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Relief washed through me.
“That’s great. What’s the other news?”
“She’s going to need surgery if she’s going to walk again.”
The skin on my face prickled hearing his words. I was stunned. The one thing that had always been true about my mother was that she had boundless energy. Growing up, I always found it tiring. She would keep going and going while all I wanted to do was lock myself in my room and pretend nothing existed.
Running from project to project was a part of who my mother was. The thought of her not being able to walk again was like losing her to someone I wouldn’t recognize.
“You don’t have to worry. It’s a simple procedure. I’ve done it many times. However, I’m told you don’t have insurance.”
“No, we don’t. But we can pay for it cash, right?”
“Of course. And the hospital will certainly adjust the costs taking your situation into consideration. But, it’s still not a small sum.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll get it. You can do whatever you need to do to prepare for the surgery. I promise.”
“You have some time. Your mother still needs more time to recover. Maybe in a few weeks?”
“That won’t be an issue. Just tell me what you need, when you need it, and I’ll make sure you have it,” I told him, knowing that we didn’t have that type of money in our bank account.
I had seen my mother’s hospital bill so far. That alone would bankrupt us. Her surgery would put us in a hole that would take a lifetime to dig our way out of. But I would do whatever I had to do to take care of her like she had done for me. I would do anything for my mother.
Leaving the doctor, I joined my mother at her bedside. As she looked up at me, I noticed the pink returning to her cheeks. The black and blue marks that had consumed her body were receding. She really was looking better, but shifting my gaze to her legs, I was filled with heartbreak.
“What did the doctors tell you?” she asked, unable to mask her Jamaican accent like she usually did.
“He said that you can come home,” I said, forcing a smile.
“Did he tell you about the walking thing?” she said, cutting right to the point as usual.
I shook my head.
“Don’t worry about it. I have friends I can call up.”
“I’ll take care of it. You just focus on getting better. The doctor says you still have some recovering to do before he can schedule anything. You worry about that. I’ll take care of the rest.”
My mother smiled, trusting that I would. She then gave me her classic wry smile.
“You know he was exaggerating, right?”
“What do you mean?”
“I can walk. It’s just slower. It will give other people time to catch up.”
“You better start thinking about rehab or whatever they have lined up for you and stop thinking about who would win in a race.”
“There are things I need to do. We have guests scheduled to come in. Rooms need to be prepared. There is this little thing called a broom. I know you’ve never heard of it. But it needs to be swept across the floor at least once a week,” she said, teasing me.
“Don’t worry, Mama, it’s being taken care of. All you need to do is focus on getting better.”
“I told you, Cali, your job is to go to class and focus on school. That’s where your future is. You can’t let anything distract you.”
“I’ve been going to classes. I haven’t skipped a one.”
She looked at me confused.
“You remember Hil?”
