Painful Smiles

Audrey regretted her words as soon as Mrs. Larabee’s face turned hot like a volcano that was about to erupt.

‘One of a kind my foot! My daughter is in this shape because he needed blood and you sucked from her. He should at least come to see her’.

Audrey raised the Michael’s letter, ‘He wrote a letter ma’am’.

Mrs. Larabee took the letter and tore it to pieces. ‘If they’re such a spec that he cant see my daughter, then they should stay away from my family all the same.

Will still be expecting the monetary assistance from him. My family will try its best to keep this secret to ourselves but it shouldn’t repeat itself.’ Mrs. Larabee stomped off.

Audrey nodded and bowed. This was what happened when a hospital runs out of blood and a nurse runs in search for one.

(Few days later)

‘C’mon Claudia, you need to rest’ her mother pleaded. Still her twelve year-old preferred to watch a documentary on robots all day long.

She had been falling in and out of consciousness. Mrs. Larabee was just wondering how much blood did they crazy nurse suck from her baby?

Mrs. Larabee didn’t want to accept it but she was scared her baby would die. Clara wasn’t helping by nagging about doing Claudia’s chores along with hers. It wasn’t like she did hers before. Claudia did them all.

Also, all of a sudden Claudia had this determination to live her best. She ignored Clara’s nagging and complains and focused in her recovery. A change for the better. Mrs. Larabee thought.

As the mother came downstairs from Claudia’s room, she met her husband with a letter and two teddy bears. ‘From?’ she asked. Mr. Larabee grinned ‘Mr. Louis, the patient’s father. It was addressed to Claudia. Though he called we little angel’.

Immediately Claudia was called to see the letter, she grabbed it and ran upstairs to read it alone. Michael was actually the one who had written.

Since his other letter didn’t get to her, he made another one with his father’s name. So that perhaps Mrs. Larabee could be more polite with it. It read:

‘Dear Little Angel,

Thanks for your nickname and I hope you like the one I made for you. I am appreciative of you helping me by your donation. Though I’ll prefer you don’t do dangerous things like that again. You’re a minor and your health could be endanger.

I’ll hold until life, see where it takes me.

Take care of yourself and thanks again.

Yours sincerely,

Frenchie.’

Claudia smiled. She had successfully saved a soul from suicide.

But why did he say not to do dangerous things like donating blood as a minor?

She didn’t want to, didn’t he know?

She was forced to by Clara and the nurse.

But she didn’t write any of that in her replying letter. She just wrote she was glad she made an impact and that her name was ‘Claudia’.

Hopping downstairs to deliver her letter. She saw the two teddy bears; a pink and a black one.

She was a response twelve year old. Teddies didn’t excite her but this was different. It was a gift for being a life saver, she had to keep it. Especially, the pink one that looked specially pretty.

Just then Claudia snatched the pink teddy bear from the table and began running upstairs. ‘You, wait’ Claudia shouted as she followed her sister. Their parents follows them with the black one.

Clara was slow and Claudia jumped in her, ‘You thief, why.. why are you!’ she was gasping for breath. She had used up her strength in the short chase.

‘But you hate teddies. I will have the pink one’ Clara ordered. Mrs. Larabee runs to Claudia, ‘Clara, that wasn’t very nice of you. Apologize to your sister’.

‘But she hates dolls. And she should be playing with her robots and nonsense. I want the pink one’

‘But it’s mine, and I want the pink one too!’ Claudia interrupted with all her strength.

She wasn’t ready to let go. It would be sheer wrong if Clara won this case.

But Clara did.

‘Dear, forget about the doll. Let your younger sister have it’ her father said to her. He always supported Clara.

‘You don’t like dolls anyway, this one isn’t any special. Just ignore Clara okay?’ her mother added. Claudia peered into her mother’s eyes. Why wouldn’t she tell Clara to let go? Why must she always let go?

‘Yes, good’ Clara yelped and went into her room. Mr. Larabee drops the black doll besides Claudia, and left to have ‘Barbie and Ken’ time with Clara as she had a new doll.

Claudia eyes watered as her father left. He was always fond of Clara. No one was fond of her. Her grandma was the last person to be.

‘Oh, yes’ Mr. Larabee came out of Clara’s room fondling the pink doll. ‘The boy asked for your picture, you don’t like pictures so please let your mom take a pic of you’ he said.

The tear fell off. ‘I don’t like pictures. Let me be, Dad’ she stood up and left, the black doll in her hands. She threw the letter away on her way.

Mrs. Larabee frowns out her husband. ‘Why are you with that doll? You know it will displease her? Now which picture would we give.’

The father shrugged and said ‘I will just give Clara’s’.

The picture if Clara was sent to Michael’s ward along with a short note from Mr. Larabee.

Michael opened the letter with enthusiasm hoping to see a reply from his donor. But was disappointed to see signed Mr. Larabee.

His letter was simple, ‘Thanks for the gifts. The girl in the picture is Clara’.

Michael kept staring at the girl in the picture. She was playing with dolls at a garden. He smiled, she would have really loved his gifts then.

She had a cheerful expression and he felt sad for causing trouble that led her to donating blood for him. He wasn’t glad he had hurt her.

All his life, people did things for him because of his father’s money. This was the first instance of someone helping him without being paid anything upfront.