Chapter 3

I sit in front of the coffee shop near the hospital at one of their outdoor tables. Linda, the charge nurse on my father’s floor, gave me the classifieds from her paper. I applied to a few places online but haven’t heard back.

“Shouldn’t you be at work young lady?” a voice states before a coffee is sat in front of me. I look up to see Ben, “Is this seat taken?” he asks.

I shake my head, “No, it’s all yours.”

Ben sits down. “Why are you here so late?”

I take a hard swallow. “They terminated my position.”

Ben looks displeased for a moment, then says, “You must have something good coming.”

“Why do you say that?” I ask curiously.

Ben sips his coffee, “My first business I ever started did great. I made a lot of money. There were interested buyers, so I sold it and moved. My second company struggled. One month, we had ten dollars for groceries. I felt like such a failure during this time. Bea saw a single mother struggling, and in those days, there wasn’t much help for single parents, so she gave her half of our groceries. I was livid with her. She was barely eating; Thomas was about three. Four days later, I closed the doors to my business. I did odd jobs for a while just to make ends meet. Bea sewed for people or babysat. One day, I was working on a man’s car. We started talking, somehow, we got on the topic of owning a business. I told him my experience. He gave me some advice on how to better understand the demographic of the city versus a town. Then the man gave me a loan and said, "Start a new business". That’s when I started my third company. It took off, and Bea and I never worried about money again. Every time she helped someone in need, we always received more than we gave.”

I smile, “Bea sounds wise.”

Ben nods and smiles, “She is.”

Hesitantly, I ask, “How is Bea?”

“She’s getting better. They are keeping her here for now. We live in a retirement community. She needs to be able to feed herself and communicate either through motions or words.” Ben explains.

“What happened?” I ask.

“Bea had a stroke and fell. She broke her arm and needed surgery to heal the break. They do physical therapy every morning. After physical therapy, she is exhausted. I leave for a couple of hours so she can rest,” Ben says. “How is your father?”

I take a deep breath, “Getting better. They took him off the respirator today. He is more alert. I’m sure they will try to send him home soon.”

Ben looks concerned. “Can you take care of him?”

I shrug, “I have to. He is struggling to get around. When I was five, he was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder. It affects his lungs, kidneys, and liver. He has done a lot of treatments. Because of the steroids they used to help his lungs, he gained a lot of weight, which caused him to develop more problems. He is currently doing chemo because they found a mass on his chest. They believe the cancer was caused by the radiation received when he was first diagnosed with the autoimmune disorder. A couple of weeks ago, my dad went in to do chemo, his platelets were normal. When I brought him home, he seemed tired, but normal. Two days later he kept coughing. I offered to take him to the doctor, but he refused. The next day, I found him unresponsive. He had pneumonia.” I take a deep breath, then tell Ben, “They want my dad to go into a special impatient care facility. He is doing dialysis and chemo. My brother and I are at odds of what to do with his house. I still have hope my dad will come home, but James believes it is time to sell.”

Seeing the look on my face Ben states, “You don’t trust your brother.”

I sigh, “I don’t trust his wife. James and I were never close. My mom left when my dad first got sick, so I was five and James was eight. James had to miss a lot of his teenage years to take care of me. In some ways I believe he resents me. Five years ago, he met his wife. They got married quickly because she was pregnant with twins.”

“Girls or boys or both?” Ben asks.

“Girls, they just celebrated their four birthday.”

“Why don’t you like your brother’s wife?” Ben asks.

“I don’t dislike her. Sarah is sweet and she tries. They are focused on their family. It is an understandable view. I can just easily see them using the money to better their family than paying for my dad’s medical bills after selling his house.”

“Who primarily pays the bills now?” Ben asks.

“I do…well I did. My dad has a little income from disability, but I carried private insurance through my job. In two months, we will lose that,” I explain.

Ben thinks for a moment then asks, “Would you come have dinner with Thomas and I in the cafeteria? It is on us of course. Tonight is Salisbury steak. Honestly it isn’t the worst meal I have ever had.”

I let out a light laugh, “I don’t want to intrude. Plus, you have bought me three coffees to the one I bought you.”

“I have a job that I believe will work perfectly for you. I just need my son to okay it.”

I nod, “Okay, do I need to bring my resume or anything?”

Ben shakes his head, “No, this isn’t an interview. We will outline the job, and you can decide if it is worth it. Just come with an open mind.”

I feel slightly uneasy but nod in agreement. I can always walk away. If we are meeting in a public space, I doubt they are soliciting me for anything.