Kitabı oku: «Christmas miracle», sayfa 2

«Okay, Mom,» he answered to all his mother’s instructions.

Martha looked at her watch. Her working day ended at exactly five o’clock in the evening. There were still fifteen minutes left before the end of the working day. Her physical condition gradually stabilized.

By the end of the day she felt much better than at the end of their meeting with Peter. However, that incident in the restaurant had greatly alarmed her.

Therefore, she decided that it would be better if she went to see her family doctor today. By and large, she never liked visits to doctors or hospitals. True, she had not particularly had to go to such places before. Her health had always been perfect. However, this time she firmly decided that she would go to see her family doctor at the end of the working day.

The work was completed for the day. Martha said goodbye to all the employees and proceeded to the exit of the bank building. When she walked outside, she noticed that the sun had already set, although it was not at all late in time, but in Zurich it got dark quite early in winter. The lanterns were already shining in full, and the night lights were burning all over the city. She got into the car, turned the ignition key and pressed the gas pedal. However, now she was not going along the usual route to the house. That day she was definite to visit the clinic first and only then go home. On the way, she kept thinking about her last meeting with Peter. She also reflected on her children and, of course, her own health. She was very disturbed by this strong cough and a sharp attack of chest pain. This has never happened to her before. Or maybe she was just winding herself up?

Everything was possible. An endless stream of thoughts was spinning in her head until she got to the clinic.

She entered the clinic and immediately went to the reception. The receptionist explained to her that it would not be so easy to see the family doctor that evening without a scheduled appointment. However, Martha insisted quite competently explaining her fears related to her health.

At the same time, she also added that she really needed to get an appointment with a family doctor. The receptionist nodded her head in understanding and promised to help her. She checked the schedule of all the family doctors who were present at the clinic at the moment.

Then she assured her that there was one family doctor whom she could see shortly.

«Dr. Helga has a patient right now. But when he leaves her office, you can immediately go in.»

«Thank you very much.»

«You’re welcome.»

About seven minutes had passed when Martha saw another patient coming out of the doctor’s office. She got up from her chair in a hurry and headed straight to the room.

She knocked softly on the door, then opened it and entered the office.

«Hello. What is your name?»

«Good evening. My name is Martha.»

«Very nice. Have a seat, Martha. My name is Helga Schmidt.»

«Very nice.»

«What can I do for you?»

«I feel good right now, but today at lunch I had an unpleasant incident.»

«Can you go into more detail?»

«During my lunch break, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my chest. Then I started having a strong cough, after which I also noticed drops of blood on the table.»

«A sharp pain in the chest, a violent cough, drops of blood on the table,» Dr. Helga repeated her words.

«Yes, doctor. That’s exactly how it was.»

«Has this ever happened to you before?»

«No, it hasn’t happened until today.»

«Did you measure your blood pressure after that?»

«No, doctor. After my lunch break, I got back to work.»

«I see. Now I will measure your blood pressure now.»

«All right.»

«Do you feel better now than at lunchtime?»

«Yes, doctor. Now I feel better than in the afternoon.»

«So, let’s measure your pressure, and I will also give you a referral.»

«What referral?»

«To the tests that you will have to pass.»

«Ah, tests,» she said in a confused voice.

«Don’t worry like that. I’m sure you’ll be all right. However, it will be better if you pass all the necessary checks.»

«All right, Dr. Helga.»

«Well, here we go with your blood pressure. It is normal. Do you have a headache?»

«No. I feel much better now than in the afternoon.»

«Well, that’s good. I’ve already written you a referral to take the checks.»

«Oh! Thank you, Dr Helga.»

«Goodbye.»

«Goodbye.»

Martha was a little embarrassed at the words «tests» and «checks». She had not visited clinics and hospitals for many years so she almost forgot the sound of such words.

Her health had always been perfect. She monitored it carefully. Martha was a non-smoker and also tried not to drink alcohol.

With a little exception for a glass of red wine with lunch or dinner.

The drive back home from the clinic took her about fifteen minutes. She drove up to her house, and at that very moment Max got out of his kennel. Seeing her car he started barking loudly. However, when she got out, he immediately recognized her and stopped barking. He just stood and looked at his owner.

She greeted Max and went straight to the house. It was pretty chilly outside. At night the temperature dropped to zero degrees Celsius.

«Hi, guys,» she said loudly as she entered the house.

«Hello, Mom.»

«Hello, son. How was your day?»

«Good.»

«Did you feed Max today?»

«Yes, Mom.»

«Good. Where is Greta?»

«She is upstairs, in her room.»

«I see. And what are you doing?» she asked. «Watching TV again?»

«Well, yes.»

«What about homework? Have you done all for tomorrow?»

«Yes, Mom. They did now give us a lot of homework so I’ve already done everything,» he answered in a calm voice.

«Are you sure?»

«I am, Mom.»

«Good. Are you hungry or have you already eaten something?»

«Greta and I have had dinner.»

«And what did you eat today?»

«We had schnitzel and rice.»

«Excellent. So, I should not cook for you?»

«No, Mom.»

«All right. So, I will just prepare something for myself.»

«Mom, you came a little later than usual today,» he said and looked at his mother.

However, she pretended not to hear his words and did not reply.

«Mom, do you hear me?» he repeated his question again.

«Sorry, son. What did you say?»

«I said that today you came home later than usual.»

«Yes, that’s true.»

«Why is that?»

«There were things to do.»

«What kind of things?» he asked tirelessly.

«Urgent matters. Okay, enough questions for today. Let me eat in peace.»

Martha suddenly felt rather tired. She didn’t have much of an appetite and decided to make herself just a salad for dinner. She decided not to tell anything to her children for the time being. Perhaps she was simply overtired at work. Maybe that was the reason for that unpleasant incident at the restaurant.

Lately, she has been working quite a lot and not resting much. And the last time she was on vacation was the year before.

Probably, this all happened to her today due to too much stress on the body. After all, with whom it doesn’t happen?

This could happen to anyone. She slowly finished her salad and decided to go straight to the bathroom. She was so tired that after the bath she immediately went to her room. She lay down on the bed and fell asleep instantly. The accumulated fatigue and various experiences throughout the day made themselves felt.

She was already sound asleep when her daughter came into her room.

«Mom, are you sleeping?» she whispered.

But there was only silence in response. Greta realized that her mother was very tired today. That’s why she went to bed so early. The girl stepped closer to her.

«I love you so much,» she whispered.

Then she kissed her mother on the cheek and left the room.

CHAPTER 3
TUESDAY

Morning came. Martha got up reluctantly from the bed and stared out the window. Behind the glass, flakes of white snow were already circling with might and main, covering the roofs of houses, trees, cars and the earth itself. It seemed that the snow had been falling all night and was not going to stop. Outside the window there was a real winter wonderland on the eve of kind and bright Christmas holidays. Zurich was a great place to live even in the winter time.

The ancient architecture of the city attracted many tourists from all over Europe and beyond. Martha really liked her hometown, and the children also loved this place very much at any time of the year. She also loved her job and the very fact that she had two wonderful children.

She also liked Peter a lot. She repeatedly imagined how they would live together in a house under the same roof someday.

Her beloved was a very kind and caring person. In addition, he had excellent taste and a good sense of humor.

Like every morning, she went to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. She hardly had the time to finish brushing when a violent cough broke out again.

She coughed over the bathroom sink for about ten seconds. After the cough stopped, she washed her face again with cold water.

At that very moment, she noticed the drops of blood on the sink. She got pretty nervous.

«What on earth is the matter with me?» she said aloud. «This terrible cough again and more blood.»

She chased away all negative thoughts and from the bathroom went straight to her children’s bedrooms to wake them up. First, she entered Mark’s room.

According to the good old tradition, his alarm didn’t go off again. Or did he just forget to put it on?

«Wake up, son. Time to get up.»

«Okay, Mom.»

«No „moms“. It’s time to get out of bed.»

«Can I get some more sleep?» he asked in a sleepy voice.

«No. Now is the time to get up and go wash up,» she said decisively.

«Okay, Mom,» he said, and began to reluctantly get out of bed.

«Get up, son. In the meantime, I’ll go and wake up your sister,» she said and headed to Greta’s room.

When she entered her daughter’s room, she saw that Greta had already woken up.

«Good morning, Mom.»

«Good morning, sweetie. I see you are already awake.»

«I am. I am an adult already and a responsible one so I can wake up on my own. Besides, I have an alarm clock.»

«Yes, I know. You are a big girl. Why can’t your brother ever wake up on his own?!»

«Because he always forgets to set his alarm.»

«Exactly,» she agreed and smiled. «Okay, I’ll be waiting for you in the kitchen. Just try not to be late.»

«Okay, Mom. You can rely on me, but I can’t vouch for Mark.»

«I know,» she said, and smiled at her daughter.

Martha was a good housewife and in some incredible way managed to always do everything on time. When she started preparing breakfast for the children, she suddenly remembered that she needed to pass all the tests from the referral that her family doctor gave her. And she could do it that very day.

She took care of her health and understood that the situation should be solved with no delay. At the end of the working day she had enough time to pass all the necessary checks.

In addition, she was very alarmed by this strong fit of coughing that she had this morning. And at the sight of her own blood, she generally felt sick.

Meanwhile, the children were already in the kitchen. The first question they asked was about their long-awaited breakfast.

«Already hungry early in the morning, guys?» she asked.

«Yes, Mom,» Greta replied.

«As for myself, I want coffee more than food. I need to cheer up in the morning,» Mark answered.

«Everything is ready, my darlings. Both coffee and breakfast.»

«What are we having today, Mom?»

«Scrambled eggs and bacon.»

«Again?» he was slightly surprised.

«Not again, but one more time,» she said, and smiled. «Don’t you like scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast?»

«I do. That’s not the point. I just wanted something different today.»

«We’ll have something different for lunch and dinner, and now we’ll have bacon and eggs.»

«Okay, Mom.»

«By the way, son, don’t forget to feed Max. He is also a member of our family.»

«Okay, Mom, I’ll feed him, don’t you worry,» he assured her.

Martha was in a pretty good mood this morning. She slept well and managed to do everything on time as usual. And if not for that coughing fit and drops of her own blood on the sink, her mood could be even better. Now she had to take kids to school, and she would still have time to get to work on time. Dropping the children off at school she gave them her parting words and instructions for the day.

At precisely 8:30 a.m. she entered the Suisse bank building. She knew her job inside and out. And at her workplace she felt like a fish in water.

First of all, she made sure that all the employees of her department were at their workplaces. Then she instructed some of them regarding their work.

And only after that she retired to her office. Sitting at her table she was checking the bank’s performance reports for the last quarter.

Yet the thought of Peter never left her mind. Maybe she didn’t want to admit it to herself, but deep down she really wanted him to call her today as well.

She would only be glad if they had the opportunity to see each other more often. She wished they could meet on weekends as well.

But both of them had children who required a lot of time and attention from each of them. That is why they could not make it on weekends. Neither did they tell their children about each other keeping their dates in secret from them. They believed that at this point it was better for the kids not to know about their relationship.

Their children went to school and should not be concerned by anything except their studies. They did not need to fill their young heads with problems of adults and their relations. Perhaps in the future, when the kids finish school, they will tell them their story.

Time passed, but Peter still didn’t call her. Today Martha went to lunch break in proud solitude.

«I wonder why he never called me? He probably has so many visitors today that he is far too busy for me right now,» she thought aloud sitting at her workplace.

Time flowed inexorably and the working day was almost over. However, today she was not going to straight home after work.

She firmly decided that today she would go to the clinic again and pass all the necessary checks there. She always monitored her health and understood that she needed to pass all the tests the sooner the better. But before going to the clinic, she decided to call the home phone.

She considered it necessary to warn her children that today, just like yesterday, she would be home later than usual. Of course, her kids were smart and independent, they could take good care of themselves. But she felt she had to warn them that she would be late again today anyway. The phone beeped again and again, but no one answered.

Probably she should try again. And she started to dial the same phone number. Moments later, she heard a familiar voice.

«Hello.»

«Hello. Greta, how nice to hear you. Are you already at home?»

«Yes, Mom.»

«Is Mark next to you?»

«He’s in the living room.»

«I see. Are you okay?»

«Yes, Mom, we’re fine.»

«I called you to tell you that I will be a little late again today.»

«How late?»

«Not much. It will take some time however,» she paused briefly in the conversation before continuing. «You are already so grown up and independent, and today you have to prove it in practice.

«You mean we don’t have to wait for you, but cook dinner for ourselves?»

«Yes, my dear. You understood everything correctly.»

«Okay, Mom. We will figure it out.»

«You are smart, guys. You’ll make it.»

«No doubt, Mom. Everything will be fine. Don’t worry about us,» she said.

«I don’t. Okay, now it’s time for me to go.»

«Bye, Mom.»

«So long, Greta.»

She finally calmed down that she was able to get through and warn her children that today she would come home later again.

She opened her purse and started checking to see if she hadn’t forgotten to bring a referral for tests. After all, without the paper, she simply would not be allowed to pass all the necessary checks and tests.

It seemed that everything was in perfect order. The referral was still in the same place, where she put it in the early morning. She also made her firm decision to pass all the checks. And now nothing could stop her from getting to the clinic.

She looked at her watch again and realized that the working day had already ended. Martha politely said goodbye to all the employees at work and headed toward the exit.

When she left the building, she immediately felt that it was rather cool outside. Of course, during the day it was much warmer than now. Wet snow had been falling all day without ceasing and, it seemed, was not going to stop. However, despite such weather, Zurich still remained beautiful. In winter Zurich was especially beautiful, even despite the cool weather and sleet, which continued to fall without stopping. The silver Volkswagen Jetta was still waiting for its owner in the parking lot for Credit Suisse employees. Each bank employee was entitled to one parking space. The parking lot itself was right in front of the bank building.

Zurich was a rather small city. And many local residents saw their advantages in this. For example, there have never been serious traffic jams on the roads of the city. Moreover, there were no huge crowds of people always hurrying somewhere either. The drive from work to the clinic took Martha no more than fifteen minutes. She planned to quickly pass all the tests and hurry up home to the children.

When she entered the clinic, she headed straight to the reception. The receptionist explained her in detail what to do, which office she needed to go to and showed her where it was. In total, she had to go through several checks and pass various tests. In order to start the procedure, she had to go up to the first floor and find office No. 10. There was a patient inside the office and she was the next in line. She didn’t have to wait long this time. Literally five minutes later the door opened and a man came out of the office. It was her turn now.

«Hello, Doctor.»

«Hello.»

«I have a referral for tests,» she said, and handed him the referral from the family doctor.

The doctor carefully read everything that was written on the paper.

«And how do you feel now?»

«Now I feel good.»

«All right. So, it says blood, urine, X-ray. In total, you will have to pass several tests and undergo several checks now.»

«Okay, Doctor.»

«Are you ready?»

«Yes, Doctor.»

«Well then, let’s get started.»

And Martha began to take all the necessary tests and pass all the necessary checks. During that evening, she had to go around more than one office in the clinic.

Having gone through all the tests she was about to leave the clinic.

«And what about the results? You’re not interested, I suppose?!» the doctor suddenly asked her.

«Why am I not interested?» she was slightly surprised at what she heard.

«You forgot to ask when you can get these very results,» he reminded.

«Ah, right. I completely forgot. When can I get the results of all my checks?»

«In three days. Your family doctor will inform you.»

«Good. Thank you, Doctor.»

«Goodbye, Martha.»

«Goodbye.»

«Take care of yourself.»

«Thank you, Doctor. All the best to you,» she said goodbye and left the office.

That’s all. It is done. All the required tests were taken and all the necessary checks were passed. She could finally go home to her children.

Upon arrival she saw the children sitting on the sofa in the living room. As usual, they were watching their favorite cartoons.

«Hi, guys! Mom’s home,» she said as soon as she entered the house.

«Hi, Mom,» the children’s voices were heard at the same time.

«How are you? How was your day today?»

«I’m fine, Mom,» Mark answered without hesitation.

«Me too,» Greta answered a little belatedly.

«So am I.»

«Mom, why did you come home later than usual today, like yesterday?»

«Well, you see, son, both today and yesterday I had some things to do.

«What kind of things, Mom?»

«It’s none of your business.»

«Aren’t you going to tell us anything?» his curiosity seemed to know no bounds.

«Why don’t you stop bothering Mom with your questions?» Greta entered the conversation. «She doesn’t have to report to you about her personal affairs!»

«It’s all right, daughter, I don’t need protection,» Martha said, after which she continued. «You understand, son, adults have their own business, which they are not obliged to tell everyone about.»

«I understand, Mom. I was just curious. After all, we are not strangers to each other.»

«We aren’t,» she agreed. «I understand your curiosity, son. Perhaps I will tell you later about it. Later, but definitely not today. I’m really tired right now.

I just want to take a break from all my affairs and work as well and get some rest.»

«Okay, Mom. I understand.»

«Fine,» she said, and went to the kitchen.

She opened the refrigerator considering its contents.

«We still have chicken schnitzels. That’s good,» she said. «Do you want something for dinner?» she asked.

«We’ve already eaten tonight, Mom,» Mark answered.

«What did you have?»

«Today after school we went to a pizzeria called Pizza Italiano.»

«Oh, I see. Where did you get the money for the pizzeria?» she suddenly became very interested.

«I still have leftovers from last time.»

«Last time?» she asked.

«Well, from my birthday. Remember, you gave me money that day yourself?»

«That’s right,» she agreed.

«That’s the money Greta and I paid for the pizza today.»

«I see. So, you are not hungry guys?» she decided to make sure again.

«No, don’t cook for us. Not for me, anyway.»

«Good. More for me,» she said with a smile on her face.

And on that joyful note, she began to cook her dinner.

Today, her children did not stay up late. They went to their rooms on time. During this time, Martha managed to have dinner and take a hot bath.

After that, she decided that now she would also go to bed. Her energy reserve for today was almost exhausted. However, this time she supposed she still had time check upon her children’s bedrooms before going to bed herself. To begin with, she decided to see her daughter. She slowly opened the door and saw that Greta was already sound asleep in her bed. After that, she headed to her son’s room to check if he was sleeping. Opening the door, she saw Mark lying on his bed. She stood for a while near the door and was about to leave the room. At that moment, her son turned to her and raised his head.

«I’m still awake,» he said in a low voice.

«Haven’t you fallen asleep yet, son?»

«No, Mom. I can’t sleep.»

«You’ve got something on your mind again?»

«Yes, Mom. You’re right,» he admitted to her.

«Let go of all your thoughts and relax, son. Don’t think about anything and you’ll soon fall asleep,» she advised him.

«I am trying but it doesn’t work, Mom. There are questions that still bother me.»

«What kind of questions, my dear?»

«I have already asked you several times. But never received an answer to them,» he said with anguish in his voice.

«You see, sweetheart, there are things that I cannot tell you yet,» she admitted honestly.

«I know, Mom. But you should try to understand me too.»

«What is it that stops you from falling asleep right now?»

«I asked you this question a couple of days ago.»

«About your Dad?»

«Yes.»

«Oh, Mark. It’s not that simple,» she said and sighed heavily.

«See! You never answered this question for me!» he stated.

«It’s all very difficult, darling,» she sighed again. «I think I’ll talk to you and Greta about it a little later.»

«Later? And when is it going to be?»

«When you grow up.»

«But I’ve grown up already! I’m already twelve years old! I’m not a kid anymore, Mom.»

«Quiet, my son, don’t speak so loudly or you’ll wake up your sister,» she said, and fell silent for a while. «I will definitely tell you everything, but not today. Deal?»

«Deal.»

«Don’t be angry with me, please. Maybe after Christmas I’ll tell you the whole truth about your father.»

«Do you promise?»

«I do.»

«So, you’ll tell us everything after Christmas?»

«Yes, after Christmas I will tell you everything. Now close your eyes and don’t think about anything.»

«Okay, Mom.»

«Good night, sweetie.»

«Good night, Mom.»

In parting, Martha patted her son on the head and kissed him on the forehead. It’s true, they are already quite adults.

Mark will turn thirteen next year. And Greta was quite smart and developed beyond her years. It would be impossible to hide the truth from them all the time.

Besides, it’s just pointless. After all, children had the right to know the whole truth about their father. In any case, she had already given her word to her son and was not going to break it.