stranger from yesterday had now become her closest friend in years.

"Hello, Big Brother Andre! I’m Daniel," Daniel said with a weak but genuine smile.

"Hello! Nice meeting you. I’ve heard a lot about you, and I want you to know you’ll be fine, okay?" Andre said, moving closer to ruffle his hair.

"Hello, Andre. I’m Emma, Sandra’s immediate younger sister," Emma said politely.

"Hello, nice meeting you," Andre replied, shaking her hand warmly.

---

After spending some time in the room, Andre and Sandra stepped out. They found a bench outside the hospital and sat down. Sandra’s eyes were filled with sadness.

"What’s wrong?" Andre asked.

Sandra looked at him, then stared off into the distance, her voice heavy. "I know I promised to be strong, but I really don’t know where to get 1.5 million from. I feel like something is slipping through my fingers."

"I understand, and I do want to help—but can you tell me more about Daniel’s condition?" Andre asked softly.

Sandra turned to look at him. "Andre, please don’t get involved in this. I don’t really know you, and I don’t want to burden you," she said politely.

"Close friends, huh? Since you’ve introduced me as such, you have to live up to it. And I want to be your close friend. Please, let me. You are not alone—let me help you carry whatever this is that’s making your shoulders bend," Andre said gently.

Sandra turned to look at him, her eyes turning red. "Andre…" she whispered.

---

For the first time, Sandra felt like her life wasn’t that colourless and unfortunate after all. Meeting someone like Andre was so rare that it felt like a blessing.

"Thank you so much, Andre," she said, her eyes filled with gratitude. She took a deep breath and continued, "Daniel has appendicitis, and the doctor, Mrs. Mirabel, said I need to pay 1.5M for his surgery, and the deadline is one week or things could get critical. The truth is, I really don't know where to get it from. You've held my wallet before and you've seen the amount of bills I have, and the money in my account is no better."

"Wow, that's huge. I don't know if you mind me asking, but why are you carrying all this alone? I mean, your mom is gone, but what about your dad?" Andre asked carefully.

"My dad... My dad is a limp, so that limits the range of jobs he can do. The little money from his failing bookstore can't do much to even feed us, not to talk of other needs. After my mom died, things got so bad that my siblings and I had to stop going to school, and my brother and I had to start working. When our income became balanced, we sent Daniel and Mitchell back to continue schooling while Emma and I try to provide for them. Emma doesn't get paid much, so we largely depend on my income from the café. I hope this explains it," Sandra replied, her eyes hollow like she was narrating someone else’s life.

"I'm sorry about all of that," Andre said, standing up.

"No need to apologize; it's not your fault. And where are you going?" Sandra asked, standing up too.

"To fix this," Andre said, walking away.

"What do you mean by 'to fix this'?" Sandra said, trailing behind him.

"Follow me, and you'll see," Andre replied.

Andre walked to Mrs. Mirabel's office. "Good afternoon, ma'am," he greeted.

"Oh, Andre, good afternoon. What a big boy you are becoming now. Why are you here? Are you sick? You should know I'm a doctor for children, not big boys like you," she said warmly.

"Oh no, no, ma'am. I'm not sick. I'm actually here to ask you to fix a date for Daniel, the patient in room 102's surgery," Andre said.

"Oh, really? But no payment has been made," Mrs. Mirabel said, confused.

"Yeah, I'll settle that after I leave here, so please do it for me, Big Mom," Andre said playfully.

"Ok, anything for you, boy. But why do you want to pay for his surgery? Do you know him?" she asked curiously.

"Umm, yeah, he is the relative of my close friend," Andre answered.

"Okay, do you want me to get something for you? I mean, today you remembered to visit this your godmother," she teased.

"No, Big Mom, I have other matters to attend to, but I'll be coming around soon," Andre said.

"Alright then. Take care," she said as Andre left.

All this while, Sandra stood silently by the door, stunned by what she had just witnessed. Andre walked out of the office, and Sandra hurried after him.

"Andre," she called, tugging his arm.

"Yes?" he replied, turning to face her.