Chapter 5: Present Day

Nomads Residence, Cherim, Bramhills

A Year And Eight Months Later.

Clara picked up her phone again and looked at the screen. It was eight in the morning and she was getting ready for another stressful day at the park, her new work place

"Why do you keep doing that?" Priscilla asked.

"Doing what?"

"Checking your phone once it's eight in the morning." She said.

"I don't know. Maybe I'm hoping for some update of any sort from my licensing attorney or even my ex-colleagues from work." Clara confessed, the sadness, pretty much evident in her voice.

Ignas chose that moment to walk in. "Do I hear someone still whining about some work and ex-colleagues?" She hammered from the door.

"Good morning Ignas." Clara groaned.

"Good morning world. It's a beautiful day, isn't it?"

"You sound happy, what's the deal?" Priscilla asked, pushing her breakfast aside.

"Well, I spent the night at the care home, with my mother and I slept so peacefully. Can't remember the last time I had such a peaceful night rest." She replied.

"What, the care home allow relatives to spend the night with their loved ones now?" Asked Priscilla.

"Oh no, it was a favour. I enjoyed every bit of the time I spent there. You do remember when my mum requested to be moved to another room with a view of the garden. Well, I paid for it and I'm glad I did. She's moved in and although the room is pocket wrecking, it is way more comfortable than the previous one."

"That sounds comforting. I'm sure Grandma Lina will be so happy. Well done Ignas." Clara said, still in a low voice.

"Oh, don't sound like that. You can't possibly sound this sad, when you should be happy. You've got your family here with you, what more do you want." Ignas said.

"And we've got a roof over our heads too. A roof that belongs to us, a roof that you paid off the mortgage baby." Priscilla started, moving closer to her daughter. She touched her cheeks and spoke directly to her face. "You don't know how proud I am. I am so proud of you my Lara. Let's trust Mr. Macklin, he said your license will definitely be reinstated and I believe him. You just have to wait it out, you have to be patient. When it's time, he will submit a petition for your reinstatement. Alright?"

Clara nodded, if she would be honest to herself, she'd known that this was like the hundredth time her mother had said this same words to her. Yet the words somehow find a way to soothe her soul each time she hear Priscilla say them.

"How good is your attorney?"

"Oh, he's very good, I witnessed him during the lawsuit. He is a fighter." Priscilla replied, instead.

"Yet he couldn't get her a pardon, a fine, or even some sort of punishment. They could have asked her to enroll for some crazy-ass course as a punishment. But no, they revoked her license of practice over some minor mistake and a framed-up allegation that shot the whole narrative into a fireball. Yet you think the attorney is good, I beg to disagree." Ignas stated, locating the kitchen and pouring herself a glass of whiskey.

"It's too early for alcohol Ignas." Priscilla warned.

Ignas shrugged. "Morning routine people. Have to prepare myself for a shit day behind a bloody desk." She whined.

"You'll definitely be called up to handle a case pretty soon. I think you should just take this period to relax. At least you didn't loose your job over a mistake." Clara said, with a tone of resignation.

Ignas gulped down her first cup of whiskey and started pouring another, but Priscilla was fast enough to put the bottle away.

"Such a kill joy." Ignas murmured. "You should sack your attorney Clara. The imbecile didn't do shit for you, and I doubt he will do better during the hearing for your reinstatement."

"Oh well, it's so easy for you to say because you were not present at the hearing." Priscilla shot at her.

"It was better for everyone that I was absent, because I would have strangled that fool." She turned to Clara, "were all the necessary elements proven to establish a malpractice?" Clara nodded. "They really established a breach and a harm to the patient."

"Yes." Clara replied.

"And how did they achieve that, eyewitnesses?"

"Patient's verbalization." Clara added.

Ignas picked up a slice of bread that was left over from Priscilla's breakfast. "They are fools. Are you ready to leave for work now?"

"Yes, let me grab my bag." Clara said, rushing off upstairs, to her room.

Ignas and Priscilla exchanged glances. "You think she's enjoying her job at the park?" Priscilla asked her friend.

"Hell no. She's miserable out there. But she's brave also. So, she'll be fine. When I suggested she got a job that is related to caring for children, since she's a paediatric nurse, I thought she would go for jobs like a school nurse, or even an assistant teacher." Ignas confessed.

"A school nurse will require a license, and an assistant teacher, well, Clara has patience for kids, but not school children."

"She bawls her eyes out in the car at times. The other day, she said she feels like she's ascended from grace to beneath the grass. I buy into what she thinks, but it is what it is." Ignas said. "I feel the same at times too. Look at me, being assigned to a desk job, away from the all that action because of a failed operation. Things like this happen, I've accepted my fate."

"It's just a phase, it will all pass away in no time. Always tell Clara that. She needs to be reassured that this phase will pass." Priscilla told her friend.

"I can't promise her what I'm not certain of. How are you so sure that this phase will pass. In fact, how are you so certain that she will be reinstated?" Ignas asked.

"Her attorney said so, he said he's good at such things."

"And you believed him, just like that. Priscy, if I were you, I would get my daughter another attorney. This time around, one with a notable track record. It's going to cost a lot, but it will be worth it."

"We don't have much funds now Ignas. Lara emptied her savings to pay off the mortgage, then the lawsuit happened. I'm not so wealthy now, and you know what I'm battling with. There is so much to spend on, with the presence of Ariella and Janey. At times, I feel like I've failed Clara as a mother." Priscilla broke into sobs. "For the past year, she's been in pain, pretending to be happy, but she's not. Do you think it was wrong telling her to come back to Brumhills."

"No, you did the right thing. She needed you and you were there for her. That's what any mother would have done. That is what I would have done. You've got nothing to worry about." She said tapping her friend gently on the shoulder. "How are you, really?"

"I'm doing great." She replied.

"Have you told her yet?"

"Told her what?" Priscilla shot back at Ignas.

"Uh-uh, don't shout at me like that. You know what I'm talking about." She shot back.

"Ignas please, this is neither the right place nor time for this. Somebody might overhear us." Priscilla warned sternly.

"Alright, you win. She need to know though. That reminds me, where is Ariela and Jane, aren't they going to the creche today?" Ignas changed the topic immediately. She knew just when to stop and when not to overstep her boundaries.

"They left already. Jane has this interview with an art gallery at the capital. So, she had to leave early" They heard Clara say from the stairs. She had her handbag slinged across her shoulder. "I'm ready." She announced and walked up to Ignas. "Let's go."

"Alright baby, come here." Priscilla called, she hugged her daughter tightly before they left for the capital in Ignas car.

Clara had gotten her job at the park through the help of her mother's colleague at work. The park needed someone to look out for kids and ensure that they are not in harm's way while in the park. A very tasking job, but Clara always felt rewarded whenever she is able to put a smile on the faces of some of the children that visit the park.

"You should get another job. A sales person, a teacher or something more rewarding. I think you hate your job, you should quit." Ignas said as they drove to the capital.

"You hate your job as well, but I don't hear you saying you want to quit." Clara replied with a sweet smile.

"Well, my current position is temporary. I'll definitely get called back to where the action is. Plus, I need the money. Grandma Lina's new room is a lot of money and I need a job to be able to keep her in the room." She replied.

"Same here, there are lots of bills to pay at home and my present job is also temporary, hopefully." Clara replied with a shrug.

"It's not the same Clara. I get paid a reasonable sum. But you, your salary is so small compared to the amount of work you do. Even without a license, you can always get other jobs. Some nannies who work for some families in the capital are paid more than my salary every month. You need to work smart baby girl. See if you can make a connection at the park, you can even get a job as a home tutor. You don't always need a degree for that one." Ignas suggested. "Or marry some billionaire. There are lots of them at the capital."

"I'm not a gold digger Ignas." Clara replied, laughing it off. She knew Ignas well enough. So, she wasn't shocked to hear her awkward suggestions.

"Who isn't? We are all gold diggers, for the right reason." Ignas said.