All the Years I Loved Her

Chapter 1

Estelle's POV:

"Estelle please serve this slice of cake on table 13 then help on the counter after." my boss Lewis hurriedly ordered me to do. It was six in the evening and the café is packed with customers.

"Yes Sir." I also call back to him and quickly deliver the order to the table. After delivering I quickly helped my colleagues on the counter as more people pour into the shop. 3 more hours has ticked by and it was already the end of my shift.

"Thank you for everything again today Estelle!" Lewis calls out to me as I go out the café after helping him clean and close up for the day. I give him a small smile and nod as I walk to my dorm after waving goodbye to him.

It's been 2 years since I started working on the café so I became fond of my boss. I still remember the when I just started out part timing here in the café, I was so timid and slow. I also made a lot of mistakes; I remember stumbling on the floor of the café and spilling the ordered iced coffee on myself back when I was still a 1st year college student. Thankfully Lewis, the café's manager and owner was willing to take in various student part timers studying the nearby university as he also graduated there.

After 10 minutes of walking I arrived at a shabby looking apartment, although it looked old it was a good place to stay for students like me. It was the least quiet building here but it was able to give me relief with its small rent. I quickly go up to my room and take a bath as I still needed to study for my exam tomorrow.

Being a working student is hard but I don't want to further burden my parents with paying for my other needs especially with the hard life that we have now after the company where my Dad used to work for, got bankrupted. Since then my mom has been working very hard as an assistant and dad hopped to different works available to be able to provide for the family.

After washing I go to my cabinet where my box of savings for the month can be seen. My salary from working in the café will be distributed tomorrow, so I can use that to by my groceries for the next month and for my miscellaneous fees at school. Although my parents was able to save up for me and my little brother's studies, I didn't want to touch that money anymore as my brother wanted to be a pilot and that was thankfully enough to pay for the fees he needed to be able to become one.

Fortunately for me, I was accepted in a great cheap school and I also received a scholarship, so my school fees weren't a problem as long as I didn't fail school. I close the box and get my bag, and sit down on the study table in the room and started reading the contents of the past classes that are covered in our exam tomorrow. Time management was very hard at first but I was able to cope with my studies and work by exerting more effort and sacrificing a bit more of my sleep.

After preparing for my exam, I closed my notes and arranged my bag making sure that I have all my things in there for tomorrow. While doing so I felt a sharp pain in my head as a very heavy feeling surged in my body. I felt my head pulsating so I slowly get myself some water, drank it and carefully lied down my bed.

"Here it goes again." I said as I sigh. I opened my bed side table drawer and get myself some pain killer medicine to help ease the pain I am in right now. I have become accustomed to such things happening, but the pain I feel in my head just get worse every time I would experience it. I have been experiencing such occurrences for years now but I never bothered to go to a doctor since it was most likely vertigo as it ran in the family. After a while it seems that the medicine has finally took effect as the pain subside, allowing me to sleep.

The next day I quickly got ready and walked to school as my exam was scheduled for the first period. Thankfully, I arrived earlier then my prof and there were still a few students in the room so I took the chance to do a last minute review. A few minutes later the room was now packed and our professor walked in and started the test.

After sitting down staring at problematic questions for hours, I was finally done with my test. I contemplated what I would get for lunch as I pack up my things. I let most of the students go first to avoid getting squeezed in the crowd.

But suddenly as I walk out the room I felt a painful pang in my head, everything around me turned, and everything I heard was ringing in my ear. I clutched my head due to the pain, I hear my professor calling out my name as I try to suppress the pain. I try to hold on to something, or anything for support as it got worse and worse but failed. All that I felt was the growing pain in my head before collapsing on the hard cold floor in front of me.

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After what felt like an eternity of battling in war, I slowly tried to move my weak body as I open my eyes. The white ceiling of the hospital greeted me as a blurry face of a nurse comes into view. I shut my eyes again due to the brightness of the room that I am in forcing my eyes to adjust to the environment.

Once my eyes have adjusted I looked around the room to familiarize myself on the situation that I am in as I try to recall what happened back in school. It seems that I have collapsed due to my headache so they rushed me in the hospital. I snapped my head at the door after I heard the sound of it opening. I regret my action as I felt an intense pain in my head after doing so.

A doctor, along with what seems to be the nurse earlier has come to see me. The doctor checked on me again with the assistance of the nurse. After checking my bed was raised and the nurse left the doctor and me.

The doctor got seated on the chair near the bed and greeted me, "Good Afternoon Miss Garcia you were brought here after you collapsed in school as stated by your professor that called for an ambulance. There were nothing out of the ordinary in your tests except for the recorded high blood pressure you had earlier, but rest easy just a bit more of rest you will be able to get out of the hospital."

He smiled at me and spoke again, "But to be able to ensure your well-being I would like to ask you a few more questions to make a clear diagnose after hearing the full events that happened earlier from your prof. What did you feel before collapsing?"

We exchanged a number of words as he comprehended everything to be able to deliver his diagnosis. I hear him sigh before facing me again, he stated that he wasn't still sure what my case were and seemed that there was something missing, so he offered me to take a CT scan and a few other tests to figure out what could be wrong with me as I also told him my history of head-splitting headaches. I agreed with him and he told me to come back in three days. I signed the papers and payed my fees after being discharged and went straight to the café.

I express my apologies to my boss and explained to him what happened. He said it was okay and told me to get plenty of rest after giving my salary for the month. I thank him but before I was able to say goodbye he called my name again and handed me a box.

He said that a friend of mine had dropped by earlier to give me this but since I wasn't here, he just left it with my boss. He gave me the box and winked at me commenting that my friend was attractive and I laughed at his actions as I said my goodbye and quick thanks to him again. It was probably Caleb that dropped by. Caleb has been my friend ever since I was little since we lived in the same neighborhood and were born in the same year.

As soon as I got home, I opened the box. It contained new highlighters and treats that I loved with a note congratulating me for surviving my tests. Typical Caleb, ever since we were kids he was always kind to me and gifted me something whenever I accomplished something saying that it was a must. I pulled out my phone and took a picture of his gift and sent it to him along with my thanks. I opened the envelope containing my salary and counted it, I guess it was just enough for my hospital fees after I get my tests and my next check-ups. "There goes my salary. It seems that I'll have to take out some money from my own savings I guess.