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What Truly Matters

Grace Michel

    It is just after twelve in the afternoon, the heat from the sun blistering Marcus’s glowing skin as he walks along the desolate road. He is miles from where his pickup broke down, and the dry air thick in his throat. Each step he takes his muscles ache, every breath he takes feels like inhaling razor blades. But he pushes on; he knows he must keep going. He can’t miss the birth of his daughter, especially not because he’s a workaholic.
    He’s trudging forward when the sound of tires alerted him to a car approaching. He quickly turns around and sees a black pickup truck headed his way. He throws his thumb out as the vehicle nears, he starts jumping up and down despite how much his body aches. The pickup slows as it approaches Marcus, a smile brakes out on his face and hope fills his chest. He might make it to the hospital in time; he thought as the pickup pulls up next to him. The driver rolls down the window and greets Marcus with a warm, kind smile.
    “You need a ride, son?” the driver asks. He’s an older man, with graying hair and aged features.
    Marcus smiles kindly at the old man, “Yes, sir, I do.”
    “Where you headed?”
    “I’m headed to St. Charles hospital.”
    “Well, I’m going that way myself, hop in,” said the old man as he unlocks the car door.
    “Thank you so much, sir; you’re a life saver.”
    “No problem, son, my name’s Mark.”
    Mark extends his small, wrinkled hand out for Marcus to shake as he introduces himself. Marcus grasps Mark’s extended hand and shakes, a kind smile on his face.
    “It’s nice to meet you, Mark, my names Marcus. I appreciate your help.”
    “Don’t worry about it, I been where you are before. Unfortunately, I wasn’t lucky enough to get someone to help.”
    Marcus turns to reply when he sees the look on Mark’s face, the slump of his shoulders further illustrating the sadness that bled through his words.
    “If you don’t mind me asking, what happened?”
    Mark turns to face Marcus for a moment before as begins to speak.
    “Let’s just say that I used to work all the time, so I wasn’t at the hospital when I needed to be, and neither one made it.” He said his voice growing raspy as emotions choke him.
    Marcus continued to stare out the windshield unsure how to respond to what Mark had just told him. Marcus’s heart twinges at how much his life and Marks were similar. They had just pulled up to the entrance of the hospital when Mark broke the silence.
    “Don’t make the same mistakes I did, son; they will haunt you forever,” Mark said as he pulls up to the curb outside the front doors. Marcus turns to Mark and thanks him for all his help, only to see himself staring back at him.
    Dazed and confused at what had just transpired Marcus rushes into the hospital, dashing from room to room searching for his wife. Cold sweat brakes out across his back as his search came up empty. Finally, he asks one of the nurses behind the white marble desk where his wife is.
    “Your wife is in surgery right now sir, it appears there were some complications,” the nurse replies watching me above her red-rimmed glasses.
    “The baby?” Marcus asks as Marks words swirled around in his mind like a raging tornado.
    “Your baby is fine, she’s in the nursery if you want to see her,” the nurse replies a small smile on her face.
    “I would like that a lot,” Marcus replies as he follows the nurse to his baby girl.
    Once he sees his little girl he doesn’t move from his spot for hours, Marcus just stands there watching her as he waits for news. Time drones on till a doctor approaches him.
    “Your wife’s doing great,” the doctor says with a smile.
    When Marcus looks back on the events of today, he will always remember three things:
    The complete relief and joy he felt when he saw his wife after her surgery.
    When he first holds his baby girl in his arms, his beautiful wife snuggled up next to him.
    Meeting Mark, who opened his eyes to what matters, his family.

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