Signed into a Marriage

Looks should kill. That was Rachel's wish as she shot daggers at the soul of the man who sat lazily opposite her. She bored her eyes into him, hoping he would combust into flames. The man who wasn't oblivious to her burning stare but chose to ignore it, sipped from his now-cold coffee and flipped the page of the book he was reading. "Why?" She finally croaked out, trying to refrain her heart from bursting out its long held emotions. The nonchalant man sighed and finally gave her his attention. "What do you want, Rachel?" He tipped his head to the left and gave her a lazy look.

This man was fanning the flames of hell, he might as well be ready to burn in it. "Take me home. I can't do this again" He scoffed in annoyance and faced her fully. "You signed Rachel. You can't leave until I say so or the contract's time ends." "I didn't sign into the depression Aiden! I can't stand you! You are insufferable." She felt her tears finally falling free and she stood up refusing to show him her weakness.

After banging the door in annoyance, she found herself wondering how it came to this. She laughed to herself. She should have been ready to live in hell when signed a deal with the devil himself. She let her mind take her back to her blissful days when she thought life couldn't get anymore worse...

***********************************

She wiped the last table and put the trash in the trash bag. Looking at the finished work, she heaved a sigh of relief. Thank goodness there are no more customers. She thought to herself. As she dragged the half-filled trash bag behind her, her focus was suddenly shifted to the TV.

"... Fernando Airlines has been rated as the highest-grossing company for five years in a row. It was founded by the late Sylvester Fernando and is known for its high success rate and low casualties. Mr Aiden Fernando, the current CEO will now be speaking with us..."

When the TV revealed the man of the moment, she paused in her actions. Who in the Hades was that?! Her jaw hung low as she stared at the man, enraptured. If she were to give a realistic image of Hades, he would be even more perfect than Hades himself. "He's hot right?" Cherry, her co-worker piqued, barely managing to draw her attention from the TV. "Oh...no I ...it's not like that" She stammered. You were openly gawking, have you no shame? She chided herself and her cheeks burned in embarrassment.

"He's the hottest and youngest multi-billionaire right now. All the female population drools at the sight of him." She carried on, regardless. She looked back at the man in question. Sure, he was capable of invading your dreams with his black hair that teased his brows in loose curls, grey eyes, long pointed nose, the perfect jawline, and gosh those shoulders! Boy were they broad. But looks... looks were always deceiving and she had learnt that painfully. She didn't even realize she had a frown on her face as her mind took her down a memory lane she thought she had closed off forever till her ring tone jolted her from her thoughts. She fished her phone from the pocket of her apron and Nurse Ann's name flashed on the screen. She cursed inwardly and glanced at the wall clock. Her afternoon shift at the dinner was almost at an end and her night shift would begin minutes after. She quickly finished up and gave the other workers a hearty goodbye before heading to the hospital. She sighed as she stared at the hospital.

When would she ever stop visiting here? When would she ever look at this hospital and see it as a place of her past? When would she ever... she stopped herself from drowning in pity again. This was no time to do so, she thought and walked briskly to the reception and the receptionist nodded almost immediately in recognition. One would think she worked there due to her constant visits. She made her way to room 406 and slid the door open. She settled on the chair next to a bed that was occupied by a woman who looked like she was a little over forty. The woman had an oxygen mask on and showed no sign of consciousness. On the other side of the bed, was a heart rate monitor. "Hey mum," she said, her voice laced with fatigue from... everything.

After a ghastly accident that left her mother in a coma, she gave up her dream of becoming an artist as art school was expensive and barely scraped through college, graduating with a business management degree. She just wanted her to miraculously wake up. She wanted to see that familiar warmth that she always had in her eyes. She wanted to gaze into those deeper shades of brown that she found solace in. She wanted to hold her hand again, place her head on her lap while she caresses her scalp. She wanted them to water their garden together or go grocery shopping. She just wanted her mother back. She felt a tear slip through her eyes and she didn't bother. It's been five fucking years since it had been falling, or was it longer? The door slid open again and an elderly woman dressed in white entered holding a tray. "Doc is in, said he needed to see you," she said as she prepared a syringe. "Thanks, Ann." She extended a bag towards Rachel and gestured for her to take it. "What's this?" Rachel took it and immediately, the scent of freshly baked cupcakes filled her nose. "Just something I made before my shift this afternoon." Rachel felt her heart swell in gratitude. "And that's why you are my favorite person in the world." She blew her a kiss. "I owe you," she added and left the room.

As she made her way to Doc's office she felt her legs wobble. He had been her mother's doctor since day one. She knew what this was about. Mother's bills kept growing with each passing day and she was running out of excuses. She reached an office with the label Doctor Peterson and she took a deep breath in before knocking. She heard a faint come in before she pushed the door open and peeked her head in. "You called Doc?" She asked playfully, trying to ease the tension she was feeling. In all honesty, she wasn't ready for this conversation. A man, probably in his early fifties, sat behind a desk. He had wrinkles and some whites on his head and jaw. He removed the square glasses that sat atop the bridge of his nose and gestured for her to enter, so she did. "Woah!" She suddenly exclaimed. "I've got to wear my sunshades cuz you are glowing Doc" "You are looking exceptionally handsome today. Give this young lass some tips. Y'know I've got to get myself a man........." "Rachel......." He started interrupting her chatter. She swallowed. "We are not oblivious to the matter at hand but it seems you are unaware of how dire the situation is." He stood up and faced the window, hands in his pockets. "We can't keep doing this Rachel. This isn't some charity organization. I could lose my job!" He stated harshly. It stung, it really did. Doc had never gotten harsh on her. It was high time she faced it head on instead of "sun shining" her way out of this. "Please Doc..." He held up a hand indicating that he wanted nothing to do with her pleas. "We'll be discharging her in two days. You can fill out the consent form now or when you come for her". He pushed a paper towards her and she stared in disbelief.

"Please Doc, you know I'm trying....." She felt her tears rising. What was she supposed to do? Let her mother die? "I'd do anything Doc." "The only thing you can do Rachel, is to pay up." "You know I can't lose her, please Doc you've got to help me!" He should consider her situation. She was desperate to cling to hope. She had been told that she might never wake up again and should agree for them to unplug her from the life support but how could she agree to that? How could she agree to kill her last family? She was the one she was fighting for and she wouldn't give up. "One week! Just one week Doc. I promise to pay up." He sighed and looked at her in pity. He was conflicted. It wasn't his doing but the management's. "One week Rachel, and no more." She thanked him profusely and scurried out.

She felt the world smiling at her again, even if it was for a split second. She had never considered her mother dead... and she never will. She took the bus and headed to her night shift at a department store. She was running late as her shift was starting at 5. This was already five. She muttered some colorful profanities before reaching the store. To no surprise, she got an earful from her manager and of course a reduction in her pay. Another thought crossed her mind as she attended to the customers behind the counter, How the hell was she supposed to get 20,000 dollars in one week? She had only bought herself some more time and if nothing was done, would face the same situation again. And with a reduction in her wage, she was feeling helpless. She had tried getting a job several times but she never passed. Why were they so against community college graduates? What had she done in her previous life to warrant such bad luck in this one? Time passed by in a blur and she locked up, bidding goodbye to her brooding manager. "He really needs a friend," she said to herself and skipped all the way home. She found her roommate and best friend already sprawled on the bed and fast asleep. She proceeded to freshen up. With a microwaved pizza and a can of soda for dinner, she settled on the sofa to watch her favorite American series.

The worrying can wait for another day.