Episode 3

Chapter three

One week later.

Yes. Exactly one week it was since Brian rid himself of his good-for-nothing girlfriend who was now ex. He could now focus on his work and also got some personal space. So far, the problem was how to raise the the down payment for the surgery.

The doctors had made it clear. To pay, or to stop the treatment. No long story.

Brian poured himself some coffee and took a few bites from the sandwiches.That was his regular breakfast. He could afford to prepare it during his rush hour.

Work.

The only thing he thought about as he strolled towards the door. A work that could not afford to take care of his sick mother. Well, he had no choice because he still had to pay his bills.

Brian froze when the door swung open.

A gray-haired man with some wrinkled face came to sight. The veiny hand became more veiny when the fingers rested on the wooden door frame.

Mr Andrews. The least person Brian expected, stood with both arms resting on each side of the door frame.

No. Not the least person he expected but the person he hated the most; for the same man had come three days.

But what the hell was he doing here?

"I thought we already settled what's between us!" Brian narrowed his eyes as he spoke.

Anger. The emotion he felt at the sight of the man who had come knocking on his door at 3am in the morning.

Yes. Brian had heard a knock at that ungodly hour three days ago. And thinking it was some uninvited guest who had come to steal from him, he took the necessary precautions by grabbing his baseball bat.

But the same gray-haired who now stood before him, had appeared when Brian swung the door open.

And what did he had to say?

He had come at that ungodly hour to collect his rent.

Brian furrowed his eyebrows remembering his deprived sleep on that very day; and most importantly, how he was made to temper the money he was desperately trying to save for the hospital bills.

"There is a new development… and what's it with the face thing. Don't forget that I'm old enough to be your grandpa," Mr Andrews said.

Brian coughed out a laughter, looking puzzled.

But wait. Was that suppose to be a threat?

Oh yes. And Mr Andrews was not a man to mince his words. The sixty-five year old retired army captain was known for his harsh tone.

Brian relaxed his nerves. His face became less wrinkled and his eyebrows less furrowed. But he was still not interested in whatever trash the man had to say.

"Go on, I'm listening," said Brian.

Mr Andrews cleared his throat.

Something fishy. But Brian wasn't bothered.

"My grandson is back in town and he wants to make use of the space. I'm hoping you will make it available a week from now." Mr Andrews moved closer and whispered, " of course you can make an extra payment."

A cunning man indeed.

"What!" Brian exclaimed. The last he checked, he cleared his rent three days ago; and now, he was being asked for another payment.

Hell no.

He combed his hair a few times, looking for the right words. Brian was not the disrespectful kind of guy. He never lived with his real parents but he was well aware that the man who stood before him was old enough to be his grandpa.

He slid a key into the doorknob and twisted it a few times. And after making sure that the door was locked, he walked away.

There was somewhere he needed to be. The old man can see himself out of his porch.

Brian arrived the Saint Dominique Hospital few minutes later. He needed to see his mother, and of course the doctor before going to work.

After a few minutes of checking in, he found his way to Ward 15 where he saw a pale-skinned woman lying on a bed with some respiratory aid to the nose. Her skin was so pale that if not for the identity, Brian would not have recognize Mrs Johnson.

God has been very faithful. She was still breathing. Despite his miserable life, there was something to cheer him up.

The door swung open.

Brian jerked up and rubbed his teary eyes a few times. But the man, dressed in a white lab coat couldn't empathize with him when he said, "We are going to stop the treatment next week if we don't have the rest of the down payment."

Shock.

Even that couldn't explain what he just felt. He had made a down payment of fifty thousand dollars days ago; and now, he was being threatened.

Brian flared his eyes wide open and said, "I just paid 50k two days ago and you agree to carry on with the treatment, right?"

The doctor hung back the thermostat on his neck after checking the patients condition. "I'm sorry, there is nothing I can do. Things changed." He paused and looked at the pale woman, her chest barely making its up and down movement. "You can talk to the director, he can explain things better," explained the doctor.

Oh yes. That's exactly what he needed. How could a man who just paid fifty thousand dollars be threatened in such manner.

Brian shuffled his feet, asked for a few directions, and soon, he stood before a six feet man who sat across a wooden desk.

"I'm sorry Mr Fineman, that's just the new policy. Seventy-five percent down payment payment, or no form of treatment. It's not from me but above."

Certainly not from God, Brian concluded.

He left the office few minutes later. He was already late for work and with the look on his face and the way he walked, it leaves no room for doubt that he left the director's office more confused.

How could a fifty-thousand dollars down payment become seven-fifty over night?

Well, nobody but God could explain that to him. And at the moment, the world seemed to be against him.