HELPING A STRANGER

CELINE’s POV

I was washing some utensils on the sink when I heard Martha speak behind me. "Why are you wearing a face mask all the time, Celine?" she asked curiously.

It wasn't until just now that it dawned on me that Martha and my mother were both patients in the same hospital ward, but she was further along in the healing process, so she could roam around the hospital specifically in the basement where there’s a television. Though we also have one here in the ward, she preferred to watch on a larger screen.

My eyes flashed as I turned to look at her. "Martha… I've never been in good health, and it started when I was a child. Because bacteria are present everywhere, there’s a good chance that I could easily get sick whenever I visit the hospital. My asthma will flare up in a very short amount of time.’’

"Oh, I see…" She acknowledged my answer with a nod and went back to watching television as she lay on her bed.

I wiped my hands with the hand towel and walked back towards mom’s bed when I noticed her sleeping again. She was already discharged a week ago but her condition got worse so we had to come back here for another session of her treatment.

My father was opposed to the idea of me moving back to the city, but I had no choice but to disobey him because this particular hospital offered the most advanced treatment options. Therefore, I had to hide my face by wearing a face mask every time.

The things I said to Martha were all lies. She might notice that the woman she was watching on the television a week ago had the same face as mine if I removed my face mask.

I proceeded to the restroom in order to brush my teeth, but to my dismay… I discovered that there was no toothpaste available. In addition, there was no shampoo left in the bottle.

I sighed as I turned the faucet on and washed my face with the cold water. When I looked up, I cringed at my reflection in the mirror, my eyes were rimmed with dark circles due to some sleepless nights because of what happened that night in the hotel.

I vigorously shook my head to clear the thought. Why couldn’t I keep that man out of my thoughts? He was my first at everything, but he would never take the title of my first love. He is soon to be my sister’s husband.

'Are you sure? Or perhaps you've already given in to him?' A hushed voice emanating from deep within my head caused me to grimace in response. I rebuked that voice in my head with the whole resolve. It wasn’t the right time to give oneself over to those kinds of thoughts at this moment.

As soon as I emerged from the stall, I reached for my bag and got my wallet inside. ‘‘Excuse me…’’ I went up to Martha, who was still engrossed in watching television. ‘‘Can you please look out for mom for a while? I'll just stop by the grocery store and pick up a few things I need.’’

"Okay…" she responded with a nod without taking her eyes off the television.

…..……...........******************…………........…

After making sure that I had purchased everything that I needed, I made my way to the counter to pay for my items when I witnessed what appeared to be a dispute between another customer and the woman working there.

"I'll pay you, I promise…" The customer with the dark hair remarked to the woman working behind the counter. "Just let me get my wallet in the car…" but she responded by shaking her head.

"Excuse me…" It came to my attention that the queue was getting longer, and I could read the impatience on the faces of the individuals waiting behind me, so I decided to interrupt their conversation. "What exactly is the problem here?"

The man said while sheepishly scratching his nape, "I can't pay for this since I forgot my wallet in the car…"

I heaved a sigh as I rummaged through my wallet and pulled out fifty dollars to give to the man.

"Oh, no… I can’t accept that." He made a gesture with his hand that suggested he would not be getting the assistance that I was offering to him.

"You can pay me later. The queue is getting longer and my mom is already waiting for me, so please…" He’d got no choice but to accept the money and pay for the items he had purchased.

The man was waiting for me the entire time while I was paying for my items, and as soon as I was finished, he approached me with an uneasy look on his face.

"Thank you for the help…" he said as he walked with me. "I’ll just get my wallet in the car and I’ll pay you."

After adjusting my face mask and giving him a nod, I saw him dash towards his car in the parking lot while I waited for him in front of the grocery store.

After about five minutes, he made his way back to where I was waiting for him and gave me one hundred dollars. "Please accept my gratitude, Miss… and keep the change."

"I'm sorry, but there's no way I can accept it..." I offered him fifty bucks in exchange for the one-hundred-dollar bill that he had given me. "Now we're even..."

He beamed at me, revealing a flawless row of pearly white teeth. "Thank you again. I’m Jason, and you are…?"

"Uhmmm… I'm sorry, but I really need to get going now." I quickly turned and walked away from him, leaving him completely bewildered. I can't just go about telling people my name, especially to complete strangers.

What if they knew my dad's family, and he found out that we had returned to this city? He stated that he didn’t want to see my face in this place under any circumstances.

After walking into the lobby of the hospital, I immediately headed toward the elevator when I noticed that it was beginning to slowly close. "Wait! Wait a minute!" I yelled as I sprinted as fast as I could to make it in time for the shutting elevator.

A hand stopped the elevator from closing and I bowed my head, thanking him before I squeezed myself into the crowded elevator.

The enormous hospital was so packed with people that even when there were many elevators to use, they chose to ride on the crowded one… and as the elevator went up, there were still people coming in and squeezing themselves, which caused my body to push further inside.

I sighed as I realized I had no other option but to take a step back, only to come up against a solid chest in the process. When my body came into contact with his, for some reason, I had a chill all the way down my spine. I frowned, feeling compelled to look back, when all of a sudden the elevator came to a complete stop.

Oh no…