Chapter 9

Given Mackenzie's fussiness, Emmanuel knew things would turn out badly whether she agreed to go home with him or not.

"I'm sorry, but my schedule is full. I won't have time this week," she answered.

Emmanuel nodded. This reply, weirdly enough, left him both disappointed and relieved. He thought, Well, as I thought, getting her home to meet my family won't be easy.

"Hold on!"

A ray of hope appeared when Mackenzie called out just as he was about to leave. Did she change her mind? Is she finally free to come home with me?

To his dismay, she held out a bank card.

"What is this?" he asked, frowning in confusion.

He had no idea why she was giving him money, especially since he hadn't given her the sixty thousand his mother had earned through hard work. He suspected their marriage might be a scam. What is going on?

"I don't want that cheap food at home anymore," she said. "There's one hundred thousand in this card. Use it to buy whatever we need for the house. Let me know if you need more."

Her no-nonsense tone suggested she was assigning him a task at work.

Upset by the absurdity of the situation, Emmanuel pushed the card back. "I'm the man of the house, and I have a job too. I don't need you to pay for anything."

Mackenzie frowned. What's with this fake chivalry? We're married! Does he really object because of my money and looks?

Having spoken his piece, Emmanuel left without mentioning the sixty thousand his mother intended as a betrothal gift. He figured it would be a joke to Mackenzie.

The next day, Emmanuel went to work at the hospital. Having retired from the military only two years prior, he ran tests and procedures in the Department of Gynecology, not serving as a doctor-in-charge.

"Emmanuel! Another blind date yesterday?" His best friend, Frederick Lewis, said from behind, placing a hand on his shoulder. The two had been close since middle school and reconnected as colleagues after Emmanuel's military retirement.

"How did it go?" Frederick asked, noticing Emmanuel's nod.

"It didn't go well," Emmanuel replied, a resentful smile appearing as he recalled his disastrous date with Milani.

"Seriously? That was your eighteenth date!" Frederick exclaimed, regret evident on his face. "Did you do what I taught you? Set your bottom line early! I can't believe none of them are giving you a chance."

Like Roselynn, Frederick considered Emmanuel a fine catch, albeit a bit clueless. He found it unbelievable that no woman had fallen for him.

"I think I'm messing up every date because I'm doing what you said," Emmanuel complained. "I mention my eighty-thousand-dollar salary!"

"Then improvise! Talk about something else!" Frederick argued.

Emmanuel remained silent. He'd deliberately mentioned his salary because he didn't want any of the dates to work out.

"Women these days are very practical and materialistic," Emmanuel sighed.

"Tell me about it," Frederick whined. "Finding a non-materialistic woman is rare."

Emmanuel understood. Frederick was still unmarried since his girlfriend left him for a wealthy man.

"I have to see my mom. She's having a check-up. Can you cover my patients doing medical certificate tests?"

"Sure," Emmanuel agreed as Frederick hurried off.

Emmanuel went to the chest X-ray room. A woman entered with a medical slip.

"Please remove your clothes and stand in front of the machine," he instructed mechanically, taking the slip. He was stunned to see the name: Milani Zimmerman.

"It's you!"

"You sicko! Are you trying to see my body? Why is a male doctor doing a chest X-ray on a woman? I demand another doctor!" Milani shrieked.

Other patients gathered, whispering. Some supported Milani, arguing for a female doctor due to privacy concerns; others said it was unnecessary fuss. This was nothing new to Emmanuel; similar incidents had occurred frequently over the past two years. Usually, patients relented, but Milani refused to budge.

"You're such a dirty loser! I see why you can't find a wife. You're a pervert who wants to check out women's bodies!"

The commotion attracted Frederick and other gynecologists.

"Milani?" Frederick recognized her as a former classmate. "There's a misunderstanding. We're professionals. We treat men and women alike."

"Lies! You say you treat everyone the same? Then why do you both want to marry women?" Milani raged.

Frederick argued with Milani until the department head arranged for a female doctor. The incident seemed to affect Frederick more than Emmanuel.

"You know her? She was two grades below us, the campus belle at Yeringham Middle School. She's a snob! None of the other patients had a problem!"

Frederick finished his rant, and Emmanuel weakly said, "She was my eighteenth date."

"She what?" Frederick was appalled. "She's beautiful! Why is she even on blind dates? Is something biologically wrong? Is that why she refused the X-ray?"

Emmanuel shrugged. Frederick continued, "Are her breasts asymmetrical? Is she sick?"

Frederick fell silent as he noticed Milani approaching.

"Cut the crap! You're the sick ones! Both your families are sick! You'll be single forever!"

Milani left after her tirade. Frederick muttered, "I've never met such an arrogant woman!"

Emmanuel couldn't fully agree. His wife, Mackenzie, was equally overbearing, but more tolerable.

"I'd better get my mom's report," Frederick said, rushing to the CT scan room. Emmanuel followed, concerned. Seeing Frederick's reaction at the report, Emmanuel knew something was wrong.

"What is it?"

Emmanuel saw the scan image. End-stage lung cancer.