Story of Nikki Lindsey

Chapter Six: Embarrassment

* * * 

"NIKKI NOODLE KITCHEN" 

Scanning the stand on the sidewalk, Nikki moves it a little, not blocking the lane much. On her first birthday, her parents gave her free noodle soup at its opening. It is their store name, and they named it after her.

Now, it's been almost 25 years since then. She already planned to celebrate the Silver Anniversary of the store next year, but given what happened to her mother, she doesn't know if she could afford to throw a celebration. Besides, most of the funds have now been spent on her mother's medication and hospital bills.

"Sister Nikki!" A teenage boy riding a bike stopped at her side.

"Justin! How were the orders?" She asked him, a 20-year-old first-year college student.

He begged her mother to give him work like delivering orders around the shopping center a year ago. It was hectares wide and had hundreds of different shops. The shop owners love ordering food from their store and hot noodle soup as meals. So on certain days, Justin does the work when he only has a few subjects to attend.

"I have two more orders for Mr. Clifford's store," he replied.

"Oh, then go. They must be waiting for their food already."

"Okay, sister Nikki!"

Justin parked his bike on the side, entered the shop, and immediately took the noodles he had to deliver. Nikki followed inside, and their customers greeted her, asking about her mother's condition. She answered them and briefly talked before stepping inside behind the cash register.

"Sister Solange, let me help you."

"Oh, thank you, Nikki."

Nikki takes over the ordering and payment. Solange helps her husband prepare the noodles and soup orders until one hour and a half passes, and only a few customers stop by at a separate time.

Solange showed her the logbook. First, she scans what's written and checks out the needed ingredients to buy soon. Next, she went to the kitchen and reviewed the inventory records. She then makes a list to calculate them to make an order.

"Brother Phil, just tell me if there is anything you need or if there are problems here."

"Don't worry, Nikki. Let us handle it here, okay? Aunt Lucy needs you. The only thing we could do is run this shop properly."

She was grateful to this couple for what Phil had told her. He was like an older brother to her, and after he married Solange, she had an instant older sister.

Nikki thanked the couple and did not stay longer at the store. She has to drop by the bank before returning to the hospital. She was hoping for good results.

However...

Things won't be easy. In a traffic jam, Nikki keeps recalling her inquiry with the bank.

She can't afford to pay for her mother's surgery. The funds won't cover it anymore. If she applied for a bank loan, the bank interest would pay off forever.

She could get a handsome amount, but it would take her forever to pay them off. So what will she do now? It's not only about the blood transfusion she has to worry about but also the payment for her mother's surgery.

Nikki is biting her lower lip. There must be a way to solve her problems. Her palm grasped the steering wheel tightly, and she drove the car slowly while she was in deep thought.

Anything...

She would gamble everything.

But where could she find everything she needed for her mother's medication? The harder she tried, the harder she could hear some good news.

Arriving at the hospital, Nikki stayed in her car in the parking lot to ponder a few things. First, she has to decide what to give up. Her parents have a small plot of land in the countryside. If her mother agreed, maybe she could sell out. But, clenching her fist, she has to decide sooner.

Nikki stepped out of the car and headed toward the elevator. It was closing, so she ran while screaming to hold the door. She expects that they won't wait for her. But to her amazement, the man seated in a wheelchair held the door for her.

He used his walking stick to block the elevator door from shutting. Nikki peered at the guy and thanked him. He smiled lazily in response to her.

Nikki pressed the 7th button and made a few steps backward. She stood in the corner and tried not to breathe. Maybe she just waited for another lift. Suddenly, she felt anxious inside with three strange men. Although the third man is seated in a wheelchair, he seems to be a notable person.

Next to her looked like a personal assistant, but she could not check out the other man in this lift's left corner. So she ignores them. Is it embarrassing if she leans forward to check who it is?

She looked at the buttons and realized they were going to the 10th floor.

It is the floor where specialist physicians like Doctor Ben have their clinic. Also, that floor has super-exclusive hospital rooms, the VIP ward, for which only the rich could afford to pay the room rate.

They said the rooms are like those in five-star hotels. Even though she won't experience those rooms, she prefers being healthy and would not end up living in the hospital, no matter how grand the room is.

Startled, her phone rang inside her bag. Shit! She cursed inside her head. It was too loud, and the tones echoed in every corner of this elevator they had just passed on the 3rd floor.

She felt embarrassed as her ringtone is Charlie's song Dirty Sexy Money and plays the chorus.

Nikki answered her phone as quickly as she could. It was her cousin, Maureen.

"Hello, sister Maureen?" She tried to lower her voice. She felt too shameful at the moment. Why did she set her phone this loud?

"Um, yes. Suppose you could find someone willing to pay that kind of amount. Um, no, not yet."

"I know. You and Mama have the same blood type, but you are pregnant now. Oh, no. She has a blood type like yours. No, I was RH-positive... Yes."

Finally, the lift stopped on her floor. She quickly gets off to have privacy while conversing with Maureen. She prayed that she wouldn't meet them again.