“Where's April?” Magdalene asked Jacob, turning her head to the four corners of the room trying to identify her.
Looking at Mabel and her looking back while slightly shaking her head in disapproval, Jacob stood up from the chair they were sitting and went to sit in a chair by Magdalene, “April is running late mom, traffic”. He responded.
“I'm blind Jacob, I'm not stupid, and I'm pretty darn sure the doctor did not diagnose me with amnesia.” Magdalene said, flashing a weak smile as she sat up to rest her back.
She continued, “this is the third month since my recovery process and not once has April been here, not once! Was she even here while I was in coma?”
Looking at Mabel again, still shaking her head in disapproval, Jacob took a deep breath and then responded, “of course April was here, there was a time she was even the one staying to take care of you.”
Magdalene smiled again, reached out for Jacob's hands then said, “You've always been a bad liar Jacob. Again, I was in a coma, I am blind, but I wasn't deaf.”
Jacob went cold as he made efforts to retrieve his hand from Magdalene's grip. He was also speechless as he didn't know how to further defend his lies.
With Magdalene's response, it showed she must have overheard him and Mabel talk about April ghosting them.
Truly, April hasn't come to visit since their mom got ran over by a truck load of wood. As much as Jacob wanted to come clean, his wife Mabel kept signaling him with her head not to as she felt it would break their mother's heart.
“Better for her to be left with assumptions,” Mabel said to Jacob as she crossed her hand over his neck while walking to the parking lot.
Since they could not afford a caregiver and April has intentionally been unreachable, both Jacob and Mabel take turns from their job to care for Magdalene.
JACOB'S APARTMENT.
“Have you tried reaching out to April again?” Mabel asked Jacob, who seemed worked up over the whole thing.
“I have sworn never to call her again, but I think I should because I cannot keep lying to ma.” Jacob responded.
“Haaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!” Jacob yelled at the top of his voice, having dialed April and still got no response.
He violently grabbed his car keys, got to car, slammed the car door aggressively as he zoomed off to April's house. Mabel stood by the door post perplexed and just prayed to God to handle the situation so no one get hurts.
APRIL'S APARTMENT
A loud bang on the door jolted April from sleep, as she had already retired for the night.
“Who the hell is that mad person trying to bring down my door? Did you pay rent here?” April fired angrily as she stormed to get the door.
She first peeped through her window and saw it was Jacob.
As much as she would rather not open up, she was so angered by how he banged her door, she wanted to just pour out all that rage on him.
She has barely opened the door when Jacob forced himself in.
“So you've been in town?” Jacob roared not giving April room to even respond.
He continued, “this is your mother for crying out loud April, don't you have a heart? Do you realize you will one day be a mom too? Would you want to be abandoned to your death by your flesh and blood?”
“I have called you severally, I have texted you, I have done virtually everything to reach you April, heck I even drove 4 hours to be here because I thought what if something terrible had happened to you? I have work tomorrow but here I am, standing face to face with you.”
“You just left mom for me, why?” Before April could utter a word, Jacob burst into tears as he leaned on the wall for support.
Gradually, all the anger April felt started melting away, but she didn't want it to, as she wanted to hold on to that rage while giving Jacob a piece of her mind.
“When you are done crying, let yourself out.” April said to Jacob as she turned to return to sleep, since she had no anger left in her for a fight.
“We used to be happy April, I thought you loved mom, what changed?” Jacob questioned as he wiped the tears off his face and pulled himself together.
Like Jacob's question hit a nerve, April paused halfway to her room, turned back and walked aggressively back to Jacob. “No! You used to be happy Jacob, you used to be happy with mom.”
She continued, “your father came along and took mom away from me. Then they had you and mom forgot about me. Do you know how lonely I felt? Going from one boarding school to another? Not having mom visit me or being involved in my life? Who told you I was happy, Jacob who?” April yelled at the top of her voice.
“Mom had to work April, you know how that turned out, you know mom wasn't lucky with men not with your father and not with mine. Mom had to provide for us and there was so much she could take at the time. You were in that boarding school for your own good and you know it! You knew my father was a beast, you know what he would have done to you if mom hadn't sent you away.”
“Everything mom did, she did having your best interests at heart.” Jacob concluded.
“Well I apologize, but I don't see it that way, she'd rather send me away than to break up with our abuser.”
“April,” Jacob muttered trying to patronise her as he made attempts to hold her arm but April resisted.
“At least just breeze in to say hi to mom, she misses you, she needs you, she won't stop asking about you if you've come to visit.”
April scoffed, “well, I guess the shoe is on the other foot now, and it fits perfectly.”
“You better get going, if you want to make it on time to work.” April added as she walked away.
Seeing there was no getting through to her, Jacob left heartbroken.
AT THE HOSPITAL
Jacob had barely gotten to work when he got a call from Mabel that Magdalene has relapsed. She sent him some videos of Magdalene in critical condition of which Jacob sent to April hoping one last attempt to get through to her.
He quickly got done with his job and asked his colleague to cover up for him as he needed to be with his mother. After staying in the hospital until almost midnight, both Mabel and Jacob needed to get home as they both had to work and Magdalene remained unresponsive.
As they walked out of her ward, Jacob was stoned to see April come through. Immediately, April ran to Jacob and both siblings hugged each other passionately as they both cried.
“Where's mom?” April asked amidst tears.
Not waiting for any response, she continued, “I saw the videos you sent, I saw mom's eyes were wrapped, I didn't even know it affected her sight.”
She continued, “I am so sorry you had to go through this all alone, I should have been there regardless of what I felt, I am sorry, I am so sorry.” April cried some more as she apologized to both Mabel and Jacob.
After they've had their moment, they led April to Magdalene, where she stayed watching over her all through the night.
