As long as the sky is blue

Chapter Eight

I kissed my son goodnight on the forehead as I tucked him in. He had slept right after eating. He couldn't even walk when it was time to leave so I had to piggyback him through the elevator to the car.

I went into my room, feeling lighter and oddly wide awake. There was absolutely nothing to do so I scrolled through Google, trying to download any of Kizz Daniel's songs. I remembered how heartwarming it felt when I heard Tomiwa sing along early today and how I had made a mental note of checking him out in my spare time.

Thirty minutes in, I was bobbing my head to the music titled 'Mama' which had a nice ring it, the lyrics made sense and the beat was insane. However, deep down in my thoughts, I couldn't stop thinking about her. In a matter of days she had evolved to become the center of my thoughts. Evert action led to thoughts of her, for example, when I turned on the lights back home, they reminded me of the sparkle in her eyes or when I was driving and saw a young girl laugh, the image of Tomiwa came into view at the rooftop when we frightened each other and snickered afterwards.
The most prominent example was when I gave my son a goodnight kiss, in my head, I wished she was the one and that it wasn't her forehead I was kissing.

This girl was rooted into my heart already. I had no idea how she did it but I loved the feeling. I wanted to take our relationship to the next level but two things held me back. The first was her condition. A woman who was likely to forget her past and her entire existence wasn't one you could count on to have a steady relationship with. Then the second; I didn't know if she felt the same way. Sure, there were times when she looked at me and I could feel this electricity between us but a part of me always thought I imagined it.

Regardless, I was certain that if she felt even a teeny tiny bit of what I felt for her, then I'd ask her to be mine. Screw Alzheimer's disease!

Even after I turned off my iPod and jumped into bed to catch some sleep, she was all I saw in my dreams.

★★★★★

*WEDNESDAY*

As usual, I was all smiles as I got dressed in the morning. I felt like a teenager in love. The last time I felt this way was ages ago so it pretty much felt amazing to constantly have someone at the back of your mind who you couldn't stop thinking about and who made you smile when you thought of her. When I helped Minho get into the shower, we spent the whole time singing some goofy Korean songs while splashing suds on each other. The fun had to stop however, because I didn't want Minho getting to school late.

After I dropped him off, I got another bouquet of sunflowers, considering making it a daily routine whenever I would see her, though she deserved more than that. The unusual thing however was the insane traffic. It took me almost an hour and thirty minutes to get to the hospital which on a regular traffic-free day took me thirty minutes to get to. I face palmed frequently, extremely impatient that I was being deprived of seeing her. Nonetheless the bright side was I had some Tteokbokki snacks in my pocket which mum had shipped to me as well as other South Korean food, spices and snacks. I loved them as a child and even now, I still craved one or two sachet of the crispy goodness. I intended giving Tomiwa today to try them out. I hoped her love for my country would multiply when she tasted them.

The universe seemed to hate my guts because immediately I got to the hospital, I was told to attend to five patients, each having symptoms of brain disorders that needed immediate diagnosis. Each process and examination took much time than the last proving it difficult to see the one person I craved to see. However, on my way for a coffee break at the last floor which was many floors above Tomiwa's, I had already concluded we wouldn't see today when I ran into her mother, Mrs Akinsanya.

Happiness was a meiosis!

"Good..." I glanced at my wristwatch to be sure of the time, frowning when I realised it was already 5pm. I couldn't believe I had been working nonstop at the hospital examining patients when I couldn't be with who I wanted to be with. "Good evening ma'am. How are you?" She smiled-A dull and strained smiled which looked forced in my perspective-at me, so many questions in her eyes.

"Good evening Dr Park. I didn't know you'd be here. I was just leaving Dr Edet's office." at this juncture, I knew something was wrong. I hadn't spoken to Dr Edet apart from when we greeted this morning and he introduced me to the patients I examined.

"Why? Is everything all right? Is Tomiwa doing fine?" Fear was laced in my inquiries. I'd be heartbroken if something bad happened to her. Mrs Akinsanya began to tremble and soon she was crying.

"I don't know. Tomiwa was all right in the evening after you left yesterday. However, at about midnight, she started screaming and acting crazy, she couldn't recognize any of us. She was... Different." Mother cried uncontrollably about her child. I knew I could never understand the connection between a mother and child but having witnessed my mum, as a midwife, help bring children into the world the love each mother felt that superceded the pain prior to the moment, I knew how deep a mother's love for her child was. Therefore, I was sympathetic.

I had to do something to take away even a piece of her pain so on impulse I hugged her, awkwardly at first and then compassionately while pleading that she remained strong for the sake of her child who needed all the love and strength in the world.

"Don't cry ma'am. Tomiwa will be fine, she needs you to be strong for her, okay?" I consoled her, offering her my handkerchief from the breast pocket of my shirt. She grabbed it, said thank you and blew her nose.

"You're a good man!" She stated a while later, tears forgotten. "I wish my daughter met you instead of those uncaring men she dated. None of them holds a candle to you. I just wish you were here back then." She had that look like she was trying to figure something out. On my part, I stood confused, wondering why she was comparing me to Tomiwa's exes. Moreover, I felt a twinge of jealousy that at one point different men were in her life. If I could do anything, I'd change that. I was so pensive I nearly didn't grasp her next words.

"Well, it's not too late for you to be her man. 'The right man!'" She air quoted the last three words. I looked more puzzled. Why would she be saying this to me? She answered my inner perplexity through her next words.

"I know you love my daughter. I can see it in everyway; how your eyes follow her wherever she goes, how you pay so much attention to everything she says, and most important of all how you've spent the past three days trying to make her happy. You've done more than I can give you credit for. She truly seems happier despite it all. Thank you Doctor."

I wanted to argue. It was on the tip of my tongue to say she was wrong but she interrupted me.

"There's no point trying to deny it. As her mother, I'll advice you to go for it now because she only has a few days left. Life is too short not to make the best out of whatever situation we face."

Holy shit! I was taking relationship advice from an old lady, more so, the mother of the girl I loved. Ahem! Okay I admit-with all certainty-that I'm in love with Tomiwa. But I had to also admit that getting advice from her mother was super weird.

"Are you sure ma'am?" I kept looking around, suspicious that this was all a prank.

"Yes, son. I give you my blessing to go ahead and love my daughter. Make her last memories sensational and full of love." For the first time since we met, she smiled-a real smile-at me. I beamed in return, glad this was happening. I wanted to ask where Tomiwa was so I could get in motion but the door to Dr Edet's office opened, startling both of us.

"Doctor Jin, I'm glad you're here. I was hoping we could discuss a few pressing matters." he sounded alarming so I answered that I would be with him shortly. Thereafter, he went back into his office and I was once again alone with Mrs Akinsanya.

"I'll come check up on Tomiwa the second I'm done with Dr Edet." suddenly remembering that I had the Tteokbokki snacks in my pocket all these while, I brought it out immediately and gave it to her, "These are for Tomiwa, you can have some too. I'll see you later!" She nodded while admiring the snacks she held.

"Oh and doctor, you can call me Bisola. Mrs Akinsanya makes me feel older than I am." She blushed a little while I nodded, memorizing her name.

However, when we parted ways and I walked into the doctor's office, the news I received wrenched my heart and tore it into a million broken pieces.