CHAPTER ONE: After the Great Loss

“Dear, I'm entrusting into your hands the responsibility of taking care of your mother. Never let her shed a tear, she's the only family you've got now….” Andrew's quivering voice lingered in the room as he struggled to breathe.

Tears coursed down Sophie's cheeks as she held her father's hand even more tightly.

“Dad, please stay with me. Don't say that, you're still here with me. You'll be fine” Sophie encouraged her dad but it almost sounded like she was trying to make herself believe he would survive.

Andrew's face split into a dry smile, “Honey. You know I love you, take good care of yourself.” As he slowly placed his hands on Sophie’s hands.

Sophie shook her head in disagreement, “No dad. You can't stop fighting now, you have to keep trying, please.” Her bottom lip jutting out, with tears furiously streaming down her eyes.

Andrew's opened his mouth to speak but all that came out were coughs.

The huge sum of money he had spent to cure himself of pneumonia amounted to nothing as he was now on the verge of death.

“Mom..Mom, stop crying and come, dad won't stop coughing.” Sophie called the attention of her crying mother.

Maria rose up quickly from the couch, “Andrew, Andrew, are you okay? Shou.. should I call the doctor? Please talk to me.”

Observing the situation, Sophie's instincts wouldn't let her be, “Doctor! Doctor! Doctor! Something is wrong with my dad.” She yelled while dashing out of the room.

Sophie arrived immediately with a doctor.

Andrew's cough was reducing, but this would have been good news if blood wasn't dripping from his nose.

“Mr Young. Hang in there.” The doctor said as he placed his stethoscope on Andrew's pale body in a fit to hear his heartbeat.

Maria and Sophie stood by in silence, while trying their best to stay positive.

Andrew took one last inhale of air before going silent. He finally succumbed to the cold hands of death. Andrew Young lived no more…

The doctor's sad bow said a lot but Maria relied not on her assumptions.

Gulping down hard on the lump that formed in her throat, Maria asked, “Doctor…What's wrong? How's he doing?”

The doctor lifted his gaze to Maria's, “I'm sorry Mrs Young. We lost him.”

Maria was overwhelmed by shock that she fell on her knees without realizing.

Sophie was struck by shock as well, her eyes bulged out so much in fear. She rushed back to her dad in bed. “Dad, you can’t leave me like this. No. Wake up! Stay with me.” She yelled, shaking her dad a bit, before some nurses came to hold her still.

Were her ears working fine or did she just hear the most heartbreaking news?

“Dad, wake up!!!” Sophie screamed at the top of her voice as she turned to look at her father's corpse.

*****

“Ring!!” The doorbell blared through the living room.

“Who could that be.” Maria thought as she removed her hand from the dough she was kneading.

“Ring!!” The doorbell rang again.

“I'm coming!” Maria replied in a sing song tone while trying to wipe off the flour on her hands.

“Or let me call Sophie to get the door.” She muttered to herself before yelling her daughter's name.

“Alright mom, I'm coming down already.” Sophie called while walking down the stairs.

Sophie twisted the door knob open to meet unfamiliar faces at the door.

“Who..who are..”

“Hello ma'am. Are you Maria Young?” A lady dressed in a cooperate fit asked Sophie just before she could finish her sentence.

Sophie hesitated before responding, “No. She's my mother.”

“Alright, please go inform your mother of our presence.” The man standing by his female colleague instructed.

With a subtle nod, Sophie yelled her mom's attention to the door.

Maria appeared at the door with a towel in her hand, “Hi, how may I help you?”

“We're from the citizen's bank. Apparently, your husband, Late Mr Andrew Young loaned some amount of money from the bank and he used this building as a collateral, he also made you his guarantor in case of his absence or inability to pay up.” Michael explained.

Maria was utterly speechless.

She had barely recovered from the death of her husband and now they're faced with another problem? That too much, such a difficult one?

She sighed as she tried to gather her thoughts, “Umm, i actually never knew about this until now. I'm currently not working, I and my daughter feed on the little that I am able to provide, so please give me some time, when I find a good job, I'll sort out this loan.” She finished while scratching the top of her nose to ease the helplessness she felt.

“I'm sorry ma'am but unfortunately we won't be able to give you enough time. You have to pay up the loan of three hundred thousand dollars or else we'll have to ask you to evacuate the building.” Marilyn declared in an assertive tone.

Sophie felt embarrassed on her mom's behalf, she knew she couldn't just stand there without trying to placate the situation.

“She said she would sort it out. If she has a job, paying the loan wouldn't be a problem, please understand.” Sophie implored but the officials stood firm on their words.

“The loan's already overdue. We can't give any more time.”

“How much time is left until we're asked to evacuate the building?” Maria inquired.

Sophie, who stood behind her mom opened her mouth in surprise, what's mom asking? She wondered.

“Seven days. After that, you'll be forcefully evacuated from the building.” Marilyn said.

“Such a short notice? This is unfair.” Maria complained.

“Not paying a loan in the due time is also unfair ma'am.” Michael retorted.

Maria pursed her lips, “I understand.”

“We'll take our leave now. The ball is in your court. Good day.” And with that, the officials turned on their heels and exited the compound.

With the officials out of sight, Maria closed the door gently.

The tears she had been fighting back began to flow freely, seeing her mother in tears, Sophie drew her in for a hug.

“Mom, please don't cry. Don't worry, everything's going to be fine.”

“Ever since your dad's death, life became terribly difficult for me. We can barely afford good food and now I'm supposed to pay up a loan of three hundred thousand dollars?” Maria sobbed even harder in her daughter's arms.

Sophie patted her mother on the back softly, “We'll surely find a way out…don't you worry mom.”

******

Samantha took another look at the book in her hand, “The only job available is that of a garbage collector.”

“No. I can't do that.” Maria refused immediately.

Samantha raised a brow,”Aren't you the same woman who crawled in here begging desperately for a job? You really got preferences on this?”

Maria frowned, “Just because I'm in desperate need of a job doesn't mean I'd take any kind of job.”

Samantha scoffed, “Would you look at that? So much pride from a lowlife?”

Maria's eyes widened, “Samantha! Mind your language.” She warned with a pointed finger.

“Wow, I'm over here trying to look for an available job and you talk to me in that manner? Just leave my office.” Samantha declared angrily while gesturing towards the door.

“Fine. Silly woman.” Maria hissed.

“I got a job for you.” A voice said by the door the moment Maria stepped out.