Hope

even in a darkest moment, we never get the questioned answered why. Why did we end up here, and who put us in that darkness. It could have been the simplest of choice, or maybe it doesn't matter.

The sun shone brightly over the horizon and onto the sparkling sea while a lone woman stood on a busy pier, her dark eyes watching the sunrise with a tired smile. She was a frail thing, wearing dirty overalls and black boots covered in rainbow-colored stains, and her frizzy black hair was tied in a messy bun.

Nothing about her compared to the beauty of the sun, but even still, the simple act of smiling caught another man’s attention. He was tall, carrying a bundle of medical boxes, but his blue eyes were kind, and he trotted over with a grin.

“Long time no see, Gil! Didn’t think you got stationed here too!” Lazily, her contented smile drifted to a puzzled line as she pried her gaze onto him, slowly registering his face until she burst out laughing.

“Zach! It’s been too long!” With outstretched arms, she moved to crush him in a bear hug. “How’s being a med tech?”

He grunted as she crushed his waist, clumsily adjusting the boxes so they didn’t fall. As she released her hold, he sighed. 

“Good, good.” A light chuckle escaped him as he signaled her to follow with the tilt of his head. “Been busy, the new recruits we just got have been running us crazy.” She didn’t move to follow him, and he turned to ask. “You coming? I can use your help.”

She bit her lip, eyes flickering to the metal ship by her side and by the pier. On the side of the vessel, it read Lady Hope, and she took a hesitant step forward as her eyes landed back on Zach.

Gil murmured, “Sure, anything for a friend.” With a kind smile, she snatched one of the boxes from his grasp, and they trotted down the pier towards the city.

“Thanks,” his grin grew bigger. “You’ve always been reliable. Shame you flunked out of class.”

Her step hesitated, but she kept smiling and said, “That’s because Ms. Rodupherass had it out for me.” A bitter taste infested her throat as she futilely attempted to spit it out, and her lips curled to a sneer as she mocked, “Gil! Why do you keep making the stickers so long? Gil! Stop wasting supplies and get it right the first time!” With a hesitant, sharp breath, she muttered, “Gil! Why are you so dumb? Who would ever hire you? Get out!” She scoffed, fighting the tears threatening to escape the corner of her eyes. “Stupid Gil, I didn’t even touch those stickers…”

Zach snickered and shook the box within his grasp as they strode in front of a familiar building that reeked of familiarity, medical supplies, and dread. 

“Oh my gosh, don’t tell me.” A bead of sweat trickled down her forehead, and a lump of pain clogged her throat. She gulped. “Is this a student’s job?” He shrugged and pushed the door open with his back, holding it until she passed through. 

“Thought I’d help the newbies.”

As she entered the building, the odor of sterilized chemicals and loud beeping hit her like a brick of nostalgia. Once, she strived to be a part of this life, to help those who couldn’t help themselves�"the frailest part of our society. Like her name, she desired to spread joy to those who lacked it. To the people who gave up on hope and life. Who had limited time on this earth and had to spend it in bed.

She wanted to make them laugh, but Ms. Rodupherass took away her dream. Gil wasn’t dumb; she passed all her tests and practicals and had the grit to endure the insults flung at her.

It was the stickers that drove her from the class and forced her to quit. It wasn’t her fault, she kept saying, she had nothing to do with the stickers. 

They were always prepped when she arrived in class, and yet, every time she defended herself, Ms. Rodupherass would cackle like a hyena and hiss, “Then who is it, huh? These are your stickers to prep!”

That was the final straw for Gil, and she charged out the door with tears burning in her eyes. She found herself on the pier, the sun about to set, and a kind old man with a fuzzy gray beard. With the patience of a saint, he let her rant her gibberish cries, and offered her a job as a med assistant on his ship called Lady Hope.

A ship that currently is going underway at noon, and if she doesn’t make it back on time, she might as well quit. They entered the old classroom where they used to study and set the boxes down on a round table in the center.

Zach pointed a thumb towards the door leading to the bathroom. “Hey, I got to take a dump, mind getting started?”

She chuckled at his crass words and lightly slapped him away. When she sat down on the rigid grey stool, she grimaced. The familiarity of cold metal compared to nothing of the warmth of metal on the vessel called Lady Hope.

She peeled open the box and started to work. At first, she hesitated, staring at the blank sticker with an air of mourning. The roars of Ms. Rodupherass violated her ears and seared her soul as she attempted to get to work. Seconds turned to minutes as she froze, and no sooner had she reached for the scissors when a shrill voice froze her still.

“Well if it isn’t the dropout?” Slowly, Gil turned, witnessing Ms. Rodupherass standing behind her in all her evil glory. Her lips were set in a permanent scowl, lines deepened her face like the cracks of an earthquake, and a cold aura radiated off her person as she towered over a frozen Gil. Ms. Rodupherass peeked behind her, glaring at her hand reaching for the scissors. She shook her head. “Are you dumb? Are you getting paid in knowledge or work to be here?” She charged the scissors and hurled them across the room. “Little miss dropout, so dumb to let an incompetent fool do her work and not own up to it when he fails.”

Ms. Rodupherass’s words snapped her from her shock, and she tilted her head as she meekly muttered, “Pardon?”

Ms. Rodupherass rolled her beady eyes. “Stupid girl, it didn’t matter if you did the work. You were assigned to it, that means it was your responsibility to make sure it is right!” With gritted teeth, she stomped toward the bathroom door. “You ran off before I could explain it to you like a two-year-old! Like it mattered anyways.” With a curled fist, she banged on the door. “Fools like you are always thinking you’re the victim. Lord knows putting in a bit of effort and admitting a single fault is wrong.”

The door opened, and a sheepish Zach appeared with a sly grin. Her expression morphed into fury, and she hissed, “I failed this idiot, but this fool has the gall to keep coming back.”

Gil stood frozen like a stone. Her lips were dry, her throat parched, and her lips quivered as she tried to form words. Ms. Rodupherupass pointed to the door. “You, dean's office, expect another suspension.”

Dragging each step, he inched toward the door but paused, his back facing a stunned Gil. “I wanted to apologize and thought this was my chanc�"”

“Get out!” Ms. Rodupherupass seethed, and he stumbled out the door.

Gil stood up as well, frozen, and whispered, “Accountability? Is that why you were so hard on me?” She chewed on her inner cheek.

A visible jolt curled Ms. Rodupherupass's lips into a deeper scowl�"the wrinkles on her brow prominent on her face. “Get. Out.”

Gil frowned as her feet staggered out the door, and a loud thud thundered down the halls. The clack of her boots hitting the marble floor deafened her senses, and soon she felt the sun's warmth embrace her skin.

She glimpsed toward the sky, the sun high in the clouds signaling noon. She frowned; it was a bright, beautiful day. She turned toward the parking lot and moved into a busted-up jeep, turning the keys in the ignition twice before the engine hummed.

Her foot slammed the pedal, the breeze blasting through her raggedy hair as she sped toward the pier. People screamed as they sprang out of the way, avoiding the busted jeep hurtling toward the end and the husk that resided in it.

Take accountability, she thought, and she passed the empty spot were the ship called Lady Hope resided. She felt the warmth of the sun, and then icy plunge of water as she sunk into the dark abyss. Eyes closed, lips cracking and turning blue, she smiled.

 

Author's Note

Tell me what you think if you can.