MOTHER, NO!!

Her heart paced quickly as she couldn't think of anything else than to go home. 

Thousands of questions rushed to her mind in one go “Why would dad ask me to come home now? It's usually very unusual of him. I need to go home now!!”

She hurried to where she left the man and looked at him in tears, she couldn't just control herself anymore. She burst into uncontrollably tears. Without him knowing what happened, he quickly pulled her for a warm embrace.

He sighed in satisfaction inwardly. He hadn't felt such satisfaction in years of embracing a woman. But deep down in him, he felt great pity for this woman in his embrace. In him, he wished he could make her feel happy, so she could smile, but he didn't even know what happened to her after that call, talk less of how to soothe her.

“Beautiful, do you mind telling me what happened?”

Eleanor felt great anger and decided to use it on him “No, I don't know what happened, okay? I was just informed to come home”

The man didn't know what to say anymore “I'm sorry if my words hurt you. I just want you to be okay”

Eleanor sighs in distress, because she clearly understood that he was just being nice.  “No, it's my fault for yelling. i am sorry I yelled, I was just pissed off and sad about what I don't know about yet.”

The man wished to continue embracing her but he just had to let go “Its okay beautiful. You better go home now, I'm sure your family needs you”

With those words that Eleanor have been waiting to hear for some time now, she quickly flung herself out of the embrace and waved goodbye, as she heads for home.

<<<>>>

AT HOME

Eleanor pushed the door open in curiosity as she gaze around Anxoiusly to see if anyone is around.

“Dad? Where are you? Ellie? Elsa? Anyone home”She yelled but still no answer, so she continued yelling.

Afterwards, her dad comes out of the bedroom. 

“Ahh, Eleanor, you're here. I thought you'd never show up”He said the moment he saw her and started walking towards her.

“Why wouldn't I come? Anytime you call me means something's up. Did something happen? Tell me dad, I am about to die of curiosity.”

“Such a very smart child. Yes, something did happen”He answered while Nodding his head.

“So?”Eleanor quickly chipped in without even waiting for a second.

“Its your Mother, Eleanor.”He said as he looked at her with eyes full of worry.

“What? Mother? What happened to Mother. Is she home? Dad” Eleanor yelled and asked all the questions in her.

She tried searching her dad's eyes, but still his eyes were always blank.

“Come down child, I will explain. The doctor called me today that her condition is worsening and the only way is to fly her to India as soon as possible, or else, it would take her life.”

Eleanor gasped in shock as she couldn't contain this information her dad just passed to her. “Dad, what do you mean 'take her life'?”

“You know the meaning of what I'm saying Eleanor. We need to earn money fast” 

She couldn't contain the anger in her so she had to burst out. “What do you also mean by 'earn money fast?' You caused all this problem Father, by putting us all in bankruptcy. If you didn't put us all in debt, mom would probably not be in this situation. We both clearly know that after your announcement to us that we were in debt, causes shock to Mother, and then one thing led to another and look where that got us” 

Eleanor felt free as she Burst all the pains of her heart out loud to her father.

Her father stood there short of words, he didn't believe that his beloved daughter would say such a thing, although it was the truth, but a very bitter one.

Never in his lifetime has he heard something very painful from his family member. “Eleanor”

Without letting him finish, Eleanor quickly took the words from his mouth “I know, I know you are going to scold me for it. it's not my fault, I just had to say the truth. You know, it's not that easy to take care of Ellie, Elsa and Mother together with you.”

“Eleanor, you didn't allow me to finish. Although I am a man of integrity and proudness, this is the one thing I regret doing. I am sorry I put us all in bankrupt.”

Eleanor could clearly see a drop of tear flow freely down her father's cheek. She couldn't help but cry too. “Dad, I am sorry, I didn't mean to say what I said, I only said it out of ignorance.”

“No, No, Eleanor, it's my fault. All my fault, for putting you all in Bankruptcy. I didn't mean for all this to happen at all”

“Dad, it's okay. Those things are already in the past, now we focus on the future.”

While Nodding his head and smiling “You're right my dear, you know I always told your Mother that you took after me with such a very sharp brain”

Eleanor laughs out loud heartily, come to think of it, she hasn't had such a hearty laugh in years because of their debt. “So Dad, let's keep that aside. So what would we do about out current situation about Mom?”

The old man sighed deeply and faces his daughter with eyes full of pleas “I think we just have to let her go, my daughter.”

Eleanor couldn't believe her ears that her Father could say such a thing. Her father loved her Mother so much, it felt like she was daydreaming on what he said. “You said what now? Let mother go? No, Never, I love mom too much that I can't let her go”

“I don't want to let her go too. Do you think you are the only one who loves her? I do too, but the doctor says we need a billion dollars to fly her out to India and take care of her. Where on earth do you think we would find that in seven days? Huh, Answer me Eleanor.”

She was short of words and didn't know what to say back to her Father. Maybe he was right, Maybe she just had to let her Mother go, but another conscience down of her don't want to. “I won't let Mother go that easily.” Eleanor yelled out loud to her father's face.

Her Father already knew her as a stubborn girl since childhood “So, what do you want us to do now then? What? Where do you expect us to see a billion dollars especially out of our bankruptcy”

“Well, I'll think of something, okay? I won't let Mother go so easily”

Her Father sighed and walked out on Her. he knew there was nothing he could do to convince her. She had a hard steel heart and nothing can change her mind if she already made It up.

Eleanor watched her father's figure retreat slowly till it was out of sight. Deep down in her, she doubted where she could see such amount, but it looks like some conscience deep in her tells her that she can make it.

Through anxiety, she slumps herself to the nearby couch she could see “What am I going to do now? Lord help me”

<<<>>>

AT NICHOLAS WORKPLACE

He stared coldly at the work desk in disgust. Then he banged the table hard and evey single content on it flew away. After seeing the mess he caused, he picked up the telephone and dialed his secretary's number “Come up here right now” Nicholas said coldly as he hanged up the call without letting her say a thing.

The Secretary on the other hand shook in fear as she could even feel his cold aura emitting from the telephone. She dared not say a word if he calls. She wished to have quit this job years back, but she can never. This job was the best paying job she had ever done, so she can't risk to lose it.

She carried her tired body to the elevator and waited for it to move up. Soon enough, she reached her boss's office, she breathed in and and out and knocked slowly.

A very distant 'come in' was heard at the other side of the room. She already knew he was very angry. She has been working here for the past nine years, she knew when she was extremely angry and when he was slightly happy, although he never smiles, she would still know when he was happy.

And right now, she could already sense that he was extremely angry. She gulped and entered at her own risk.

She stood still not knowing what to do for complete twenty minutes, her boss didn't even care if she was there or not. She didn't know how to ask why she was being called, so she decided to wait patiently.

“How daft are you? You are standing there when you can see my stuffs are laying there on the floor” He said why pointing at the contents on the floor.

The Secretary quickly moved to where those things were and picked them up in one go, without any mistakes. Another thing her boss hated was mistakes. If anyone made any mistake, that person was long gone.

She put the contents on the table slowly and gently as she looked at the eyes of her boss trying to find something.

His cold pair of blue eyes peered into hers coldly, if his eyes could kill, she would have been long gone dead!! “Why are you looking at me? It seems you are ready to lose your job on how you have been doing earlier today”

At the mention of his words, she couldn't even say a sentence right “No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I don't want to lose this job. This is my only means of helping my family”

He looked at her with eyes full of mockery “You should have thought of that before acting like a nincompoop today. Get out of my office now”

Without waiting for a split second, she rushed out of his office like a dog being pursued away from its home.

When she reached her office, she burst into tears “Why is my life like this? Why does it always has to be me?”

Her colleagues knew something might have gone wrong between her and their boss. Everyone knows that their boss is very mean, cold and all sort of nasty names, just you name it!!

They all came to her to console her while she was crying on her desk.

“Dear, you know you have the right to freedom, just quit this job already and find another one” One of them said to her.

“No I can't” She replied while still crying