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Truth Unfolded
Finally after days of following I was eager to find out the truth. And about all things Raymond was hiding from us. So I went to the doctor and just saw Raymond leaving the room. I hid myself behind the door and saw him rushing out wearing a scarf around him with hat covering the whole of his face. So I went back into the hospital and went into the room from where he was leaving.
‘Excuse me sir. I don’t think you have made an appointment. Do you?’ said the Bethany, probably Raymond’s doctor.
‘No I don’t have an appointment. But are you the doctor of Raymond, Raymond Gale?” I asked with a hope of getting a positive answer.
‘Yes, yes I am his doctor. But who are you?’ asked Bethany.
‘I am his best friend and I need all the information about him. Why he comes here twice a week and every week?’ with a suspicious look on my face I asked the doctor.
Bethany while packing her bag for leaving said ‘We have security policy and I am not going to tell anything about him just because say that you are his best friend. I am sorry Mr.??
‘Andrew Evans’ I said hastily.
‘Right Mr. Evans sorry but..’ replied Bethany.
‘What, what do you mean by ‘but’ do you have any idea what is happening to us, me , Ellie his mother the whole play crew. We are falling apart without him. Especially his mother, she already lost her husband and the only one who is left is her son, so if he is in trouble then please tell me. I don’t know if you have any close friends like I have but if you did, you would understand the pain I am going through constantly thinking about him and always following him and spying on my best friend. Spying on my best friend.. can you believe that, I follow and doubt and even spy on my best friend…??? So please doctor, please tell me what is with him, is he sick or something please tell me… Please.’
I said with tears gushing out of eyes and dropping on the files on the desk. I sat down on the chair with my hands over my forehead and sniffing.
‘Here they are, read them, but don’t break apart’ said Bethany holding two files over my head.
I grabbed them and opened it quickly. The next few minutes were like as if the time stopped. The files dropped from my hand and I looked at Bethany. She looked at me with a face filled with nothing but sadness. My eyes were filled with more tears and the only thing left was me falling on the floor crying like a baby. Suddenly my phone rang and it was Ellie.
‘Andrew, Andrew are you there? Please come quickly something happened to Raymond and I don’t what exactly happened. Please come quickly’ without even taking my reply she cut the line.
Leaving the files on the floor I rushed out the door and running as fast I could, slamming every possible door on my way. The only thing running through my mind was
‘please Ray, please don’t leave us like this, not without informing us please Ray. Don’t you dare leave us.’
I rushed through their door and went upstairs and found Raymond lying on the bed and his mother talking to him. Knowing that whatever happened to him, he is ok or recovering, gave me a relieving feeling. Then Ellie was leaving the room and also held my room and took me to their kitchen.
The she said ‘he came home and then we were having our lunch and he as usual made me laugh by cracking jokes about the rehearsals. And then suddenly he held my hand tightly and closed his eyes tightly, I could see his pain. He was having a strong headache or something and then he fell of the chair and I quickly carried him to his room and then I called you. And after sprinkling some water and wiping his face he woke up and then I fed him. We talked and I wanted to find out what exactly happened but there’s no way he was telling me anything and now we are here.’
Knowing that he was lying about the jokes again proved his excellence in acting. I replied ‘actually the thing is that he is suffering from……..’
When the Two Ends Meet
‘Suffering from headaches because of all the late night works for the play. Right Andrew?? said Raymond standing on the staircase behind me.
I looked at him gazing at his ability to act. I can still remember his face. He was smiling at us and telling how he actually felt during the spin previously and then said ‘mom can you make some hot chocolate for me and Andy’ and went upstairs.
I followed him up, went to his room and shut the door hard and turned around.
‘So you did follow me and now you know the truth?’ said Ray with confidence.
‘How did you know I was following you? how do you know that I know about you??’ my reply.
‘because, you dumbo I wanted you to find about me. I did not have the courage to tell it to you but I did want you to know so I made such a plan that you would want to follow me and want to find out everything. And guess what it did work.’ Raymond. ‘so ask me, I know you want to ask me more questions so feel free to ask more.’ said Raymond furthermore.
‘ why don’t you tell her, you know your mom?’ ‘she deserves to know right?’ I said.
‘Deserves to know. Huh she was the only one who realized her mistake and was always there for me, always laughing at the jokes even if I have already told them before, she laughs, cooks and loves me only so that I am happy. Why would I want to ruin and punish her like this.’ said Raymond.
‘ Oh for god’s sake Raymond you have BRAIN TUMOUR and that also at the last stage. You think that lying to her like this and then die one day is what she deserves?’ I said with a strong and deep voice.
‘I haven’t heard someone say ‘brain tumour’ from anyone else’s mouth. Oh god oh god. What am I doing, what I am supposed to do. Oh god’ said Raymond while crying and falling to the bed and wiping his eyes.
‘you know what maybe this is destiny, maybe this is destiny.’ Raymond.
‘Huh destiny what is destiny , what is it?’ I said while crying as well.
‘its something you cannot escape or dodge or neglect.’ said Raymond.
I rushed towards him hugged him tightly and said ‘don’t cry bro, please don’t cry you are not alone I am here bro I am here. We will preach the end to this together.’
We were crying like babies who did not get their foods.
‘And what about mom, what about her, how do I tell her?’ said Raymond.
‘ destiny brought you this far, that creepy thing is going to help you pass through this as well.’ I said.
Then Raymond told everything from the beginning, starting from the bruises, apologies and the brain cancer. After listening to the whole story I rushed downstairs to go back to home and I was already late.
While going Ellie said ‘Andy dear what about the hot chocolate?’
‘no Ellie not today’ I said.
‘ probably he is in a diet for the play. He is already pretty full with six packs.’ Said Raymond.
Then he and his mother was laughing as if nothing has happened. I was walking out of the house and thinking of their happiness and about its sudden end I started crying again. That whole night went with me crying. And the weird thing was that it was not for me but for someone else’s life.
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