chapter 2

Chapter 2

Margaret left minutes after Sol arrived. Sol cradled Janette in his ample arms, throwing her on the couch, kissing and nibbling on her naked neck down to her shoulder. Janette giggled at every touch; she tried to stop him using her hands, but she was clearly enjoying his delicate lips on her body as she continue to moan.

“Sol stop please. My sister can hear us.” She moaned, pulling Sol away from her body;

He moved back a little and glanced at her. “Didn’t ya say nobody will be at home?”

“Well, I said my parents, not my sister.” She muttered and tilted her head to the side, looking at the TV.

“Lemme just kiss you, no funny play I promise.” Janette sighed but said nothing. She laid down on the couch and Sol took the opportunity to lie between her legs with his head on her chest.

“What did ya order?”

“Pizza pie and your favorite ice cream.” Janette’s eyes beamed with excitement. She gently pushed Sol away and reached for the bag on the table.

“Goodness, ya bought me chocolate ice cream. Ya are a darling.” She said and moved her lips to his cheeks, but Sol was quick to turn his head and their lips met. He nibbled on her lips, giving it a soft bit, but Janette nuzzled away, smiling at him apologetically.

“You are no fun.” He said almost above a whisper and picked the remote from the table;

Janette turned to look at him as she chew gracefully on her pizza. “Hey don’t change that.” She reached for the remote in his hand, but Sol quickly raised his hand.

“If I can’t touch you, at least let me watch what I like.”

“Fine!” she said and went back to eating her pizza.

Following the next day, Saturday, Janette had no reason to wake up early but her mother couldn’t stop screaming and yelling for her to come down and help her at the restaurant. After the invisible whooping and hollering Janette meticulously climbed out of bed and went straight to the bathroom, few minutes later she came out and changed her nightie, picked her phone on the nightstand before dashing out of her room shutting the door with a thumping sound.

“thank you for finally gracing us with your presence,” her mother said sarcastically, picking her bag from the kitchen table.

“Good morning to ya too, mum; can I at least eat something before we go?” Sandra looked at her daughter disappointedly, shaking her head.

“Why didn’t you wake up on time like your sister?” she turned to Michelle by the freezer; “Michelle let’s go. Your sister will meet us at the restaurant.”

“How am I s’pose to get to the restaurant?” Janette asked solemnly, shoving a slice of pancake in her mouth.

“Ya are twenty-one Jan, you can find your way to the restaurant without me having a heart attack, worrying about you.”

“You are such a caring mum,” Janette yelled as Sandra and Michelle walked out of the kitchen. Shoving more pancakes in her mouth, Janette picked the cup of hot tea and ran out of the house to meet her mother and Michelle, who were already seated inside the car.

The three women settled in a paused silent and Michelle suddenly asked; “where’s dad?” breaking the awkward silent. Sandra looked at her through the front mirror with her hands on the car wheel.

“Your dad went out to see someone.” She said briefly and then tilted her head, glancing at Janette for a second; “are you okay? Ya seemed awfully quiet today. Janette mutely nodded her head, looking faraway like someone in deep thought. “Are you sure? Ya can go back home if you are feeling sick.” She said with concern.

“I’m fine mum, who did dad go to meet?” She remembered Jackson telling her to asked her parents about him, and her dad went out to see someone whom her mother refused to disclose his name, Janette knew her father doesn’t have any friend, the only friend he once had was his colleague at work but since he lost his job, the man stopped visiting or talking to him.

“A friend, ya will get to meet him soon.” Her mother whispered. Janette pondered why her mother said that. Perhaps is not what she’s thinking. The rest of the drive was in silent as Janette's thought lingered on her dad and his new friend.

“Give me a plate of macaroni and coffee with no sugar.” The old woman told Janette. Janette nodded her head and turned to the old woman, smiling down at her with her notebook and pen clutched in her hands.

“What should I get ya, ma’am?” The sixty old woman cleared her throat looking at the old man, and Janette presumed they are husband and wife from the look in the old woman's eyes, she could imagine her and Sol looking at each other like that as they stare at the night sky with beautiful stars in their beach house, Janette chuckled at the mere thought of it.

“Make it two please,” Janette nodded and turned to leave, but the old man stopped her; “remember no sugar.”

“Yes sir, no sugar.” he nodded his head in dismissal and Janette walked away.

The day was going well for Janette at the restaurant until Michelle slumped on the ground behind the counter. Sandra ran out of the kitchen the moment Janette told her the sad news. Her feet hit the ground and her heart beat faster against her chest, with tears running down to her cheeks.

“Michelle, wake up. Can we hear me?” She took her head, placing it on her laps, shaking her body vigorously. When she realized that Michelle wasn’t about to wake up anytime soon, she moved her head to the side, glancing at Janette, who looked extremely worried; “please call the ambulance, call the ambulance.” She yelled;

“I can drive you to the hospital, ma’am,” one of the customer said, reaching for his car key in his pocket.

“Oh my God, thank you, thank you so much.” The young man cradled Michelle in his arms and effortlessly walked down to his car, his Sandra and Janette following closely behind.

“Jan. I need you to go back and closed the restaurant,” she fumbled for her car key inside her bag and gave it to Janette. “Ya can drive to the hospital immediately after you finish closing the shop.” Janette mutely nodded, too scared to speak as the fear of seeing her sister on the ground gripped her.

Michelle was rushed into an emergency room the minute she was taken to the hospital. Sandra kept pacing around the waiting room in panic. She’d momentarily forgot to thank the young man that drove them to the hospital;

“Mum, any news from the doctor yet?” Sandra swiftly turned to look at Janette. She’d scarcely noticed her coming.

“No, not yet; I just pray your sister will be fine.”

“She’ll be fine, mum,” Janette said solemnly, like she was trying to convince herself. “Have ya called Dad?” Sandra shook her head and foraged through her handbag in search of her phone.

“I forgot to call him,” Janette watched as Sandra dialed Johnson’s number with trembling hands and took it to her right ear;

“Calm down mum, Michelle will be fine,” she retorted, reaching for her mother’s bag; Janette slowly walked over to one of the hospital chairs by the side and settled down with her back testing on the white wall. She prayed silently for her sister as her mother speaks on the phone with her father.

“Excuse me, Mrs...” The doctor in a white lab coat touched Sandra on her shoulder. She looked over her shoulder and saw that it was the doctor. The frown on her face deepened.

“Johnson, my name is Mrs. Johnson; doctor, how’s my daughter?” Janette, upon seeing the doctor talking to her mother, swiftly stood up and went to stand beside her mother.

“Please, ma’am, I’ll need you to calm down. Your daughter will be fine by the grace of God.” His eyes moved from face to face as he speaks to the two women. “We’re still carrying out testes, to know exactly what is wrong with her.”

“Good doctor, please do everything you can to save my daughter.”

“Can we see her doctor...” Janette muttered, glancing at his name tag. “Fred?”

“Perhaps later, like I said, we’re still running some testes, please excuse me.” Janette pet her mother on her back and went back to her seat. Sandra glanced at the empty seat beside Janette and went to seat on it.

“Is dad coming?”

“Yes, he’s on his way already.” Janette nodded, and they sat in silent with their whirling thoughts.

Johnson strode into the hospital and followed the path leading to the waiting room, only to see Sandra sitting with her back leaning on the wall and her eyes closed. He looked down at her tired figure and sighed heavily. Johnson quietly sat down beside her with a faraway look on his face; Sandra slowly steered. She used the back of her hand to clean her eyes and then turned to look at him.

“Oh dear, you are here already. Why didn’t you wake me?” Johnson reached out for her hand on her thigh, placing a soft kiss on it.

“I don’t want to wake you up. You seemed awfully tired.” Sandra nodded her head in agreement and then leaned on his shoulder. They settled in silent for a few seconds before Johnson asked; “what happened?”

“I don’t know John... she was at the counter attending to customers when she suddenly slump on the ground.”

“I see, so what are they doctor saying?”

“The are running testes to know exactly what is wrong with her, but he assured us that she’ll be fine.” Sandra explained meekly, with her head still resting on his shoulder. After a moment of silence, Sandra raised her head and turned to face him; “have you finished signing the papers?”

Johnson slowly nodded his head; “I signed all the papers. All that's left now is for Janette to sign the papers for the marriage contract.”

“Do you think she’ll agree to sign them?”

“Well, she has no choice but to sign them. He had transferred half of the cash, which I sent it to my new business client before you called.” Sandra frowned, looking at Johnson.

“Why half?” She asked that was gnawing in her mind.

“He said until Janette sign the papers; we can’t get the remaining half.” Sandra nodding in understanding.

“What papers are ya talking about, dad?” Janette asked as she walked closer to her parents with a bag of food clutched in her hand. Johnson tilted his head and glanced at Sandra. they looked at each other and then back to Janette.

“Jan can we...”

“Mrs Johnson, oh Mr Johnson, you are here, please. Can I see ya two in my office for a moment?” Johnson secretly thanked the doctor for the sudden interruption. Janette watched confusingly as her parents walked away with the doctor. Glancing at the food bag in her hand, she hissed, dropping it on the chair. She’d suddenly lost her appetite.

“Please have a seat,” doctor Frederic offered them a seat and walked across the office table, settling down on his chair.

“Doctor please, what is wrong with our daughter?” Johnson spoke after making himself comfortable on one of the visitors’ seat with his hands resting on the table.

Doctor Frederic looked at the couple sitting before him and sighed. He passed his hand over his forehead, giving it a gentle massage; then he said; “Mr Johnson, your daughter has intrinsic acute kidney failure.”

Sandra looked at doctor Frederic with a twinge of concern. “What does that even mean?”

“It means that your daughter’s kidney is damaged, which means it can’t function anymore.”

Tears swiftly rolled down from her eyes; Michelle is just seventeen. She pondered how possible for her to have such terrible sickness at her age. “S-she’s going to be fine, right?” She used the back of her hand to wipe away the tears in her eyes.

“Well hopefully,”

“What is the way forward now, doctor?” Johnson spoke for the first time since doctor Frederic broke the news to them.

“Ah... we have to identify and correct the cause of the kidney injury; and we have to do that as fast as possible, but... it will cost you quiet a fortune.”