Odd Encounter

Era was well aware of the people moving around her but she remained standing still, gazing at the direction Trez went. She wondered how he knew about her family situation and for how long.

"I'm sorry."

Era looked up and saw a teenager with a face full of pimples begging to be popped. He's wearing a black hoodie. He hit her left shoulder but stepped back and moved to her right, bowing in apology.

She rubbed the part where he hit her before her. She looked over her to right where he saw him bowing and moving fast, entering the hospital.

She exhaled a deep breath and decided to follow the teenager. She shoved her left hand to her left pocket while her right hand moved to touch her sling bag.

The moment she touched the bag, coldness hit her body and the small hair from the back of her hair stood up. Her sight went blurry and in panic ran to the entrance of the hospital, hitting an elderly man but didn't pause to apologize.

She heard the man scream profanity on her back but she ignored him, mumbling an apology under her breath while thinking of the money that she's going to use as a down payment for the piling hospital bills of her father.

The damn pimple-marked prick didn't hit her by accident. The jerk slashed her bag and got her money.

The thought of not being able to pay some amount to the hospital and her father moving to the charity section of the hospital sent shivers to her spine.

Right now, her father stays at the semi-private ward of the hospital. She wants him to have a private room for him to get plenty of rest but they can't afford it. The semi-private ward is shared with three other people. It's way better than a charity ward where a huge open room is shared with more than twenty patients. Her father won't get a decent sleep.

The thought of her father whimpering in pain if he didn't get the medicine on time, made her feet move faster.

However, the feeling of despair enveloped her when she saw the three elevator doors, all busy taking passengers to different parts of the hospital and she had no way of finding them.

The lobby is also busy.

She had no idea where the pimple-marked I bastard went.

"Excuse me," she ran and called a hospital attendant but he didn't stop for him.

She looked around, eyes blurry with tears and she could not find anyone that she could ask about the teenager who stole her money.

There are people in the lobby. But she can't just ask everyone. She feels like she has to as someone who has an idea about the guy she's looking for but she has no idea who.

"Fuck! Why do you have to stand there like you have lost your mind just because your boss brought you here."

She ran to a corner and found it deserted. The hallway seemed to be offices. She saw a door with a sign that read Office Personnel Only. She turned another corner and saw another sign that read Supply Room.

Era knew that she was in the wrong place. She traced back her steps, half-running, praying for a miracle.

When she returned to the lobby, she approached a security guard and told him what happened to her.

The old security guard listened to her but didn't offer any hope.

The guy she was looking for could be anywhere.

"Can we check the CCTV?"

The old security guard looked at her with pity in his eyes.

"I'm sorry miss but to do that, you need to file a request to the hospital and it would take a few days and….I don't think it's going to be favorable—-"

When the old security guard sighs, Era loses all hope. Her shoulders slumped and she let those tears that had been wanting to escape her eyes fall.

"Uhmm, I'm sorry miss but I have to do my rounds. I'm being watched with my supervisor and they are looking for some excuse to fire me because I'm too old for this job."

Era nodded. "Sorry," she sobbed.

"I'm sorry I can't be of help."

She watched the old man walk the length of the hallway with heaviness in her chest. She was debating whether she should go to her father's room.

She can't tell him what happened to her because he would fall into self-pity and would insist on being taken home.

She had already lied to him a lot of times about money not being a problem and she didn't want to add more to those lies.

However, she really doesn't have much of a choice.

Era rolled her neck, feeling the headache coming, thinking of a possible reason she could tell the hospital about the unpaid bills they have.

They are already requiring them to give a thirty percent down payment of the current bills. It seems small if only the total amount isn't too big already and adding up every day. But what can she do? She can't give up on her father. Taking him home isn't a solution. He needs a doctor twenty four seven. And those loan sharks, coming and going to their house will send him to an early death.

She was dreading taking a steps to the cashier section when a tap on her shoulder startled her.

"What are you going to do? Punch me on the face?"

The familiar deep voice stopped her and looked at her fist in the air, as if she's going to punch him and her face heats up.

"What do you want?" She asked, putting down her hands on her side.

"I don't want anything…right now."

Era furrowed her brows in his tone.

"I will forgive you this time since we don't know each other that well. But the next time I ask for money, I don't like knowing that you hid it from me."

Sweat formed at the back of her knees. She froze and couldn't find the word to explain herself when he handed her wallet.

"I-I…"

"Do you know my name?"

She quickly shakes her head.

He stared at her then grabbed her hand, shoving her wallet.

"I could see that you have a name for me in your head. I can assure you that I'm not that cute, especially when I know I am being lied too."

Era bit her tongue to not say anything. She watched him walk out of the hospital. When she could not see him, she looked down on her hands, disbelief in her eyes to see her wallet.