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I shook my head and laughed; my mother was known for constantly teasing and berating people. It was something that she did for fun, but a lot of people did not understand and just called her the “grumpy grandma”. In truth, Candice Doyle was the most cheerful person I knew. After her husband had died, Candice worked through it, putting up a strong image of herself. We did not have much money, but we were able to live a fairly happy life, one in which she worked hard to ensure that I finished my education.
Even after the cancer had hit, Candice still managed to keep her cheerful attitude. Her spirits were never dulled by anything, even the bills which we could no longer keep up with. Against her wishes, Candice still went out every day, looking for ways to make money, until the cancer forced her to stay in bed. With her debt and my minimum wage job, I could not keep up with the medical expenses, and Candice knew this too, telling me on one occasion to stop getting the drugs to treat her. She had basically asked me to let her die, and she had done it with a smile on her face.
I would never understand the positive nature of my mother, where it came from, and how the woman could keep it in the face of impossible odds. I had lost my own positivity a long time ago as reality had smacked me in the face. The little which I had managed to save up looking to take care of Candice, had instead gone into treating my arm after the car accident. And now we were back to square one… But I was not going down without a fight.
“Oh yeah, an officer came by earlier. Said something about you calling him,” Candice began.
“Earlier?” I asked, I had not left the house and we were having breakfast. “Earlier today?”
“No, I don’t... No, not today. Yesterday, I think. That was when you went to the grocery store, yes?”
I sighed. “Yeah. Thanks, Ma.”
I left the bedroom and went out to the balcony where I would take the call, away from the ears of my mother. As I stepped out, I spotted Carlos, the man from across the street who always took his time to say a kind word to everyone. I waved at him first, and he waved back.
“¿Cómo está tu madre?” Carlos yelled. “Your mother, how is she?”
“Madre está bien! Mom 's good... You?”
“The Superbowl is on!” Carlos yelled back, lifting his beer bottle before turning back to his radio.
I turned back to my phone and scrolled through the contacts to find the number that the police officer had given me. There was some fog on the screen of the flip phone, as water from the rain on the night I was hit had gotten into it. But thank God it was not badly damaged. I found the number and called.
I had woken up in a hospital the next day, picked up by a taxi driver who had come around the corner a second after the car that had hit me had disappeared. The driver picked me up and rushed me back to Merriweather, the same hospital I worked at. Once I was able to speak again, an officer was called in for me to talk to, and I had narrated the ordeal to him, with the main thing I recalled being the number plate of the car. It hadCTRL1written on it, and I took my time to make sure I remembered it since it was the only way to find who had done this.
“Hello? Officer Kensington?”
“Miss Doyle, hello. I came by yesterday and tried calling, but I couldn’t reach you.”
“Sorry, my mother just told me. How is it going?”
“Well, since you could not get the make of the car, we did run the plates through our system, and there were no matches. We checked with some of the top custom plate manufacturers, and there were no reports of plates like that either. I think our best bet is that the vehicle is not from the US; that’s why it's not on our record. But I got word out for people to look out for the plates. If any officer spots it, we will find the person who hit you. Might just take some time.”
“I’m guessing you can’t tell me how long it would take?” I said, feeling the disappointment already.
“We wish we could work miracles like that. There is no telling. If I’m honest with you, I believe whoever has the vehicle is either gone, out of the state, or has already changed the plates to avoid detection. If they have enough money for a custom, they can get another one in an instant.”
“Thank you, officer,” I replied. “Call me if you get anything! You can always reach me here.”
“Of course,” Kensington replied. “Have a good day.”
I fell against the wall, letting out a breath of exhaustion. I had put a lot of hope on the fact that the police would find the bastard that had hit me. I was looking to press charges and get a settlement from the person. It was an expensive car, so obviously the person would have some money. That money would help out around the house, get more meds for my mother, and cut down on some of our debt.
But now, the individual had most likely vanished into thin air. Now I was left with a fractured arm and a lot of bills that would be so exhausting for me to pay off. Living in debt was not something that I could do for much longer. I needed a break, a way to make more than the pennies I had. I wondered why they did not do the whole CCTV thing to find the vehicle. They would only have taken the case seriously if I had died. Without a murder on their hands, it seemed like they were just going to relax. I could not have that. I grabbed a note and walked over to my mother, taking away the dishes as she had finished eating. “Do you need anything, Ma?”
“You got that fountain of youth water? If not, leave me alone.” She said, trying to sound mean, though the smile on her face didn’t add to her role.
“Sure, I’ll be back in a bit,” I replied after rolling my eyes. “Take your medication!”
“Get me some cigarettes!” My mother yelled at me as she walked out.
“I will not be responsible for your death, Ma, love you!” Laughing, I left the house.
I walked down the stairs and began making my way down the street. I was given time off from work so I could heal, but I wasn’t taking it. I had only taken the day off so I could spend time with my mother. But once I was certain that there were no other injuries except for my arm, I would be back to work, despite the fact that Vanessa did not want me there. I did not want to be working with a broken arm, but I also needed money to buy food and support my mother.
Strolling to the end of the block, I went into an apartment building that was pretty similar to my own. I smiled at a buff guy at the entrance before I walked in, hoping that he was not going to be a problem. I made my way up the stairs and to the door I was looking for. Someone was screaming inside the room, shouting at them to get cover. I sighed, realizing that the person who I had come to see was playing video games again. I banged against the door even louder, drawing his attention.
“Maria!”
