Chapter 8. The Beauty Of The Chestnut Tree

• Abby began to search for the money in her wallet, with each new search she found a bill, she was too disorganized, that's why her wallet was always a mess. She arranged the bills by denomination and counted them under Lynda's watchful eye, but Lynda noticed the worried look on her friend's face.
• "What's wrong Abby, is there a problem?" the younger girl asked, wondering if she should tell her the truth.
• The money wasn't enough to cover the expenses, it would barely cover a fifth of what was surely owed. She wanted to deny that there was a problem, but Lynda's suspicious look wouldn't let her.
• "Don't try to hide it, I appreciate all the support, really, you are the only stable thing in my life, without you I would feel completely abandoned, but I know, we don't have the money to pay for medical expenses, do we?"
• "Don't worry, I'm going to talk to the administration, we'll give some of the credit, we'll ask them to give us a deadline to cancel, I can work some overtime at my job to cover it later," Abby replied calmly.
• "My friend, you don't have to try hard for me, you better help me to get a full-time job, I already finished high school, I can be employed in a coffee shop, hotel, I can work perfectly," Lynda expressed, because she was worried about the idea of Abby covering her expenses.
• "You know that they will not let you work until you reach the age, as long as your father signs the authorization, because you are a woman, you are under his protection, he will not authorize you, because he does not want to destroy his perfect appearance of a perfect father," expressed the young woman, not hiding her deep dislike for the man.
• "That matters little to Jonas when it comes to me, if it weren't for the fact that Lynnet and I are twins, he would think I was not his daughter. He doesn't have the slightest interest in me, he doesn't care if I eat, if I dress, if I study, if I get sick, you know, I realized something today, as painful as it is, I'm going to have to deal with it eventually."
• Lynda thought for a moment.
• "The day my mother died, because of that fateful accident I caused, I was orphaned by both my parents, I lost everything, I was left with nothing, empty, in the hands of a man who doesn't deserve to be called Daddy by me because he is miserable, mean, evil. Absolutely nothing justifies his treatment of me, but I'm not going to suffer for it anymore," she added, wiping away tears that she didn't know had begun to form. "I have to take things as they come and remember that I am not guilty of not inspiring love in anyone."
• "No, don't talk like that, you are important to me, I love you too, don't let your heart be poisoned my Lynda, you know very well that is your greatest treasure. Now calm down and I'll go to the administration.”
• "I'm coming with you!" said Lynda as she sat up to get out of bed, Abby tried to stop her.
• "You'd better wait for me here, you're not quite well yet..." but her words were interrupted by the young girl.
• "Please let me come with you," she begged. Her friend couldn't refuse and finally gave in with a slight nod of her head. "Help me out of this robe, I have to put on the same clothes I was brought in with, because I don't have anything else," she complained with a sad expression.
• "Okay, we'll figure that out later, and I have no choice but to let you go, because if you put on that waif-like gesture, I can't deny you anything," he expostulated, helping her into the bathroom to change.
• Meanwhile, outside, Leonard decided to pay Lynda a visit, but when he heard her talking to her friend, he stopped, at first, his intention had not been to spy, but as he listened to the conversation, he refused to leave, he wanted to know the young woman well, to know what kind of girl she was, because he did not want to make a mistake with her.
• He knew that she would not be quiet until she paid the debt and was quite capable of ending up selling the only memory of his mother, moved by the situation, he went to the administration, determined to pay the debt.
• "Stella."
• He called to the girl in charge, without looking he took a credit card out of his wallet, a Dubai First Royale Mastercard, decorated with gold and diamonds, the girl stared at the card with a surprised look, she took it and checked it without being able to close her mouth. Leonard, puzzled by her expression, looked at her hand, realized the reasons for the young woman's self-absorption, she had made a mistake and was exposed.
• He took her hand again with a smile, trying to justify himself by diverting her attention.
• "I'm sorry, the card is not mine," he said. The girl looked at him in disbelief as he put the card away and pulled out a regular gold one. "Seriously, it belongs to a friend, mine is this one. Please take the bill from the girl in room one hundred and two, Lynda Johnson."
• Stella took the card, still thinking about the doctor's supposed mistake, she didn't believe it, maybe it was time to find out who the hospital director really was, maybe she would find something interesting about him.
• When Lynda and Abby were finished, they left the room to go to the cashier, as they did the doctor on duty appeared and signed the young woman out; with her discharge approved they went to the cashier.
• "Miss, would you be so kind as to tell us how much you owe for room one hundred and two? And we also wanted to know if you could split the payment for us?" The woman looked at them with a mixture of curiosity and disbelief that Abby misinterpreted. "I know you're not a welfare agency, but it's just that we have a problem, my friend isn't on welfare because her father..." the girl was interrupted by the woman.
• "Miss, don't worry, room one hundred and two, she doesn't have any debt, it was already paid," the woman replied with a smile.
• "Paid? Who paid it?" asked Lynda, confused.
• "It was paid by Dr. Leonard, the director of the hospital," the woman explained, without taking her eyes off them in curiosity.
• "Good heavens! He paid for it?" asked Lynda, opening her eyes wide and putting her hand over her mouth in a gesture of surprise.
• "Yes, he just did, are you related to him?" the woman asked curiously.
• Lynda shook her head in the negative, then replied.
• "No, he's just my friend, thank you very much," she took Abby's hand, who was taken aback at that moment as she heard wedding bells ringing in her head. Abby, Abby! Answer me, you've gone static.
• "Friend, this doctor is in love with you, I can already see you in a beautiful white dress, dancing a beautiful waltz..." Lynda slapped her arm to snap her out of her reverie.
• "Are you out of your mind? I'm not looking for a husband, I'm too far gone for that, I'd rather be independent," the young woman said with a twinkle in her eye.
• "Oh, Lynda! With the father you have, I don't believe it, you will end up getting out of his yoke to enter your husband's, very likely that the same day you turn one year old, if he gets someone to give you to, it is very likely that he will change you for a few million.”
• Abby's words provoked sadness in the girl, her friend's intention was not to make her feel bad, that's why she felt guilty looking at her face.
• "Me and my big mouth, oh my dear! Forgive me, I didn't mean anything bad, it's just that I can't stand your wretched father and I'm worried about his intentions towards you, so I want you to find someone to protect you," she said sincerely.
• "Do not worry, I know that you have never had bad intentions towards me. Now I just want to know the location of Leonard's office so I can thank him for his attention and come to a payment arrangement, I don't like to abuse people, but I have no idea where to find him," Lynda said with a bit of humiliation.
• "Leave it to me, that's why they say asking will get you to Rome," the young woman explained.
• They made their way to the care module, she spoke to the receptionist, and a few minutes later she had the information.
• "Done!" she exclaimed with a smile as they walked to the director's office.
• When they arrived at the office, there was a woman in the vestibule, the secretary, who looked at them in a derogatory way when she observed Abby, because her hair was painted lilac, with a piercing in her nose, that's why she attracted the attention and disapproval of many people.
• "Excuse me, Miss, would you be so kind as to announce us to the director?" asked Lynda with a bit of nervousness.
• "What do you want to talk to him about, a couple of young ladies like you?" the woman asked, wrinkling her face in a sneer that brought Abby out of her stirrups.
• "Look lady, what we're going to talk to the doctor about is something personal, it's not your problem, so leave that bitter look off your face and do your job, that's what you're paid for," the girl said sternly.
• "Well, rude girls, if you don't tell me what you want to talk to him about, I won't let you in, anyway, you can see at a glance how unimportant you are," the woman expressed with a challenging gesture.
• "Who do you think you are to treat us in a despotic manner?" asked the girl indignantly, while the secretary began to order her to leave, making threats.
• "Get out of here! You have one minute or I'll call security and have you thrown out," the woman shouted loudly.
• Just then the office door opened and Leonard appeared, the girls turned to see him, but the strange thing was that Abby's attitude was mute, something unusual for her as she had never done it before and did not know how to react to the stunning beauty of the brown-haired man.
• Love has an easy entrance and a difficult exit. Lope de Vega.