Chapter 40
Whitney always meant business when she talked, Hearing that, Lester sounded a touch excited, which for him was kind of a big deal “I’m gonna trust you on this,” he said.
“Okay, I’ll be off if there isn’t anything else,” Whitney said. Just as she was about to hang up, she suddenly saw the proposal on the computer screen and slapped her forehead. She thought, “Wow, I must be fried to forget about that. Whitney then asked, “Hold up, Lester. Your design. Any hiccups with it?”
Lester snorted and replied slowly, “Check your email. Sent you the new design. It’s all good. No sweat.”
When it came to design, Lester was full of self–confidence and arrogance. Whitney smiled and thought, ‘If Lester’s on it, there’s zero worries. He’s the golden boy in those contests, after all,
“Got it, and don’t forget to crash early tonight.” Whitney said, scrolling her mouse to click open the email. Even just a quick peek and she was wowed. ‘Lester’s a total genius, she thought,
Lester grunted a “Yeah” and dropped the call before Whitney could say anything else. She just stared at her phone and shook her head, thinking, ‘For Lester, it’s all about his designs and Wendy. Guess nothing else really hits his radar! Whitney began to work diligently. After all, she didn’t want to work overtime every day.
In the hospital hallway, Lester kinda spaced out after the call but snapped back and beelined it to the ward at the end.
He paused outside the door, took a deep breath to steady himself, and nudged it open. The room was all clean and white, but man, it just felt wrong. “I wish I could just scoop Wendy up and get outta here.”
Everyone stuck in this joint was battling blood diseases. Everyday brought a new breakdown or freak out that even Lester could feel in his gut. Being here forever, he was numb, like how doctors don’t freak at the sight of blood. All Lester desired was to keep Wendy alive.
“Lester, you’re here!” Wendy’s voice was a whisper.
Seeing her, all weak on the bed, he faked a grin and plopped down next to her. Wendy tried to smile back, all pale and tired. It looked tough,
like it hurt.
Lester looked at Wendy and began to reminisce. A few years ago, she had long hair and always wore a ponytail. She kept me company every day, like my little sidekick. Now, I’m keeping her company. It’s just like back when we were at the orphanage.
Lester and Wendy grew up as buddies in the orphanage, but then her getting sick scrambled everything up. When he first got the news, Lester thought his world crumbled. He almost wanted to bail on life with Wendy, but he couldn’t bail on her.
So, they began to seek medical treatment for years, but it wrecked Wendy. Chemo zapped every strand of hair, and now she rocked hats to hide the bald vibe. She got skinnier and skinnier.
Lester stepped back from life to be Wendy’s rock. Even with his future looking bright, Wendy was his world. Loads of folks hit up Lester to work for them, but he wasn’t having it.
That was until Whitney came knocking. She was like a dog with a bone, wouldn’t let up. Lester was set on saying no to her too, even after she pestered him a zillion times. But life’s got a way of messing with plans.
Just last month, Lester was tired, leaving the hospital, and some sketchy dudes cornered him–they had weapons and gave him the evil eye. He felt afraid at that time. After all, if something happened to him, there would be no one to take care of Wendy.
Sure, Lester was a dude, but he never saw himself as the tough–guy type. With zero combat skills, he always thought if it came down to it, he might not walk away.
Right as he braced for the worst–a blade heading his way–Whitney stepped in like a guardian angel. She took the hit, pushing Lester out of harm’s way. All he could do was gape as she went toe–to–toe with the bad guy, not even flinching as her arm bled out.
Turned out, Whitney just happened to roll up on the scene; she didn’t even know Lester was the guy in trouble. But after she threw down like that, Lester couldn’t help but take her up on her offer. Not only because Whitney save him, but Lester saw that she was sincere.
Lester had considered that maybe Whitney staged the whole scene just to make him trust her. But that idea didn’t last.
After learning about Lester’s situation, Whitney repeatedly assured him she would care for his concerns as if they were hers. Lester would usually shrug off those kinds of promises, but something about Whitney felt different. He couldn’t shake the trust he had in her. After she knew Wendy’s rough patch, Whitney wired Lester a chunk of change and landed Wendy the best doctor available.
Whitney’s help was a timely relief to Lester. After all, Wendy’s illness was like a bottomless pit that required a lot of money. Lester’s prior savings were almost depleted.
Whitney did more than that. After knowing about Wendy’s family background, Whitney promised to help Lester find Wendy’s family. Despite there being no results so far, Lester trusted Whitney.
Lester could never figure out why he decided to trust Whitney. He kept his circle–tight–just him and Wendy. But with Whitney, it was like she had this trustworthy vibe.
