Post Diagnosis

Leo was quite impressed with how Audrey was committed to being a great employee, he was also shocked to see that she wasn't fawning like most ladies who applied for jobs.

Leo knew he was attractive, he couldn't even deny it, it pained his ego to see that Audrey wasn't looking at him the way he had looked at her. That simple gesture made him want to know more about her since she was new at the supermarket and he barely knew her. One thing was for sure, he was infatuated.

The fact that the job at the supermarket wasn't a bother to her meticulously planned schedule was a relief to Audrey, although she knew the time was flexible, she didn't know it would be that convenient.

The rest of the day seemed to be just fine as Audrey surprised herself and Leo by picking things up faster than it would take her. Maybe it was the intensity of the situation and how she needed to pay the bills so badly that made her so committed to doing her work well.

Audrey had worked at a cashier booth for the rest of the day, that is after she was given basic training, of course, she had help from one of the other staff.

When it was time for the shift, Mrs. Cohen was introduced to her by the manager Leo. Audrey didn't need to wonder much about why the supermarket needed the shifts, the place was huge and from Audrey's not-so-lengthy experience, the supermarket didn't lack customers. She guessed that was the result of having a monopolized advantage in a very busy area.

Audrey checked the time to see that she was still a little early to check in at the restaurant, so she decided to make a quick stop at the hospital.

Her mother looked bright and happy as she was having a conversation with the other patients in her ward. She stood by the window, observing that smile, that beautiful smile her mother always had on her face regardless of the situation.

There her mother was, suffering from stage three lung cancer and Audrey was quite surprised that she could even smile, not to talk of having a conversation.

"Hi mom, good afternoon," Audrey said as she closed the door behind her, she continued, "good afternoon ma'am, good afternoon aunty" waving slightly as she greeted the other patients who were in the same ward as her mother.

"What are you doing here Audrey, aren't you supposed to be at work", Georgia said, a surprised look on her face, she didn't expect Audrey to visit her in the middle of the day because she thought she would be working.

" I still have a one-hour window to do anything I want before going to check in at the restaurant", Audrey said, taking the seat beside her mother's bed. "Well in that case, how about we have lunch, the nurse brought some food a while ago, but I didn't feel like eating it since I didn't feel like, but now that you're here, I feel like eating, so that I can accompany you", Georgia said turning to her side and bringing out a couple of plates.

Audrey, who had been briefed by the doctor and the Internet about her mother's ailment was alarmed to hear her mother didn't feel like eating. 'This is the loss of appetite part!'," mom?", Audrey called out, "yes dear", Georgia answered as she paused what she was doing to look at her daughter.

" you have to eat when it's time to if you feel like it or not, that way, you can have a lot of energy to fight the growth of the tumor", Audrey said, trying to convince her mother to take her meals regularly.

After Georgia had heard what Audrey had said about her cancer,  she immediately felt convinced and she made a mental note to eat when she was supposed to.

After their little chat, they had lunch, all the while talking about how their day had been so far, Georgia telling Audrey how she had nice conversations with her new friends, which were the fellow patients in the ward, her doctor, and the nurses. Audrey also told her mother about the supermarket and its size, the number of employees, and the number of customers.

Seeing the time as she looked at the wall, Georgia motioned for Audrey to start heading to the restaurant, because the time had gone by so slowly that none of them took notice. Georgia didn't release Audrey till she promised her mother that she would visit her right after she was done with her shift at the restaurant.

The distance from the hospital to the restaurant wasn't as prolonged as the distance from the supermarket to the hospital. Audrey reasoned the cost of transport and concluded that she could spend that much since it was considerable till her mother was discharged.

The journey wasn't a long one and so Audrey got to the restaurant on time. The chirpy girl who didn't get to tell her name because of the unfortunate incident that happened with her mom quickly walked to her as soon as she noticed her.

"Hey, I'm Prisca, we didn't get to talk much about what happened the last time, and your mother how is she doing, is she okay", she asked out of concern. In truth, Audrey was barely able to tell her much about herself the last time before they concluded that they would talk better when she resumed.

Audrey who wasn't willing to share too much information about her mother just yet with the lady replied," my mom's good, she's fine, nice to meet you again Prisca, is it okay if we got into detail about the job".

"Alright then, let's talk more in the office, mom, I want to step out for a couple of minutes, cover for me?" Then the other woman who was in her mid-forties simply nodded her head.

"Alright come with me", Prisca said as they went into an office. It wasn't quite big, just moderate size and enough furniture. " that was my mom, and this restaurant is a family business, we who updates me about them, I'll probably tell you if there is one with good pay".

Prisca and Audrey continued their conversation, talking about their families and what they had been through. During their talk they found they were similar hm multiple ways, for example, they both had to work to support their family, they didn't finish college and they just wanted comfortable lives.