5 Chapter 5

That afternoon when Nick got tired of studying, he visited the hospital to see his mom. He enjoyed the walk from his apartment to the hospital and that's the only part about the visits to his mom that he enjoyed. On the way, he bought some fruits as well. Grapes were particularly her favorite.

His mom barely used to get sick before. In fact, she had the strongest immunity in the family. Nick and his dad used to catch the flu all the time, but his mother survived through them. Jessica Fowler, even at forty-seven boasted a strong physique and an attractive appearance until she got the disease. Since then she had been losing her once beautiful hair, her skin becoming more rough and dry. Her face had lost its glow, her eyes sunken. She had been losing weight dramatically and resembling more and more to a skeleton every day.

As Nick reached his mother's ward, he paused and prepared himself mentally before entering.

"Hi Mom, how are you feeling today?"

His mother was looking outside the window absentmindedly. Hearing the voice of his son, she slowly turned around to look at him.

"Nick, how long have you been here?"

Nick sat on a chair and replied, "I just came. I brought fruits for you."

His mother remained silent. Her lack of response and awful appearance made her seem more like a ghost than a living person.

"Are you taking your pills regularly? I hope you are not giving the staff here a hard time."

His mother still did not respond. She acted as if Nick was not present in the room or she herself had wandered off to a different world.

Nick felt sad seeing his mom lost. Lately, it had been difficult for him to connect with her. She seemed lost whenever he tried to strike up a conversation with her and the situation was only getting worse. The disease was not only degrading her physical health, but it was also taking a toll on her mind. Lying on a hospital bed for days, waiting for her disease to be diagnosed, let alone finding a reliable solution, was making her lose hope on the doctors, and most importantly herself.

Nick recalled how lively his mother used to be. It was too hard for him to accept his mother's current miserable state, which was also true for her mother. That simple fact was breaking her.

Suddenly, she started speaking while staring out of the window, as if she was possessed by a spirit.

"Nick, are you eating properly?" she spoke, but the words lacked any emotion.

"I am."

"I hope you are not skipping your classes again."

"I am not."

"Good."

She fell silent again before saying, "You should take care of yourself. Don't worry about me too much. I will be fine."

"I know."

Then she faced her son for the first time since he came and said, "Do you remember anything from our old town?"

"I do, mom."

"Do you remember our old home?"

"Yes. I have lots of memories with it."

"Good," she brightened up a bit. "Memories are precious. Hold onto them."

After a brief pause, she continued, "I miss our old town. I miss our old home. It was a beautiful place to live in. Sure, we were poorer than now, but we were rich with other things, important things, like happiness.

This place is too cold, too distant. It doesn't feel like home. Since coming here, only bad things have happened to us. First your dad, and now me...."

Nick had felt the same too. Back in his old town, Goldcrest, he had lots of friends. He knew his entire neighborhood, and everyone else knew him too. Here he barely talked to the people next door.

There they did not have the facilities of Megacity, but they were content with whatever they had.

Back in Goldcrest, they had their own house, farm, and lawn. Here, they lived in a small apartment, like livestock.

When he was seven, his parents sold the old property and moved into Megacity. His father wanted his son to get a proper education and a better life than he had. Also, there were lots of hoardings put up in his locality advertising Megacity around that time, which caught his attention. He realized the town had very little scopes for Nick, but if they moved to the city, he would have tons of opportunities. Nick's mother also agreed with him eventually and on one fateful day, together they left for Megacity.

Back in Goldcrest, his father used to practice medicine on a small scale. After coming to Megacity, he joined a huge medical shop as a pharmacist. The pay wasn't great, but enough to feed three mouths.

His mother continued, "You got my eyes, but your father's heart. You are kind, honest, selfless - just like him. Your father was a great man, Nick. Everyone loved him back in Goldcrest. People used to look up to him as a good example of a kind-hearted person. He was so nice, and gentle, and that's what cost him his life in the end."

"Mom!"

"Don't you think I am a fool, Nick. He would have come back to us by now if only he was alive. I have lived with him for around twenty years. We are connected to each other, irrespective of the place and the time. I know it, Nick, I can feel it, that he's dead. His heartbeats... I can't hear them, not anymore."

These were the times when Nick's mental strength was tested. He remained strong. He had to. There was no other way.

"Nick, you are a good child. You have never disappointed us. You have never abandoned us. When your father went missing, as a mother I was supposed to take care of you. I was supposed to comfort you, assure you, that things would be fine, that I would be there for you no matter what, that I would try to be both your mom and dad from now on. But that's not what I did. I suffered the worst. I was weaker than you. I loved him too much, and his loss was unbearable to me. But you, Nick, you stayed strong. You took care of me, you stayed by my side, you promised me that you would never leave me behind, which should have been the other way round. You handled the situation with strong hands. And now you have to deal with this. I don't know what to say. I think I have failed you as a mother. You don't deserve this, Nick. You deserve to be loved, and protected, and not to suffer alone like you are doing now.

I am sorry, Nick. I am sorry for everything. If only there was a way to pay you back for everything you have done for us, to make your life better than it is now. If only I could fix everything and for once, become a better mother...."

Her voice choked as tears rolled down her cheeks. Nick remained seated awkwardly not knowing what to do.

Should I go and console her? Nick thought. Maybe I should let her have this moment. Those tears might help her with lightening the burden that is weighing her down constantly.

His mother stopped crying and said, "Say, Nick, do you hate us? Do you detest me for not being the mother I should have been, the mother you deserved?"

Nick shook his head and said, "Of course not, Mom. Whatever you have done, you are still my mother. I cannot hate you. You might think you haven't been the best mom, but you surely did better than a lot of them. I am happy with everything you have given to me so far."

She wiped her tears and smiled. "If you say so, dear. Your words will be enough for me."

After spending about an hour with her mom, he left his ward. Before leaving the hospital, he also checked with the nurses for any important updates. They also seemed worried regarding his mother's condition. They were still struggling to figure out the root of the devil.

He was surprised to see Professor Swanson outside as he came out of the hospital.

"Hey professor Swanson, you are here to see somebody?"

The professor was delighted to see him.

"Hi Nick. I am actually here to meet a friend. His wife is admitted here."

"Oh, how serious is this?"

"Nothing much serious. One surgery is all she needs."

"Good to know that."

Nick wished things were so simple with his mom as well.

"So, are you going in or are you done already?"

"I have already met them actually. So, I will be leaving soon."

"Sure, I will go ahead."

"Wait, are you going towards the bus stop?"

"It will come on the way."

"I am headed towards that direction. Mind if I tag along?"

"No issues."

"Great. Let me inform my friend real quick."

Then he stepped aside to make a quick phone call. Once he was done, he joined Nick on his way.

"So, how is your mother doing now?"

"Good, but not better."

"I hope you are catching up on your study."

"Yes. Got a lot of work done today actually."

"Glad to hear that. This is a difficult situation for you, but you must stay strong at all costs. Your semester is in danger and your scholarship request is also pending. This is the most crucial time of your life. You have to keep fighting, brave man. Do not give up."

"I won't. I am trying my best."

"I know you are, that's why I am impressed with you. I wish I had your level of courage."

Nick laughed in embarrassment. When a professor praises a student so openly, the student can't help but get flustered.

"You are exaggerating, professor Swanson."

"Not at all, Nicholas. I might as well understating your quality. You are my inspiration."

"Thanks, professor Swanson."

"You are welcome." smiled Professor Swanson. "Also I have one request for you."

"Go ahead."

"Outside the college premise, you don't have to address me as a professor."

"Understood, Mr. Swanson."

Professor Swanson blushed and said, "Don't call me 'Mr' as well. I am just thirty-two, you know, not an old geezer."

"What should I call you then?"

"Melvin. Call me by my first name."

Nick instantly protested. "I can't do that!"

"Of course you can!" he protested. "Try it. Right now."

"Try what?"

"Calling my name, of course. Come on, go ahead."

"I am sorry, but that's going to be difficult for me."

"You can't say until you try. Melvin. Say it. It's easier than you think."

Nick hesitated a lot before saying, "Melvin."

"There you go!" professor Swanson erupted in joy. "See, that wasn't hard. Now, try it again."

"Hi Melvin," Nick said. It actually was less weird than he thought it would be.

"Hello Nick," he smiled. "Oh, my destination has arrived."

They stopped in front of the bus stop.

"Are you returning to your home now?"

"Yes. You?"

"Same."

"You want to come with me on this bus?"

"Isn't your home the opposite way?"

"Oh right. See you later then."

"Goodbye."

Professor Swanson hopped on to the bus just before the door closed. Nick noticed that the bus route did not include his stop. Moreover, his home would be miles away from the places the bus would travel to.

Did he lie to me when he said he was going back home? Maybe it has something to do with his private life which he did not want to share with me, so he chose the easy answer. Why am I even bothering about this?

Turning away from the bus stop, he started walking towards his home.

From the bus, professor Swanson watched Nick walking away. He watched him till the bus took a turn and Nick disappeared from his field of vision. But he was still seeing him inside his head.