05

Eden took one step into the room and Elaine whirled, fuming.“You know what they will do to you for standing up to them.You know what happens when you fight back. They will hurt you back a hundred fold. Why then, do you keep doing that? Do you want to die?!”

   Eden sighed, dropping back to lean against the closed door. “I’m sorry, El. I just had a terrible day. It was too much to handle all at once.”

   Her eyes softened and she went to stand in front of him, concern written all over her features as she took him in. “What happened out there, den? You have cuts and bruises everywhere,” she said softly, leading him away from the door so he could sit on the bed.

   She disappeared for long enough to get the first aid kit—she’d been doing that a lot recently. He really would need to stop getting into trouble so he would stop needing to get fixed up. He winced when the wet cotton wool touched his lips and fire exploded in his cut lip.

   “Sorry,” she mumbled, green eyes fixated on the injury she was trying to clean up. Elaine looked up after a while and Eden realized he had been staring at her, tracing the lines of her beautiful, perfect face with his eyes.

  “What?” she asked, and her cheeks reddened.

  “You’re beautiful, El,” he whispered.

   She laughed, even as her face took on a pinker hue and she smacked him arm for making her laugh that way. He winced and her eyes widened in horror when she realized she’d hit him in another injured spot.

   “Sorry!” she said again and Eden nodded, face scrunched up with pain.

   As she tended his wounds, he recalled the day’s  events . He took in a deep breath and tried to compose himself, not trusting himself enough to speak without breaking down. However, as he began speaking, he found that it was hard to breath and his chest felt painfully tight.

    He told her of the start of his day and how he’d been unable to get a job because he kept being turned away. Elaine’s eyes were bright with tears as he spoke and he knew deep down, she’d begun to blame herself again for his inability to get a job with her grandmother’s  constant interference.

  He went further, speaking of the accident that he’d walked in on, after nearly getting lost at the road side, at which point Elaine was staring at him with wide-eyes, guilt completely vanished from her green depths. He recounted how he’d taken the man to the hospital and gotten beat up by the taxi driver because he couldn’t pay for the fare.

   Elaine’s lips began to twitch, and he couldn’t tell if she was about to start laughing or start crying. It would seem it was the former because she began to laugh. “You really are a strange man, Eden,” she said, cleaning the small cut above his eyebrow.

   Elaine, however, stopped laughing when he told her of the money and how the noodles was their only option left and her brothers had ruined it, calling him a thief when he’d gone through the worst to get the food. He began apologizing to her for his incompetence as a man.

   Tears welled up in Eden’s eyes as he spoke, and his voice was choked with overwhelming emotion. He was drowning in the pressure of their situation and the never ending weight of their struggles. He felt like they were drowning in an ocean of problems and their future had never seemed more bleak in that moment.

   Elaine placed her arms around him, comforting him like a warm blanket on a cold night. She whispered soothing and reassuring words into his ears—none of which he believed. His hope was long gone and lost. But he wouldn’t tell her that. He had lost his hope, but she had not. It was her driving for to keep going every day, and he would not take that from her. Her fingers delved into his hair, massaging his scalp in a motion she knew would calm him and put his nerves at rest.

    “I managed to steal some food from the kitchen,” she said when he stopped trembling and he pulled away to look at her. “I saw the maid leave and I took advantage of the opportunity. I know. . .it isn’t much but I think it’ll serve us till tomorrow. So, don’t worry about the noodles anymore, Eden. Thank you for everything you do. I’m glad to have you in my life. Always.”

   Eden’s eyes stung and he pulled her in for a hug. “Thank you,” he murmured against her before letting her go. She reappeared a moment later with two bowls, and the food was devoured in a few minutes. It wasn’t much but it was enough to take the edge of the hunger off and provide them with a bit of energy.

  Eden took out the rest of the money and they sat, planning and deciding how to use the money in the most effective way. Eden needed a little to transport himself to the hospital to see the man, and they also needed a little for food and the essentials. It took a bit of calculations and plans drafting but they were determined to make it work, and they did.

    Eden smiled. Despite their struggles and the uncertainty that their future held, a ray of hope shone through the darkness. With Elaine by his side, Eden felt like there was not a thing that couldn’t be achieved, howbeit possible.

             *****************

  Half the day in and Eden had a faint smile blooming on his lips. Today had been much better than yesterday. In every way.For one, he’d felt so much better this morning when he awoke.Secondly, he’d found menial jobs to do that would get him a little pay. It was a great accomplishment in the face of the constant disappointments he had been getting over the past few days.

   He’d done a few jobs and could even get himself a new shirt to look more presentable, with enough change left for food for himself and Elaine. The day already looked promising and he smiled, looking to the skies and praying silently that his day went even better.

 His body was taut with excitement and he could hardly wait to share the good news with Elaine. Proceeding to head back home, his thoughts spun back to the man whom he had promised to visit. He had to check in on him and also thank him for yesterday.

  He flagged down a cab—a different cab—and headed to the hospital.

    *****************

   Eden walked across the tiled floor, headed towards the familiar oak door he knew led to the man’s ward. The smell of antiseptics and drugs were stifling his senses and he scrunched up his nostrils in disgust. He hated the smell of hospitals. Not that anyone did.

  His worn boots hit the floors, making an embarrassing sound that would normally have him looking away, ashamed, but over the past few weeks, he had come to care little of what anyone thought about him. It was hard to keep up appearances when you had nothing but a worthless name.

   He checked in with the counter and he was informed that the man had not yet left, though he was fully recovered and eligible to get discharged. Eden knew better than to think the man had been waiting for him and that was why he didn’t leave.

   He was in front of the door before he knew it and he motioned to open it when he heard voices coming from within. So the man had a visitor, he thought. Not wanting to eavesdrop, he started to move away from the door but his ears perked at the sound of something strange and he leaned in even further to make sure he had heard right.

    “I could not find them anywhere, Boss. I have my men searching every nook and cranny. I will find them soon. They can’t escape from me. I swear I’ll find them.”

    Eden wondered what they were talking about and who they were speaking about.

  “Capo?’

  “Boss?”

   Eden stopped hearing at that point. He wasn’t sure he had heard right. Capo? As in the top dog of crime based—Eden’s eyes widened.  He was stunned. He didn’t know much about anything but the words and the context in which they were being used filled him with unease. He stood outside the door, heart racing faster than he could comprehend , as he tried to make sense of what he was listening to.

  He stayed perfectly still, as the men discussed and the more he heard, the more fear gripped him.

   As realization hit him, Eden’s mind was filled with a mixture of fear and disbelief. Had he unknowingly place himself in a difficult situation when he’d saved the man? What on earth had he gotten himself into? He had stumbled into the middle of a dangerous and shady operation, and he’d come face to face with a member of the mafia—or maybe he was just being paranoid.Maybe ‘capo’ was a nickname the man called his bodyguard or whoever was in there with him.

  His thoughts raced in numerous directions and he tried to figure out what to do next. He was way in over his head and he had no idea how to extricate himself from any of this.

  He turned away from the door sharply and his bag hit the door.He cussed under his breath at his clumsiness as the men paused, nothing the sudden presence at the door.