Best Friends

I had been waiting all day for Lila. I knew she has been busy, but I really looked forward to our near daily meetings. It was our one-on-one time, and it is special.

Lila is my best friend. I had known Lila since I was born. We had been quite inseparable since then.

Here she is.

“Hi there,” she greeted. “Today was a bit stressful for me. I still can’t find a job. It’s tough out there.”

I listened patiently as she described her day. Lila had been having a hard time since her mom got laid off. Labor force reduction, they said. What these bosses did not realize was that this “labor force” usually have names behind them. This reduction affected her mother, her Maman, and indirectly, Lila and her grandmother Seema.

“I applied to several companies a week ago, but I have not heard back. I am getting somewhat frustrated. Grandma needs to have her medication, but we are running out of money. I am not sure what to do.”

I was not sure what to do either, but all I could do is listen and provide comfort.

I missed the days when we would just sit and share ideas. Sometimes, Lila and I would just draw. She is a wonderful artist and would like to be a painter one day. Right now, she only drew with me and occasionally for her grandmother. She once told me that she painted a portrait of her grandfather as a gift for her grandmother. Both her mom and grandmother cried with joy upon receipt of the gift. The painting had brought so many good memories, and they spent the evening sharing those stories with Lila. Those were very happy times.

“I wish I can paint for a living,” Lila sighed. “That would be my dream job. It would be so much fun, and I can help Maman. I just don’t think I am any good.”

A few days have passed by, and I had not seen Lila. I hope she is safe. The house had been quiet, so I hope everything is okay. Suddenly, I heard a rustling.

“Hi. It has been a challenging few days,” Lila sighed with frustration. “We had to rush Grandma to the hospital. She had trouble breathing and eating, and we are not sure why. It has been stressful. We are lucky that she is in good hands. The nurses and the doctors seem nice. They said Grandma is going to be okay.”

I could feel the worry in her words. She was not telling me everything. Grandma Seema was one of the nicest people I’ve known. Lila thought the world of her. They spent a lot of time together when Lila was growing up and they are still very close. Maman worked full-time, sometimes two jobs. Through Grandma, Lila learned how to take care of the house.

“Honestly,” Lila continued. “I am very concerned about Grandma. She’s tough, but she’s also 86 years old. I hope she’ll make it. This reminds me of the time when Papa was really sick.”

I remembered when Lila’s father got sick with leukemia. Maman and Lila accompanied him during his chemotherapy sessions and tried to keep an upbeat attitude. Eventually, his condition worsened, and he passed away. Since then, their lives changed drastically. It happened years ago, but I think they are still feeling his absence.

Lila wiped the tears out of her eyes. She was clearly distraught and left.

Lila seemed to be overly worried today. She was here with me, but her thoughts are far away.

“Grandma is still in the hospital,” Lila cried. “It has been almost a week, and we are not sure what is wrong. She has been in a ventilator, and we are not sure if she will make it. There was a time when I did not even recognize her.”

“Maman has been worried.” Lila continued. “Maman is worried about Grandma but also the bill. Maman still has insurance from her old job, but we’re expecting the hospital bill to be substantial. We’re not sure how to pay for it.”

I hoped that Lila, and her family could find a way through this. I was somewhat at the same boat as Lila and not sure how to help them.

We were outside of the hospital one day, and Lila was sketching, probably to keep her mind of all these stressful things. We had been spending our afternoons there, so we could be near Grandma. Grandma has been feeling better and can occasionally look out of her window. Lila would be there to wave hello.

“You know… that’s really very good.”

Lila looked up and saw a beautiful stranger looking at her sketches. She was keeping her distance but was clearly examining on her drawings. The stranger had kind eyes and a simple elegance about her. She did not have the attitude that you sometimes see on people with means.

“Do you have any more drawings,” the stranger asked.

Lila shyly showed the stranger her completed drawings. She has portraits of Grandma, Maman, some of the nurses. Sometimes she has portraits of people waiting outside like her, waiting for a glimpse of their loved one.

“I am working on a project for the city to create a mural to cheer people up. We’ve been sheltered in place for so long, and we just need something to brighten the place up,” the stranger said.

The stranger continued, “I’ve seen you around here, and I have a good feeling about you. Do you paint? Can you help me with my mural?”

Lila’s brown eyes lighted up as if she just won the lottery. This is the type of work that she only dreamt of. However…

“I’m sorry. I would love to, but I don’t think I have time. I really need to look for work. My grandmother is in the hospital, and we need a way to pay for the bills.”

The stranger smiled. “You silly girl. I’ll pay you. The city asked me to create a few murals. I’m getting a little bit of money for it. I’ll share it with you. What do you think?”

Lila nodded reluctantly. She was probably thinking “what do I have to lose”. This is my dream. Besides, I will get paid to do something that I really love.

The stranger continued, “Okay. Listen, talk to your mom and dad tonight and see if it is okay. We’ll first work on that wall over there.” She pointed to a blank wall across the street. “That way your grandmom can keep her eye on you. Deal?”

Lila nodded again, this time a bit more enthusiastically.

“My name is Artiya, by the way. My uncle is part owner of the hospital. Here’s my number – call me when you decide. I hope you take it. You’re very talented.”

A few weeks had passed by, and Lila was doing extremely well. Artiya had proved to be a good mentor to her and has encouraged her to find her own style. They worked well together, like an older sister she never had. Their first job was a mural of faces: the nurses, doctors, the families of patients in the hospital, including Grandma Seema. Those were the faces in Lila’s notebook that Artiya saw! When they met, Artiya was trying to get inspiration for her mural and met Lila.

She brought me along in her paint jobs where I occasionally get splattered with a little paint. It’s okay, I get a bit more colorful that way.

“I can’t believe how fortunate I am,” Lila wrote. “Artiya has been great. We’re almost finished with the mural near the hospital, and we’re starting on the one near downtown. Grandma is back home, and Maman is taking care of her. It was a good thing that Maman is at home.”

Lila continued, “Artiya talked to her uncle, and we’ve worked out a reduced payment plan for Grandma’s bills. Artiya helped me guarantee that we are good for it. After all, I have a job now. We’re thinking we’ll earn $20,000 for the murals, and Artiya said we can share it 50-50, so we can cover Grandma’s bills. It’s all going to work out.”

I felt so happy for my friend. We had been together through thick and thin, and now, she is living her dream.

By the way, I am her trusty black book – her journal. I’m filled with Lila’s writings, sketches and doodles, and random poetry. I now have spots of colorful paint – just like Lila’s life. I’m looking forward to our new adventures together.