(As told by Keith Jordanson)
I get a call from Nika when I'm eating breakfast. I decide to pick up when I would normally just watch the phone ring until it stops ringing. "Hi Nika, what's happening?" You ask.
"Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, things got worse."
"Oh no. What happened?"
"I just lost my job."
"What?!"
"You heard that right. I told my boss I wasn't going to be at work for at least six weeks because I was in Seattle with Spencer and had to watch him die in the hospital. Then I went with my boys to Scotland to spend time with his grandma Cece before she died. My boss knew what was happening, and knew that we were in debt, but terminated me."
"In Washington State, an employer can fire you for any reason. But that's pretty messed up. Does she not have any empathy?"
"That's EXACTLY what I asked. She said she felt the same way when her sister died a few years ago, so I asked, 'so how is this any different from my situation?' She didn't have an explanation, but just said, 'you're fired.' I didn't even receive my paid leave, OR a final paycheck!"
"Oh dear. It's already freakishly expensive to be alive here in America, imagine how expensive it is to be dead. Does your family have life insurance?"
"DID. They cancelled us."
"Wow, you have a lot more on your plate than I thought. I'll see what I can do for you. I suggest you study your rights after you get fired, and use those to take her to court."
"Thank you so much, Keith. I'll definitely do that soon. This is why Spencer loved you."
I grin. We both say goodbye, and hang up. I continue to eat my waffle when I get an idea. I decide to tell my wife Lexington when I'm finished with my waffle and my fruit and veggie smoothie.
"Lex, what if I gave half of the proceeds from the ball games to Nika to pay for Spencer's final expenses?"
"Oh goodness, Keith. Are you really willing to do that?"
"I am. Nika just got fired from her job after not being at work for six weeks, even though she knew what was going on. She didn't even receive her paid leave or her paycheck for the week she did start working again, not even for overtime."
"You're kidding me."
"Nope. That's why I want to give half the money to the Venstons."
I gather five thousand dollars out of the ten thousand I received. I hug Lexi and tell her I'm on my way to Aberdeen.
"Drive safe, babe. I love you," she responds as she hugs me and kisses my forehead.
"I will. I love you too, sugar."
I start my car, stuff the money in envelopes, grab my wallet, open the garage door, back out when I buckle up, and head for Interstate 5. I don't care if I don't have enough money to pay off my medical bills, because I didn't just have to deal with a family member dying. I don't know what exactly will come of that, but I do know that this is a sacrifice worth making.
I arrive at the Venston house a little over an hour later in Aberdeen when Bryan looks down from the deck. I wave at him, and he waves back. I stand at the door and knock, and Nolan opens up the back door while I'm at the front. I start toward the back door when Nika shuts the refrigerator door in the garage. She leads me into the house and asks me why I'm here.
"I wanted to give you something. Please accept it." I slide her the envelopes with the money inside.
She opens them and asks, "have you been saving up all of this money for me? How did you get this?!"
"Nope. That's half the proceeds from the ball games."
"What?! Oh hell no, I can't."
"No, I insist!"
"But this money is supposed to be for your medical bills!"
"I don't give a damn, I want you to have it. You deserve it more than me. Besides, since you just got fired from your job at the bank, I wanted to make it easier for you to pay off your husband's final expenses."
Nika looks up at me, then down at the envelopes, then up at me again. She finally says, "fine. I'll accept the money. But if you need help with your medical bills, I WILL be willing to help."
"Thank you Nika, but you need it more than I do right now. We just got on a new insurance plan so Lexi and I can continue to pay for my cancer treatments."
"Man, you're stubborn as all get out. I guess that's what comes out of being a Taurus."
"My wife is a Cancer, and she's even more stubborn than I am."
"Of course she's stubborn as hell," Nika jokes, then laughs.
I keep seeing Nika staring at the envelopes, seeming like she's not so sure if she should've accepted my gift. Bryan and Nolan come back inside the house after a long game of Slap Jack. I tell Nika I can't stay much longer, so I say my farewells to her and her two sons.
I emotionally prepare myself for the drive back home to Centralia, yearning to see Lexi after a long day.