When Luck Runs Out…. Part – 5 Fiction

Eddy reluctantly went to meet Natalie and her mother for dinner. Margaret was a nice lady who was in her 50s. She had a good sense of humor unlike her daughter, and Eddy really liked her. He wished Natalie was more like her. Anyway, Margaret asked all kinds of questions about the device during their dinner. Eddy could tell from her questions that she wasn’t interested in purchasing the product. He had the feeling she was forced into asking about the device and she did it only to please her daughter.

A few minutes after they finished eating dinner, Margaret said she was tired and left to go to her room. Natalie ordered a bottle of wine and planned to have a long evening with Eddy. However, this was exactly what Eddy wanted to avoid. He started to think of an appropriate excuse, but couldn’t come up with one. At the same point, he was hoping someone would rescue him……. And then he suddenly received a phone call from his mother.

She told him she thought his father suffered a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital. Eddy was the only one of Bruno and Angela’s children who wasn’t married. He was also very close to his parents and it was logical that if something happened, his mother would call him first. Eddy told Natalie what happened and said he had to leave right away. Then he rushed to the hospital to see his father.

Eddy felt a stab of guilt while he drove to the hospital, as he thought his prayers had been answered. The doctors ordered some tests as soon as Bruno arrived at the hospital. After receiving the results, the doctor concluded that the pain and pressure Bruno felt in his chest were the results of a panic attack. The family breathed a sigh of relief when they were informed of the diagnosis.

The doctor mentioned there are some similarities between the symptoms of a heart attack and those of a panic attack. To be on the safe side, the doctor decided to admit Bruno for 24 hours observation. When Angela heard this she said she wasn’t leaving the hospital without her husband, and added she would stay with him overnight.

In the meantime, all of Eddy’s siblings arrived at the hospital and tried to convince their mother there was no need to stay with him overnight as he was staying for observation only. If she insisted he shouldn’t be by himself, one of them would gladly stay with him. Still, Angela didn’t want to listen. She knew that every one of her children had their own family, except for Eddy who was very busy with his work. Therefore, she emphasized that their father was her responsibility and asked all of them to leave and go home for the night.

In the morning Eddy went to the hospital to visit his father who was in a very good mood. Bruno was even joking with a young doctor named Anna who came to his room to check on how he was doing. From their conversation, it looked to Eddy as though his parents and Anna knew each other for a long time. Also, when Eddy and Anna’s eyes met, he felt like he knew her from somewhere but he couldn’t remember from where.

Anna was a beautiful woman and it seemed as though the two of them clicked together. Angela, who noticed the glances between her son and the young doctor, saw a one time opportunity and decided to do something about it. She approached Eddy and said, “you remember Anna don’t you?!” Eddy was smiling out of embarrassment. Angela continued talking and added that Anna was their neighbour when he was a child. The young doctor was also in Eddy’s class in elementary school.

Eddy composed himself and said, “of course I remember her.” And then he looked at Anna and said “it is nice to see you again” Eddy didn’t believe this was the same Anna who was in school with him. She didn’t look like the Anna he remembered at all. The girl he knew wore braces for years when she was younger. She also had a bad case of acne as a teenager and was never attractive.

Anna lived in Eddy’s neighbourhood until she was about 13 years old. Her parents struggled to earn a living and support their two daughters. In addition, they never got along with each other. Her parents got a divorce when Anna was 10. Her mother, who had difficulty raising her children, moved to Sydney, Nova Scotia.

Anna’s grandparents helped raise Anna and her sister and they were the ones who encouraged her to become a doctor. As well, they paid her medical school tuition. Anna was quite introverted as a child, especially when she was in elementary school. However, over the years she developed more self confidence and became more outgoing. And Eddy couldn’t help but notice the change she went through from an ugly duckling to a beautiful swan…………

To Be Continued…………