CHAPTER ONE
Seeing her mother lay down helplessly on the hospital bed broke her. Her own mother on life
support?
“This wasn't a simple accident. The man who brought her in said it was a hit and run accident”,
the doctor told her. “She broke a few ribs and her legs and she might never walk again”.
Jasmine Hall was helpless and angry. She was just called from her workplace, where she works
as a receptionist, that her mother was involved in a car accident. She broke into tears as she
heard the sound of the machines beeping.
“She would need reconstructive surgery for her legs”, the doctor said again.
Jasmine just sank into the sofa placed beside her mother's bed and thought about how all of
these could have happened. Her mother had told her earlier that she would step out to get
groceries as they needed a restock.
“How much would the surgery cost?”, Jasmine finally spoke.
“About $10,000 to $12,000”.
Jasmine picked up her phone and checked her bank balance only to see $900 from her savings
of 2 years sitting there.
“This wouldn't cover anything”, she thought to herself.
She left the room and sat outside.
“Hi”
“Hello”, Jasmine replied.
“I'm the man that brought your mother in. I'm so sorry I couldn't get the number plate of the car.
He zoomed off very quickly. The accident happened at the intersection just two blocks away”, he
said.
“Thank you so so much”, Jasmine replied.
The man left and Jasmine tried to replay the incident. How her mother was hit, the kind of pain
she was in and how the driver left without any care in the world.
She went back to check on her mother before heading out of the hospital.The city buzzed with cars and people but all Jasmine could think of was how someone could be
so cruel to leave her mother in that condition after hitting her.
She boarded a taxi back to work.
“14, Nile Street”, she told the driver.
“Okay ma'am”, the driver replied.
They arrived at her destination 10 minutes later.
“We are here”
“How much?”, Jasmine said, completely lost in thought.
“That would be fifteen dollars ma'am”
She paid him and got out of the taxi. She enters the hotel where she works as a receptionist.
“Hi baby, how is she?”, Clara asked.
Clara is Jasmine's rich best friend and coworker. They met two years ago when they both came
for an interview and were both hired. Clara came for an interview out of boredom but Jasmine
on the other hand came because she really needed the job.
“She's not in a good state. The doctor said she would need a reconstructive surgery of about
twelve thousand dollars”
“Oh my God, I'm so sorry”, Clara said.
“Apparently, the man who took her in said the accident happened just two blocks away from the
hospital. He said the driver of the car just left her there”, Jasmine said crying.
“Everything will be alright. The manager has been looking for you. I lied to him that you just went
out for lunch”
“Alright darling. Thank you so much”, Jasmine said.
She went to the manager's ofice. She knocked on the door.
“Come in”
Jasmine steps in quietly.“Where have you been for the past one hour? Clara told me you went for lunch”.
“Yes sir, I did. There were just a lot of people today”.
“Please get back to work and let it not repeat itself”, the manager said.
Jasmine went back to the front desk. Customers came in as usual and it was time for the end of
her shift. Jasmine boarded a taxi and headed straight to the hospital.
Sitting in her mother's room she thought about the kind of pain she must have gone through.
“The doctor wants to see you”, a nurse said to her.
“Alright, I'll be there”.
She gave a soft knock on the doctor's door.
“Come in” “Have a seat”.
“Thank you. Will she be okay, doctor?”
“Yes she would but we need to start the surgery as soon as possible. You can make a deposit
first at the reception”, the doctor replied.
“Okay doctor, thank you”, she said and left.
On her way back home, she called Clara hoping to get some funds from her as a loan for her
mother's treatment. Also, she didn't want to be her burden but the call already went through.
“Hey bestie, how are you?”, Clara said.
“Not so good. I'm just coming from the hospital. The doctor told me to make a deposit so they
can start my mother's treatment”.
“You know I can help you. I will send you three thousand tomorow morning so you can go there
first thing in the morning” “I will also find time to come see your mom”
“Thank you so so much babe”.
The call ended and Jasmine was relieved. All she needed to do now was look for the remaining
nine thousand dollars.She entered her and her mom's apartment and there was no aroma welcoming her from her
mother's cooking. For the first time in a long while, they would be distanced from each other
because of one person's careless behaviour.
“I have to find who did this and get justice for my mom”, Jasmine determined tearfully.
