THE PRICE OF US

As Silvia stepped out of her boss’s office, she pushed open the door and left with hasty movements. Upon his arrival, it was her responsibility every single day to ensure the entire place was clean. She had just completed that task before--- **Thud!** She ran into a chest. The collision shocked her body to the back, and before she could steady herself, her arm, which was holding a tray, dropped the cup of water, and it splashed on the crisp clothing of a well-ironed shirt. A sharp breath was taken. Her heart came to a standstill. She tried to slowly gaze up, but felt tension build up in her limbs as she found Ralph’s sharp and dark eyes. His jaw clenched while staring down as the stain on his expensive clothing grew larger. His tone dropped to a whisper, but with a lot of malice said, “What the hell is wrong with you?” It felt like Silvia was being choked. This wasn’t just bad. This was horrible. “Sorry, sir, I—” Both of her hands holding the empty cup shook with the words, “I’m so sorry.” A muscular part of his jaw twitched as he exhaled through his nose while Ralph pressed his lips together. “Then I am … Mistake after mistake. Great,” he mumbled, but I don’t think this was in her hearing range. He focused back on Silvia, staring at her with frost-filled eyes. “I wonder if you’re as clumsy with everything else, if a cup of water is this troublesome for you.” Silvia felt a surge of anger that made her hands want to ball. “It won’t happen again, sir. I assure you.” Ralph’s eyes grew deeper. He advanced on her, towering over her until it felt like his presence was entirely shielding her. “For your sake,” his voice dangerously calm, “it better not. Because next time, your plea will indeed not be enough.” The tip of Silvia’s throat stopped her breath. There was something about the threat that made each of her vertebrae shiver. She frantically shook her head and bolted past him, her legs propelling her far enough from his stoic gaze. Her pace only slowed when she was far enough into the hallway, her heart thundering as if she had just run a marathon. “I couldn’t have gotten worse,” she said softly, putting her palm over her beating heart. Replaying the scene over and over in her head, she resolved to head to the changing cabin. On her way there, her attention was caught by a well-known face who was walking through the front doors with a distinct poise. Rebecca slowly strutted into the office wearing a dark pencil skirt and a designer blouse, showing off her poise and confidence. With every step she took, the heels clicked against the tiled ground, augmenting her bouncing dark hair. "Silvia," she greeted. “I know that look. You look super tense.” “Let me guess,” Silvia sharply exhaled, “you already know that I spilled water on the boss?” Laughing slightly, Rebecca lifted her brows, eyes wide open with astonishment. “You actually survived?” “Barely,” replied Silvia with a sarcastic hint. “Lets just say, you need to be careful with that man. He doesn't easily forgive," scoffed Rebecca as she chuckled lightly while squeezing Silvia's shoulder for reassurance. Silvia did nod, partially still caught in her thoughts. As soon as Rebecca powered off in the direction of her office, Silvia headed back to her work, silently trying to bury the morning incidents of the day deep within her subconscious. After a long, tiring day, Silvia visited the market and bought some grocery items with the little money she had. The bag's weight slicing into her palm was the only thing slowing her down as she hurried toward her home. Her mother was still waiting. Silvia was greeted with an unsettling silence when she got home. There was no usual background noise; the television was off, and the kitchen was quiet. Everything was simply quiet. Her stomach knotted. “Mum?'' she shouted while making her way in. Not a single answer returned. Something was definitely off. Her mother's kettle was whistling, and she was nowhere nearby, leaving it unguarded. Silvia made a sprint to the stove to shut it off before dashing straight to the bedroom. With every stride, her heart rate escalated so did her breathing. With little effort, she pushed the door open. The world shifted beneath her feet. Her mother was lying motionless on the cold ground beneath her. Silvia’s lungs stopped working momentarily. “Mum!” she screamed while dropping her groceries. Silvia knelt beside her mother, and her hands shook violently as she touched her mother's face, only to reveal it was ice cold. A whimper left deep within her throat. “Mum, please wake up!” A soft, grieving sound escaped her. It was just a moment, just a single moment away from great anguish. Her fingers felt for movement on her mother’s face like a hunting animal searching for tracks. Then she spotted the blood around her mother’s lips. That’s not an injury, something is wrong. Tears clouded her vision as she fumbled for her phone. She still managed to call the emergency services. “Please, I need you to hurry! An ambulance! My mother is unconscious. There’s blood…” She didn’t comprehend the operator’s words. All she could concentrate on was cradling her mother's hand in hers. Hang on, Mum. Please. A few moments later, sirens became louder, and the lights began flashing like red and blue lanterns. Paramedics ran into the house and began strapping her mother onto the stretcher. Silvia clasped her mother's fingers as she walked inside the ambulance. Eternity. While she waited, Silvia chanted her mother’s name like a mantra. “Please come back.” “Mother….” She felt the cold, shaking air of the hospital collide with the stream erupting from her lungs. “Do I have to remind you again? Take a seat.” The nurse said with empathy in her tone. Silvia’s gaze trained on the floor as she stood firm. “No.” Watching the hope of her life sitting still was unbearable. She breathed heavily while her fists were balled tightly and nails were digging into her palms. Then— An emergency ward was opened at the door. A doctor got out, and he didn’t seem like he cared one way or the other. Silvia hurried forward. “Doctor! How is my mother?” He looked at his clipboard and then looked at her. “You must be Silvia, Mrs. Elena’s daughter?” “Yes,” “Please, come with me.” She walked with her knees almost giving way as she followed him into his office. He waved to the chair. “Have a seat, please.” Silvia sat down, but every muscle in her body was tense. “How is she? Just tell me, please,” she said. The doctor took a long breath, putting the clipboard away. “Your mother is stable. She is not in immediate danger,” he said. Silvia was overwhelmed with relief, and she could feel emotions building up in her. She tried to wipe the tears that were about to flow. “Can I see her?” She already got up from the chair and asked. “Not yet,” The doctor looked quite determined. “There is one thing that you must know before you see her.” The feeling in Silvia’s stomach told her that things were about to get worse. The doctor put a medical report on the desk and gave it to her. “I discovered something in her test results,” he said. She put her hands on it, and they were trembling. No matter what was written on that paper, it was going to make a difference.