The Girl Who Carried the Sun

Twenty Two

"You need to see a doctor as soon as possible," Daniel said.

"How do you eat?" Lily asked worriedly. "I mean, is there anyone helping you cook?"

Asha gave a wistful smile and replied, "We manage on our own. I have no relatives here. All I have is my son. I couldn't get up in time to prepare his breakfast before school, and I couldn't send him on an empty stomach so he has missed school for two days."

Lily looked at the boy quietly sitting near his mother and felt her heart move inside her. He had the sweetest face her eyes had ever laid upon, and the quietest character in any child. But he also had that spark in his eyes, the bright light of curiosity secretly shimmering in the shadow of his quietude.

Lily looked back to his mother. "It must be really hard for you. Having to care for a kid over your illness..."

"We get by," returned Asha in a low voice, tenderly looking at her young boy. "I make breakfast late but we manage. This morning my good boy made cold tea for me. He mixed sugar and tea leaf in a glass of cold water. How good it was!" she smiled at the boy, softly stroking his curly head. "The best tea I've had in my life."

"I'm sure it was good." Daniel smiled too. "You must not be working since you're unwell."

"Yes. I have not worked for five days now."

"Do you have enough grain?"

"Enough for some days..."

Daniel nodded and stood up. "We'll see what can be done about your health. You can't stay this way without seeing a doctor. Your son needs you. I'll go get my cousin. She's a nurse. We better give you some IV drips first to help you get your strength back. Lily, you stay with eche Asha and Amir while I go get Veihriine."

With that, he was out. He returned fast with Veihriine and Che Dune. Meanwhile, Lily had arranged and cleared up the bed area to make space for Veihriine to set to work. Holding Amir by her side, she stood watching as Veihriine examined Asha's scrawny arm and tried to find a vein for the needle. Daniel went out to his truck and came back to call Che Dune, then the two returned with a bag of rice and some vegetables.

"Asha, here are some grain and vegetables for you and your son," said Che Dune. "Shall I keep them here at the corner?"

"Che Dune!" exclaimed Asha and then she forced her lips together and tears flowed from her eyes.

"There. There. What's there to cry about?" consoled Che Dune.

"Thank you. Thank you so much!" Asha wept from her bed and wiped her eyes with her free hand.

They waited till the IV bag finished to the last drop. In the meantime, Che Dune cooked dinner for the two of them. Lily mostly played with Amir while Veihriine helped her mother cook and kept her eyes on Asha. Daniel had gone back home after delivering the necessities. He returned to get the women in the evening. Asha thanked them all profusely.

"Let us know if you're ever in need of anything. We are all here. You don't have to think you're alone." Che Dune comforted her. "If only we had known sooner you were sick."

Che Dune called Lily and Daniel to eat with them since it was already dark by the time they returned home. She reckoned they wouldn't be too excited to cook late, but Daniel grinned and told them proudly he'd done the job.

"All the men are cooking tonight," he told them from the driver's seat, wearing a big fat smile. "Even Puh Khozii has finished preparing dinner."

"Oh! What good boys you are!" laughed Che Dune. "I'll give you prizes in the morning."

As Daniel and Lily settled down for dinner at home, at their small table, Daniel told her to say the grace.

"No," she said, rolling up her eyes to give him a small scowl.

"What do you mean 'no'? Why not?" he smiled at her.

"Just because." She shrugged.

"You have to keep the practice from now on. Later on, when you have kids, you're gonna have to teach them. Otherwise, who will?"

She knew he was teasing her, and yet for some silly unknown reason, she felt embarrassed.

"Of course, I'll say it when I have kids. Not now."

"What's the difference now and later? Come on. I'm waiting and I'm dying of hunger."

"Mocha!" Sometimes, Daniel could be so pressing on certain things and she looked so helpless that Daniel laughed out.

"Close your eyes. I'll do it," he chuckled and said a quick prayer for both of them. "See? It isn't so hard."

Lily smiled quietly. He had always been such a good boy. She remembered her parents often asked them to say the grace before meals to keep up with the habit of it. Daniel, ever the good boy, often said it whenever he was asked to. Lily said a few times when she was little, but never after they'd grown up. At least, not in his presence. They were four of them and they were a complete happy family. Now it was just the two of them in a quiet cabin.

"I'll say it tomorrow," Lily said, seeing Daniel make an effort at keeping that family alive even if they could never be the same again. Surprisingly, even that small quick prayer that Daniel usually said replaced the loneliness in her heart with an old, warm sense of belonging, of being home. And she would try too, if not for herself, for him.

☢️☢️☢️

Probably the longest chapter yet. Probably. Hope you enjoyed reading. Do leave comments and some stars 🙃

Gimme some wild guesses how the story might progress. For tea. ☕

And thank you thousands for all your well wishes. I am safe. No worries. And in a week or so, I'll be moving to Delhi. We might run into each other one of these days if you're from Delhi 😁

Love,
Hermyne 🌹