A Series of Sadness

Part 4

If life was over, why did it hurt so much? I opened my eyes, and immediately wished I hadn't. The light burned my eyes, almost blinding me. I was cold. Very cold. I was wrapped in so many blankets, yet I still shivered. But I was not the immediate problem. Jeong-Ho was. We were asked to pay for the medication they had given, and I told them I couldn't. They turned us out onto the streets. I mean, at least they had the decency to give us a wheelchair, I guess.

After a few days, the cold came. Day in, day out, we shivered, but we survived. But not for long. Jeong-Ho became ill one day, and I was filled with dread when I checked the signs. He shivered, his lips purple, his face white. He had hypothermia. It was obvious. Ever since the crash, he had been a frail child, his body foreve r recovering from the loss of almost twenty percent of his body weight. I couldn't afford medicine, yet I would not stop trying. I went to the pharmacy every day, and was reduced to begging in the streets, yet no one helped. I should have known. Or it could be the fact that Jeong-Ho had his hands in his pockets. It wasn't his fault. He was freezing. All I could do was watch, helplessly, as day after day he shivered and grew colder. I even considered grabbing someone's ankles to show my desperation, but that was frowned upon even more. But he could barely move. He wouldn't even flinch when birds rushed by. I hardly slept at night with worry. He was all I had left. What if he left me too? Sunrise. A new day. A new day of watching the cold slowly eat my brother away. I hated this. Knowing what was happening, helpless to make a change. The little money we had was barely enough, and was quickly pickpocketed by thieves. I would do anything to save him. Give my own life. But it was pointless. Another day went past. Finally, the fateful day came. His breathing was ragged and shallow. He looked tired and would fall asleep often, reminding me of how he slept on my shoulder on the plane. Maybe it was a sign.