(2025)
Jade woke with a start to the shrill sound of the alarm clock striking five fifteen. She muttered a muffled curse, swiped her finger across the screen to silence the noise, and remained motionless for a few seconds, feeling heavier than usual. She stretched while still lying down, let out a long yawn, and sat on the edge of the bed, breathing slowly, mentally preparing herself for another day that promised to be exhausting.
In the next room, Jade's mother slept peacefully. Jade walked slowly so as not to wake her, carefully adjusted the blanket, and placed the glass of water and the bottle of pills, already set aside, on the bedside table. It was a simple gesture of daily duty. They only had breakfast together when Jade managed to get time off, something very rare because the young woman often gave up her breaks to work overtime and guarantee an extra paycheck.
"See you later, Mom" she whispered. "I love you."
Public transportation crisscrossed the city as the sky gently brightened. Forty minutes later, Jade disembarked in front of the restaurant where she worked, the same establishment where, years before, her mother had spent hours on her feet, serving tables, cleaning dishes, spreading affection in the form of meals. Jade did everything there: prepared dishes, took care of cleaning, served at the counter. Her versatility was a source of pride and double the exhaustion.
She had dropped out of college after her first year. Living between Fayetteville and Eureka Springs, facing hours of daily commutes, added to the money coming from her mother's job, proved unsustainable. She had decided to move to the city, work near the college, and support her own studies. But life, which always seems to have other plans, pulled the rug out from under her. Her mother was taken to the hospital after becoming very ill at work. Doctors called it heart failure, but at the time they didn't yet know the exact cause. Since then, she has been taking a series of expensive medications, undergoing frequent tests, and constantly going to the hospital because the symptoms return from time to time: shortness of breath, dizziness, fatigue. No treatment seems to completely stabilize the condition. Jade's dream of graduating and giving her mother a better life remained locked away in a drawer that smelled of promises.
In the locker room, she changed her clothes and put on her cap. A blonde classmate with an ambiguous smile observed her with curiosity that sometimes turned into pettiness.
"What's with that face, girl?" the woman teased, tilting her head.
"I slept badly" Jade replied with a sigh that balanced patience and irritation. She forcefully adjusted her hair under the cap, feeling her nails scratch her forehead.
"Put on some makeup, disguise it" suggested her classmate, in a tone that mixed advice and criticism.
"I'll put it on next time" Jade retorted dryly, controlling the urge to retort.
"Okay... wow, I just wanted to help" The blonde finally walked away while muttering something.
Jade closed her eyes for a few seconds, took a deep breath, and focused, pushing away the irritation and fatigue. Her mind was a train of thoughts. All the alternatives had already passed through it. Online jobs, odd jobs, failed attempts. Fear tightened its grip when necessity demanded riskier solutions. All that remained was the exhausting routine of the restaurant and the incessant search for another job.
At the end of the workday, as the sun lazily set, Jade crossed paths with another coworker in the hallways.
"Hey, Erick, everything alright? Did your uncle say anything?" she asked, running her hands through her cherry colored hair.
"He… already found someone else to work with him" the young man replied, with a forced smile almost apologetically.
"Oh, yes… thanks for letting me know" Jade smiled awkwardly, grabbed her backpack and left.
His uncle was opening a new building materials store and thought of recommending Jade since she had completed a year of business administration. But the position went to a relative. Jade sighed and left, swallowing her frustration.
At home, the living room was lit by the television, which was showing a comedy program. Her mother waved with her usual sweet smile.
"Hi my angel," she said, her voice thick with tenderness that made Jade feel that all the sacrifice was worthwhile.
"Hi Mom. How was your day?" Jade entered, breathless with exhaustion but finding a small safe haven in the scene.
"I was fine, dear. Don't worry" she replied and a small smile adorned her tired face.
The smell of food lingered in the air, familiar and comforting.
"I told you not to overexert yourself, Mom" Jade reminded her as she placed the glass of water on the table. "Let me prepare dinner as soon as I get home."
"I know dear, but it didn't do me any harm" the woman shrugged.
Jade sighed, checked the time, and handed over the remaining pills. She sat beside her mother, watching her as she took her medicine.
"I'm sorry… I'm looking for another job, but it's difficult…" she said, her voice trembling with worry.
"I know my love. You've already sacrificed too much" her mother rested her hand on Jade's, brief and fearful. "I'm just afraid of being a burden and you not being able to bear the weight… You're all I have."
She knew her mother was right. The risk of Jade succumbing to the same exhaustion was real. The fear of losing herself was also there, but what could she do but keep fighting?
They ate dinner in comfortable silence, and after settling her mother into bed, Jade returned to her own room. Before going to sleep, almost like an obsessive ritual, she began checking job openings, sending resumes, processes that didn't select her. The screen shone with possibilities that always seemed out of reach.
Then her cell phone vibrated in her hand. A name she hadn't seen in years flashed on the screen. Her heart seemed to leap from her chest:
Idris.
She hesitated staring at the screen, paralyzed. The call rang, stopped and rang again. Her mouth went dry, her fingers trembled as she slid to answer.
"Hello?" the voice came out in a whisper, she couldn't quite tell if it was anger or surprise.
"Jade?!" the voice on the other end exploded, recognition and relief mixed together. "It's me, Idris... Oh my God, I thought you might have changed your number. How are you?"
She would recognize that voice anywhere, even after a decade of silence.
"And I thought you might have died. I haven't heard your voice since you moved" she said, the words staring into the past.
"I know how this might seem, but I have a reason for disappearing" he began with restrained urgency.
"I called you several times, you never answered, you never replied to my messages. Ten years, Idris," she said, anger beginning to seep in. "Do you realize that?"
"I know, and... I really want to explain why I disappeared for so long " his justification attempted to fill a decade, but Jade wasn't willing to hear easy excuses. "But the main reason for this call is something else."
"What is it then?" she said curtly.
"I... I opened a law office here in Chicago, I have a career, I've gained prestige, important clients and..."
"You called to brag?" Jade interrupted, her bitterness evident.
Idris seemed to want to show off achievements that, at another time, would have filled Jade with pride. Now they sounded like a provocation.
"No." he replied, more quietly. "I'm hiring an assistant. The young woman went on maternity leave."
Jade felt her stomach churn. The help she so desperately needed came as a forced invitation, an attempt at reconciliation that felt more like pity.
"You disappear for ten years and then show up offering me a job?" she snapped, the old pain turning into irritation. "Seriously, Idris?"
"Jade... My mother told me about your situation. She said you dropped out of college to take care of your mother " he said, and that mention of conversations with his mother reopened a new wound.
"Yes, that's true. But it's funny that after what happened, your mother didn't even ask how my mother was doing... she just gossiped with you." Jade spat, more hurt than she allowed herself to admit. "You've changed."
"It's not like that, Dedee" he tried using the nickname.
"Don't call me that! Never again!" Jade cut him off with a ferocity that surprised her. "You promised you wouldn't forget me, Idris." "You promised."
"Let me fix this, Jade... please" he pleaded in an even lower tone.
"I don't want your pity" she said feeling the bitterness of the words in her throat.
"Please don't misunderstand. Before, I couldn't help... but now I can."
"I'm not talking about help, Idris! You could at least have given me a sign of life."
"One day I'll explain why all this happened if you let me. But now, think about my offer." His tone became slightly more urgent.
The offer had everything she was looking for: a better salary, some stability, hope of resolving things a little more efficiently. But it came sprinkled with resentment, as if each dollar offered was a reminder of the abandonment.
"Think about our friendship" he pleaded. "I'll give you time to decide."
"Think about our friendship? The same one you promised not to forget?" she snorted, laughing humorlessly. "Today I only think about my mother."
"Fine. Think about your mother and analyze my proposal. Ask for her opinion. I'll give you all the time you need. Get back to me with your answer, even if it's 'no'."
"I have to hang up. I have to wake up early tomorrow."
"Okay. Good night, Jade... See you soon."
Jade hung up, feeling pride overwhelm her for the first time. She didn't need anything from Idris, not even a job opportunity. She remembered the promise he'd made, the kiss they'd shared before he left… and she felt anger. But she wasn't the same girl she used to be. Now she was an adult, full of scars, with enormous responsibilities and her mother's life depending on her. She couldn't let herself be shaken by old emotions, but perhaps those emotions had never truly been buried deep down.