2 Am I Still Alive?

Marcel wiped his lips with the water flowing from the kitchen sink. Instead of being full, he was nauseous.

It wasn’t the first time Marcel had been forced to eat his wife’s family’s leftovers, but he was still getting sick of it.

If it wasn’t for the burden left behind by his parents who chose to leave without responsibility, he wouldn’t be willing to live like this.

“May I help you, Sir?” A soft female voice reached Marcel’s ears and made him turn his head.

The head waitress named Nana immediately ordered several people to remove the dirty dishes from the table and put them into the laundry. Another one was told to throw away the leftover rice and bones that were scattered on the floor.

“No need, Nana. You’ll get caught by the law ...” said Marcel, no less weakly.

“Some of the family members have returned to their rooms, while others have left by car.” Nana’s son said. “You want to eat again, I’ll prepare it ....”

“No, Eli. Thank you,” Marcel nodded as he sat in the corner with his back leaning back while the servants worked together to clean the kitchen.

Indeed, they were the only ones who respected Marcel as a son-in-law in the Delvino family home, although during the suppression, no one dared to approach him because of the risk of being fired.

As soon as he felt a little better, Marcel got up and headed for the warehouse located outside the Delvino family’s main house. He climbed the circular stairs to the basement, where there was a laboratory that had ceased to operate since his parents left without a trace.

Marcel’s memories swirled back to the time when he was forcibly picked up from his university on the grounds that his parents had left behind an agreement that stating that Marcel must be responsible for the debts left by his parents.

Since then, he has been trapped in a vicious cycle of having to marry Shirley, who doesn’t consider him at all.

The memory flashback ended when Marcel stepped on the floor that was covered in at least a centimeter of thick dust. He was already tired of cleaning the lab because his brothers-in-law often stomped their feet on purpose, causing dust to fall underneath.

“I want to end it,” Marcel muttered as he stepped closer to one of the glass cabinets that contained many abandoned test tubes.

In Marcel’s mind, all the liquids in those tubes were at least expired and could take the life of anyone who drank them.

Without thinking, Marcel opened the glass cabinet and took out a small, long tube containing an electric blue liquid.

“To my parents,” Marcel said as his final greeting. “Wherever they are.”

In one fell swoop, Marcel downed the liquid as he closed his eyes.

A second passed without any reaction.

Marcel wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, after which he placed the tube he had just taken on the table.

A few seconds later, Marcel felt an unusual sensation in his stomach. His stomach felt like a wave had broken and hit his internal organs, making Marcel clutch his stomach tightly, after which he collapsed on the dirty floor with something that seemed to bite every inch of his skin.

Marcel made strange noises from his throat, he still thought that it was the sound of his life when he was forced to leave his unstable body.

Dad, mum, goodbye. You will never see me again, Marcel said silently before closing his eyes as his body lay on the floor.

“Is that fool still alive?”

“Shut up, Ciko!”

“All this is because of you, I told you not to play gangsters!”

“You shut up, boy... didn’t the doctor say he was just poisoned?”

Marcel heard the faint sound of a very familiar voice in his ears, the voice sounded so soft as if it came from a distant place.

“Will he survive?”

“What do you expect?”

“If he doesn’t survive, it’s our loss ....”

“Ronnie should be responsible for this!”

“You’re noisy ....”

Marcel blinked his eyes, and an all-white color instantly entered his vision once he was fully awake.

I’m still alive? Marcel thought in disbelief.

Impossible! Hadn’t he was drunk the expired liquid in the lab?

How could he still be alive?

“Marcel wake up!” Suddenly, someone screamed and made the whole room noisy.

“Quickly call father and the doctor!”

“It’s a good thing he’s alive, it’s a nuisance!”

Marcel was still lying because he didn’t understand what was happening to him.

All he remembered was the last incident in the lab, where Marcel tried to end his own life.

Not long after, a man in a white coat appeared and urged people to leave the room where Marcel was.

“Will he recover, Doctor?” came the voice of Herman, Marcel’s father-in-law.

“I have to check the patient’s condition carefully,” replied the doctor handling Marcel. “What is certain is that the patient made it through his critical period very impressively, so I will conduct a series of examinations....”

Marcel was no longer listening to what the doctor was saying, he was still too confused by the situation that was now unfolding around him.

“What do you feel, Marcel?” asked Herman after the doctor’s explanation was finished.

Marcel opened his mouth, but not a word came out.

“Is there a problem with his esophagus?” Herman asked the doctor standing next to him. “Is that why he can’t speak?”

“We’ll keep checking, Sir.” The doctor nodded. “It’s a miracle that the patient has survived his critical period because the chemical he swallowed was dangerous....”

Marcel closed his eyes, hoping that what was unfolding in front of him was just a dream.

And he fell back asleep ....

Waking up, Marcel was already in the servant’s room in the Delvino family residence.

Marcel’s eyes swept across the room and saw Nana folding clean clothes.

“Nana ...” called Marcel with a very dry throat.

Nana turned her head with a look of shock and disbelief.

“Thank goodness, Mr Marcel is awake!” she said as she approached Marcel. “I’ll get you some hot tea first, Sir ....”

“Nana, why haven’t I ... been buried yet?” asked Marcel, stammering.

“Buried?” Nana suddenly frowned when she heard Marcel’s question. “You’re still alive! You’re safe, Sir!”

Marcel lay still, and Nana left the servant’s room almost running.

“I’m ... alive?” muttered Marcel as he blinked his eyes repeatedly. “How come?”

He clearly remembered that he had drank the chemical until it was gone, so there was no way he could have survived.

Marcel pinched his arm, and it hurt, not long after he slapped himself repeatedly on the face.

And it turned out that he was indeed alive, this wasn’t a dream!

To Be Continued—