"hey Sam, do you remember that park where we used to hang out when we were younger? The one with the tree, it will be demolished to make space for another street. Can you believe that? I mean, all the memories we had there will be gone...again. Sorry, I got a bit emotional. You see, your mom is now fighting cancer and I'm supporting her with all I can, so...I guess it's a bit of a bad time...her medicine isn't working properly. She will have surgery next week...If it will succeed, she won't be able to move her legs, so she will need to get someone to take care of her all the time. I can't help her and work too...She said if she survives, to send her to a nursing home...So. I dropped by just to tell you that I'll try to live for now. At least until she's gone too, then we can meet again, dear brother." I finally stand up and face the grave for one more smile before leaving.
"Your total is sixty two, twenty". I look in my wallet, sixty and five.
"ah, could you remove the protein powder?" The cashier gave me an annoyed look, but I get why.
"Your total is thirty eight" I payed and left. I was on the way back from work and stepped on a sticky gum placed on the middle of the road. I heard a few laughs from around a corner and when I turned towards it, I saw two boys doing a high-five and saying "heck yea!" "he fell for it!". I broke free and walked to lean on a wall and take the gum off, but I had trouble, so I lost my balance and fallen on the fence of a small garden, ripping my pants from the knees to my pocket.
At home, I started to undress after closing the front door, but before I even put on my home pants properly, I saw the landlord looking at me, eating the chicken breast I brought raw.
"really? that was sixteen by itself."
"shut up. I let you live here for cheap, so suck it." She left, leaving the front door wide open.
"if you're going to burst in and eat my staff, at least close the door" I closed it and locked it before I took the key with me to the kitchen, which was the same room as my living and laundry room. The fridge had two eggs that were supposed to be used for the chicken breast and mayonnaise. "that hag, she took the mustard too" As I close the fridge, I see the mustard jar in the trash and a not I didn't notice before "dont buy that yellovv thing again.". I took two slices of bread, poured water on both, then put sugar on one and on the other salt, then I put them together and ate it. As I was standing before the sink and eating my phone rang.
"really? right now?" I left the sandwich in the sink, cleaned two fingers on my shirt, realized it was a work shirt and answered.
"hello."
"hello. I have some important information about Sam's mother." I froze.
"what did she do?"
"not that she done something, but we will need to do something. Her surgery was forced to move the day after tomorrow."
"wait, why?"
"the cancer started to grow beyond what we thought and the medicine stopped working. Her only chance now is that surgery." I stared at the sandwich as I had at nothing to look, but the nurse, she was outside his mom's room and she heard the nurse call me.
"Is that you Sam? have you came back to momma? Let me speak to my boy"
"I'm sorry sir, we must close the call. Have a good day"
"you too. Please take care of her."
"of course"
"give me back my boy!" the call ended with her voice as the last noise.
"I'm not even hungry anymore" I took the sandwich and put it on a plate than hid it in the bathroom on the shelf so that hag can't eat it. I threw my old work pants in the washing machine, after I'll wash the clothes, I'll have to sew them, I only have two pair of work pants.
Late at night, something awoke me, It was the smell similar to a dead rat left alone for days. It woke me almost instantly and I looked on the other side from my bed, there she was, looming over me, that hag again.
"the bathroom pipe is broken, fix it. I can't pee here anymore."
"fine. Let me get up." As I walked to the bathroom, I lighted a candled and held it in my hands for some light. In the bathroom, the pipe was literally bend up and split in two as if an elephant stepped on it. The sandwich I put up there was also half eaten and dropped next to the pipe. "Sorry, I can't do anything about it."
"Fix it or I'm throwing you out!" This hag. I sigh and crouched. I tried to press on the pipe, maybe with pressure it will bend back, then I would need to but a new pipe at the shop....what are the sizes? I go back to my room and get a broken ruler. "One half...and two eight... those aren't even the same size...how did someone managed to fit them together?" I sigh again and stand "could you look over the house while I go to the shop to buy a pipe?"
"Who do you think I am to take orders from someone like you?!"
"Then could you leave until I fix the pipe?" She gave me a look that said "you're raw food for my chicken". I sigh again, took my jacket on and my wallet then I left. Not that a theif would have anything to steal from there anyways.
It took me two days to repair that pipe. In the meantime, Sam's mom went into surgery. Work was exhausting as always. Physical labor for a construction company. That hag was just as bad and Sam's grave started to grow weeds. Spilled the salt too, so now I have risk of diabetes, thus I can only eat bread everyday.
"Hello, we are calling with the results of Sam's mother. She survived and after two months of rehab, she will be released, please call us when you hear this message."
My phone was in rice, drying after I dropped it in the toilet. The morning I woke to the rice I left there being eaten by that hag, with my phone too. How did she bit through it with six teeth in total. 'Ah! I'm late to work!'. I go there without breakfast, nor lunch. After finishing, I go to the hospital to see how Sam's mom was doing.
"Hello"
"Hi, are you here for Sam's mom?"
"Yea. How is her surgery going?"
"Surgery? Have you checked your phone lately?"
"It fell in water then a lady ride a bike over it, so I couldn't"
"I'm sorry to hear that. The mother is now out of surgery, she will take two months of rehab then she will be released" those words almost made me cry. It was a miracle.
"Thank you. When could I visit her?"
"Right away". Once in front of her room, I hesitated. I was unsure how she would look at me. Once I opened the door, I was welcomed with a smile.
"How have you been darling? Did you find a girlfriend?" 'she just got out of surgery and she's already making jokes... I'm so happy'. "Are you crying? I'm not dead."
The two months passed fast and once she was back, she threw that hag out of the building. With her around, I managed to quit and get a job as a self employed boss at a car washing station.
Before I knew it, it was the 4th year anniversary...well not that anyone celebrates this, but Sam died 4 years ago, that summer.
"Hey man. My life finally started going the right way... I started to talk to a girl that comes by my shop from time to time. I'm about to confess to her, so please give me the courage I need. If you were here I bet you'd tell me to die... jealous son of...the most respectable woman I know. I'll be less busy so I'll visit more often. I still can't get over your death."