"Miss I am extremely sorry, but without money, we can't start the surgery."
"Wait! S-sir- Doctor please, there has to be something. Please!"
"I'm sorry, Miss. But that's how it's always been. Do well to deposit at least half of the pay, then we'd start."
Cordae's mind went blank almost immediately.
"Where- Where on earth do I get such an amount from? I've never even seen half a million in my whole life, talk more of-" She asked herself amidst tears.
She had sold almost everything she owned and still couldn't get up to the amount needed for the surgery.
"No. No I can't let Kookie die. No, I have to do something. I'm sure I can figure something out" She managed to tell herself.
Wiping her tears off her eyes, she stood up and left the hospital.
_____
Cordae was the first child and first daughter of both her parents. Her mother died in a ghastly road accident when she was just 17. So at 20, Cordae had already taken up the responsibility of being both a mother to her younger sister, and equally a wife to her dear dad.
Cordae's sister was dying and she couldn't do anything to help her. She hated the fact that she was so helpless at a time like this. Kookie needed a bone marrow transplant but Cordae failed to raise enough funds needed for it. "Being financially unstable really must be a curse! Sigh". She heaved, as these thoughts clouded her mind. The last thing she'd ever want to do is to bother her dad as regards this. Her dad equally wasn't doing too good. Ever since the demise of his dear wife, her mother, he's fallen sick every now and then. Heart attacks today, blood pressures tomorrow. Her dad and sister was all she had left and losing any of them would be enough to make her go insane.
___
"I promise I'll pay back sooner than later, I only need one million sir. Please", she asked with a pair of pleading eyes and a quivering voice.
Cordae had gone to the one place she never thought she'd ever go to. She had seen in movies how brutal loan sharks were and now?
'Oh Lord, please just help me this time. I promise I won't bother you ever again, please Lord'. she offered a prayer silently and hoped that everything goes according to how she wants.
"One million, Two weeks" the usurer said, his hoarse voice jolting her back to her senses.
"Two weeks?! I mean, ye-yes sir. I'll pay back in two weeks."
'Two weeks?' Cordae thought. She knew very well that she wouldn't be able to raise up to a million in the space of two weeks, but she needed to do something.
"Very well then, sign here, here and here."
She raised her hands giving back the signed papers to the man and almost immediately, a smile was carved in her soft, red lips. It was a smile mixed with multiple emotions. Fear and relief merged as one inside her chest. "Everything is finally going to be okay" she said to herself as she collected the cheque.
Cordae ran as fast as her legs could carry her, not only because she was scared of that environment and the "scary" men who were all over that place, but also because she knew that her sister was dying and needed surgery right away and was scared of what might happen if the surgery was delayed any further.
Getting to the hospital, she deposited everything she had and the surgery commenced. She was extremely scared. She hated hospitals ever since her mother was brought into one and couldn't be saved. A hospital, according to her, is a 'death place'; as a whole lot of people rather die in them.
And then it hit her... "A place of death huh? In a matter of months, it'll be my turn too. hmph". She was burning. She felt like the world was crushing her hard. She knew that after a short moment, her life would come to an abrupt end. "Life has always been unfair to me. It's about time I left it. Tch". With that, she wiped her tears off her eyes and prayed even harder for Kookie to be alright, because only then would she be sure and certain that her dad would be taken care of after she's gone.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE.
Dearest readers,
This is actually my first book and I'm extremely excited to share it with you all. I hope you guys like it. As a matter of fact, I'm sure you guys will like it because who on earth doesn't love a good book? I will do my utmost best to make this a beautiful journey which we all will embark on.
Please do well to give your imagination the best treat by reading this beautiful work of art. Thank you very much.<3
~Ochassy.