8 CHAPTER 8: PUFFY EYES

I pack my bag, not just because I promised my mum the day before that I would return home, but also because I just realized that I don't have a friend anymore.

I thought Salah was the one, I thought he would stand by me through thick and thin, but it turns out that he just sees me as a burden. He sees me as a child.

My life had always been perfect and the moment a few problems arise he says I can't own up to my problems. Does he know how terrible I feel?

Right now all I needed was a friend, and he just bailed on me. He said those words like he always wanted to say them. He didn't hold back; he said it and walked away.

He was the one who asked me to tell him what was happening in my life, so how dare he say I don't own up to my problems.

Well, maybe I act like a child, maybe I need to man up and face things on my own with no one's help.

***

"Welcome sir" The maid welcomes me and takes my bags from my hand.

"Where is my mum?" I ask.

"Upstairs, probably in her room." She tells me while going upstairs to my room to drop the bags.

"Mum, I'm back," I enter my mum's room.

She envelopes me into a hug and I return it so I don't seem rude.

"How was your night? You look like you didn't sleep at all. I mean, look at your eyes," She comments at my puffy dark eyes.

"I got some sleep mum,"

"Some? Why not enough?" She asks.

"Emergency at the hospital. Last night," I answer in short phrases.

"Don't you have staff? That personal assistant of yours needs to be fired. I mean, what was she thinking calling you at night to handle some emergency,"

"Mum, calm down. Lucia didn't mean any harm. She said no doctor was on duty which seemed strange, so I had to handle the surgery because it was immediate."

"You handled a surgery by yourself? Hope you didn't get a panic attack this time?" She asks, worried.

"No, I had help. At Miranda's party, I met a girl, Nailah is her name. She is a surgeon too, and she offered to go to the hospital to help me with the emergency."

"Whatever. At least it's over now. But that personal assistant of yours needs some kind of punishment because how will the entire staff disappear, It's fishy. But I'll take care of it," Mum tells me.

"No mum, It's okay," I protest.

"I've made my decision Andrew," She tells me and I quiet down. "If you are going to be the next head of the hospital, then you have to be tough. You shouldn't be pitiful towards your workers, when they mess up you punish them to make sure it doesn't happen again."

"What if I don't want to be the next head?" I question. "Working with or heading the hospital is not something I planned to do with the rest of my life,"

"It's not an option," She laughs and turns to walk away. "So your sister has finally gotten to your head, huh?" She adds.

"Why can't your other son head the hospital" I mention her other son, ignoring her question. "What's his name? Because I find it hard to believe that, we are brothers and we don't know each other's name"

I expect her to not answer me because she's been running away from my questions recently, but she answers calmly "Because he's busy running the other business"

"What other business, because as far as I know, the only source of income to this house is the hospital," I say in a lower voice.

"You are right, as far as you know that is the only business you know but mummy and your elder brother run some other stuff,"

"And you're proudly saying it like it means nothing. You are ok with the aspect of me finding out that I have an older brother I knew nothing about."

"I mean you were bound, to find out someday. See, you have to be okay with whatever mummy does because without it you wouldn't have this perfect rich life you have, or better still, a roof over your head. All I have done is for the family. Sorry, honey, but you must accept it. This world isn't just 'wishes and butterflies' the world is hard, so grow up to accept that you have to do some 'stuff' to survive." She walks away.

Is she right?

I mean, everyone is telling me to man up, first my sister, then my ex-best friend and now my mother. Should I just do as I'm told? My mum just said sometimes to survive you have to do some illegal things.

How should I see my mother now? She just admitted to having a son and having a chain of illegal businesses.

A beep interrupts my thought. I take my phone and see that it's a text from my sister.

**Where are you?** Adanna text asks.

**At home.** I reply.

**Didn't I warn you about going there?** She texts, I'm about to reply but she sends another text **You know what, stay there I'll come to get you**

Moments later, I hear some voices as I go down the stairs. I freeze because I expect to hear my sister and my mother having some sort of argument since she said would come over, but I hear my mum's voice and a male.

"What are you doing here?" I hear my mum ask.

"What kind of question is that, Julianna?" A familiar but unknown male voice asks.

"I told you to never show your face here again. And now you think you've gotten courage now, eh?"

"Julianna, what you are doing is not right?" The voice tells her, and she laughs.

I hear the door open and a fresh voice say "Dad? What are you doing here?"

I recognize the fresh voice that emerged and I go to the living room to see what's going on.

"Dad?" I squint to make sure I'm not hallucinating.

"What a family reunion," Adanna says.