Chapter 41: Sisterly Visit

After I got back to my room, I felt bad about leaving Dax. I had to act as if nothing was wrong. He couldn’t know that I was more attached to him than I should have been. But I couldn’t help having grown close to him. We had been through too much with each other.

Maybe the rest of our time together would go by slowly. I had to make sure that every second with Dax counted and not waste it.

I went back down to finish dinner with Dax after I freshened up. My makeup had been ruined by my crying. He couldn’t see me in such a disorderly state, or he’d know something was up.

When I sat back down, Dax asked, “How did your call go?”

I told him, “It was great. I do miss seeing her.”

His face softened and he asked, “Why don’t you go visit her again sometime?”

Lola was expecting me to see her again at some point, so it wouldn’t hurt. I’m sure a visit could cheer her up somewhat. I wasn’t sure what had been happening on her end. I didn't know if she was still stressed out or not.

Truthfully, we hadn’t been in as constant touch recently. I had been so busy, but so had she. I tried to text her here and there, but it was never for long.

“Yeah, I’ll definitely do that soon. I’m sure she’d enjoy a visit.”

Dax acknowledged me with a nod and continued to eat his spaghetti. I went back to eating my dinner, and it got really quiet between us. Truthfully, I was running out of things to say. I was simply enjoying his company.

Dax seemed to be enjoying my company as he kept looking over at me frequently. I almost thought he was going to say more to me when his mouth opened. He quickly shut it and held my gaze instead. It was an unreadable look which made me wonder what was on his mind.

Hours passed and I got ready for bed. After I was done, I texted Lola and asked her if I could visit her the next day. She answered quickly and told me that would be fine, since she had something to tell me.

I wondered what she had to tell me before my eyes started to get heavy.

The next day, as I got into Lola’s apartment hallway, I was feeling more and more excited to see her. When I knocked on her door, she immediately opened it.

“Hey long time no see,” Lola told me as her face lit up.

I walked in and noticed her apartment was still in a disorderly state. There was an even bigger scattering of clothes on the floor. This wasn’t what I wanted to see. She kept getting worse each time I saw her.

Why was she still so stressed out?? I thought she had asked for more time from the gangster. Maybe he hadn’t given her any more. A sense of dread came over me.

I asked, “Is something wrong, Lola?”

She motioned for me to sit and said, “Yes, I’ve got more bad news.”

I didn’t want to believe her words. Why did things keep getting worse for her? I wanted this to be all over. Lola wasn’t handling any of this well, as she seemed like she was losing weight. This debt was wearing her out more and more every day.

After thinking of what to say, I told her, “Whatever it is, I can help you. I’ll get you through it.”

Lola shook her head and said, “No you can’t do anything. I’m getting a lot of pressure from the gangster.”

“Why are you still getting pressured? What about all the money that I give you each month?”

She started sniffling and said, “He said he wants all the money all at once. He’s not liking these lower amounts of payments.” She added, “I’m so terrified that I can’t even sleep these days.”

Now that she mentioned it, I saw the bags under her eyes. She was so drained of any of her usual spirit. I didn’t like seeing my sister looking so defeated. It was as if she had already given up.

I wasn’t sure if anything I said could comfort her. But maybe I didn’t need to say anything to make her feel better. I’m sure there was another way to make her feel better.

I gave her a tight hug and said, “If you ever need me, just call. I’m always here for you.”

Lola got tears in her eyes and said, “T…Thanks. That means a lot. You’re the best sister ever. I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”

I kept hugging her and rubbed her back in circles. I let her cry all she wanted and hoped I was giving her some comfort. There wasn’t much I could do for her but at least I could offer her this.

When I decided to leave, I told her, “Let me know if anything else comes up. I want to know what’s going on with you.”

“Okay. I’ll do that. See you again soon.”

“Yeah, I’ll see you. Take care.”

I hoped that she would be okay. I didn’t want her to get worse on her mental or physical health. Lola was slowly withering away every time I saw her. It was so hard to see her looking so poorly.

I walked away from her apartment and noticed Dax’s security detail was following close behind me.