He eyed Cherish when he could before he spoke up and explained what he felt was wrong with her, “Don’t worry about things like food. I really don’t mind. You’ve been through enough.” He stated.
Silence rested in the car as she unraveled and balanced the bag on her knees. Eating quietly, the bottle of juice would have to come last. There was no way she could open it and pull the protective layer off without disturbing the kids.
Simon once again flicked his glance back when they stopped. For a long time, Emily would go out of her way to help the community and its people. He learned a lot from her and changed, as a result, into a better person, “Is it good?” he asked.
A thumb nail ran across her forehead before she looked forward and saw Simon’s blue eyes meet with hers. Clearing her throat, she swallowed what she had in her mouth, “Yes, thanks.” She replied.
Coming up to a building that looked like a home, Cherish didn’t realize they’d arrived at the pediatricians until she saw the sign. “Cline Pediatrics”. Her eyebrows tucked together because not only was the outside beautifully decorated with bright flowers, a fountain, and shrubbery, but the fancy cars, which matched Simon’s, were in abundance. Suddenly, she was very aware about her appearance.
Simon sat there for a few minutes and forced the food into his mouth. He sucked down on the coffee as though it would give him life before he brushed the crumbs from his shirt, “Ready?” He asked climbing out of the car.
She ran her fingers through her hair and tried to make her hair presentable; at least. Simon walked around to pull Jr.’s carrier out of the car and Cherish exited with Jasmine, “Yeah.” She answered.
He opened the door to the office first and she passed him by with a nod. The inside was better than the outside. The chairs weren’t cracked or stained, they were a nice pale blue complimenting the light tan walls. There was a flat screen television playing the news on mute, a play area and mat for the children within a gated portion of the room. A tiny bookshelf and chairs for the older ones to sit and entertain themselves.
They both approached the front desk and Simon spoke first, “My name is Simon Gabot, I’m here for an appointment with my son at nine. But, my friend here…” He looked back at Cherish and back towards the receptionist, “…she doesn’t have an appointment for her daughter, and I wanted to have her join us on our visit. Is there any way we can work that out?” He questioned.
Cherish slowly looked to the receptionist who nodded, “Yes, of course Mr. Gabot. Since this is your first time here, I’ll need you both to fill out some paperwork.” She said clipping the packets of paper on vibrant, translucent clipboards while holding out pens with fake flowers glued on the ends.
Cherish took a step forward and awkwardly shifted Jasmine in her arms. Simon had it easy with Jr. in a car seat, “O-oh. Thank you.” She said taking the clipboard and following Simon to a seat by the window.
Simon looked the pages over and quickly filled out his and Jr.’s information. Cherish flicked her tongue across her upper lip and looked at a couple of other mothers who held their babies contently. These women were dressed up compared to her. Their clothes were clean, and they even wore makeup so soon after bringing a child into the world.
They looked like they belonged there.
Finishing quickly, Simon placed the clipboard down and took Jasmine from Cherish’s arms. As she read over the paper, she soon realize half of the questions she didn’t know how or what to answer with, “It says insurance. I…we don’t have that.” She whispered.
Simon looked down at Jasmine’s sleepy face, “Oh. That’s fine.” He said.
Cherish leaned into him, “H-how much is this going to cost?” She asked him seriously.
Simon didn’t want to make it a big deal. Cherish didn’t have a job and wasn’t on her feet so he’d already expected she wouldn’t have insurance. For him, it was a no brainer and he could handle the costs. She and Jasmine needed to be taken care of and he brought that responsibility knowingly onto his shoulders. Wetting his lips, he calculated that each visit was well over a hundred dollars. At least seven visits in a year and the costs of immunizations. He blinked at her for a moment and the look on her face told him not to say a word, “I’ll handle it, Cherish.” He answered.
Cherish took one scan over the room and thought that him handling it was unfair. She didn’t want to cause a scene or look as though she was ungrateful, she was far from that, she was genuinely concerned, “Can you afford all of this?” She asked.
Simon didn’t understand what it was like to be in Cherish’s position. He also didn’t know there could be a negative effect generosity could have on a person. True, he had a fair bit of money because of his career as a successful firm lawyer. He came from a line of lawyers, so his parents also had a play in his education and start up. There was extra cash he and Emily put away from Jr. just as his father did for him. But, he knew Emily would have helped Cherish without another bat of her eyes. He would take care of her because she deserved it, “I can. Jasmine needs care.” He said as he met eyes with her, “And so do you.” He added with a nod.
“I…” A couple of mothers look
