TWO

CHAPTER TWO

I rushed in my house to pick some clothes before I went to see my mom at the hospital. I was already at the hospital in two hours time; it was on Thursday so I didn't mind missing the Friday class. I walked into the hospital and was directed to my mom's ward.

My mom was a diabetic patient, with high blood pressure and had a brain cancer undergoing chemo therapies but she had stopped some few weeks earlier

My sisters never knew about my mom's condition only mom and I. About my dad's whereabouts no one never knew, even my mom too. I only remember the few times my dad spent with us; it was something I never thought would come to end. 

Before he left, he was very abusive, he used to beat up my Mom like every time he would come home late at night reeking of alcohol, at one time he never came home and that was the last never heard from him or about his presence, my two younger sisters kept asking about him but seems they got tired asking about him and got used to the idea that he was never going to come back to our lives, personally I appreciated the fact that he was away from us but now that my mom was dying I was hoping he would have been there for her.

The doctor had said my mom only had a few months to leave, the brain cancer was supplying to the other parts of the body and it was hard controlling it, she was surviving on chemo therapies but since it was becoming more and more expensive each day my mom stopped going for them, despite there was no enough to cater for the medical bills and support us as well.

I walked in the hospital hastily I met her doctor on the way.

"Hey doc, how's my mom doing" I asked

"Hey Dylan, I can't really tell but your mom is dying, the chemo therapies used to help a lot but now that she stopped the chances of her surviving are minimal"

"I understand doc, let me go and check on her" I said as I walked past him and went to see my mom

I walked into my mom's ward and found my two sisters seated by the bedside.

I closed the door behind me and walked towards her bed, my mom's face was so pale and she looked so thin. Melissa recognized me first and she ran to meet and she hugged me so tight.

"Stop crying Melissa, mom is going to be okay?" I tried soothing and assuring her of my mom's health yet I knew so well mom has counted days before she left us

"No Dylan, you're lying to me, mom is dying can you see that?" She tried to argue but Alicia chirped in

"Mom is okay Melissa; look at how peaceful she looks while sleeping"

"Exactly Alicia, mom is going to be okay now ease can you stop crying, you making me feel bad"

Mom was still sleeping and she stirred in her sleep as I made to approach her bed

"Look over here Dylan, mom is waking up, and Ive been waiting for her to wake up so that I can see her eyes" Alicia said looking happy and I wished they knew mom wasn't going to be with them in a few days.

"My children" mom said as she struggled to sit

"No mom, just sleep you need to rest"

"Dylan, you came, how is school?"

"School is fine mom, and yes I came you know I wouldn't miss that, Melissa called me and I was just from my morning class I just rushed here to see you mom"

"Thank you my son, now my princess' can you let me speak to your brother for a while?"

"But mom, cant we just stay with you guys here, you just woke up remember?" Melissa argued back

"Mel can't we just give them some privacy, mom was kindly asking us don't be selfish, come on let's go grab something from outside" Alicia said and trust me you I smiled, Alicia was more mature than Melissa although they had an age gap of three but Alicia was more mature, she always so things beyond and that's why I loved her.

"Now that's my girl, I love you my daughters" mom said and smiled

"We love you too mom", they said and pecked her.

We remained with my mom alone in the room and from the look of things my mom was not going to be with us in few days or hours maybe.

"Son, I wanted to have a lone time with you, there are things you need to know and as my elder child I'm going to leave all the responsibilities in your hands, you need to take care of your younger sisters, I know I'm not leaving behind anything precious but I leaving with my blessings, I want you to take care of them and yourself too, my days are numbered or maybe I have less than hours to stay in this world, I stopped the chemotherapy treatment because of the bills, I had exhausted my savings and I wouldn't continue going for them and let you suffer, now son please don't let my daughters, your sisters suffer, a family succeeds only when they work together and remember togetherness is unity, I love you all Dylan even if your dad never showed you that but I want to let you know that I loved you so much as my children, you're the only people that made me stay back in that shun of a marriage but thank God y'all grownups, there's some letter I wrote for you it's in my safe, you make where I keep my key, you'll find everything in there"

Before she could finish, she started coughing hard and the next thing was her convulsing.

I called the doctor and he came in rushing, I knew it was her time and there's nothing I could do about it.

My sisters walked in horror written on their faces

"What's happening to mom?" They asked in unison and trust me I had no idea what to tell them

"Dylan please is mom going to be okay? Doc is mom going to be fine?"

I watched in sadness as my mom took her last breathe, it was the most traumatizing moment of my life, I stood there transfixed on the ground not knowing what to do, my mom, my pillar of strength was now gone,

"I'm sorry guys but there's nothing I could do about it"

"What! No! It can't be true" they both said in unison and the tears I had been holding for a while started flowing freely.