Not Again Mr Whitney

Outside the ICU in the Chelston General Hospital, Calvin Whitney was clutching a doctor’s legs on his knees, begging, “Doctor, please, please don’t give up on my mother! She’s not even 50! She’s too young to die like this!”

The doctor eyed him up and down in disgust. He had seen a lot of people like him begging and nagging him to save their loved ones’ lives. But when it came to the medical fees, they started changing the topic and just wouldn’t pay.

This was a hospital, not a charity.

“Get up. Don’t think that you can get away with the medical fees by doing this. The hospital has already done everything for you and you still owe us more than two thousand dollars. And if you don’t pay the fees, we’ll cut off the meds.”

“My advice for you is, instead of nagging me like this, go and get a loan. If you fail to get the money, just take your mother home and stop wasting money. She’s already reached the terminal stage of cancer. It’s like pouring money down the drain.”

The doctor’s words were like a knife that cut Calvin to the bones.

Calvin knew that his mother might not be able to make it this time.

But he just couldn’t give up on her because he had owed his foster mother too much.

Back then, he was abandoned in a pile of garbage at a rainy night. And at that very night, his mother Shirley Whitney was thrown out of her husband’s house because she was sterile. When she passed by that pile of garbage, she heard Calvin crying and took him with her.

All these years, these two had been supporting each other through the roughest days but they were still happy because they got each other.

Shirley finally raised him to be a wonderful young man and didn’t have to lead such a wearisome life.

But then something hit them hard. Shirley fell ill and got cancer.

That year, Calvin had just graduated and hadn’t landed on a good job. He kept doing part-time jobs and taking care of Shirley at the same time. Life had been harder for them.

Consequently, he had to marry into the Houston family and become a live-in son-in-law.

And the Houston family bought him for merely twenty grand, which was all gone now.

Two thousand dollars was only the cost of a casual meal for some people.

But it was impossible for Calvin to get because he couldn’t even afford a piece of bread right now.

Calvin was devastated but wouldn’t give up so easily.

“Doctor, please give me more time. I’ll find a way to borrow some money.”

The doctor snorted and didn’t say anything. But he thought to himself, “This kind of disease will only cost more and more money. Your relatives and friends won’t even wanna talk to you right now because of all the money you had borrowed from them before.”

Calvin dragged himself to his feet and went to Shirley’s brother Donald Whitney’s house.

He knocked on the door and then heard his aunt Mindy shouting, “Piss off! Your whole family is like a parasite. You always come here for money. You think I’m a bank or something? Stay away from us!”

Calvin begged desperately, “Aunt Mindy, Uncle Donald got sick last year and you borrowed two thousand dollars from my mom. We need that money now, please give it back to us.”

like you? You got any proof? If you don’t, keep your mouth shut or I’ll

because his mother’s life depended on it. Judging from

it wrong. Aunt Mindy, can you at least lend me some

you a dime. How are you gonna repay me if I loan you the money? You have a car, a house or something? I thought you are the son-in-law of the Houston family. You can ask them to give you the money. They are loaded. Why

hard to contain himself and proceeded, “Aunt Mindy, I have no one to turn to anymore. I can’t just let her die. Please help us and

Just as Calvin was about to leave despondently, two

the bread and piss off. If you come to my house one more

bread was soaked in the dirty

stared at that bread and then

life depends on you. Eat it and always remember the shame. Go on and strive for a better

bread was soaked in sewage

relatives and they all saw him as a big trouble

was faced with the

put the twenty dollars that he begged from them in his pocket and wandered towards his last hope

The Houston family.

money and would humiliate him like everyone else. But

I finally got

cornered in an alley.

for you everywhere. I thought you were dead

on to the 20 bucks in his pocket and said, “Mr. Terry, I don’t

yelled, “Then what’s that in your

men came at Calvin. They held him down and Calvin was struggling hard, “Don’t

your life. Mr. Terry, it’s only 20

at him coldly, “I’ve been looking for you for all these

head with his arms and just let them

slum dog! My hands got dirty

on him and his hair got sticky with some yellow phlegm that had the smell of tobacco. Calvin wanted to wipe it off

phone was buzzing in his pocket. He mustered all his strength and took it out. Its screen was

It was Rita Houston.

His nominal wife.

mouth and stretch his facial muscles. His

“Hello?”

took you so long to pick up the phone?”

broken and it didn’t

right? Why haven’t you

won’t happen again.

fun

“...”

“Okay, I’m gonna go.”

me some money? My