When Love Returns | 2 ✔

Chapter 2

"Please, let him in!" I requested and Ana complied. She held the door wide open and ushered him in. After Maxwell took me back into the hospital, I didn't see any signs or traces of Jeremy. This was an enormous hospital, I guessed he was often busy.

He trod in, his left hand behind him, and walked over, subconsciously, into the room while his eyes roamed around. When he met face to face with my parents, he curved his head downward in greeting. My dad acknowledged him but mum only gave him a look that could turn him into jelly within minutes.

Typical!

"Hello." I smiled—the realest smile I had produced since yesterday—when he approached me. He looked dandy in a pair of jean pants and white T-shirt. His hair was swept back the same way I noticed the last time. Looking at him in broad daylight, I noticed he had some pigmentation spots on his cheeks and nose. They looked darker than his skin tone and I wondered if they were freckles or zits.

"Hello!" He returned my greeting with a smile of his. It felt sort of amazing to smile again.

We stayed that way, I had no idea what to say as he stood and I sat eagerly waiting for a topic to converse. He seemed to be in a battle of confusion on what to say as well. Finally, he continued.

"These are for you." His left hand came into view as he stretched forth something towards me. I collected them and felt them with my fingertips. One thing I knew for sure was they looked like something I had laid hands on before. Taking the liberty, I closed my eyes, brought the item close to my nose and sniffled, relying on my ex-blind instincts. The astonishing scent rang a bell and I realized they were flowers.

"Sunflowers to brighten your day." He chimed.

"Thank you! Don't you have some work to do?" I asked, taking note of his clean appearance. I bet cleaning this hospital would cost him his great appearance. He shrugged and sat down on the chair close to me, without my consent. Well, he was a visitor, I could just spare him the rules of etiquette.

"Wednesdays are my day offs. Along with Sundays and Mondays." He replied nonchalantly. But I decided to check my mental calendar. If today was Wednesday, it meant Jason died in the wee hours of Tuesday or late Monday evening. I broke down at the thought of that.

"Did I come here at the wrong time?" He inquired immediately he saw the look on my face. I looked at him, comfortably seated and carefree, hiding a grin. He knew I was experiencing pain and wanted to cheer me up so I decided to play along.

"Technically, you ought to have asked that question before coming in here. Not when you're cozily seated." I pointed matter of fact.

"I brought you flowers which makes me clearly off the hook." He countered. The vast way at which he responded easily made him more mature than his years.

"How old are you by the way?" I had to ask, sue me! I guessed he was eighteen but he might be older. Who knows?

"Sixteen, why?" taken aback by my question, he replied, raising an eyebrow. Sixteen? Way to go!

"Nothing. You just act quite mature is all." I answered. I wonder how he managed to act older. Perhaps he had older siblings who made him care for himself or maybe he was the eldest and had younger ones looking up to him. Better yet, he could be the only child with parents who were never around, leaving him to care for himself. The reasons could go on and on.

"I guess that's what happens when you're moved from one foster home to another." He gave answers to my thoughts. I gasped, totally not expecting that. I looked towards my family, they heard my gasp and sent a look that requested if letting Jeremy in was a bad idea in the first place. I returned my attention back to Jeremy. He seemed to be staring into space.

"What happened to your parents? Do you have any siblings or living relatives?" I asked all questions at once, hoping he'd answer. He still stared into space as he spoke.

"I have no idea who my parents are. I've been an orphan for as long as I can remember. No siblings or living relatives. Just me being moved across the country from one foster home to the other. Although I love my new foster mum, I just can't wait to turn eighteen. I can't wait to be free." He muttered the last words but I heard him crystal. His words caught me off-guard and I realized there were people out there who suffered worse than I ever did or still do. Imagine a child brought into the world without parents or anyone to call family. Juggled from one person to another to take care of him. Perhaps getting maltreatments from these so called foster care but still struggling to live. To survive!

I reached out for his hand and clasped them in mine.

"I'm very sorry to hear that. How have you been able to cope with life?" I asked.

"Life sucks but we just have to deal with it." He stated and I couldn't agree more. "I try my best possible to see the best out of every situation though. Almost all of my foster parents were very aggressive and hurt me but my recent foster mum, Mabel, is amazing. She treats me like a real mother would. She put me back into school and has been a great source of joy to me. So I'm trying to make her proud by you know, working and studying hard in order to be a great man in the nearest future so I would be able to take care of her. She's my everything!" I could see the intense admiration he had for her and to be honest I was glad he had her in his life; A motherly figure.

"I hope I could get to meet her someday!" I said with a smile bright enough to illuminate the room.

"She'd like that! She's always pestering me to make friends." He confirmed.

We both smiled at each other, the unspoken understanding flowed through us. It seemed good to have a new friend who understood pain as much as I did.

Suddenly, life didn't seem so bad after all.

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Love you always!

Loves,
Osaro.