chapter 5

"Gerald I think we should think about our daughter more than we ever did , she is passing through hard times" , ritha's mom said " maybe you are right ,but how and we know that bill is the right guy for ritha" , " Gerald you know love is always a very had experience for teen , but we have to ask her first, she will tell us the whole story and we shall think about the decision" , ritha's mom said, they both agreed on it and went upstairs to ritha's room . They knocked , ritha didn't respond they then opened the door , ritha was lying on her bed , looking outside her window , " ritha , may we talk to you, it could be better" , " okay , mom" she said as she wiped her eyes " then ritha tell me what's bothering you" , " mom I just can't trust bill now , he was hiding his true side the whole time, I would have listened to miley , he is truly not a good person , and now he has been calling me the whole time , but I can't answer it I want him out of my life" , her mom looked at her dad and sighed , " Gerald do you mind giving us some space for a while" ritha's mom said to her dad, and he then went back down stairs , " ritha it's two of us now tell me the whole thing" , " mom , promise you wont tell dad , I think he would be upset if he knew that I was kind of liking bill" , " okay ritha , I promise" , " mom I've been trusting bill for quite a while , and I ended up liking him as a friend , but earlier today , I insisted on him to tell me his story with miley ,and then I found out that bill is not a good guy after all , as miley said" , ritha said to her mom ," but ritha , why could you just take a decision so quickly, and why is he a bad guy , tell me the whole story" her mom said , ritha then narrated the story to her mom , all as it happened . After she had said the whole story , ritha's mom was on bill's side she didn't want the two to lose hope on each other , " so ritha , you have told me the whole story and I really disagree with you , bill isn't the bad guy you thought he is , you are just relying on your emotions , miley is your coach and she is the one to be trusted , I get it , but according to what happened , it wasn't bill fault , nor his father's hospital doctors , it is just that life favors some , maybe it was jack's time" her mom said as she handed her a handkerchief to sneeze, " mom , what do you mean , I trust miley's opinion , maybe the doctors didn't pay much attention to jack and ended up dying" , " ritha I don't think so , I am a lawyer and I know how to handle cases like this , bill was afraid that jack could die , and I suggest that , he was worried about jack , that he told her dad to order his doctors to pay more attention on jack , but it was his time they couldn't make him live , therefore it was not bill's fault nor the doctors" , " mom , maybe you are right , but I am too far to reconcile I even didn't answer his calls" , " ritha do anything you can and I am willing to help you , you are the only one who could bring peace between bill and miley , but now you have just lost hope in him, but it is not too late , you can still be friends with bill, promise me you will" , " okay mom , thanks a lot , you made me feel better, and I will try my best to still be friends with bill I promise" , " ritha you are my daughter , and I want to see you ever happy , I can do anything to see you happy" her mom said ritha then got closer and she hugged her mother . "Come let's go outside" her mom said and they went outside the room , upon getting outside , her dad was there , " dad!" ritha said, " ah I was going to check if everything was alright" , " Gerald" her mom said with a suspicious look ," okay , my bad , I was right here the whole time" , " what!" , ritha exclaimed, " ritha I heard everything , but don't worry I'm fine with it , if you liked bill it was your right to have a friend , and I am glad you came to a decision , you and your mom" , " thanks dad, and I am sorry I didn't want you to know , I was afraid you couldn't understand " it's fine ritha , and I am proud of you , you are the bravest girl" ritha's dad said as he hugged her . " Ritha so how are you going to take the next step" , " mom and I agreed that I should be the one to take the first step and apologize to bill" , " ohh that's good , hope you are going to unite again" , " yeah dad I'm pretty sure he'll forgive me" . Ritha said to her dad , her mom went and served lunch , then they all went and had lunch . After lunch ritha went to her room and grabbed her phone , she had miseed two calls from bill , she decided not to call bill but she texted him , " bill I have something to say , let's meet this evening at the mariachi" , she took a deep breath and she sent the message ,to bill and went out for a walk . Ritha checked her phone as she was returning home , bill had not texted back , she thought of calling bill but she was out of words , she then had a shower , she got dressed up and went to the living room . " mom I think I am ready to go , I'll wait for him at the mariachi , I just texted him and told him to meet me there" , " okay ritha go make things right , and remember you are his only hope" , her mom said to her and ritha then went out , she opened the gate and took a taxi to the mariachi restaurant . On the way she took her phone to check if bill had answered , but he hadn't , the taxi drove a few meters and ritha saw a black and white Porsche . She recognized the car it was bill's car she stopped the taxi and went out , bill car out of the car and he had a bouquet of roses , he glanced at ritha in shame , he approached her, " ritha , I hope you are no still mad at me , i…" , " bill it's okay, I thought of what I did earlier and saw that I am the one to say sorry , bill I noticed that you were not the one to be blamed and I have to help you reconcile with miley" , " so you are not mad at me" , " yes I am not and I am sorry for all that I said about you , I just judged your opinion and I was taken by my emotion" , bill looked at ritha and hugged her , " and what you did earlier , it was nothing I forgive you , by the way these are for you" bill said as he handed him the flowers , " thanks bill" ritha said , " so let's go" , bill said and she opened the car , ritha got in and he went in too , he started the car and they left . " So bill , why did you pass by my home I thought we could meet at the mariachi" , " ritha after reading your message it was the only chance to talk to you so I didn't think of texting back , instead I came to pick you up" , " oh , guess I made it a bad time for you" , " you wouldn't Imagine how I felt when you ran out of the car In the middle of the road , I thought of running after you and leave the car , and I even imagined if a car ran into you and I caused more problems , you gave me the biggest headache I've ever faced" , " knock it off , nothing bad happened " ritha said and she laughed . They proceeded" , they continued to the mariachi , " so ritha why didn't you answer any of my calls" , " bill let's not talk about it , I was so upset back that time after what had happened " , " oh , anyway , you didn't have to , I understand how people feel about it" , " but luckily bill , my mom helped me" , " how did she" , " actually I told her the whole story and she helped me understand that it was not your fault after all" , " wow she's actually a nice mom , if I had a chance I would thank her, I had lost hope that I would never be able to reconcile with you and miley" , " yeah actually my mom is a lawyer so she reviewed the case to me and finally understood it" ritha said and they all laughed . " so here we are, the mariachi , the finest restaurant with a good view of the sea" , bill said and stopped the car , then went out the car , bill then opened for ritha , they went inside , " where do you want to sit ritha" , " I prefer the seat with a clear view of the sea" , " you read my mind right" , " come on that was my idea" ritha said and they went to seat to the seat that ritha preferred and called the waiter . "After they had chosen what they were to eat ritha , ritha started talking to bill as they waited for the food to arrive , " bill , I wonder why you have a nice behavior yet miley refused to forgive you" , " ritha , I've never had a chance to express myself to miley she always chases me away and refuses to hear any of my words , it's been a year now but she won't listen to me , you cant imagine the burden on my heart" , " don't worry bill, it won't be long , I'm willing to do anything to help you" , ritha said to bill , " ritha i…" , the waiter arrived , bill didn't finish his words , the waiter served them and left . " Bill , you what were you about to say" , " oh nothing , lets , enjoy the meal" , bill said and looked down and ritha looked suspicious, but didn't care much about it . After they were done , bill put ritha in his car and drove her home, he stopped his car right at the gate , " ritha , I wanna thank you again for being tolerant to my story , what people think about it , you just didn't care" , " bill, I understood your saying because you tried your best but maybe it didn't work , care about saying hi to mom and dad"? , " okay no problem I hope dad doesn't scream at me again" , " bill he promised he won't again , nothing to worry about" , they both went out of the car . Ritha rang the bell , her parents came to open " oh , hello there , care to come in" , " yes , no problem" bill said confidently because he so no ritha's father around . " I just stopped by to thank you for reuniting me and ritha she was my only hope to reconcile with miley and thanks to you it's not too late I can still reconcile with miley it's just a matter of time now" , "it's my pleasure , you can count on me" , " oh she recently told me you were a lawyer" , " yes up to date" , ritha's mom said , her dad had made no scream at bill , " so bill where do you live exactly" , ritha's dad said " just near the lantern hospital , actually my dad is the owner" , " oh sound like a wealthy and happy man" , " oh my dad isn't really a happy man , since my mom left him she never came back I didn't get to know her I only saw her in pictures" , " oh I'm so sorry bill" ritha's mom said, " it's no problem I'm fine with it" bill said " so , thanks for the warm welcome , I got to go , it's too late now" , " I'll accompany him mom" ritha said and they went out . Ritha your mom is so nice you are so lucky to have her , and your dad I am surprised to see him gentle" , " bill it is fine dad seemed to change since I talked to him about you" , " thanks ritha , for sure , so I've got to go , see you" bill said and drove away , ritha came back to the house . She entered and then headed to her room and lied on her bed and smiled she played her smooth jazz and dozed off . Early in the morning ritha woke up, and showered , she then told her mom to accompany her to the clinic before going to school , they then went straight to the clinic . They entered miley's room , she was alredy awake , " hi miley" , " hey ritha why are you so early today" , " I just wanted you to meet mom" , " hi miley I am ritha's mom angie" she introduced herself , " nice to meet you , angie' miley said as she tried to sit on the bed , " so mom I think I have to go I don't want to be late for school , bye miley" , ritha said as she closed the door , " so angie, what brings you to visit me this early morning" , " I just wanted to stay with you and comfort you" , " you are such a helpful woman angie , I appreciate it" , " my pleasure miley, it just that ritha always tells me to pay you a visit once" , " ritha is truly a nice student she is my favorite" miley said as she opened the window and the curtains . " miley , I want you to tell e all about your conflict with bill" , " angie , bill and I have not been in good relation for so long , it was because of jack's death , jack was my friend before he died" , "ritha told me , I think bill told her too" . " miley , I know how you feel about him , but maybe things happen and time passes , we try to forget but it becomes too hard , the only cure is to forgive and you will forget" , " angie you are right but , I can't , I just can't do it , it is not so easy" . Ritha's mom kept on telling miley but she wouldn't listen to her , " miley I want you to trust me on this , forgive bill and your heart will be free , and so will you" , " angie really thanks for all your advice , I thought about forgiving bill ,whenever I thought about bill and all the times i refused to listen to him whenever he asks for forgiveness , I felt the urge to forgive him , but I couldn't , I found it hard to forgive him because of what just happened , I always think af jack and find it hard to forgive bill" , " miley it's just a matter of time you will think of it and all will be well , it's never too late" , ritha's mom said and she went out , miley remained at the hospital an she remained thinking about her words .Ritha had reached at school , but she was thinking about was bill , she was deep in her thoughts and doodling in her note book, the alarm ran , she recovered from her thoughts and went out , tom came and approached ritha , " hey ritha" he said to ritha , " hi tom , how's lanna" , " she's fine as usual" , " oh , so what brings you"?, " ritha actually I didn't like your act last time we met , ritha I don't know what's got into you" , " tom , I don't know what you are talking about , I was in a hurry lately" , ritha said but tom kept on getting closer to ritha , " ritha , I just want you to know that I …" , " you know what tom , it's time , I got to go , bye". Ritha went back to her class , she was talking to herself and confused of what tom had said , the alarm rang and everyone went back to their class . After class ritha tried to talk to Jennifer , she told her about her wonderful moment with bill , Jennifer was happy about it , she was surprised to hear that bill and ritha were finally getting together , they talked and ritha remembered about tom and what he did earlier bud he had no idea what tom was up to and she decided to keep it a secret , it was becoming too late and dark , they parted and wet home . Upon reaching home , ritha found her mom smiling , she was surprised and wondered why her mom was so happy , " mom , what's so interesting, and why are you so happy?" , she said to her mom , " ritha , you are not going to believe this" , " mom , tell me I am so eager to hear" , " so , miley finally said she is going to think about it , isn't it wonder full" , ritha's face changed , " oh , I thought she finally agreed to forgive him" , " but ritha , take it slow she will forgive him" , her mom said and sighed " ritha I think I have something to tell you , in this life not everything comes with no cost and another thing cheap things cheap things mainly come with a huge cost , so be wise , don't make miley rush into making unwise decisions , I talked to her about it and I know she will come to one wise decision, right" , " okay mom I get it , I just wanted to make sure miley forgives bill as fast as possible so that we can figure out how to help miley with her illness" , " ritha don't worry all is going to be fine" , ritha went up to her room and closed the door she lied on her bed and she then thought about tom , " I don't know what you're up to but I better find out before it's too late tom" , she whispered to herself , her phone immediately rang , it was bill , ritha smiled and she answered it , " hello" , " hey bill" , " oh I just wanted to know if you are doing fine" , " I was about to call you too , " oh what a wonderful coincidence" , bill said and they all laughed , " oh bill I almost forgot , I got good news for you" , " go on ritha" , " you know what my mom went to visit miley earlier , and miley finally decided she is going to think about it" , " you mean forgiving me" , " yeah" , " you're kidding right" , " no bill , I'm serious , this is no joke" , " wow I just can't believe it , after all the time she is finally going to forgive me" , " bill don't be excited yet she hasn't said it" , " yes ritha but I'm glad that some time to come she will" , " okay ritha , so try telling everyone that we have to meet at the barracuda , I know it's weird but I really want to , despite the time it has been without getting their" , " okay bill" , " but bill tomorrow is school day right" , " yes so we shall meet I the afternoon after school" , " okay I'll tell everyone" , " bye" , " bye bill" he said and hanged off, ritha then went down stairs and dinner was ready , she had dinner with her parents . After dinner she went up to her room and she then led on her bed and had to sleep. Ritha woke up early in the morning as usual and she received a message as soon as she got out of her bed , " ritha I have been calling you but , I'm sorry I was so early today so I hope you remember to tell everyone about it this afternoon" , it was from bill, after reading it , ritha then went to the bathroom and had a shower , after she went down stairs and had breakfast , then her ad drove her to school , she couldn't wait until the day was over . The alarm rang and it was time for break , ritha went out of class , she took her phone and texted every one , she told them to meet at the barracuda club , after school , after she then returned to her class , the alarm rag and every one returned to class , Jennifer approached her , " ritha what is going to happen this afternoon" , " you know what I'll tell you but keep it a secret , bill hs something h wants to tell us , and today is a good time" , " okay , I'll keep it a secret , but still I have no idea of what it is" , " neither do I Jennifer" , ritha said and the teacher entered , Jennifer returned to her place . After school everyone went out of class , Jennifer remained in class she waited for ritha and the others , after they gathered up and headed to the barracuda with bill . They arrived and ntered the cabin , " so bill why did you call us" , pete said , " so guys all I wanted is to tell you that if possible we could get to the hospital to pay a visit to miley , and I really need your help to gain miley's trust again" bill said , " okay it would be a good thing but how are we going to do it " tom said, " don't worry I've got things under control" , bill said and they all took a us to the clinic where miley was. They entered the clinic and then headed to miley's room , they opened the door , miley wasn't there , the nurse wasn't there too , " so guys are we going to stand here and wait or go find miley" tom said , " so what should we do tom" lanna said , " let's go find the nurse , she'll tell us where miley could be" tom said , " bill you can stay with ritha , we'll take care of it" , ritha and bill looked at each other as lanna said to them , the others went but tom looked like he wanted to stay , but lanna pulled him and closed the door . " so bill what's your plan" , ritha said , " ritha I'm not sure but I'll try to be as polite as I can" , " bill I'm very happy for it and all the hard time you had will pay off , you never gave up on miley and I am sure she will forgive you" , " really" , " yeah bill I mean it" ritha then approached bill and hugged him tightly , the door suddenly opened , they let go to keep it hidden miley entered with the others , " oh ritha you came back" , miley said and stood up and hugged her , miley looked at bill , " and what is he doing here" , " miley , I am sorry I came without telling you but…" , " I think you should give us some space" miley Interrupted , the others then went out , and closed the door . miley went at the window , , bill cleared his throat , " miley after all these months back I had a burden on my heart , I am here once again to say sorry" , " I knew it bill , nothing brings you to me except saying sorry, but what would you do if you were me" , " miley I know that it's not easy to decide what to do after what happened but I promise I will be different" , " I know bill it wasn't easy for me to accept the situation , after losing jack , but ritha's mom, told me something that I took as a lesson , I shouldn't have followed my emotions" , " what do you mean miley " , " bill I have come to one wise decision bill , you are forgiven , and you can call me coach again" , " miley , I just wanted to say thanks , I am very thankful right now" tears shed out in his eyes , ritha then opened and entered with the others " is everything alright" , ritha said , " yes we worked things out" miley said ritha then approached bill , " welcome back to the team bill" she said and everyone then clapped their hands . Ritha's parents entered the room as soon as they finished clapping hands , " oh, how could it be, I thought I'll be first to reach here" her mom said , and they all laughed , " ritha can I talk to you for a sec" , " sure bill , why not" ritha said as they went outside , " ritha I just want to say thanks , your courage , your gentleness and thanks that you never gave up on me" , " bill it was the right thing to do , I wanted to help you reunite with miley , and really you've got a good mother , she cares for people and she is loving" , " bill all mothers are good , they are all caring" , " I don't guess so ritha , mine left me , but never mind I am so far right now to think about it" , " or sorry for it but , I didn't mean to remind you of it" , " no problem I now live with my dad and we are happy, I wish she knew how my dad misses her , so I just want to show miley I appreciate I I'll tell my dad that miley has to be transferred to his clinic and she has to get treated before it is too late , but I don't think it is going to be so easy , because that's where her friend died" , " bill come on she has forgot all about it remember she has forgiven you come on let's go back inside" . After entering ritha told everyone about bill's suggestion , everyone was happy for bill , " bill I am here to say sorry for being so hard on you the other day, I judged you wrong" , ritha's dad said " I have just been forgiven and I should forgive you too, apology accepted" ill's dad smiled to himself and they all agreed to stay with miley the rest of the day