The perfect job

With his thin, weak hand in her hands, Aurora shed silent tears as she watched her father sleep.

He had been lying sick on the hospital bed for over six months due to Kidney disease, and it didn’t seem like he was getting any better.

Aurora is a twenty-two year old lady, who has always been known for her strength and bravery. She graduated from business school with an excellent grade but wasn’t able to use this grade because she had to take care of her father who fell ill a month after she graduated.

She was at the coffee shop where she worked part time when she received a call from the hospital that her father had another attack and almost lost his life, which made her run down to see him.

Aurora loved her father more than anything else in the world. He was so good and sweet to her, and she wasn’t going to let him die.

After her father had his first attack and she was told he had a kidney disease, she began to work relentlessly to pay his hospital bills.

She had up to four jobs which she kept shuffling through. She hardly had time for herself.

Fortunately, she had graduated before this sad journey started. This gave her the time to work and fend for her father well.

She was the only one who catered for him, even though she had a mother, and he had a wife. She never showed true love and care for either of them.

The door to the ward where Aurora sat opened and closed, causing her to open her eyes. It was her father’s doctor.

“Doctor.” Aurora called, standing up, but still holding onto her father’s hand firmly.

“Miss Aurora. We need to talk. Let’s go to my office.” Doctor Alex responded, and she gulped hard, her heart beating very fast.

“Doctor, we can talk right here, can’t we? We are the only ones here. I don’t want to let go of his hand.” She answered in a low, sad tone, and he nodded, moving closer to her.

“Miss Aurora, I’m sorry to tell you this, but your father’s health has grown worse, and this means you’ll be spending more money than you have.” He said.

Aurora who couldn’t stop crying lowered her head on hearing this.

“What am I supposed to do now, Doctor? I’ve spent so much and worked so hard, but it isn’t working. What else would work?” She mumbled, raising her head to look at him again.

“We had to prescribe new medications for him after what happened earlier this morning, and for him to stay on this medication, it’s going to cost more. Also, this is just to see how it goes before we finally move to the next step.” He added, and she creased her brows.

“What is the next step?”

“A transplant. If this medication doesn’t help the way we hope it would, we’ll have to do a transplant. And this is going to cost you money too.”

“But… where am I going to get such an amount of money? I don’t even have a stable job yet.” Aurora cried.

She always reassured herself that everything was going to be fine, that her father was going to be well and healthy again, but it was becoming almost impossible.

Her hope was washing away faster than she could imagine.

“I’m sorry, Aurora. I wish I could help too… I’ll be in my office.” Doctor Alex answered as he walked out of the ward, leaving Aurora to her problem.

She looked at her father, still crying profusely. “What am I going to do now? I can’t take it anymore. I’m tired and weak, father. I need you to get well soon for me. Please.”

She mumbled, sitting next to him again.

Just then, someone else came in. An elderly woman.

“I heard what the doctor said.” She said, looking at Aurora.

Sniffing, she cleaned her eyes and looked at her. “I just have to work harder. I’ll look for more jobs and make more money.” She mumbled, tightening her grip on her father’s hand.

“Why do you have to do that when I have the perfect job for you. I’ve been telling you this for a while now, but you’ve refused to listen to me.” The woman added, moving closer to the bed.

“This is going to save you a whole lot of stress, Aurora. You’ll make more than what you’ll earn from six jobs. All you have to do is carry the baby for nine months! That’s all. Nothing more than that.”

Aurora kept mute as she began to think about what the woman had said. She had been thinking about this job for a while, but she wasn’t sure she had to do that to save her father.

Carrying a baby was pretty scary to her, and it all just seemed complicated and dangerous.

“Think about this well, Aurora. This is to save your father’s life. It’s worth it.”

Aurora nodded slowly, turning to look at her father’s face.

‘She’s right. This may be the only chance I get to save him. I should do this for him. I can’t turn this opportunity down anymore.’ She thought to herself.

“Okay. I’ll do it.” Aurora uttered boldly, and the woman smiled widely.

“Good of you. I’ll send you an address. You’ll go to that company and get this job.”

*

Standing in front of the company, Aurora took a deep breath before walking in. She felt very nervous but kept her cool.

She kept reminding herself that her father’s life depended on this moment, and she wasn’t going to get it wrong.

After meeting with the secretary and saying her name, the secretary immediately led her to the CEO’s office.

She knocked on the door and said; “She is here, Boss.”

She proceeded to open the door and stepped aside so that Aurora could walk in.

Her eyes scanned the large, neatly-arranged office until her eyes fell on the back of the man that stood in front of the large window.

Her heart began to pound against her chest very fast as she stared at him. He was tall and his shoulders were broad. One of his hands was in his pocket, and the other was at his side, holding onto a large tobacco.

He turned his head sideways and looked over his shoulder at her. She could see his well defined and strong-looking nose, his super sharp jawline and smooth shave through his side profile.

“Aurora.” He called, as he fully turned to look at her.

Aurora blinked severally and her heart skipped a beat as her eyes met with his. His eyes were cold, yet alluring. His face had the perfect structure, and his hair? It fit his face so perfectly.

‘He’s so handsome.’

‘Is he going to be the father of the baby?’ She wondered, before remembering he had called her name.

“Errrmm… Yes… Yes. I am Aurora.” She hastily answered, giving him a slight bow.

He stared at her until he sat across his desk. He pointed to the chairs in front of the desk, gesturing to her to sit.

Sitting down, her eyes fell on the wooden plate on his desk which had his name written boldly on it.

‘Arthur Howard.’ She thought to herself.

He picked up her file and briefly scanned through it again.

“You know why you’re here, right?” He asked, and she nodded anxiously, playing with her fingers.

“Yes.”

“Great. There’s no need to waste anymore time. Tell me, do you have a lineage or family disease?” He asked, and she furrowed her brows and shook her head.

“No, not any I’m aware of.” She answered.

“Good. I don’t want the life of my baby to be put at risk.” He answered, looking away.

‘He’s going to be the father! Oh my…’ She thought, as she watched him reach for a paper.

“Here. This is the contract.” He said, stretching forth the paper to her. She took it and began to read.

“Before you sign it. I have my terms and conditions, but I’ll go on with the most important on the list.” He added, and she looked at him, waiting for him to say it.

“Okay?”

“During the nine months of pregnancy, you’ll be locked up in my house. No going out at all.”

“Wha… what?!”

“Shhh… Let me finish.”