Upon gazing on mother in her sick bed, I fell upon my nibbled knees, caught her cold palms and planted enchanting kissed on her fickle palms. Just like father, mother had plunged into her old age so suddenly that I wondered if she was a granny.
The machines connected to her veins and nostrils were beeping innumerably that I saw death hovering over her.
“Mother! Wake up! It is me, Brian! I am out of prison now! Mother wake up, please…” I sobbed, shook her slightly to aid in waking her up if that could go a long way.
But she lay put, stilly, unmoved, with her pale bulged face up at the ceiling as oxygen mask covered her entire face, like some space scientist.
“Mother! Mother! I am sorry for the pain I inflicted on you! Please forgive me! I am out of prison now! I have come to prove my innocence to you! Please wake up…” I wailed at the tops of my voice, hoping I could get unhinged.
“Brian hold on,” the doctor, a middle aged short-haired Indian motioned at me, “You don’t need to disturb your mother any further. The stage she is right now she doesn’t need tensions and noise from her environment I suggest you put yourself together while we fathom the way out.”
But there was no stopping me, “No, no, mother!” I called and shook her on the leg, before leaning to plant a warm kiss on her ankle.
By this time her legs had swollen and I was left to contemplate on the ruins I created after going to prison.
“I have come to make it up to you, mother, please wake up,” I wept and felt too firm hands drag me away just then.
That was the Indian doctor, pulling me away since I was heady to concur. At the time father was quietly sobbing and weeping by the corner of the ward, with his chinless face which made me grow sober.
Even while in the doctor’s office, I was still all tears. Father kept his distance as he rolled his quarrelsome eyes at me. I knew he blamed me for the illness that befell mother and if he were given a chance to act in reprisal, he would disown me with a death sentence. I knew father hated me from the very moment I was convicted of the fifteen billion dollars fraud.
I sniffed and let out a hacking cough. “But what…” I stuttered, “What happened to my mother, doctor. She was very much healthy before I went to jail…” I chirped.
I thought I asked the doctor a question but father answered me instead. I abased myself even though I never intended to keep quiet each time father blew hot at me.
I abandoned myself to his quarrel and hatred.
“Are you not supposed to be abashed for asking such question, uh, you idiot,” he affronted me and pointed into my face, “Your sick mother is part of the pain you caused me by stealing fifteen billion dollars. Haven’t you bothered to ask the emotional trauma and ills you brought upon us when you went to jail?” he wept at the tops of his voice.
“Come on, Mr. Patrick, put yourself together. He is your son, and he has every right to query the health of his mother. I thought…”
Father interposed the doctor, “Hell no, doctor. This bastard criminal is not my son. If not for my childlessness, I wouldn’t have adopted this fool. My wife loves him so much. She became ravaged after he was convicted of the financial fraud. This boy has brought nothing good in our lives…” his weeping cut in and his tone died away, before he gave me a debased stare.
I dared to put my emotion in check as I asked the doctor furthermore, “Please doctor what happened to my mother?”
The doctor breathed uneasily and dimmed his eyes at me as if to tell me there was no solution to her illness.
“Please doctor what happened? Talk to me,” I persisted and leaned forward anxiously.
“Your mother is suffering from kidney stone. Initially it was in the first stage but right now, due to limited treatment it is at the terminal stage and if nothing is done about it, I am afraid we may lose her.”
I lowered my gaze and shook my head, “Oh my God! Mother! What has befallen you?” I mumbled, “But doctor, what can be done to save my mother. I don’t want to lose her, please,” I queried expeditiously.
“We have two challenges. First we don’t have an eligible kidney donor and the money for her treatment. Your father here is not eligible to donate a kidney.”
I swallowed hard at the thought of money. “But doctor I think we could easily get an eligible kidney donor for her if we host an organ campaign for her. I believe if I go out there we could find an eligible kidney donor for her. I wish I could donate to her but I can’t. I only have one kidney.”
“Fine you may be able to find eligible kidney donor for your mother, but what about the money?”
My penurious voice asked softly, “How much is it? Father cast a menacing stare at me. If not for the distance between us, I believed he would have given me a dirty slap for asking such fiddling question which was meant for the rich.
“The total treatment will cost half a million dollars. Right now if you can provide two hundred and fifty thousand dollars we can commence treatment. But I am disappointed to tell you that even one cent has not been deposited for her treatment as we speak.”
I was all tears. All the time father was burrowing his narrowed gaze at me.
“Doctor I don’t have one cent. I am destitute and penniless. This son of ruin cannot even provide the hospital bill of his mother after stealing fifteen billion dollars. You son of shame,” father brought his gaze upon me, “Brian I am ashamed of you. You disgust me. You should have died in jail. Why are you here?”