Worth it ?!

My eyes flung open wider as I sat up on the chair, my hands unconsciously reached for my eyes and I rubbed it slowly, I peered back into my phone partially expecting that it was just an hallucination, maybe I prayed too much for a miracle and now I’m starting to see things, my gaze hit my phone again and the message was still there, as boldly as ever.

Without trying to draw my dad’s attention, I gently stood up from the chair and made my way outside, where exactly could this message come from, I haven’t told anyone of our desperate need for money asides Peter and Angela, or could it be one of them?! I couldn’t help but think of the possibility but I discarded it almost immediately, with what I saw and heard earlier, they definitely can’t be the one to help.

As I made the way down the stairs, the more I thought about the text, the more baffled I became, why would a stranger want to help me in return for marriage, why me?! I know it’s common practice among rich people to find people who are really desperate and use them for their selfish interest, but still why me?!

Immediately I stepped out of the hospital building, I turned around and looked upstairs, I’ve spent the past two months of my life going in and out of this building and as it is already I’m very tired of it, so I decided to take the bull by the horn, come what may, I don’t think I have enough emotions in me to care anymore.

I took out my phone and dialed the unknown number, I slowly placed it on my ear and waited for whoever it was to answer it, the ringing ended unanswered, I exhaled deeply and dialed it again, just as it began to ring on my own end, the phone beeped signalling the entry of a message.

-“I just need you to text yes or no if you’re interested, Should you agree I’ll settle the hospital bill immediately and we can meet to discuss subsequently, and should you not, have a nice life!”-

The text read, ignoring the obvious cold and hard tone of the text I wasted no time in replying with a yes in capital letters.

I waited few more minutes for a reply but I didn’t get any, I exhaled deeply, maybe someone was just pulling my legs, I turned around with slumped shoulders and began walking back into the hospital, so much for raising my hopes up.

As I approached the waiting room, I contemplated in my heart whether or not to tell my dad about the text I just got, I decided to just wait, if he texts me back to ask for the hospital’s payment details maybe then I can tell him about it, but for now I do not want to raise his hopes on nothing.

As soon as I stepped into the waiting room, I looked around for him but he wasn’t any where there, my brows furrowed as I walked fully into the waiting room, my eyes scanning the faces seated there, but he wasn’t there, just as I turned around to walk out of the room, my dad rushed in and grabbed me by my shoulders.

“Where have you been Janelle, God has done it!” He squealed like a child who had just been given a piece of candy as he shook my shoulders rigorously , my movement stilled, only involuntarily moving in resonance with his push.

“Your mother’s hospital bills had been anonymously cleared, I just left the doctor’s office to sign the papers, the surgery will commence with immediate effect!” He further explained,

Anonymous?!, And for the first time in the last two months I saw color return to his face, the corner of his eyes wrinkled as a result of genuine smile, he stepped forward and pulled me into a tight hug, his hands tightly wrapped around my back, my phone dinged in my hands and I turned it and peered into it, it was a message from the unknown number.

-“Settled. Honors Diner, twelve O’clock , don’t waste my time,”-

Tears dropped down my face as I turned off my phone screen and slowly raised my hands to the crook of his neck, hugging him tightly in return and just releasing myself into his grip, more tears began to roll down my face in quick sucesssion.

“Finally!” Was the only thought that could run through my head right now, moments passed and my dad finally let go of me, he peered into my eyes and I could see how happy he felt just by looking at him.

“Who could have done this for us,” he said his voice almost breaking, I sniffled in deeply wiping my face dry, seeing how happy and relieved he felt, I decided not to burden him with my decision to marry a stranger, if at all he should worry about anything now, it should be about reviving his business, not me.

I slowly reached out and placed my hands on his arm caressing it slowly.

“It’s anonymous right?! I guess we’ll never find out!” I muttered in reply.

*****

-“Settled. Honors Diner, twelve O’clock , don’t waste my time,,”-

I kept on reading the text over and over again, it was half past three midnight and I couldn’t sleep a wink. I can’t help but think and worry how my life would be going forward, did I make the right decision saying yes?! Am I getting into a big mistake?! My eyes slowly rolled over to my mom where the laid, the surgery had been completed about two hours ago, the doctor says she’s resting now and should be up by tomorrow, I looked over at my dad who was sleeping hunched over the desk at the other side of the room and I shook my head slowly, No, this was the best decision I made for my family.

I couldn’t take my eyes off his sleeping form as I tried to imagine his reaction when I tell him in getting married, out of the blues.

I turned my phone off and slowly placed it in my back pocket, since I can’t get any sleep I decided to go down for fresh air.

Even at this delicate time of the day, the hospital was still buzzing with different activities, I slowly made my way downstairs and out of the hospital building, immediately I got downstairs I placed my hands in my back pocket and slowly lifted my gaze to the sky, I inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, I should feel relieved but I do not, it seemed like I got of out one issue to come into another, perhaps the reason I couldn’t bring myself to sleep was because I feel extremely nervous about tomorrow.

I made to step forward a little bit, I felt my body hit a hard structure unexpectedly and I found myself falling to the floor.

Just as my body hit the cold floor, I hissed in pain as I slowly looked up at who I just hit, his hands was folded across his chest as he stared down at me fall, not a single word coming out of his mouth.

“Are you for real right now?!” I muttered at loss of what to say from his nonchalant behavior, he slowly unfolded his hands and stretched them out to me, I rolled my eyes to the back of my head but I took it regardless, just as I applied effort to stand to my feet, he slowly bent towards me and whispered.

“Next time don’t walk about looking into the sky,” and with that he let go of my hands and I fell right back on the floor, my mouth dropped open as I cursed internally from the pain I felt on my butt as I watched him dust his hands and make his way into the hospital.