Morning Librarian Night Stripper

C1: Grace Under Guidance

C1: Grace under Guidance

“Grace, you really need to watch over her.” Doctor David says. “If you don’t…I’m afraid you should expect the worse.”

I sighed and nodded at him quickly. “I will. I’ll, uh, I’ll just—”

“Do you have any relatives? Close relations that could help you out—”

“No.” I answered sternly. “My parents didn’t want them in their lives and I don’t either. I’ve never even met them or heard from them, so…,”

“Alright,” he resigns. “It’s up to you, then.”

Yes. It is up to me.

Our dad—Ginny and mine—was a successful business man. He met my mother in a bar and they got married a week after. They had a happy marriage, really but people around them, especially their families, objected. Soon, my dad had to give up everything just like mom had when she married him and move away from home.

He was born in Alaska, grew up in Vancouver and worked in Toronto. Mom was born and raised in Vancouver and was on vacation when she met dad.

He was seven years her senior; she was a fresh graduate. They were in love and then they had me as soon as they got to New York.

Nine years later, they had Ginny. Then the most tragic thing happened—

Mom died. A drunken truck driver just runs her over and finishes the job.

So while dad got into several debts and no job, depression and anxiety evident on his pale face, I was taking care of my little sister and found out that he was already knee-deep in drugs and theft.

It was when I turned fifteen that dad got arrested. Ginny was six and clueless and I know that we couldn’t end up in child services. We could be separated and Ginny could end up in a mean family’s house. I couldn’t let that happen.

With no other choice, we ran away. I took her to Brooklyn and met Ike. He lent me his basement for a month because his parents were away and he helped me get a job and he even got our records from our previous school without busting us.

I still don’t know how he did that.

By the time his parents got home, we were already on our own and were ready to attend the same school he’s in. We’ve been best friends ever since.

But even with Ike, helping me and standing by me, I was still independent. I still take care of things by my own and my own terms. But now I’m not sure how I’m going to do that.

It’s my last year, my last semester in college. How could I get my degree and a decent job if I’ll be at home?

“Hey,”

I looked up and saw Ike. “Hey,”

“How is she?”

“She’s going to be fine.” I assured him and he gave me a hug.

“Are you alright?”

I broke away from the hug and nodded. “I’m just worried I won’t make it through this semester.”

“Why?” He demanded and we sat down on the floor by the door of my sister’s hospital room. “It’s just a few weeks away, Grace.”

“I know.” I said. “But the doctor says that I really need to watch over Ginny. If I don’t I might lose her.”

“Well, that’s easy.” He assures me. “I could watch over her while you’re at school and—”

“You need to attend your classes, Ike. It’s your year, too.” I pointed out. “You can’t miss a day. Not now when you’re so close,”

“My classes are in the afternoon.” Ike says quickly. “And yours are in the morning. By the time we hit lunch, we could switch and you could always call that girl in the library. She’s your friend, isn’t she?”

I smiled. “But she has classes in the evening.”

“So she’s basically free the whole day—” he countered when I cut him off.

“Not everyone’s going to be in this plan in saving my sister, Ike.” I noted and he sighed. “It’s up to me.”

“And me,”

“Yes. And you,”

He sighs again and looks at me carefully. “Grace, we can do this. If we want it to work, it will.”

“I still have bills to pay and medicines to buy; books to study and tests to pass. If we want it to work, maybe it will but it’s not an absolute certainty.” I started to get up when he caught my hand.

“The absolute certainty is up to us. You know that…right?”