Chapter 3

By the time I got to the hospital, I'd been standing on the bus for over an hour.

My legs were starting to go numb.

The ER waiting room was packed. I stood on my tiptoes, trying to see through the crowd, and spotted Yuri heading out.

She was with a woman in her thirties, probably her manager from her part-time job, Grace King.

Yuri looked up, saw me, and hurried over. "Mom, what brings you here?"

"I came as soon as I got the call," I said. "What happened?"

"It's nothing," Yuri said, forcing a smile. "I skipped breakfast, and my blood sugar dropped a bit."

I looked her up and down. Her color was good. She was steady on her feet; nothing seemed wrong.

A weight lifted off my chest as I exhaled. "That's good," I said with relief. It was just low blood sugar.

Grace shot me a surprised look.

Yuri turned to say goodbye to Grace, then walked me out.

Outside the hospital, she stood by the curb and flagged down a taxi.

She rested her head against the window, eyes shut.

I sat beside her, wanting to ask what the doctor said. But I swallowed the words before they left my mouth.

Her brow was furrowed, and she looked exhausted.

I was scared to ask, scared I'd hear something I didn't want to know.

*****

When we got home, David and Ethan were in the living room, watching TV.

Two takeout boxes were tossed on the dining table, grease stains soaking into the surface.

Ethan was sprawled on the couch, clutching the remote.

David was lounging on the other side, his feet propped up on the coffee table.

I stood at the doorway and glanced around.

Yuri didn't say a word and went straight to her room.

I walked over to clear the table.

As I stacked the boxes, a wave of frustration hit me.

They'd only ordered for themselves. Yuri and I weren't considered.

I went into the kitchen and saw the soup still sitting on the stove.

I lifted the lid and saw there was still a good amount left.

At least they were thoughtful enough to save me some.

I checked the slab of pork belly I'd planned to turn into barbecue ribs for Ethan tonight.

I looked at it for a moment, then decided to stick it back in the fridge.

Since Yuri had gotten back from the hospital, it was better to go with something lighter for her.

I heated up the soup and cooked some pasta in it.

Once the pasta was ready, I knocked on Yuri's door. "Yuri, come out and have something to eat."

Yuri came out and sat at the table, took one look at the pasta in her plate, and frowned.

I knew she never liked pasta in clear broth.

She'd always been a picky eater, craving something with real flavor.

Worried she'd read too much into it, I quickly explained, "I cracked two eggs in there for you for some extra nutrition. Your dad and Ethan already ate, so I whipped up something simple for you."

She didn't say anything, picked up her fork, and started eating.

"Yuri," I said, "don't push yourself too hard at work. Your health comes first."

She still didn't say a word.

After she finished her pasta, she walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge.

I stood at the living room doorway, watching her.

She stood in front of the fridge, looking over everything inside.

I hurried over. "There's some yogurt in the fridge. Ethan doesn't like it, so it's all yours."

She turned to look at me.

I added, "It's supposed to be good for your health, helps boost your energy."

She turned to look at me. "Mom," she said, "I bought that yogurt."

I felt a bit awkward, opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

She didn't say anything else, took the yogurt, and turned to go back to her room.

I stood in the kitchen, rummaged through the fridge. There wasn't a single thing left to eat.

Yuri liked to fill the house with snacks, but once work got hectic, she barely touched them.

I ended up giving all those snacks to Ethan to take to school.

Ethan was gearing up for his high school application, and with all the late-night studying, he was always starving.

I always thought I'd buy some snacks for Yuri once things got a little easier financially. But with 1,000 dollars a month for groceries, it was barely enough for meat and vegetables.

Snacks? I could hardly ever afford to buy those.

I figured I'd stop by the supermarket tomorrow and pick up some of the foods Yuri likes.