The Cost of Survival
Audrey refused to sit and watch everything fall apart.
The moment they returned from the hospital, something changed inside her.
Fear was still there.
Pain was still there.
But now, there was urgency.
"We need money," she said that night, her voice steady despite everything.
Her father nodded slowly. "I will go out tomorrow. I will find something."
Audrey looked at him. She wanted to believe him.
She needed to believe him.
"I will also try," she added. "I cannot just sit down."
Her mother tried to speak, but Audrey stopped her gently.
"Please, Mama. Let me do something."
The next morning, Audrey stepped out with determination.
She went from one place to another.
Shops.
Offices.
Houses.
Anywhere she thought she could get help.
"Please, I need work," she would say. "Any kind of work."
Some people listened.
Some did not.
Some turned her away politely.
Others did not even let her finish speaking.
By afternoon, her legs were weak, but she refused to stop.
She thought of her mother lying at home.
She thought of the hospital bill.
She thought of time running out.
At one point, she stood in front of a large gate.
She hesitated before knocking.
When the gate opened, a woman stood there, looking at her from head to toe.
"Yes?"
"Good afternoon, ma," Audrey said respectfully. "Please, I am looking for any work. House help, cleaning, anything. My mother is sick and I need money for her treatment."
The woman's expression did not change.
"We are not hiring," she replied coldly.
And just like that, the gate closed.
Audrey stood there for a moment.
Then she turned and kept walking.
Back at home, her father had already left.
He took his old bike and went out, determined to find help wherever he could.
He rode from one place to another.
Friends.
Old colleagues.
Anyone he thought might assist.
"Please, I will pay back," he kept saying.
But times were hard.
People had their own problems.
Promises were made, but no money came.
The sun was beginning to set when exhaustion started to take over.
His eyes were heavy.
His body weak.
His mind distracted.
Still, he kept going.
Then it happened.
On a quiet road, as he tried to avoid a pothole, the bike lost balance.
Everything happened so fast.
The wheel slipped.
The bike tilted.
And in seconds, he was on the ground.
Pain shot through his body.
A sharp, unbearable pain.
He tried to move, but he could not.
People gathered around him.
"Are you okay?" someone asked.
But he could not answer.
Back at home, Audrey waited.
The sky had already grown dark.
Her father was not back.
Her heart began to race.
Something was wrong.
A knock came at the door.
Audrey rushed to open it.
Two men stood there.
"Are you his daughter?" one of them asked.
Her heart dropped.
"Yes…"
"He had an accident."
The world went silent.
Audrey stood frozen, her mind refusing to understand.
"What do you mean accident?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"He fell from his bike," the man explained. "We took him to a nearby clinic."
For a moment, Audrey could not breathe.
Her mother was inside, weak and struggling.
Now her father…
Without another word, she ran.
That night, everything changed again.
The little strength the family had left was shaken.
One problem had become two.
One burden had become unbearable.