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«We’ll have something different for lunch and dinner, and now we’ll have bacon and eggs.»
«Okay, Mom.»
«By the way, son, don’t forget to feed Max. He is also a member of our family.»
«Okay, Mom, I’ll feed him, don’t you worry,» he assured her.
Martha was in a pretty good mood this morning. She slept well and managed to do everything on time as usual. And if not for that coughing fit and drops of her own blood on the sink, her mood could be even better. Now she had to take kids to school, and she would still have time to get to work on time. Dropping the children off at school she gave them her parting words and instructions for the day.
At precisely 8:30 a.m. she entered the Suisse bank building. She knew her job inside and out. And at her workplace she felt like a fish in water.
First of all, she made sure that all the employees of her department were at their workplaces. Then she instructed some of them regarding their work.
And only after that she retired to her office. Sitting at her table she was checking the bank’s performance reports for the last quarter.
Yet the thought of Peter never left her mind. Maybe she didn’t want to admit it to herself, but deep down she really wanted him to call her today as well.
She would only be glad if they had the opportunity to see each other more often. She wished they could meet on weekends as well.
But both of them had children who required a lot of time and attention from each of them. That is why they could not make it on weekends. Neither did they tell their children about each other keeping their dates in secret from them. They believed that at this point it was better for the kids not to know about their relationship.
Their children went to school and should not be concerned by anything except their studies. They did not need to fill their young heads with problems of adults and their relations. Perhaps in the future, when the kids finish school, they will tell them their story.
Time passed, but Peter still didn’t call her. Today Martha went to lunch break in proud solitude.
«I wonder why he never called me? He probably has so many visitors today that he is far too busy for me right now,» she thought aloud sitting at her workplace.
Time flowed inexorably and the working day was almost over. However, today she was not going to straight home after work.
She firmly decided that today she would go to the clinic again and pass all the necessary checks there. She always monitored her health and understood that she needed to pass all the tests the sooner the better. But before going to the clinic, she decided to call the home phone.
She considered it necessary to warn her children that today, just like yesterday, she would be home later than usual. Of course, her kids were smart and independent, they could take good care of themselves. But she felt she had to warn them that she would be late again today anyway. The phone beeped again and again, but no one answered.
Probably she should try again. And she started to dial the same phone number. Moments later, she heard a familiar voice.
«Hello.»
«Hello. Greta, how nice to hear you. Are you already at home?»
«Yes, Mom.»
«Is Mark next to you?»
«He’s in the living room.»
«I see. Are you okay?»
«Yes, Mom, we’re fine.»
«I called you to tell you that I will be a little late again today.»
«How late?»
«Not much. It will take some time however,» she paused briefly in the conversation before continuing. «You are already so grown up and independent, and today you have to prove it in practice.
«You mean we don’t have to wait for you, but cook dinner for ourselves?»
«Yes, my dear. You understood everything correctly.»
«Okay, Mom. We will figure it out.»
«You are smart, guys. You’ll make it.»
«No doubt, Mom. Everything will be fine. Don’t worry about us,» she said.
«I don’t. Okay, now it’s time for me to go.»
«Bye, Mom.»
«So long, Greta.»
She finally calmed down that she was able to get through and warn her children that today she would come home later again.
She opened her purse and started checking to see if she hadn’t forgotten to bring a referral for tests. After all, without the paper, she simply would not be allowed to pass all the necessary checks and tests.
It seemed that everything was in perfect order. The referral was still in the same place, where she put it in the early morning. She also made her firm decision to pass all the checks. And now nothing could stop her from getting to the clinic.
She looked at her watch again and realized that the working day had already ended. Martha politely said goodbye to all the employees at work and headed toward the exit.
When she left the building, she immediately felt that it was rather cool outside. Of course, during the day it was much warmer than now. Wet snow had been falling all day without ceasing and, it seemed, was not going to stop. However, despite such weather, Zurich still remained beautiful. In winter Zurich was especially beautiful, even despite the cool weather and sleet, which continued to fall without stopping. The silver Volkswagen Jetta was still waiting for its owner in the parking lot for Credit Suisse employees. Each bank employee was entitled to one parking space. The parking lot itself was right in front of the bank building.
Zurich was a rather small city. And many local residents saw their advantages in this. For example, there have never been serious traffic jams on the roads of the city. Moreover, there were no huge crowds of people always hurrying somewhere either. The drive from work to the clinic took Martha no more than fifteen minutes. She planned to quickly pass all the tests and hurry up home to the children.
When she entered the clinic, she headed straight to the reception. The receptionist explained her in detail what to do, which office she needed to go to and showed her where it was. In total, she had to go through several checks and pass various tests. In order to start the procedure, she had to go up to the first floor and find office No. 10. There was a patient inside the office and she was the next in line. She didn’t have to wait long this time. Literally five minutes later the door opened and a man came out of the office. It was her turn now.
«Hello, Doctor.»
«Hello.»
«I have a referral for tests,» she said, and handed him the referral from the family doctor.
The doctor carefully read everything that was written on the paper.
«And how do you feel now?»
«Now I feel good.»
«All right. So, it says blood, urine, X-ray. In total, you will have to pass several tests and undergo several checks now.»
«Okay, Doctor.»
«Are you ready?»
«Yes, Doctor.»
«Well then, let’s get started.»
And Martha began to take all the necessary tests and pass all the necessary checks. During that evening, she had to go around more than one office in the clinic.
Having gone through all the tests she was about to leave the clinic.
«And what about the results? You’re not interested, I suppose?!» the doctor suddenly asked her.
«Why am I not interested?» she was slightly surprised at what she heard.
«You forgot to ask when you can get these very results,» he reminded.
«Ah, right. I completely forgot. When can I get the results of all my checks?»
«In three days. Your family doctor will inform you.»
«Good. Thank you, Doctor.»
«Goodbye, Martha.»
«Goodbye.»
«Take care of yourself.»
«Thank you, Doctor. All the best to you,» she said goodbye and left the office.
That’s all. It is done. All the required tests were taken and all the necessary checks were passed. She could finally go home to her children.
Upon arrival she saw the children sitting on the sofa in the living room. As usual, they were watching their favorite cartoons.
«Hi, guys! Mom’s home,» she said as soon as she entered the house.
«Hi, Mom,» the children’s voices were heard at the same time.
«How are you? How was your day today?»
«I’m fine, Mom,» Mark answered without hesitation.
«Me too,» Greta answered a little belatedly.
«So am I.»
«Mom, why did you come home later than usual today, like yesterday?»
«Well, you see, son, both today and yesterday I had some things to do.
«What kind of things, Mom?»
«It’s none of your business.»
«Aren’t you going to tell us anything?» his curiosity seemed to know no bounds.
«Why don’t you stop bothering Mom with your questions?» Greta entered the conversation. «She doesn’t have to report to you about her personal affairs!»
«It’s all right, daughter, I don’t need protection,» Martha said, after which she continued. «You understand, son, adults have their own business, which they are not obliged to tell everyone about.»
«I understand, Mom. I was just curious. After all, we are not strangers to each other.»
«We aren’t,» she agreed. «I understand your curiosity, son. Perhaps I will tell you later about it. Later, but definitely not today. I’m really tired right now.
I just want to take a break from all my affairs and work as well and get some rest.»
«Okay, Mom. I understand.»
«Fine,» she said, and went to the kitchen.
She opened the refrigerator considering its contents.
«We still have chicken schnitzels. That’s good,» she said. «Do you want something for dinner?» she asked.
«We’ve already eaten tonight, Mom,» Mark answered.
«What did you have?»
«Today after school we went to a pizzeria called Pizza Italiano.»
«Oh, I see. Where did you get the money for the pizzeria?» she suddenly became very interested.
«I still have leftovers from last time.»
«Last time?» she asked.
«Well, from my birthday. Remember, you gave me money that day yourself?»
«That’s right,» she agreed.
«That’s the money Greta and I paid for the pizza today.»
«I see. So, you are not hungry guys?» she decided to make sure again.
«No, don’t cook for us. Not for me, anyway.»
«Good. More for me,» she said with a smile on her face.
