RINGS OF STRING

It was long since he had entered a hospital especially this one and all this gave him an itchy feeling inside. Glass doors freely flung ushering anyone who made an entrance. The floor was beautifully fitted with white and black diamond shaped tiles which made an attractive alternating pattern with parts of it having a beautifully large flowery silver figure towards the front desk. Wiping tears with the back of his left hand, made his way through the doors in a flash as if all had impressed him and all was well.

The lift door was almost closed when he forced his right hand in the four inch gap forcing it to move in the opposite direction. He entered the lift with a sigh of relief. The lift was fully packed and eyes inside were donned on him making him shrink; avoiding them, he went for the button on his right and pressed for third floor.
Getting to the floor seemed to take hours. His fingers were now sweating and an itch got the back part of his neck. He went for the itch but the elevator door had just opened and like a bullet from an untrained cowboy he shot out heading to the first station; ignoring the itch. A nurse stood at the reception talking on the phone and writing something down on a notebook. "I need to know if a woman, mid 50s was brought here earlier; her name is Susan Boke." "Just a moment sir," a soft and feminine voice escaped her hardly spaced lips without looking up. He felt pissed and wanted to take the phone from her ear and bang it on her head. Then he thought about Tina and how she took most of his clients for granted and brought losses to the company. "If only I didn't owe her a favor then I would have fired her years past," the same girlish voice said only this time it was a little heavy.

His eyes moved from the phone and to the wall where portraits of the Virgin Mary hang loosely. He remembered how he hated Catholics but this day all these feelings were numb; all he saw was his mother warning them when young about how lost those papists were and doomed are they that follow them.

"Sorry for that sir, how may I help you?" The soft voice came again; this time looking up and cutting him from his thoughts. "A woman, mid 50s, where can I find her? Her name is Susan Boke," he said chokingly. "She came here about an hour and a half ago; room fifty five. Go straight and take a left," she said with an imperceptible smile and pointing the directions with her right hand. He glanced at his watch; it read 6.33pm.
The door was open. He pushed it gently and stealthily entered the room. The air smelt tense; the windows were open and the yellow-orange evening rays made their way and sojourned on Susan's body. She looked angelic; heaven's light was shining on her and was as if angels were glorifying the return of their long lost daughter. "Mum...mum," he called out in a heavy dying voice and rushing towards the bed. No answer came from the intended recipient. Her eyes were tightly closed and she looked as if life had been drawn from her. He held her hand and felt 0its chill, skin pale and lips dry; almost white. The life support machine read 97 and the frequency curves were high. He saw it as a good sign.
He looked on his right and saw Zach. He was dumbfounded he hadn't seen him while entering the room. He sat at the other end of the room in a squatting chair. He sank inside it and his hands had covered his nose and mouth. He had been weeping. It was almost a year and a half since he had last seen him and more than three years when they last had a meaningful conversation.

Mum's sickness had aged him and he looked lost of strength. James wanted to move close and hug him or even tell him how much he missed him but the pain and hate from long ago couldn't let him. "How is she?" He managed to force something out which was close to a whisper. "She had stroke and her blood pressure is high, they say her situation isn't good; she's dying. She passed out after the stroke and hasn't been up since." the same deep crying voice replied while advancing towards the bed with the chair. They sat on opposite sides of the bed and for the first time made eye contact. Zach's eyes were liquid the same ones James had seen more than twenty years back when he pleaded to be bought ice cream after every church service. He remembered those days when they were best of friends and thought that nothing would ever tear them apart. Then he thought about Vanessa and immediately the name crossed his mind he hated Zach again and thwarted the thoughts away. James saw Zach as Judas, a man who kissed him with the same lips which he used to hang him.