After staying at the hospital for several hours, the afternoon sun began to dip lower in the sky. Realizing that Jason's school would be closing soon, I knew I had to leave. I found the nurse attending to my mother.
"I have to go pick up my brother from school, but I'll be back in a little while," I explained, my voice tight with lingering stress.
"That's fine, Miss Adams. We will keep an eye on her," the nurse replied kindly.
Jenny and I left the hospital. Since Jason's school was only a fifteen-minute walk away, we decided to walk instead of taking a cab. We both needed the fresh air to help ease the tension coiling in our chests. When we reached the school, most of the students had already gone. I spotted Jason standing outside the main gate, his backpack looking heavy on his shoulders. He looked ready to start walking home alone.
"Hey!" I called out, hurrying toward him. "Why are you outside the gate?"
Jason looked up, relief washing over his face before he masked it with a slight frown. "I was about to walk home."
"And why is that?" I asked, trying not to sound too harsh. "You know clearly that you aren't supposed to go home by yourself."
"Yeah, I do," Jason replied defensively. "But we closed early today. I've been waiting for more than thirty minutes for you or Mum to show up. Neither of you were here, so I thought you guys might be busy and decided to just go myself."
Guilt pricked at me. The chaos of the last few days had completely messed up our schedule. "I see. I'm sorry we're late. It's fine now, let's get going."
Jason didn't move immediately. He looked between me and Jenny. "Okay... but is Mum back?"
The question hung in the air, rendering me speechless. How could I keep lying to him when everything was falling apart?
Jenny, seeing me freeze, quickly stepped in.
"Um, Miss Aida will be back in town anytime soon, my prince," she lied smoothly, forcing a cheerful tone.
I recovered my composure, quickly backing up Jenny's statement.
"Yes, exactly. She said she'll be here very soon."
Jason narrowed his eyes slightly. He didn't like the vague answers he was getting; something felt off. But seeing the exhaustion etched around my eyes, he decided to let the questioning slide for now.
"Sure," he replied quietly.
"Now, can we kindly go home? I'm starving," Jenny said, sensing the tension. She ordered a ride, and five minutes later, a car pulled up to the curb.
On the way home, while Jason was looking out the window, I caught Jenny's eye. I frantically typed a quick text message under the shelter of my purse and hit send.
> I need to go back out. Can you please stay with him tonight?
> Jenny's phone buzzed. She glanced down, then gave me a subtle, reassuring nod.
"We're home now," I said as the car pulled up. Before we went inside, I turned to my brother.
"Sweetie, listen. I need to take care of something real quick. I'm going to leave Aunt Jenny to take care of you. I will be back very soon."
Jason looked skeptical. "Are you sure you'll be back early, unlike the other time?" he asked pointedly.
The question stung. "Yes, I promise. I won't be long this time."
"Okay. Just take care."
"Love you guys," I said, watching them head inside.
Once the door clicked shut, I let out a shaky breath and headed for the main road.I stopped at a nearby supermarket first. I needed basic toiletries for my mum and myself as I am going to spend a night at the hospital. As I stood in the quiet supermarket aisle, staring aimlessly at rows of shampoo and soap, my mind drifted back to the Golf House.
"Unexpected opportunities arise from unexpected places."
I had a brother who was starting to doubt me, a mother in a coma, and a surgery bill I couldn't pay. I didn't just need an "opportunity"—I needed a miracle. Whatever David was hinting at, I couldn't afford to ignore it anymore. I grabbed what I needed, paid quickly, and headed back to the hospital, my mind already racing with the decision to start looking for that path tomorrow.