My grandmother, Eleanor Dempster, and Luigi also told me I didn't understand my father's deep love for me. They both blamed me for not getting a higher score on the test.
I had to repeat a grade before I could get into college.
Thinking about the volunteer work, I didn't sleep well the whole night.
When I woke in the morning, I felt my breast hurt and even nodule. I thought it might be breast hyperplasia, so I decided to go to the hospital for a check-up.
I acted as if nothing had happened, but when I bumped into the table, the sharp pain made me cry out.
Eleanor sensed something was wrong.
"Patricia, do you have chest pain? Your dad knows a doctor, right? So, ask him to help you. Don't waste your money."
Patrick looked up at me.
I immediately sounded the alarm, shook my head repeatedly in denial.
"I don't, I just bumped into it."
But he didn't think so. He came knock on my door after dinner.
"Patricia, don't be afraid. I have a lot of friends, some of them are medical experts. If you get sick, I'll take you to see them."
"Patricia, open the door!"
He banged on the wooden door, eager to take me to the doctor immediately.
I stared at the trembling door in fear. I wished I could hide from his friends now.
I pretended not to hear and he calmed down for a moment. But soon, he started making a phone call outside.
"Dr. Leander, yes, it's me Patrick. My daughter has chest pain. Aren't you an expert in this field? Please, prescribe some medicine for her."
Soon, I heard Patrick leave. I made up my mind not to open the door today.
During lunch break, another knock was heard again on my door.
"Patricia, open the door quickly! I asked someone to get some oral medicine. Come out and drink it."
He shouted and banged on the door at the same time.
Who would dare to take medicine from a doctor who prescribed medicine without checking the patient's condition?
"Patricia, I won't harm you and neither will my friends. So, come out and drink it!"
The locked door opened and Eleanor stood there, with the key in hand. She looked at me with disapproval.
"Your dad spent a lot of money on this medicine, hurry up and drink it."
Patrick handed me a bowl of black-syrup medicine as if it were a treasure.
I felt as if I had seen poison.
"You're so ungrateful girl! It's hard to believe that your dad had to resort to so many favors to get this medicine."
Eleanor wiped away her tears.
As a mother, she had a layer of filters for her children. She thought her son was a capable person, so she thought everyone her son knew was also capable.
She had been doing well in the village these past few years.
Everyone knows my father and was willing to treat him with kindness. She truly cherished him.
Patrick's expression was grim.
Seeing him was about to pour the oral medicine into my mouth. In a hurry, I pulled my grandmother up to the front.
"Dad, I don't have chest pain, but breast pain. I need to see a surgeon. The oral medicine can't treat the root cause."
To avoid taking the medicine, I had to tell him what was wrong.
He frowned.
"Then this medicine...."
My grandmother's eyes lit up.
"That's perfect for me. I've been experiencing chest discomfort for years. I'm getting old, so I'd love to have some to replenish my body."
She was my own grandmother, anyway, I thought for a moment and advised her.
"Grandma, if you have chest discomfort, it's better to go to a hospital for treatment and also to get the medicine there. It's safer."
"Are you just jealous of me? You can't bear to see me get better? You can't bear to see me take the medicine?"
She pinched me angrily.
I almost jumped, my hand numb from the pain.
"That's right. With your dad's connections, how could he have gotten fake medicine?"
