Lonely

Five Years Later

“Mom, I want a car toy also! Skyler is making us jealous! He wouldn’t let us play with it,” Scott yelled as he and Skyler threw deadly glance at each other. “Look at the way he is glaring at me, mummy, your son is so selfish,”He added and Skyler pouted at him in a mocking way.

“Stop doing the obvious, Scott, I won this toy at our school’s prize day and you won a big textbook! Scarlett, isn’t that right?” He asked now facing their sister, who was laughing at the whole drama.

Scarlett laughed and shrugs, “If I support one of you, you will fight me so, I don’t know, both of you won’t stop fighting even if I choose one, what’s the point? Continue boys, I’m loving it,” Scarlett said sarcastically while the both of them rolled their eyes at her.

“You’re just adding salt to it! He’s always looking for my trouble, he’s the one that starts the fight,” Skyler snapped.

Scott scoffed, “Then Stop getting on my toes! Mommy, tell us who always start the fight? I or Skyler?” Scott asked staring at her mom with his brown eyes, Skyler and Scarlett also stare at her expecting an answer.

Rina has been listening to their rants since, she’s been smiling all long as she watch her five year old triplet argue amidst one and another, “Both of you,” she dropped the knife she was using to slice, bent over to their level. “You’re all at fault,”She added.

“You all should love each other,” She told them giving all of them a soft pat on their blonde hair “Hope you won’t fight anymore?” She asked and the three of them nod.

“Now apologize to each other, Scarlett you go first,” She instructed and the little girl pout.

“Why me mummy? I wasn’t the one that start the fight,” She mumbled.

“I want you to be the first to apologize because, you mislead them. You shouldn’t have said they should continue their fight, you should have corrected them. Now, apologize,”

The little girl pouted and face her two brothers, “I’m sorry,” she apologized and that made Adrianna smile.

She faced the two stubborn boys, their face fell. “You should know what to do next?” She asked and the two boys nod, “Apologize,”

“I’m sorry, Scott.”

“I’m sorry, Sky,”

The three of the hug each other, “we are sorry, mummy,” They all chorused.

Rina smiled and went back to the breakfast she was making.

“Mommy? When will daddy come back?” Scarlett asked and that sounded like getting hit by a truck to Rina

This is the question she’s been avoiding, “Oh, he will be back soon,” She lied and sweat formed on her forehead.

“We want to see daddy too, what does daddy look like? Is he like us? Does he have blonde hair like us?” Skyler chip in making the knife on her hand slip off.

“Kids,” Hilda’s voice interrupted them diverting the kid’s attention to her, “look what I got you guys!!” She screamed bringing out the toys she got them and they left Adrianna to take the toys happily.

“Grandma!” They all chorused happily.

“Go on, go and play with them,” She urge them and the kids went ahead sharing the toys among themselves.

Hilda breathed in and made sure they were out of sight before she move closer to Rina . “Don’t you think you should at least let me know who their father?” She asked while Rina pick the knife that fell.

“I..don’t know, I…I stupidly gave my body to a stranger, I…” Rina couldn’t finish her statement as tears clouded her eyes. Hilda pulled into a warm hug.

“It’s okay, don’t cry…” Hilda soothe her. “I understand you, everything has reason why it happened.”

Shortly, they pulled away from the hug and Rina eyes fell on the bag with Hilda. “Are you going somewhere?” She asked.

Hilda nod, “I want to deliver these fishes to people outside the town, i will get back soon,” She said.

“So, you won’t be joining us for breakfast?” Rina asked with a pout

“Yeah, you can microwave it I will eat when I get back, Take care of the kids, bye!” With that she left.

** ** **

*Marketplace*

“Sell the fish for me at lower prices, I want to buy many from you,”

“The price has been fixed ma’am, I can’t take it lower than that, you’re one of my great customer and without you, I would have gone into bankruptcy and I believe have reduced the prices well enough, please buy from me,” Rina persuaded her customer and the woman standing at her front nod.

“Alright, bring it,” The woman finally said and that made Rina beam. “I didn’t see the triplet here? Where are they? It’s fun to see them around,” The woman added while Adrianna smiled.

“They’be gone to play at their friend’s house,” She said packing the goods of the woman into a big nylon. Then her phone came ringing from her apron, “who could it be?” she wondered but that didn’t stop her from what she was doing.

“Here, Thank you,”She gave the woman her goods then went back to her phone, she pull it out from the front pocket and look at the caller, “Grandma?” She asked no one in particular and pick up immediately.

“Yes, Grandma?” She called but the voice she heard from the other line wasn’t that of Hilda’s, that got her worried. “Who’s talking please? Why are you with Grandma’s phone?” She asked worriedly.

“I’m calling from Santos hospital,” The person from the other line replied, Rina sprang up in her feet with a narrowed eyes.

“Hospital? Why the hospital?”

“The owner of this phone met with an accident this afternoon but has been rushed to the near hospital which is the town hospital—“ The man speaking didn’t get to finish what he was saying when Rina hang up, take off her apron not minding the way she stinks of fish, she ran off to take a cab.

(*Santos Hospital*)

Rina ran to the nurses at the reception like a crazy woman, sweat formed on her forehead and prayed nothing happens to Hilda, “Mrs. Hilda James please,”

“Oh, Are you a relative?” The nurse asked checking some paper and Rina nod. “She’s in the theatre room, she’s undergoing a surgery, you can wait please,” The nurse added and Adrianna fell back onto the seat close.

She rub her sweaty palm against each other, “Good God, please let Grandma survive,” She silently prayed.

Some minutes later, The doctors walked out of the theatre room, Rina rushed to them, “How’s she?” She asked and the doctor gave her ‘Who are you’ look which she understood instantly.

“I’m a relative to Hilda James, please tell me how she’s doing now? Please tell me she’s okay,” Rina questioned and the doctor breathed in.

“I can’t tell you she’s okay now but the surgery went well and she’s been moved to a ward, she’s breathing with oxygen,” The doctor explained and Rina tears dropped.

“Can I see her please?” She asked and the doctor nod, “where is her ward?”

“The last ward by the right.”

“Thank you,” She muttered and with that she hurriedly went to the ward. She opened the door quietly and walked in, more tears dropped as she see the oxygen placed on her nose to breathe. “I’m sorry grandma, I shouldn’t have let you go by yourself,” She apologized then took Hilda’s hand.

“You have to wake up, you’re the only family I have.”

Then suddenly her hand moved, she slowly opened her eyes and it landed on Rina, she smiled.

“Oh, Grandma!” Rina called happily, “are you okay? Do you feel any pain?“ she asked and Hilda smiled.

She removed the oxygen from her mouth so she could talk, “T-take care of the….triplet, remember they are all you’ve got,” She whisper softly and tear rolled out of her eyes.

“Grandma, you’re all I have got too, we will both take care of the kids so get well—“ Her statement was cut off when the hospital monitor machine started to beep. Her heart status on the machine drew a parallel line and it was at 0%.

“G-grandma? No, Not now! Grandma! Don’t die on me, Grandma!” Rina yelled as her tears flow down to her cheek like a running tap. “Doctors!” She called out.

The doctor in charge ran in and check her pulse but he couldn’t feel it, his face dropped. “Time of death: 4:30 pm, 23rd of June 2020. Mrs. Hilda James is dead,” He announced and Rina fell from her seat crying.

A month Later

“I’m sorry Ms. Rina but you have to pay the debt or you move out, Mrs Hilda has been owing the bank for the past 6months and we have no option but to seize this house,” The staff from the bank said to Rina, this caught her off guard.

When did Hilda borrow money? Why does this has to pop out when she died?

“Since this is a quick notice, we will give you one week to decide on what to do, have a nice day.” With that they left.

Rina went back in and she couldn’t control the tears popping out of her eyes, her triplet stopped attending school when she couldn’t pay the school fees, Her fish business crumbled when Hilda died.

“Mummy? Are we going to be homeless?” One if her triplet asked but she found nothing to tell her kid. It was lonely and sad.