Immediately after the doctor came out of the waiting room, and Niko and Adam ran to his side to make inquiries about his health. As usual, he had a negative reply, so they weren't surprised. Raymond was staring into space when his friends joined him. No one said a word to him at first, but when Adam could not contain his anger, he balled his palm into a fist before sending it into the soft bed. “I was already done before it happened,” Raymond said. “If you had taken a break when I asked you to, this wouldn't have happened. Having less than a year left doesn't mean you should try to shorten it” Adam scowled. “I need to achieve my goals before then…” Niko did not allow him to complete his words before he cut in. “Adam is right. Overworking yourself is going to endanger your health the more” “Okay,” Raymond replied to put an end to their advice. If he allowed them to have their way, they wouldn't stop talking. The ward was silent for a while as each one had separate thoug
Immediately the clock chimed 4 am, Raymond sat up in his bed. For more than ten years now, he had been waking up by 4 am each day. His body was now used to the timing that even if he didn't set an alarm, he would be awake by 4 am. He climbed out of bed, then walked straight into the bathroom to wash his sleepy face before he commenced work for the day. When he was done, he returned to his room and did some stretches before settling on his laptop, which was on his desk. Since he skipped work the previous day, he had an extra workload, so he felt that to accomplish his day's goal, he needed to start earlier. He ought to meditate for thirty minutes, but since he didn't do a thing the previous day, he had to skip that daily ritual. For more than three hours, his eyes were fixed on his screen as he went through business proposals, deals, and deadlines that he had to beat. He only realized the time had gone far when his phone began to buzz. It was Niko on the line. “Hey,”
At school, Julia refused to speak to anyone, not to talk of engage in class discussion. She was in her world thinking of the topmost issue on her mind. Ever since Raymond slumped at work due to his boss overworking him, that was two months ago, Julia had been mapping out ways how to get him out of his workplace. She wanted him to work somewhere that his health issue would be placed into consideration and not the other way around. If anything happens to him, the company he works for would only send a condolence letter and some amount of money, and that was all. Julia didn't want that to happen. Even if he had barely a year to live, she didn't want his workplace to fast-forward his death. Unknowingly to him, she had visited several companies and firms to seek a good job for him but had found none. All seemed stressful to her and hence was not different from his former work. The previous night, when he had returned late from work, she tried to speak to him but when she
With a racing heart, Julia got into the cab she had flagged down. Raymond was at work; hence there was no point telling him her whereabouts, in fact, that was a bonus because she didn't want him to know what she was up to. She was going to be snappy with the conversation with her father so that she would return before he did. To keep her mind alert, she began to think about the kind of job Raymond engages in. “What kind of job requires a man to wear tuxedos and blazers every day? Receptionist, PA, Banker, Doctor…” she thought When she couldn't take it anymore, she said, “What if he's just dressing that way so that he won't be mocked by his peers and most, especially my family? Who knows if he is a mechanic or a bricklayer?” She scoffed as she snapped her fingers in anger. “Are you speaking to me?” The driver asked as he peered at the rear mirror. “I didn't pay for a ride to engage you in a conversation” she retorted angrily The driver just sighed, then returned his gaze
The footsteps ceased seconds later and the owner cleared his throat. Recognizing her father's voice, she relaxed, then released the breath she had been holding. A few seconds later, she began to hear another footstep, thinking it was Stella, she hissed but to her charging, it was her mom. “I'm sorry for keeping you waiting. I had a business deal to wrap” her father said as he helped his wife to sit before taking the spot beside her. “It's okay” Julia replied monotone She wished it were only her father who was in the living room with her because she feared her mom would pose a challenge to her. “I got worried when you said you wanted to see me last night, is everything alright?” Her father asked. “Yes father…” she was still speaking when her mom cut in “Then why did you text him? You are married now and so you have to express your worries to your husband and not your father” Swallowing her spittle, Julia propped herself up and maintained strong eye contact with her. If
For the next five minutes or so, Raymond was looking around her room hoping to see a clue to her whereabouts, but he found none. He was in dire need of the same piece of paper carrying a message about her whereabouts to be attached. somewhere in her room. Slipping his phone from his pocket, he checked his message box to see if he had missed her text. “What's going on?” He muttered as he ran his eyes through the room once more. Dejected, he returned to the kitchen to have his meal. As he ate, he was wondering where she must have gone. They were not really close, but he felt he had the right to know her whereabouts, moreover they were couple. After picking his food, he was able to finish eating about thirty minutes later. As he washed the bowl he had used, he began to wonder where she must have gone and haven't returned. When he was done, he wiped his hand on the napkin before picking up his phone that was lying on the island table. During the day, Raymond had formed t
Julia looked on as her family made a mockery of her. For the hundredth time, she reviewed her words in her head to be certain she hadn't said anything funny, and it turns out she hadn't done that. “Is it because I challenged them, and now they are mocking me because I still went on my knees to beg them?” She wondered as she glared at the trio. The laughter was soul-piercing. Walking out of them was the next option, but she stayed put. She had to endure it for the sake of her husband and nothing else. “I hope they give me what I want after their laughter,” she muttered, casting them a glance. All she wanted was for Raymond should be given a job in the family company. She couldn't bear the thought of having him work his butt off in a ghost company. She just wanted a chance for her husband and as a result, she endured everything that was happening. “Did you see any vacant posts on the website?” Stella was the first to speak as she ran her eyes through Julia's figure. “
The only person who seemed to be unaffected by his presence was Julia. She was just staring at him as if he were a new toy she wanted to acquire from the mall. After allowing him to torment her family with his presence for more than ten minutes, she grabbed her purse and phone, then walked across the room. Everyone used their eyes to follow her until she came to a halt right in front of Raymond. She engaged him in an eye contest before grabbing his hand, then led him out of the living room. Stella was the first to release the breath, she had been holding. With her heart in her mouth, she rose as she stared at her mom, who was visibly shaken by Raymond's appearance. She looked in her father's direction and it was still the same thing. “What just happened?” She asked no one in particular with her fingers pointed at the door which they had walked out from. “I'm still confused here. Did he eavesdrop on our conversation?” Mr. Brooks asked. “Of course he did. When he got tired,