Away

17. Welcome home

As Brett stepped out into the arrivals lounge, he was greeted by a sea of faces. It was difficult to find his mother in all that, but eventually an elderly women, shorter than him, appeared out of nowhere. Brett gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Welcome home. Come, your father is home alone. I don't want to leave him too long. We can talk in the car".

Brett was amazed how fast her short legs can move as he tried to keep up. In the carpark he immediately recognized their car. It was the same old Ford station-wagon they've owned since he was 9. It was a miracle it still ran. He put his suitcase in the back and got in front with his mother. Growing up, they mostly walked where they needed to be. The car was only for special occasions, like trips to surrounding towns, weddings, funerals and times like these, fetching someone from the airport.

"Ma, you never said what was wrong. Is it serious?"
"He will be fine, he just needs to rest".
"But what happened?"
"He got too many headaches. I told him it's from working too much. The doctor said he needs tests and scans and things. Just to take our money for a headache? He just needs to rest. That's all".

Brett was not convinced but he let it be for now. "Tonight I will make your favorite dinner. Sticky stir fry", his mother said in an attempt to change the subject. "And tomorrow we go to the shop so I can show you how it works".

When they entered the door to his ancestral home, he was shocked at the sight that greeted him. His father was sitting in a lounge chair, his head kept upright with a pillow on each side. Next to him was a small table. On top was a glass of water with a straw in it and a box of tissues. He seemed asleep, but as Brett put his suitcase down on the hardwood floor, he slowly opened his eyes.

"Brett? Why are you here? When did you come?"
"I landed just over an hour ago. Ma said you didn't feel well, so I came to help".
"Ah, no need to bother. It's only stress. I will be fine. Just need rest. Help me", he said as he pointed to the glass of water. Brett picked it up and turned the straw so his dad could take a few sips. His head was bouncing from side to side as he tried to sit up more. "If only I wasn't so damn dizzy all the time. Then I could go back to the shop. I can handle the headaches".

Brett sat with his dad a while as his mother prepared supper. His dad explained that the headaches started about 6 months ago. But recently he started to feel dizzy for no reason. Sitting on a chair he would suddenly feel like he's falling to one side. Even lying in bed did not guarantee his head would behave. That's when they went to see a doctor, who recommended many tests, including a brain scan. He refused, as he's convinced they just wanted to take the little bit of money he had. He will be fine after some rest.

After dinner, his parents retired for the night. Brett had a lot to think of, and it was confusing him. How would he convince his dad to go for proper diagnosis? He could offer to pay for some of it, but he wasn't really rolling in money. He needed to clear his head. He knew exactly where to go.