THE LAST ONE STANDING

HAPLESS

I woke up to the sound of the train. The sound of its horns was head-splitting. The bustling train station was just across the main street. Its location made sure that I woke up on time. That convenience made my life a little easier as I wasn't required to buy an alarm clock.

When I rubbed my tired eyes to fully awake myself, my gaze fell on my younger sister. In that dark room, my only source of joy was my dear sister. Since the death of our parents, we have been living in a small structure which could barely qualify as an apartment. Nonetheless, we were glad to have a place to hide our heads from the outer world.

While living in depravity and in an ill-operating society, I struggled deeply in acquiring financial aid. Due to this, I began working as a waitress at a nearby café from an early age.

With our parent's unfortunate passing, I learned that life was an amalgamation of several unexpected messes. I was just fifteen when they left me with my sister. The saddest part about their death was the inability of our relatives to show up even for the funeral.

With the small sum of inheritance that our parents had left us, I couldn't afford to keep the house. That forced me to rent a place in a small neighbourhood. Around that time, foster care offered to take my sister away from me. Unwilling to succumb to my circumstances, I decided to take care of my sister on my own.

When I began shuffling between school and household chores, I struggled immensely in taking care of the sister I adored so much. With escalating bullying and an incapability to pay the tuition, I ended up quitting school in the end. Without any education, I managed to take the profession of a waitress. Since that job allowed me to afford meals for my sister, I was pleased with it. That thought was the inspiration behind my readiness to wake up every day and get into the uniform even when arguments and molesting customers were the only things that awaited me there. Today was no different. I pushed my thoughts aside and hurry to prepare breakfast for my little sister.

From waking her up to dressing her, I did everything. After feeding her the oatmeal, I grabbed the keys to the apartment and then told her, "Stay put inside your room and behave well."

The five-year-old smiled with tender eyes as she reminded me, "I will do so, but I hope you will take care of yourself as well, older sister."

The words that left her small mouth almost brought tears to my eyes. I hold her in an embrace and ensured her, "I will do as you say. I love you, Lucy."

"I love you, Harriet," responded Lucy and placed a gentle kiss on my cheek.

Just when I let go of her, I hurried out of the apartment and locked the door from the outside. As I took a few steps down the staircase, I took notice of some familiar faces. They were walking in my direction. They were my classmates who used to bully me.

The wickedness that was widespread on their faces made me realise that they were conspiring on troubling me. Therefore, I began running with all my strength. If I were to arrive late for my job, the owner of the café might dismiss me from the job. I couldn't afford to do that since I was the bread earner in my family. I understood that avoiding the bully appeared to be the right decision. Without looking behind me anymore, I ran as fast as I could.

When I could no longer feel that they were following me, I rested near the playground to catch my breath back. Shortly, I felt someone holding firmly to my ponytail and dragging my head backwards.

With eyes opened wide and a heightened breath, I begged, "Please let me go. I need to get to work. Otherwise, I won't be able to earn today's meal."

The girl standing before me eyed me with disgust evident in her eyes as she demanded, "Where's the money that you took from me for buying lunch one month ago?"

"One month ago?" I pretended to act ignorant. "I don't know what you're talking about, Bella."

That was a wrong move because it earned me a slap. Soon enough, the young girl took out her knife and placed it against my neck.

My veins popped, and my fingers trembled as I pleaded for my life, "Forgive me, I remember now. I will pay you as soon as I would get this month's salary."

Even when she had removed the knife from my throat, I continued quivering like a duck. Her friends took hold of my arms, and she delivered a strong jab at my face.

The blow resulted in bruising my mouth. The blood spewed out and stained my spotless uniform.

When I peered at her face for a possible reason for her irrational action, she responded, "You're always making excuses. This injury is the p*****t for the time that I lost on you. From now onwards, whenever I'll demand money and receive an excuse, I will beat the s**t out of you."

With my face engulfed in fear, I tried to assure her, "I will pay it by the end of this month. Please believe me."

During my last days at school, I used to borrow money from Bella for buying lunch. That was my biggest mistake. Although it had been a month since then, she wasn't ready to let go.

My daily earnings could only afford a meal for two. Hence, I was ineffective in repaying the money that I owed Bella. After leaving me with a stained uniform and a swollen lower lip, she walked away giggling with her best friends.

Like a whipped dog of the slum, I reached the café. The owner examined my uniform from top to bottom and growled, "What's wrong with you? You're always late and arrive in an untidy condition. Is this job a joke to you?"

When I raised my head to explain my circumstances, she pointed her finger at my dress while reminding me, "This is the second uniform that I had lent to you. Somehow, you've managed to ruin this as well."

While choking on my words, I attempted to tell her that it wouldn't happen again. Before I could even complete my sentence, she blurted out, "Get out!"

With my legs shaking due to her ferocious words, I urged her to provide me with one last chance. Instead of getting affected, she was getting irritated with my pleas. Her hatred soon turned physical. Just when she finished lecturing me, she reclined to push me out of the café.

The final thrust landed me on my butt. While I eyed the staff in the hope of aid, I received mockery.

I picked myself up on my own, dusted my clothes and decided to head back home to prepare lunch for Lucy. Even though the day was a shitty one, I was glad that it ended somehow. Before stepping inside the apartment, I wiped the miserable look from my face. I couldn't afford to appear vulnerable in front of her.

As I unlocked the door, I began calling out to her, "Where are you, dear?"

Upon receiving no response, I got worried and rushed frantically inside the bedroom to look for her. The empty room further culminated in me a sense of dread. My voice shivered as I paced towards the bathroom. As I pushed the door open, the horror that persisted before me brought me to my knees.

My trembling hands moved towards the fallen little girl. Her eyes were completely shut, but her breath was steady. At that helpless moment, I could only think about several hypothetical possibilities. I was hoping for situations in which my parents could be alive and would help us.

Reality came crashing down on me when little Lucy opened her eyes up and gasped for breath. Her hand stretched out in my direction while I watched her with concerned eyes. Since the actuality of life necessitated that I take action, I held her in my arms.

The moment I took hold of her cold body, I moved towards the exit. While carefully minding my steps down the staircase, I kept reassuring the groaning child that she'd be fine.

Just when I moved out of the apartment complex, I took Lucy to the nearby hospital. There, I knew a kind aunt who visited my school for a monthly health checkup. I had told her about my home situation. Since she had been sympathetic towards my cause, she offered me a favour. She swore that I could approach her if I were in a medical emergency. Thus, I carried my ailing sister to the hospital where she had told me that she worked.

When I rushed inside the hospital that reeked of death and chemicals, I approached the reception and demanded to see the same kind woman, who was known as Miss Archie. The receptionist informed me that it had already been a month since she transferred to another city.

Despair and pain were evident on my face as I came to realise I was stuck with a sick sister in a place ruled by money. Since I had none, I commenced weeping in front of the receptionist itself.

"This isn't a place for orphans. I've already answered your queries. Please, I want you to leave now," the receptionist urged.

Leave? How could I do that? The hospital was the only hope. I tried to argue with the nurse about the urgency of medical aid. She couldn't sympathise with me. Instead, she warned me that she'd call the security on me if I'd persist to cause a nuisance.

Defeated, I decided to retreat. As I was walking away, a nurse who had been listening to my conversation with the receptionist called out to me. Worried that she would scold me as well, I assured her, "I am leaving. I will not contaminate the ambience of your hospital."

"It's not that, dear," the nurse rushed behind me.

While comforting the troubled Lucy, I told the nurse, "I don't have the time to entertain you, madam. I have my concerns. My sister's sick, and I don't have even a penny to get her treated."

The tears came streaming down my cheeks as I narrated the story of my defeat. The nurse stroked my head and held Lucy for me as she offered, "I will take you to the doctor. I will pay for her treatment."

I didn't even question her about anything. I just wanted to get my sister to get better. While quietly following behind her, I observed that she took Lucy and me to a doctor's cabin.

The doctor scrunched his nose as he pointed out to the nurse, "Why are you carrying these beggars with you?"

While I did not attempt to hide the disgust in my eyes for the words of the educated man, the nurse gently told him, "Don't be rude, Sam. This child needs urgent medical assistance."

The doctor gaped at my face and blatantly asked, "We aren't initiating charity here. Are they going to pay?"

The nurse giggled as she told the doctor while brushing his arm with her fingers, "I will do the payment."

They exchanged flirtatious glances, and then the doctor finally agreed to help us. To my surprise, it didn't take him long to examine my sister now. They conducted the tests and prepared the reports in just two hours.

When the doctor examined my little sick sister's report, the expression on his face altered. It seemed like she was diagnosed with something serious. While praying for the young one, I asked the doctor, "Is everything fine with my sister, sir?"

At first, he shook his head. Then, he took a sigh as he explained, "She's suffering from a degenerative disease."

From the look on my face, he understood that I wasn't familiar with the term. Thus, he explained it to me in an insulting manner, "That's why kids should attend school. Anyways, the tissues inside your sister's body are contaminated. Her liver isn't functioning properly."

"This can be cured, right?" I asked the man with tears visible in my eyes.

The man crossed his legs as he further suggested, "There is a cure, but it would be possible to achieve through an operation. The operation would cost somewhere close to eight million dollars."

"E--eight million?" The words that left my mouth revealed my anxiety. "How will I arrange that sum in such a short amount of time?"

"That's none of my concern," responded the callous doctor and left his desk.

I stood there frozen while watching Lucy, who was still unconscious. While observing the young one, I couldn't help but curse my ill fate. I was only a fifteen-year-old, how was I supposed to amass such a huge sum?

At that moment, there were only questions that stared at me. I couldn't find any answers. The only light that illuminated my darkness was on the verge of extinguishing, yet I couldn't do anything to prevent that.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

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