07. A Promise

"You see son, after you were imprisoned, your aunts and uncles all avoided me like a plague. They said they didn't want anything to do with the mother of a delinquent son. I knew that they were only avoiding me because of the compensation we had to pay the Wilsons though."

His mother had three siblings, and they were all doing well, so he had hoped that at least one of them would have lended a helping hand to his mother.

"When I turned to them for assistance, they all came up with lame excuses. Your uncle Joseph wouldn't even see me at all, telling me he had traveled every single time I reached out to him. Eventually I stopped, and decided to hustle for myself.

When I had given up hope, you father's old friend was the one who came to my rescue.

He is also struggling and yet he managed to raise a sum of five thousand dollars to help me pay from the debt. He also makes sure to check in on me from time to time. But I haven't seen him in about three months now because he is away on a contract job."

When Van's father was still alive, his family had also turned their backs on him because he chose to marry Margaret, Van's mother, rather than the daughter of a rich woman that they had handpicked for him.

Growing up, his fathwr would always tell him that a rich wife was good on picture, but a caring wife was the real deal.

That was his way of saying that he never regretted his decision to marry Van's mother.

His friend, James, was the only person who stood by him through thick and thin. Being a single father of two, James was always struggling to cater for their needs, but he never hesitated to lend a helping hand to his friend.

Even when he lost his wife to a heart condition, he was still there for Van and his mother, because Van's father also passed away during that period.

"I just hope that one day, we are able to pay him back for his kindness." She said, staring at nothing in particular.

"We will mom, I promise."

Almost like she remembered what brought out the long story, she shook her head and said. "I think it was about a year after you were imprisoned or so. I received a small box with a single rose pinned to it.

I got curious as to who it was from so I quickly tore it open. Inside was a hundred thousand dollars in cash, and a note introducing herself as Snow.

She said was your single time friend who was reaching out to me on your behalf. She also said that you were doing well in prison and I didn't have to worry about you.

I was afraid to spend the money at first, thinking it to be a mistake of some sort, but it became a regular occurrence. Once every three months, I'd get the same package with the same rose from Snow.

She even started to reach out on holidays as well. Sending gifts and food sometimes. That was how I got this scarf." She pointed to a scarf that laid on the single sofa.

"Do you not know who she is?"

Van slowly shook his head. He had no idea who this single time friend was, and yet she had been helping his mother out. "What does she look like?" Maybe a description would help him remember.

"I've never seen her in person. I only receive package, I believe it's usually on the second. The next package should come in next month. I don't know the exact time it'll arrive, but she came in the evening the last time."

After a few seconds of silence, Van said, "I already promised to repay everyone who reached out to help you, and I'm going to make sure I do it. Now with that said, I want you to stop working mom, I don't know the kind of work you're doing, but I can tell that I'm not going to like it."

"I understand that you're worried about me dear but if I stop working now, how will I be able to support you? I'm only forty six, I can still–"

"Exactly my point mom! You're not even fifty yet, and look at you. You've gotten old. You're having wrinkles on your face and your hair is all gray."

"That just happened, I'm fine."

"No mom, it didn't just happen. You must have over worked yourself, you're even looking underweight. I understand that you had to work hard before, but I'm here now. I'm going to take care of you, so you don't need to work anymore.

Remember the kind man I told you about? Along with the money he gave me, he also taught me a few things about medicine and health care. I'm going to be your personal doctor and I'll nurse you back to health.

Your hair is going to go back to its natural brown color, and all those wrinkles on your face will vanish completely.

So just sit back and relax, it's your time to enjoy."

"Okay, I guess I can't refuse since my son is asking. I'll stop working. The worst part of the debt has been taken care of, and that's the Wilsons, so I guess I can relax." Margaret smiled, then added. "But if you need help, you don't hesitate to ask me."

"Yes mom." He noticed his mother constantly stretching her back. She had done the same thing the night before also. "Are you okay?" He asked as he stood up and walked over to her.

Touching her upper, middle and lower back, he sighed and asked. "How long have you been experiencing backaches?"

Surprised, Margret looked up at her son. "What? How did you know?" She had been dealing with it for the past couple of months but she had refused to visit a hospital to get a proper check up. She was afraid the doctor might tell her something she didn't want to hear. When Van came home, she made sure not to mention anything to him, and she made sure she acted like she was okay so he wouldn't worry.

"Don't keep these things from me anymore more mom. If you're hurting anywhere, let me know immediately! This is probably the result of all the strenuous jobs you must have been doing these past years.

But not to worry, I'll take care of it. Just promise me you won't work anymore."

"Okay, okay, I promise."

"I'll need to go out and get some supplies I'll need for the medicine. Don't worry, I won't be gone long." He assured his mother and left the house.

As he walked through the rural streets of the neighborhood, he couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia. He was raised in a small neighborhood like this one, before they moved to the urban part of the city.

"Help! Somebody help me!"

The screams of a woman led Van to sprint towards the main square. When he got there, he saw a man on the ground and a woman knelt next to him.

"Help, my husband is having a heart attack!"