Aching Heart

Chapter Three

Andrea let out a loud yawn as she woke up. It was Sunday morning, she had spent her Saturday buying her new uniform and the necessary books that she would need for her new school. She just could not stop thinking about the guy she owed a R3100 to. It was impossible that three glasses and a t-shirt were so expensive. Andrea groaned loudly, it is evident that he was rich. So why did he need more money? The monthly salary she received from working at Stars was just enough to help her father, with the water and electricity bills. Then they still had other outstanding debts, such as the loan her father made to pay her mother's medical bill and a few other loans. Andrea barely had any money left to spend on herself, so she really had no idea how she was going to pay the R3100. She was hoping this Austin guy called her soon, so she could try and reason with him but somehow she had a feeling it would not be easy. She would never forget that rude and hard eyes of his.

Frustrated tears welled up in her eyes. Why did she have to run into the owner's son, of all people? It could have been anyone but him.  Out of frustration she threw her blankets off her. Jason and her father left for church this morning, she could not go with as she was still very tired. She wiped the tears away as she made her way over to her cupboard to grab a few clothes. Andrea knew the only remedy for her too feel better was to go and visit her mother's grave. She hadn't been there in a while, when she got old enough to drive she had made a promise to herself to visit her mother at least twice a week but because she was either busy or tired therefore she barely goes once a month.

Andrea decided to clean the house first and then made a quick lunch so when her father and Jason came home from church they had something to eat. After she was done with the food and chores she took a quick shower and got dressed in a nice summer dress paired with her worn out converse. Finishing her look off with her denim jacket, she grabbed her car keys and exited the house. After locking the door she walked to her car that was parked in front of the house and climbed inside. The streets of Cape Town were always busy on weekends, she thought as she drove carefully to grave yard. The grave yard was quite a drive from her house and her Mazda made weird noises that worried her at first but then afterwards she did not pay too much mind to it as she drove into the gate of the grave yard.

She carefully climbed out of her car from and walked through the graveyard until she reached her mother's gravestone.

Alana Quinn, beloved mother and wife. Born: 20 April 1979, Died: 15 October 2010

Andrea gave a sad smile as she read her mother's gravestone. In a few months' time, her mother would be gone for exactly 8 years. She bent down and touched the coldness of the stone softly. Memories of the day her mother passed away flooded her mind, her screams and tears when she got news of the passing. Alana had died from a heart attack and passed away in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. The worst thing was, Alana was not even at home surrounded by her loved ones, when she got a heart attack. She was at the grocery store and not Jacob or even Andrea and Jason got to say goodbye to her. Andrea had only seen her mother the morning before she left for school that day. She was only 10 years old and her heart broke.

"Mommy, I miss you so, so much." She said softly as she bent down on her knees in front of her mother's tombstone. "Dad and Jason miss you as well. We all really wish you were here." A single tear rolled down her cheek. "Mommy we have so much debts. I just went and added another one to our list." Another few more tears rolled down. "We really hope this ends" She said softly.

"I just wished sometimes I still had you around, Mommy. I love Dad so much, but sometimes I really just need my mother." Andrea wiped the tears away. She had learn to make peace with her mother's death. The first few years after Alana's death had been extremely hard on Andrea but she eventually managed to accept it and learnt to live without her mother. "I miss the times you would wake us up with a nice lovely breakfast. Oh and I really miss the smell of baking that always filled our house because of your love for baking cakes and tarts." A sad smile formed on Andrea's lips as she got ready to stand up. "Goodbye, Mommy. I know you're watching over me. Thank you for being my personal angel." She slowly got up and wiped her knees to get rid of the sand.

"Oh and Mommy. I got offered a scholarship at one of the best schools in Cape Town. So there's some good news at least. I am on my way to make you very proud." She gave the tombstone one last look. "I will visit you soon Mommy. Love you, always." Andrea got rid of the last few tears that was still trailing down her cheeks and turned around. She walked through the graveyard back to her car feeling so much calmer than when she came. Her mother, even in heaven, still had the power to calm her down. That thought brought peace and joy to her heart.

Andrea reached her Mazda and climbed in the car. She put the car in the ignition and tried to start it, but it did not budge. Worriedly, she tried starting it again and still it would not. After a few tries it finally started but she struggled driving it as it made weird noises. She tried her best to get the car out of the graveyard and much to her luck she managed to get it out but it went dead just a few blocks away from gate. This time it did not start again. Andrea groaned out loud as she laid her head on the steering wheel. She knew this car was going to give in someday, she just did not think today would be that day. Andrea, not owning a mobile phone had to get out of the car to walk to the nearest shop where there was a payphone. It was 20 minute walk away from the grave yard. She entered some change she had found in her car and dialed her father's number.

"Hello?" Came Jacob's voice. "Dad, it's Andrea."

"What's the matter? Why are you calling me from this weird number? I really need to get you a phone." She heard her Dad muttered the last part.

"I am calling from a payphone. My Mazda won't start. It is parked just outside the graveyard so I walked to the nearest shop. The problem is, I am stuck here because I do not have enough money on me to take a taxi."

"Oh sweetie, after church, I was called into work and I got here just over two hours ago. I had to drop Jason off by his friend and come immediately to work." Andrea sighed. "Oh gosh. What am I going to do?" Andrea really did not want to bother her father at work but she had no one else to call.

"I am so sorry, honey. I will be on a break in about one or two hours, depending on when someone else arrive to take over for me. I will then only be able to fetch you. Can you wait there for me? Maybe find a somewhere to sit and wait? Preferably around people."

"Yeah sure I will. Enjoy work, bye." Andrea sighed as she ended the phone call. There were quite a few shops nearby and just opposite the road was an ice cream shop, called Milky Way. She saw that there were quite a few people and thought it be best if she wait there. The streets were quite busy and she could not just cross over so she waited. As she waited a woman playing with her daughter on the opposite street caught her eye. The little girl looked about 7 or 8 years old and her mother was tickling her while she was laughing her heart out. The sight made Andrea smiled sadly, it reminded her of times with her mother. Suddenly she wished she was that age again, just to see her mother's smile again and to laugh with her just like that little girl was.

Andrea continued to stare at them deep in thought when she noticed the woman getting a phone call. The woman whispered something to her daughter and then answered the phone. Andrea observed the woman slowly and noticed her facial expression become hard, indicating the phone call was not going too pleasantly. Suddenly Andrea got a very bad feeling because the woman turned to her side now and was not looking at her daughter. Her daughter’s attention was now somewhere else. Andrea's eyes followed to what the girl was looking at, and she was looking at a stray cat come from the opposite side of the road where Andrea was standing. The girl smiled at the sight of the cat who was walking slowly over the road. The girl slowly started moving to the direction of the cat. Her mother so engulfed in the phone call does not notice at all. Andrea could feel her heart racing as the girl was now standing on the road, getting ready to go to the cat with cars still driving on the road. One car in particular caused panic to erupt in Andrea. It was speeding.

The girl, solely focusing on the cat started walking faster and was almost in the middle of the road and somehow it felt like the Andrea the car speeding, was just driving faster and faster with every second passing by, with no intention to stop.

The girl was walking faster, really wanting to reach the cat and Andrea realized what was about to happen as the car got closer, and she screamed: "Watch out!" loudly while running towards the girl. The girl stopped at the sound of her voice and turned to look at the car. She froze for a split second and then she started screaming as the car was coming at full speed straight towards her.

Andrea ran from the sidewalk to grab her and got her, just in time, by the arm. Andrea pulled her so hard, towards the side walk that she fell just a few centimeters away from the side walk, on her elbow with the little girl landing on top of her. The car made screeching noises and came to a halt just in front of Andrea. Andrea's eyes were shut tightly as she breathed loudly with the girl whimpering on her. She slowly opened her eyes and then lifted herself up, to hold the girl. She heard the shutting of a car door as someone jumped out of the car.

"You're okay sweetie, you're okay." Andrea whispered to the whimpering girl while rubbing her head soothingly. She was just glad the girl fell on top of her and did not get hurt.

"Cassie!" Andrea heard a hysterical voice shouting. She turned her head to the noise and she the girl's mother running towards them. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh." The mother muttered as Cassie jumped out of Andrea's arms at the sight of her mother and then ran into her arms.

"Thank you so much." She said when she looked at Andrea with tear filled eyes. "You saved my daughter's life." Andrea smiled, still on the ground. People were now staring at them.

"Miss. I am so, so very sorry." Andrea heard an unfamiliar panicked male voice saying. It is then when she realized that a young male had been standing there the whole time. He was the one who had been driving so fast.

"I really want to get mad at you for speeding but I can't because I should not have taken my eyes of Cass." Andrea frowned at that. She was not about to let this guy get away with speeding like this woman did. "I was taking my eyes off her for one minute and she was just gone."

"No, Miss I am in the wrong. I should not have been speeding. I was on a very upsetting phone call and I got a bit frustrated. I am so sorry. Is there anything I can do for you or your daughter? Did she get hurt? Should I take her to the hospital?" Andrea could tell he felt bad by his panic-stricken voice but she was still upset.

"Fortunately she did not. She landed on top of me." Andrea answered with a scowl on her face. The guy turned his attention to Andrea, his expression apologetically. "Let me help you up." He offered.

"No." Andrea said curtly as she pressed on her elbow down on the road, attempting to get up. Immediately she winced. The guy jumped to help her as he grabbed her hand and pulled her up. The minute she was standing, she roughly pulled her hand free from his grip. For a few seconds he stared at her, she frowned at that but turned her attention towards the woman, who was speaking.

"You saved my baby's life. I am forever indebted to you." The woman said, holding her daughter who was shaking a little, tightly. "It is no problem, really. You're not one bit indebted to me. I did what any normal human being would have done."

"I will never take my eyes off you again, Cass. Say thank you to the aunty for saving you."

"Thank you Aunty." She said softly. Andrea smiled. "No problem, sweetie. Just promise me you will never walk across the road without your Mommy." Cassie nodded. "I promise." She said softly, leaning into her mother.

"May God bless you and I hope we meet again." The woman said to her. She turned to look at the guy. "You young man, please do not speed like that in future. I don't hold anything against you. Be safe. Both of you." Andrea nodded and smiled after the woman who turned around and walked across the road with her daughter.