"Slow down!"JoJo said,but knew that it was of no use,once my mind was focused on something,nothing could ever shake me. I was fixated on the road,I blocked out the outside world and focused majorly on getting to the hospital. My heart pounding,it brought back memories....
"You coward!"JoJo teased,I was stalking a girl from my school,and JoJo found it entertaining.
"She'll hear us you Jack!"I cautioned.
The girl tilted her head and we both retreated to hide somewhere safe,and out of site.
"You think she saw us?"JoJo asked,his heart pounding,I looked in her direction,she had vanished.
"True?"
"She's gone"I said.
We came out of hiding,only for the girl and her group of friends to come after us with cans and dirt.
We ran as fast as we could,and eventually lost them,much to our relief.
We ran so far,and so fast that we decided to save the bus fare money.
JoJo's house was closer,and he had a working fan.
My parents had recently split up,my dad left me and went to live with his girlfriend,and my mom went to Italy to earn more.
She used to send me and my grandpa money,but all of a sudden the money stopped coming,and she stopped sending letters.
Grandpa told me a year after that mom was going to work,and she was assaulted and mugged,they stabbed her,and she bled to death.
Ever since,it's been me and Grandpa against the world,together forever.
Grandpa was a chauffeur,he didn't have much of a formal education,and we lived off his earnings.
When I met JoJo,a boy with the same kind of state am in,it made me feel less lonely.
JoJo's dad is in prison,and his mom works as a night club stripper.
One night,she overdosed something, on a client's request,she only did it for the extra pay. But it ended up messing her head,and she collapsed and died.
JoJo never talks about it,no one would ever cross him as a guy who had ever gone through any sort of childhood trauma.
*******
His aunt,Willa wasn't around when we arrived,JoJo took me to the kitchen,and we both scarvenged for something to eat.
While serving up some leftovers,we heard panting,and the door which we slammed was opened.
I had my eyes on the plate the whole time,JoJo went to go see who it was.
I decided to eat in the kitchen,I was starving,I didn't get breakfast that day.
JoJo sure was taking his time that day,I almost thought that he wouldn't come back.
I decided to go check it out,and I heard muffled voices when I went in closer.
I stopped and listened.
"True won't know yet okay"Aunt Willa said in a low tone.
Know about what exact!
"Am gonna tell him Willa,his grandad is in the hos..."
"Shhhh!"She cautioned.
I dropped the plate in my hand,which caused it to break into a million pieces.
"Shit!"JoJo said under his breath,loud enough to be heard.
I ran out of the house,hitting my head against the door by accident,but I didn't care,I almost lost balance and fell a couple of times,I was a wreck,I feared for the worst that day.
**********
"True,just calm down..."I could hear JoJo say in the distance while I fiercely walked to the hospital room.
I pushed the door vigorously,trying not to show my emotions,but what I saw threw me off....
"Mmm...mmm"
It was my grandad kissing his nurse,and he didn't stop to even acknowledge my presence."Grandad!"I shrieked,the nurse immediately disengaged,her cheeks burning bright red.
"He wants to see you!"She said and filed out.
I turned behind me to see JoJo videoing.
"Happy New Year!"They both said,and my heart was in a million places.
"The hell..."
"We got him good,didn't we?"JoJo asked,"yes"grandad said,smiling,the old bastard.
"Still playing pranks at this age I see..."I pointed out feeling dumb.
He brought out his arms,but I went to hug him before he could stretch his hands out fully.
"Tell me your okay"
"Am fine and well,I came in for a check up and decided to play a new year's prank on you"he said,and I passed a glance at JoJo.
He was probably in on it,heck he was.
These two were my best friends and my family.
"Who comes for a check up on New year's Eve?"I asked.
"Have you seen the nurse!"he exclaimed,making me smile at his merry soul.
"I scored a date tonight"JoJo triumphantly announced,"that's my boy!"grandad said.
"And you didn't even get her number..."I slyly said, purposefully leaving my sentence half way.
"Haha,very funny True"he said dryly.
I faced grandad again,"I was planning on spending the whole day with you"I said.
"An not gay!"he said,"and we're related!"he added,"stop that! But grandad,am getting you discharged,you gotten your... checkup"I said,making sure to stress the check-up part.
He chuckled,and JoJo gave him a thumbs up for encouragement.
I slapped my head with my palm.
"True, you're still young,go and live your life"
"Sir....if I may interrupt..."JoJo said,already interrupting.
"I just want to confess that am True's only friend"
We both looked at him.
"You may proceed now"JoJo added swiftly to kill the silence.
"Am sure you can do better than JoJo..."grandad said,eyeing JoJo.
"Hey!"JoJo said.
"Am under appreciated around our circle of friendship!"he whined.
"I thought you said it was a triangle?"
"Am going! Am in the lobby True"JoJo said and left the room,then swiftly stormed in again.
"FYI,you two are forgiven!"He said and I threw grandad's charger at him.
Grandad faced me,and held my hand,"True...life is getting any easier on my end,and you know that,better than I do. Don't ever hold back on any opportunity that comes your way"Grandad said and I withdrew my hand from his.
We talked for some time,I couldn't keep JoJo out for too long,I fear that he might hit on every nurse in the hospital.
"If your sure that spending the first day of the new year by yourself is good then..."
"True,am not alone here, I've got hot nurse,crazy doctors,and all the people in the hospital. They are all my second family,and we had the new year's countdown together..."
"What does a countdown have to do.."
"Your mother believed that whomever you share the countdown with is bounded to you all through that year"
My mind went back to her,the girl at the party.
"Am alright here"he finally said,and I hugged him,"I'll go get you discharged..."
"Did you not hear a word I said!"
"You're already connected to them all,they won't be jealous if you're gone for just today now will they?"
He knew arguing with me was pointless.
I stood up,and turned to leave,my hand was placed on the cold door,about to push,when he called me back.
"True?"
"Yeah?"I asked,and tilted my head to him.
"Promise me"he said.
"What?"
"You are going to have a new year's resolution"he said,"why?"I asked and j got a Shut—the— hell— up stare.
"Alright fine..."
Am surprised am even listening.
"You are gonna get yourself a girlfriend,or even a wife if that's even possible"
No way!
The old man is asking too much now,am only twenty eight,and he's acting like am in my early fifties!
"Before you object to it,do it for me,I don't want to go without knowing there someone you can have to be with you forever"Grandad said.
"Fine, Fine"
"I've never asked anything of you since you've been born. It's my last and only wish from you"he said,trying to convince me.
"I'll go get you ready to be discharged old man"I said and left the room.
JoJo was surprisingly not hitting on anyone,much to my surprise.
"You two done?"he asked,I nodded.
The hospital looked festive,the old man had a point,the place looked serene.
"Am taking him home with me"I said,JoJo got up and placed his ear pods away.
I left to go see the head nurse,she was around forty,a bit old looking,but had nice black natural hair. An African woman,she had gorgeous skin that shone.
"Happy new Year lovely"JoJo said,if he didn't hit on her,nurse Fumi,then I knew that something must be wrong somewhere.
"Happy New year to you True,and to you JoJo"she sighed and shook her head from side to side before saying JoJo.
"I want to get my grandad discharged..."
"True..that may not be such a good idea right now, considering his current status report"Nurse Fumi said.
"What do you mean,I just saw him"I defended,she handled a lot of patients,and sometimes got confused.
"True..."she said and dropped her file and placed her hand on my left shoulder.
"Nurse! The patient in 403 is having a crisis!"A nurse shrieked while running in.
"Get everything ready stat! And get his doctor!"Nurse Fumi shrieked,and ran with the nurse,there was total and absolute hysteria for me,and chaos for them.
The serenity of the place was disrupted as the whole scenario took a dramatic twist and three nurses accompanied nurse Fumi.
JoJo then pulled my arm,snapping me out of my trance.
"Isn't that your grandad's room!"