Getting to know each other
1294 Words
I stared on the narrow couch beside the bed, my body stiff and aching from the awkward position I had slept in. My neck protested as I sat up slowly, and my eyes burned as if I had been crying in my sleep.
Then I heard someone cough
I stood up so quickly that the thin blanket slipped from my shoulders and fell to the floor. The elderly woman lay awake now, her eyes open, dark and alert despite the bruises along her eyes and the bandage wrapped around her forehead. The machines beside her bed beeped gently, steady.
She was looking at me.
For a moment, we simply stared at each other—two strangers bound together by a single moment on a quiet road.
“You’re awake,” I said breathlessly, my voice barely more than a whisper.
She smiled faintly. “So are you"
Relief flooded through me so suddenly that my knees felt weak. I reached for the edge of the bed to steady myself, afraid that if I didn’t hold onto something, I might collapse from the sheer weight of it all.
“How do you feel?” I asked, moving closer. “Does anything hurt?”
She tilted her head slightly, considering. “My body feels like it’s been arguing with a truck,” she said dryly. “But I’ve survived worse.”
Despite myself, a small laugh escaped me.
Her gaze sharpened with interest. “You’ve been here all night, haven’t you?”
I nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Why?”
The question was simple, but it pierced straight through me.
“I didn’t want to leave you alone,” I said honestly. “You didn’t have anyone with you.”
Her eyes softened, the sharpness melting into something warmer, something almost tender. “What’s your name, child?”
“Elara,” I replied. “Elara Moore.”
“Elara,” she repeated slowly, as though tasting the name. “It suits you.”
I felt a strange tightness in my chest at her words. Compliments were rare in my world.
“And yours?” I asked.
She chuckled softly. “You saved me without knowing who I was, and you still ask so politely.”
I flushed. “I didn’t save you for your name.”
She nodded approvingly. “I know.”
She paused, then said, “My name is Evelyn.”
Just Evelyn.
I smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, Grandma Evelyn.”
The word slipped out before I could stop it.
For a heartbeat, I panicked. Had I been too familiar? Too bold?
But instead of correcting me, she smiled slow, warm, and full of something that made my throat tighten.
“I rather like that,” she said quietly.
A nurse entered the room then, breaking the moment. She checked Evelyn’s vitals, adjusted her IV, and smiled brightly.
“You’re awake! That’s wonderful news,” she said. “You gave us quite a scare.”
She glanced at me. “Are you family?”
Before I could answer, Evelyn spoke. “She’s the reason I’m alive.”
The nurse’s expression shifted instantly to admiration. “Then we owe you a great deal.”
I shook my head quickly. “I just did what anyone would.”
The nurse smiled knowingly, as though she didn’t quite believe me, and left.
Silence returned, but it felt different now lighter.
“Tell me about yourself, Elara,” Evelyn said gently. “Where are your parents? They must be worried sick.”
The question landed like a stone in my chest.
I lowered my eyes. “They… passed away. Two years ago.”
Evelyn’s face changed immediately. “I’m sorry,” she said softly.
“They died in an accident,” I continued, my voice trembling despite my effort to stay composed. “A car accident. Just like yours.”
Her fingers tightened around the blanket.
“They were coming home,” I said. “They bought me a teddy bear that day. Pink. My favorite color.”
The words opened a door I usually kept locked.
I told her about the taxi. The phone call the driver shouldn’t have taken. The truck that appeared out of nowhere. The sound of metal crushing metal. The silence that followed.
“I remember thinking,” I whispered, “that if someone had helped them sooner… maybe they would still be alive.”
Tears welled in my eyes, but I didn’t wipe them away.
Evelyn reached out and took my hand.
“You didn’t hesitate,” she said firmly. “When you saw me, you didn’t turn away.”
I shook my head. “I couldn’t.”
She squeezed my hand. “Then whatever pain you carry, let me say this your parents raised a remarkable child.”
Those words shattered something inside me.
I looked away quickly, afraid she would see the tears spill over.
After a while, she spoke again. “Are you hungry?”
I blinked, surprised. “Me?”
She smiled. “No, me. Hospital beds make one think of food.”
I laughed softly. “I can get you something.”
“I’d like that,” she said. “Soup, perhaps. And tea.”
I hurried to the cafeteria, my mind racing. On my way back, voices stopped me in my tracks.
“Do you know who she is?” one nurse whispered.
“The accident victim?”
“Yes. Evelyn Kingsley.”
My breath caught.
Kingsley.
Everyone knew that name.
Banks. Hospitals. Corporations. The richest family in the nation.
My hands trembled as I carried the tray back to the room.
When I set it down, Evelyn looked at my face and immediately understood.
“You heard,” she said calmly.
I nodded slowly. “They said… you’re part of the Kingsley family.”
She smiled faintly. “Part of it? I built it.”
My knees nearly buckled.
“I’m sorry,” I stammered. “I didn’t know who you were. I didn’t mean to”
She raised her hand, silencing me.
“Elara,” she said firmly. “When you pulled me from that wrecked car, did you know my name?”
“No.”
“Did you know my wealth?”
“No.”
“Then nothing else matters.”
She studied me carefully. “People treat me differently once they know who I am. You didn’t. You treated me like a human being.”
Something warm spread through my chest.
“I don’t care who you are,” I said quietly. “I’m just glad you’re alive.”
Her eyes glistened.
“Then allow me to say this,” she said. “From this moment on, you are not alone.”
Emotion surged through me, unexpected and overwhelming.
Without thinking, I whispered, “Grandma.”
She smiled fully now, radiant despite her injuries.
“Yes, my child.”
We ate together slowly. She asked about my life, my aunt, my cousin Serena. I told her about the shouting, the chores, the way Serena ordered me around like a servant.
“I was cooking for her yesterday,” I said softly. “She sent me to the market. That’s when I saw you.”
Evelyn’s expression darkened. “And did she thank you?”
I shook my head.
“She never does.”
Evelyn reached for my hand again. “That will change.”
As evening settled, I felt exhaustion creep over me. I lay back down on the couch, staring at the ceiling.
Had I made a mistake?
I had forgotten Serena. Forgotten the food. Forgotten everything.
What if saving Evelyn cost me everything else?
As sleep finally pulled me under, one thought echoed in my mind:
- Writer
