I stepped out of Mom's room and collided with the doctor. "Your mom will be able to leave by tomorrow, but she needs to rest," he added. I nodded and said, "Okay," then left in the direction of the main door. I planned to go home, take a bath, and get something for Mom to eat. I stopped the car, realizing I didn't have any money or my phone. I asked a taxi driver if he could drop me off and let me pay later, but he refused. After repeating this process four times, I finally found a taxi willing to take me home.
On the way, I stared out the window, admiring the buildings and thinking about my life, my dreams, my school, and my mom. Seeing the house empty without Dad was heartbreaking. I knew we had to get used to this, even though it felt like my heart was being torn apart. I went to my room, took a bath, and dressed in a black jogging suit. I then went to the kitchen to prepare some food for both of us. I arranged the food in a bag and returned to the house, closing the door behind me. The house felt so empty. I couldn't imagine our lives without Dad, but I knew we had to adapt.
The next day, I went to the hospital and signed the documents that would allow Mom to leave. I gave her some medication, and we drove back home. Upon arriving, Mom took a deep breath and moved toward her room, telling me not to disturb her. She wanted to be alone. I went to my room and chose some dresses to sell, keeping only a few for myself. By 2:00 PM, I had finished and went to the kitchen to make something to eat. Just as I was about to sit down, the doorbell rang. I wiped my hands and went to check who it was. A young man, about 30 years old, stood at the door. "Good afternoon, miss," he said. "Good afternoon," I replied.
"I'm from the bank. You have one week to leave the house, and all your properties will be taken away," he informed me, handing me some documents before leaving. I went to Dad's office, trying to understand the situation. I realized Dad owed 50 million dollars. I made the calculations of everything they were going to take from us: our mansion, our villa in Palm Springs, and our cars. "So, they're going to take everything. We don't have anything left," I said, my voice filled with frustration and tears. "How are we going to do this?"
In the evening, Mom came out of her room, her eyes red from crying. I knew she had been in there, trying to process everything. I served her dinner and gave her her medication. She reluctantly ate and then started to head back to her room. "I love you, Mom," I said. She turned back to me, and I went to her, giving her a hug. "I love you too, baby," she said, starting to cry. I was terrified that she might do something drastic, so I held her tightly and tried to comfort her.
The next day was Dad's burial. Everything went smoothly, with his brothers and sisters coming to say goodbye. After the ceremony, we returned to the house. I went to Mom's room and told her about Dad's debt. She tried to handle the pain, as she hadn't known about it. "How are we going to do now with all those debts, Mom?" I asked in a sorrowful voice. "We can tell his siblings and ask for their help," I suggested, though I doubted they would be willing. Mom took my hand, and we went to the living room where everyone was gathered. She explained the situation to them, but as I expected, no one offered to help us. Not even to let us stay in their mansions. "Among the four of you, no one can take Mom and me?" I shouted, adding, "After all that Dad did for you people!" I said gently, tears rolling down my cheeks. Mom came to comfort me, and they all left, offering empty apologies.
Some hours later, I was with Mom in the living room. "But Mom, we can sell our clothes and look for somewhere to stay. One good thing is that Dad has already paid my school fees for this year, so there's no problem with that," I proposed. Mom agreed. The next morning, we started separating the dresses she would sell, including her jewelry and Dad's jewelry. We packed everything into a car and spent the day visiting different shops. By the end of the day, we had enough money to buy a small house, a second-hand car for Mom, cover my school expenses, and purchase some basic household items.
The following day, Mom and I went house hunting near my school. We found a small house with two bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen. It was very affordable, so Mom bought it, even though it looked old. The most important thing was that we had a place to sleep. The next day, we moved all our belongings to the new house. By 7:00 PM, we were done. We took our baths, ate, and went to bed.
The next morning, I took some kitchen essentials and headed to the new house. Mom stayed at home because she wasn't feeling well. I arranged everything and was back by 3:00 PM. I made something for Mom to eat and gave her her medications. She went to bed, and I followed. It was the sixth day, and we had only two days left in the mansion.
On our last day, the banker was supposed to arrive by 11:00 AM. Mom woke me up at 6:00 AM, saying we should pack all the food and move it to the new house using our old cars. "But Mom, you have a new car, right?" I asked, scratching my eyes. "Yes, but it's our last time driving them," she said. "Okay, let's go," I responded with a forced smile. We packed everything and left with our old cars. After a few hours, we were back at the new house.
The banker arrived, and we handed over the keys to the mansion. We left in Mom's new car, ready to start a new beginning. I hoped we could make it through this.
To Be Continued...