Twisted Fate

Many days passed and everything appeared normal. Ella was getting used to her work and her friendship with Rosa got more intimate.

A few more of the employees already know the two ladies are friends. They often go for lunch together and leave the office together with the staff bus.

Alex was observing Ella without her knowing. He had just one week left to fulfil his grandfather’s request.

He had tried talking things over with him and making him realise that he doesn’t have an alternative and the only option was for him to do just what he wants.

Festus had already taken a liking to Ella. He wouldn’t come to the Foster cooperation without checking on Ella.

He took her to lunch one of the days and asked her how she was finding her new life without Bill?

Ella had smiled and said Bill was in the past now. She soon forgot about it like he was never there in the past.

Festus was impressed.

He told her she’s a brave woman. And women like her can endure anything and achieve everything they set their eyes on.

While they got back to the company, Festus told Ella that she shouldn’t see Alex as a bad guy.

On the contrary, he is a good guy. He doesn’t have issues with anyone who doesn’t cross his path.

She should keep her distance and she would have a great time working with the Foster cooperation.

Ella nodded. For a while now, they haven’t had any issues with each other. She thought Alex was going to treat her harder than he did when she just resumed but he didn’t again.

When she saw that he was behaving nicely with her, she gave him his space and place. Give him the respect of a boss and do her work well.

Ella thanked him and told him she appreciated his kind gesture.

When Festus returned to his office, he received a call from Alex:

“Hello buddy” Festus chimed, as Soon as he answered the phone.

“Tell me something, Festus, is there something I need to know about you and Ella?” His voice was hoarse.

There was silence for a few seconds. Festus least expected such a question being thrown on his face.

Did he just ask him if he was having something to do with Ella?

“Why do you want to know?” Festus asked, question for question. Alex has numerous girlfriends and Lisa by his side.

He doesn’t want to believe his thoughts that he might be interested in Ella as well. Not after the incidence of the past days.

“I am asking because I want to know. I think I should know, being Ella’s boss and being your best friend” Alex snapped at him.

“Nope. There’s nothing intimate” Festus declared. He sighed. Somehow, he doesn’t feel comfortable if Alex was going to treat Ella like his numerous girlfriends.

The woman just recovered from a heartbreak. He doesn’t want her to experience something similar or worse than that.

“Are you sure?” Alex inquired further. He hasn’t told Festus his intentions towards Ella.

“Yeah, absolutely” Festus affirmed.

“Ok” Alex Foster was relieved.

Alex was going to hang up when Festus stopped him.

“Alex, wait” Festus said through the phone.

Alex squinted.

Festus’ voice was calm but a bit of emotion. Was he having a crush on her? Has he already fallen in love with her but hasn’t expressed it?

“I want to make a request, please don’t say no. I am pleading…” Festus said, sighing silently.

“Speak,”Alex ordered.

“Like I said before, Ella and I have nothing intimate at least for now. But I treat her as a friend. Don’t think of doing anything silly with her” Festus declared.

There was another long silence.

“We need to talk” Alex finally ended the silence.

**********

The next day at work, Ella was busy and checking her time for lunch. Her phone started ringing.

Checking the caller ID, she saw it was her mother. She was surprised, her mother hardly calls her when she’s at work except when there’s an emergency.

“Mum” Ella said immediately she answered her phone. But the voice that came through was not her mother’s.

“Ella, your mother needs you now. Please come to Uptown city hospital…” the caller instructed.

Ella’s heartbeat almost skipped.

Her heart was beating fast and hard. She was already covered in her sweat. She seemed to be panting for air.

Her mother, in the hospital? Is anything wrong with her? She just received her salary that morning and was going to take it to her mom to decide how to pay their bills.

Now, Ella was covered in sweat. She dashed towards the door and just as she was going to open the door, she remembered that her phone and handbag were not with her.

She went back, picked everything she needed and dashed out. At this time, she was about to start sobbing. Her eyes were moist.

She almost collided with Alex. She instantly paused when she saw him. She had almost forgotten she was supposed to make it known that she was going to see her mother.

“I’m sorry sir…” Ella apologised and was shivering. How will she say it, that she was going to see her mother in the hospital?

“Are you alright?” Alex asked, towering over her with a poker face.

“No, no sir. I… I.. am not alright. My mom is in the hospital…. I was called to come over..”Ella stammered.

Alex nodded and walked away. He already knew that her mother was physically challenged.

And to have an emergency is something else. He hoped her salary would be enough to take care of her bills.

He had thought he would call her and asked her about the contract. If she agrees, fine. But if not, he would have no option than to seek someone else, even if it’s Lisa.

Ella stood for some seconds. She was surprised that Alex would just let her go without yelling at her.

She soon recovered herself after she saw him strolling into his office. She recovered immediately and dashed into the elevator.

As Alex got into his office, he took his phone and dialled a certain person’s number “Trail Ella and find out where she went and what exactly is wrong with her mother?”

Perhaps things might be easier for him than he had thought:

*********

Ella got to the hospital and asked the receptionist where her mother was. She was directed to the female Ward.

She got there and saw her mother with an oxygen tube fixed on her. She was on life support.

She looked pale weakly.

Without being told, Ella knew her mother was in a coma. She went closer and knelt by her bedside.

Overwhelmed with emotions, Ella started sobbing. She sobbed until she didn’t have strength left in her anymore.

The only person by her side was her neighbour. The old woman had claimed she came over to see her next door neighbour.

When she pushed the door open, on the floor was where she found Sarah lying unconsciously. She held her phone and possibly would have wanted to call her daughter before she passed out.

Miss Kampala explained to Ella and she was sobbing. She needed to see the doctor and know what exactly was wrong with her mother.

Ella stood up and went to see the doctor. Her mother’s well-being is what mattered to her most.

Miss Kampala went along with her. Miss Kampala is a woman in her early forties. She was said to have never been married.

Some thought she had a heartbreak that made her unable to love again. But whatever, Ella just knows she’s called Miss Kampala.

At the doctor’s office, Ella was told her mother has a short time left to live. Her kidneys were damaged and she needed a transplant.

Damaged? When? Can someone just wake up one day and the kidney just got damaged? Just like that?

“But doctor, she doesn’t have any symptoms all these while…” Ella tried finding out how sudden everything just popped out.

“She’s been aware of it for some time now. I expected her to come for medication but she didn’t. Until I saw her brought to the hospital when it totally collapsed…” the doctor explained.

Ella was dazed.

What is the doctor saying?. There’s no way her mom could be sick and have such symptoms without her knowing about it.

“But that’s not possible, doctor. There’s no way my mom will not tell me…” Ella was defending her mother.

“The doctor is right. Sarah has been aware of her condition. Once I wanted to tell you but she pleaded with me not to.

She doesn’t want to bother you or make you restless. She doesn’t want to add more burdens on your shoulders…” Miss Kampala affirmed.

She had told her friend Sarah to let Ella know about it. She has the right to know but her love for Ella made her see it as adding more burdens to her.

Now, her fears had finally come to be. The thing she was hiding from Ella has been explained to her by someone else, a doctor.

But then, her life was in danger. If she had known about her health condition, she probably would have thought of ways to see her mother fine again.

Ella was speechless.

She stared from the doctor to Miss Kampala and back to the doctor again.

Why didn’t anyone tell her anything? She was just getting to know her mother had not been alright at the time when her life was at stake.

Why?

She totally lost interest in saying anything else. What she needed to know now is how her mother was going to survive.

What’s her chance of survival? Her mother’s life is more important to her than anything else in this world.

“You need to do something fast if you want to save your mother’s life” the doctor declared.

He was staring at Ella. It appeared she’s the only relative the patient has got. Looking at her, he wondered if she would be able to raise such money to save her mother.

Ella cleaned her tears and asked ” what can we do now and how much are we talking about?”

At least she’s still got her salary intact. She had thought getting double of what she used to earn, they would be able to have some savings after clearing the bills.

But if it has to be spent on her mother for her to be alright, then, so be it.

“I’m sorry to announce that the only possible way to save your mother is through a kidney transplant.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

Running a dialysis for her costs a lot of money and is not the solution to the damaged kidney except having a transplant…” the doctor went on explaining.

Ella wasn’t hearing anything else. A lone tear dropped from her eyes. A transplant?

Where is she going to get such money from? Her dad hasn’t known a thing about them for the past two years.

They live and survive all by themselves. She’s willing to donate her own kidney if it matches. That would reduce the cost.

“… in total you will be needing approximately $445 for the hospital bills and surgery.

If you have a donor, or wants to donate your kidney if the comparability test comes out positive, it will reduce your expenses.

But if not, you may have to pay more than the $445 I said earlier…” the doctor concluded.

When Ella heard $445, she lost her ability to stand properly. She gently moved close to the seat she once refused earlier and sat on it.

Where on Earth is she going to get such money?