The good,The bad and The True

JoJo held unto me,I was devastated,and heartbroken,the doctors had been in there for about an hour,my palm was sweaty,and I was short of breath.

That always happened to me anytime I got nervous or scared,which rarely happens,and when it does it is severe.

"True are you alright..."JoJo was saying,his voice becoming faint,I desperately watched the shadows of the people inside trying to catch my breath,and before I  knew it,I passed out.

*******

My vision was blurred, I tried to make out my surroundings,and get a hold of myself.

The bed was soft,too soft to be my bed,my guess was right,I was in the hospital.

I hated being admitted,I wonder why I was placed in here,I scratched the back of my head,drowsy.

I gently got out of bed, the bright light of the room,wasn't helping,luckily I found the drapes and drew the curtains,the fabric of the curtain was soft.

I pulled out the drip,but as if on cue, nurse Fumi came in,holding a folder.

"How are you feeling True?"she asked,gesturing me to sit,but I was fine.

"A little shitty, I think am having a migraine"I pointed out,my hand at the back of my head.

She had a look,and I could read it,"what?"I asked,she looked away,and read through the folders.

"I'll try my best and walk you through the situation"Nurse Fumi said,and I nodded,she made me sit,and I felt like someone died.

"There's no easy way to say this, you passed out,and went through a temporary memory loss,nothing serious,I think you know that already"she said.

I nodded,I had told her about it,a while back when we first met.

I knew she was aiming at something,and I let her proceed.

"It's Johnny..."

"What's wrong with grandad?"I immediately asked,my head aching,and that's when a flashback hit me.

The hysteria,I was relieving it all over again,the faint voices of the nurses,it just occurred to me what took place.

"He's not doing so good,he isn't going to be as lucky as we thought,and his treatment was going so well...there is just not a good way to tell you this"

"Did he..."

"He barely has three months left True"

A tear fell from her left eye,she wiped it off,then faced me,putting up a front.

My grandad was a joker,a fun guy,who was always himself,he knew how to light up a place. He loved life,he loved living it,why wasn't it me instead!

While my mind was racing with thoughts,Nurse Fumi spoke up,clearing her throat.

"He needs support,and patience right now,he needs you to be there for him. It isn't easy living when you know you're about to die any time soon"Nurse Fumi said,and waited for me to say something,but I just couldn't,not yet.

"True,isolating yourself from reality won't help you,that friend of yours and definitely not Johnny"Nurse Fumi said,in a bid to make me speak up,but I couldn't,I had nothing to say to her.

"That man wants to see you! It's night,he's waiting for you! All day he was bothered about you!"

"Hell! He tried to drag himself here twice today,we had to Inject him with some more sleeping pills"

I was still cold.

"There isn't a time he's not talking about you,you're all he ever talks about,and you're not even gonna take out time to go see him?"

"Where am from,that's disrespect,and just plain wrong True!"

"Fine, stubborn boys like you don't deserve a kind of man like Johnny"she said and walked away from the room,not without passing me a sorry stare,and letting out a heavy sigh.

*******

"Take me home"I said,the taxi driver was expressionless,"where is that sir?"he asked,and I was at a loss for words.

"Just drive"I said,and he complied.

"You know,the one person we can relate our problems and joy to is the driver"

That was what grandad once said,and all through that week he couldn't stop being so chatty with the taxi drivers.

Maybe because he was a driver,maybe that's where that perspective came from,he must have heard plenty.

"Sir, It seems like someone you love just passed away"The driver said,penetrating my thoughts.

I remained silent.

"It's a new year sir,you have to start it off with a smile if you want the year to end with a smile"

"What if there's no reason to smile?"I found myself asking.

I preferred to reserve myself,keep parts of me all to myself,some parts I would never reveal.

"I've been there,there must always be at most half a reason to smile"he said.

"What if the pain is just unbearable!"

"Then how are you still breathing?"the driver asked,and took a turn,we were on the bridge,and I watched the people in the cars,that night.

"Sir,don't you see all these people,they are all smiling,sure they have problems,but everyone knows that a new year is the mark of a new beginning"The driver said.

"Life won't ever get easy sir,and that's what I always tell myself,I pull through,no matter what"

It was odd that this was coming from a taxi driver.

"Everyone has their weakest moments"

"But pulling out of them is what makes us strong?"

"No,facing them,and running toward them makes us strong,living with those moments,letting them become a part of us, shapes us into who we become"

"Am gonna lose my loved one in a short span of time"I confessed.

"Am sorry to hear that"he said,and we were at a hold up of cars and vehicles.

"Then why are you here?"the driver asked, throwing me off balance for a brief second.

"You only have a little amount of time,you have to hold them,really tight,and stare at them so close,so they won't get away. Then you tell them,that they aren't going to leave you just like that,you make them happy,happy that they leave this world smiling,not sober"

I sighed.

"You're scared"

"Pardon?"

"You're not just scared of your loved one dying, you're scared that you won't be able to move on"

"I have to go"I said,and pulled out some cash from my back pocket.

"Thank you"the driver said,and I got out,my mind a mess,"hey! Sir?!"

I turned back,"Happy New year!"the driver yelled,and all the other drivers on the road yelled a happy New year,I wasn't sure it was to me. To me,they just wished everyone on the street.

I ran,I didn't know where,but I just kept on running,we weren't too far from the hospital,I ran all the way back,my chest pounding,hoping that I wasn't too late.

Wild thoughts wandered about my head,I didn't want to admit it that he would go,I just want things to go back to how they were,but that was impossible.

*******

I arrived,running through the lobby,through the hall,into the elevator,inside I caught my breath.

I took out my phone,three missed calls from JoJo,and a text,I didn't have the courage to go through it.

*Ding*

I put my hands in my pockets and stood in front of his room,I contemplated whether to go in or not,then I heard a voice.

"He's on his way JoJo...(cough),my grandson True..."

"Is a chip off the old block!"All the people in his room chorused,and it placed a smile on my lips.

"Johnny,he left already"Nurse Fumi said,"to get me a get well soon present."grandad defended.

"You're too much Johnny,when are you gonna give it up?"A woman asked.

"You all won't get it,you don't know True like I do,he's a true gem, he'd never break my heart like that. He knows when to keep fighting and when never to give up on something,he's the one I owe my life to"Grandad said.

"He isn't picking up,maybe he went home to go shower"JoJo said,in my favour.

"True has been through so much,he's tougher than you all think, that's why he's a..."

"Chip off the old block!"they all said,and the tears that had welled up in True's eyes dried up.

He was hesitant about pushing the door,he felt awful,Nurse Fumi was right he deserved more,more than he got.

"I know my boy,he's coming,you all wait and see,maybe he'll even bring me a surprise"

That was it.

I pushed the door and walked inside,all eyes turned to my direction,Nurse Fumi had a ray of hope in her eyes.

The other people were all busy taking in my features,I saw a sign of relief from JoJo.

Then grandad,he looked at me,and I stared back at him.

"Happy New year grandad"I managed to say,he smiled,and started laughing.

"I told you all he'd come,he...."he left his sentence hanging,he had his hand to his chest,Nurse Fumi quickly got him a glass of water and helped him.

"There,don't say too much,we've all learned our lesson,True is the best"Nurse Fumi said,while laying him to rest.

"Don't any of you ever forget"he said,while laying down flat.

"Let's all give Johnny the room,grandad pouted to see them all leave, especially the hot nurse,his age.

Nurse Fumi passed a glance at me,she was genuinely glad that I decided to come see him, especially now.

"Happy New year True"she said softly and left the room.

"Am waiting in the car"JoJo said,"Happy New year"I told him,"ditto"he said,"bye Jo my man"JoJo said and left.

Taking a seat beside him,I watched him,the man who played multiple roles in my life.

"Am so glad you're here,I hope you're alright?"

"Am good"

"Why did you leave anyways?"Grandad asked me.

And out of instincts I said...

"I had to go check up on my girlfriend..."

"Your what!"I heard,and looked behind me to see that they all hadn't left yet,and were all perched at the door, clustered together like a can of sardines.

Grandad look was priceless,Nurse Fumi was excited,and JoJo looked like he just swallowed a bug.