"Maria, please don't do this to me" Tears welled up in Alena's eyes as she raced into the door of the hospital with her only daughter in her hands.
She had woken up to a bright morning with the sun already peeking into their single-room apartment through the torn curtains. She stretched and said her little prayers, then she turned to wake her daughter Maria up from sleep. It was almost time for school, but as she touched Maria, she was burning up.
She tapped Maria, and when she got no reply she screamed out of fear. Quickly, she picked up her daughter and ran to the almost dilapidated community clinic a few poles from her apartment. The exact clinic where she had given birth to Maria after the death of her husband and the only clinic in their community she could afford.
Alena paced the hospital waiting room, praying and crying that her daughter be fine. She couldn't afford to lose the only reason keeping her alive and hopeful for tomorrow. A few hours later, the doctor reappeared from the emergency room, his face drawn and his eyes without hope.
"Your daughter is stable now, but there appears to be a tumour in her brain. Surgery needs to be done as soon as possible, or the consequences might be severe," the doctor said, trying so hard to be positive, but his voice betrayed him. "And as standard procedures and law from the government we can't do anything without an upfront payment" he added, slipping a piece of paper with the exact amount for the surgery to Alena, then he left the scene
Alena felt her world spin, she fell to the ground. She found no words to express herself. This time, her tears were uncontrollable. She didn't know where to start. The bad news about her daughter or the exorbitant bill from the doctor which was way past her annual pay grade.
A few minutes later, she stood up and dusted herself from her pain. Now wasn't the time for tears, Maria needed her and she needed to raise cash for the surgery as soon as possible.
The next few weeks showed how desperate Alena was. She took on several menial jobs, working overtime, all in a bid to raise cash. But the more she worked, the more it felt like it would take ages to save the complete amount for the surgery.
She was recommended as a maid for one of the wealthiest men in their community, Daniel. Who happened to be the son of the powerful Prime minister. The particular man who had kept the masses in abject poverty, making harsh laws, skyrocketing the cost of living rising way past the minimum wage affecting the common man the most.
The prices of food, education and healthcare were so high that the masses could barely survive. Yet he imposed taxes that drained them of their little earnings with nothing to show for it. The hospitals were understaffed and lacked basic equipment; the schools were nothing to write home about. All this to fatten his pockets.
Daniel has never liked how his father ruled his people, he attributed it to the biblical Pharaoh. On several occasions, he had confronted his father; he had even cut off every deal with his father and had no intention of joining the family business, which was politics. Just like the biblical Pharaoh, Daniel saw himself as the biblical Moses, fighting to save the people from the oppressions of his father.
One day while Daniel studied in his study room, he heard a loud thud from the hallway. He quickly checked to see what it was, only to find Alena collapsing onto the floor from exhaustion. In her face were tear stains
“Alena! Are you okay?" Daniel asked as he got to her.
But there was no reply from Alena. He picked her up and took her into his study. And after a few sprinkles of water and a wet cloth rub on her face, Alena regained consciousness.
"What... Where am I?" Alena asked as she opened her eyes. Ignorant of what happened earlier.
"Hey relax, you just collapsed on my floor. Thank God you are okay" Daniel replied.
Alena's brain rebooted immediately, realising where she was, what had happened and her daughter Maria, she burst into uncontrollable tears. Tears she had been holding back for a long time.
"I'm sorry sir. I should get back to work," she apologized, trying to stand, but her knees couldn't carry her.
"Hey relax. I'm not letting you do that after you almost dropped dead on my floor," Daniel said; he got up and poured her a glass of water from the table in his study and handed it over to her. "You care to share what's eating you up? I saw the tear stains on your face" Daniel asked.
Alena hesitated at first. She thought it was no use telling him because Daniel was the offspring of the tyrant ruler of their land. But after much persuasion from Daniel, she let him in on how her daughter was lying in the hospital with a tumour in her brain and how she needed to make an upfront payment before the doctors would operate on her. But she couldn't afford to pay the exorbitant bill.
Daniel sat there staring blankly into the wall, clenched fist and biting his teeth down hard. He knew when his father signed that law and how much he despised it. Hearing a story like Alena's proved to him how cruel it was. He thought of many others who might have lost their loved ones for not being able to pay.
He got up, walked to his desk and picked up his chequebook. He scribbled down an amount of money and handed it over to Alena
"Go treat your daughter. Everyone deserves to live" he said with emotion in his voice.
Alena declined his offer. She was scared; all her life, even when her husband was alive, she hadn't seen such an amount before. It would take care of the hospital bill with enough left to start a better life.
"Don't pretend like you don't need help, Alena. Take this and save your daughter. You don't have to choose between your child's life and money, please," Daniel said.
And like an open faucet, Alena's eyes let down the tears. She stood up and took the check. "Thank you, sir," she said in between sobs.
"Take the day off and get some rest. Also, be with your daughter," Daniel replied. Then he watched her walk out of the study.
Daniel sat there for a few minutes trying to regain his composure. His compassion for others was the reason he knew he wasn't fit for the kind of politics his father played. He picked up his car key and walked out the door. He was going to confront his father.
He got to their family house to see his father, a short bald man with a pot belly that made him look like a character from a cartoon story. He stood over the lawn in the garden. At the sight of his son, he smiled and said.
"Look who the winds blew in" He opened his arms to hug his son but was met with a strong look from Daniel. "What's wrong son?" He asked.
"For how long, Dad, will you continue to rule this people with a rod? How long are you willing to let them die before you see to their plights? Many years on that seat, are you not satisfied with the power you've acquired?" Daniel replied, his voice firm and clear, his fist clenched.
"Son, you speak in parables. What's wrong?" His father asked, confused.
"A poor woman might lose her only daughter because she can't afford to pay hospital bills for the surgery of her daughter with a tumour in her brain", Daniels's voice softened with emotions.
"But the exorbitant bills are keeping the hospital running"
"Same hospitals you haven't visited, renovated or equipped in years, Dad", he roared.
"You don't understand how this works son. The world is cruel already; I met it this way," his father said without remorse, walking away into the house.
"So you have to finish off the dirty work. This little girl won't be the first, and if you don't change things, she won't be the last. And their blood is all on your head. I'm sure this isn't why you joined politics" Daniel yelled out to his dad, his last words piercing his soul and stopping him in his tracks.
Then Daniel turned and walked out of the garden, into his car and drove out of the house.
In the evening, Daniel drowned himself with alcohol. He tuned in for the evening news and was surprised to see his father on the news. Not like it was his first time being in the news but the headline was unbelievable but true.
"Breaking News: The Prime Minister Resigns" it read.
"After my wife died because I couldn't afford to pay her hospital bills, I swore never to be that change my people seek." His father addressed the press. "Luckily I got into politics and started making money, plenty of it that I never realized I had lost track of the main reason I got into politics. I guess the money felt so good and the harsh laws kept bankrolling it." He wiped a tear off his face. "I'm sorry for the tears I caused you all, and I'm here to tell you that it ends today. I hereby resign as the Prime minister of this state. Thank you".
A few months later, Alena stood outside the hospital courtyard watching Maria as she played in the evening sun. Her surgery was successful and she was recuperating just fine although still under intense watch by the doctors.
The sweetest part of it all was that it wasn't just Maria's surgery. There were several others too, plus the hospital being renovated and equipped with the proper medical facilities.
And it all started with a mother’s tears, a young man’s compassionate heart, and the courage to stand up for what was right.