Chapter 9


    Given Mackenzie’s fussiness, Emmanuel knew that


    things would turn out bad whether she agreed to go


    home with him or not.


    “I’m sorry, but my schedule is full. I won’t have time this


    entire week,” she answered.


    Emmanuel nodded at her reply, which, weirdly enough,


    made him both disappointed and relieved.


    Well, as I thought, it won’t be easy to get her home to


    meet my family.


    “Hold on!”


    Emmanuel saw a ray of hope when Mackenzie called


    out just as he was about to leave the room.


    Did she change her mind? Don’t tell me she’s found a


    suitable time to go home with me.


    To his dismay, he saw Mackenzie holding out a bank


    card toward him when he turned back.


    “What is this?” he asked with a frown, confounded.


    He had no idea why Mackenzie was giving him money,


    especially when he had not given Mackenzie the sixty


    grand his mother earned with all her hard work


    because he suspected their marriage might be a


    scam.


    What is going on?


    “I don’t want that kind of cheap food at home


    anymore. There’s a hundred thousand in this card, so


    use it to buy whatever is needed for our home. I hope


    you can find time to do some shopping for the house.


    We do need a lot of things here. Just let me know if you


    need more money.”


    From her no-nonsense way of talking, one would easily


    think Mackenzie was assigning a task to Emmanuel at


    work.


    Upset by how absurd the whole situation was,


    Emmanuel pushed the card back, insisting, “I’m the


    man of the house, and I have a job too. I don’t need


    you to pay for anything I’m using.”


    His response elicited a frown from Mackenzie.


    What’s with this fake chivalry? We’re already married.


    Did he really not agree to this because of my money


    and body?


    Having spoken his piece, Emmanuel turned to leave


    without even mentioning the sixty grand his mother


    intended to give to Mackenzie as her betrothal gift. He


    figured it would be a joke to her.


    The next day, Emmanuel went to work at the hospital


    as usual.


    4/19


    Since it had only been two years since he retired from


    the military, he was only in charge of running various


    tests and procedures at the Department of


    Gynecology instead of being a doctor-in-charge.


    “Emmanuel! Did you go on a blind date again


    yesterday?”


    THE


    4


    2


    His best friend’s voice rang out from behind him.


    Before Emmanuel could reply, Frederick Lewis had


    lifted his arm and put it across Emmanuel’s shoulder.


    The two were close to one another since their


    friendship dated back to the time when they were


    ssmates in middle school. After Emmanuel retired


    from the military, they met again as colleagues.


    “How did the date go?” Frederick asked out of curiosity


    when he saw Emmanuel nodding.


    “It didn’t go well.”


    A resentful smile broke out on Emmanuel’s face as he


    recalled the blind date with Mni that went south.


    “Seriously? That was your eighteenth date!” Frederick


    eximed with a face full of regret.


    “Did you do what I taught you? You should set your


    bottom line out there right at the beginning of a date. I


    can’t believe not a single one of them is willing to give


    you a chance.”


    Like Roselynn, Frederick believed that Emmanuel was a


    fine catch, although he could be a little clueless


    sometimes. Hence, he found it unbelievable that none


    of the women fell for Emmanuel’s looks.


    “You know what? I think I’m messing up every single


    date exactly because I’m doing what you told me to


    1. The date just fails every time I tell them I’m earning


    eighty grand a year!” Emmanuelined.


    “Then you should improvise! Talk about something


    else!” Frederick argued, ring at him.


    Emmanuel kept quiet at his retort, for he had


    deliberately mentioned his sry during the dates


    because he did not want any of it to work out.


    8/19


    “What can I say? Women these days are very practical


    and materialistic.”


    “Tell me about it,” Frederick whined. “It’s hard finding


    someone who’s not materialistic. It’ll be a rare find if


    you get one.”


    Emmanuel understood where Frederick wasing


    from, since thetter had remained unmarried since


    his girlfriend ditched him for a man from a wealthy


    family.


    “Whatever. I have to go see my mom now. She’s


    those patients who are doing their medical certificate


    tests?”


    “Sure,” Emmanuel agreed as Frederick left in a hurry.


    After that, Emmanuel went into the chest X-ray room.


    Soon enough, a woman entered with a medical slip.


    “Please take off your clothes and stand in front of the


    machine,” Emmanuel instructed mechanically while he


    took the medical slip from the patient, as he always


    did, but he was stunned the moment he saw the name


    on the paper.


    Mni Zimmerman?


    “It’s you!”


    The agitated woman pointed her finger at Emmanuel


    when he looked up.


    11/19


    “You sicko! Are you trying to see my body? How is it


    that a male doctor is doing a chest X-ray for women?


    There’s no way I’m going through with this. I demand to


    change to another doctor!” Mni shrieked.


    At the uproar, other patients in the department began


    to gather around, whispering among themselves.


    Some came forward in support of Mni, arguing that


    a female doctor should be in charge since the


    check-up concerned their privacy, while others


    reiterated that there was no need to make a big fuss


    since doctors were professionals.


    What happened was nothing new to Emmanuel, as


    simr urrences have taken ce frequently over


    the past two years.


    In a situation like that, patients would usually give in in


    the end since Emmanuel had a reliable look to him, but


    that was not the case that day when Mni refused to


    budge no matter what.


    い


    46


    “You’re such a dirty loser. I finally see why you can’t find


    a wife. I bet you came to this department because you


    are a pervert and want to check out women’s bodies!”


    Mni became more aggressive when she saw that


    Emmanuel did not intend to call another doctor for her


    check-up.


    “What’s going on?”


    13/19


    Themotion had attracted Frederick and the other


    gynecologists.


    “Mni?”


    When Frederick saw it was Mni-the prettiest girl two


    grades below his back at middle school-he rushed


    over to exin, “There must be a misunderstanding,


    Mni. We are professionals in the industry. We don’t


    prey on our patients. We treat men and women all


    alike.”


    “Lies! Do you think I’ll really buy all this bullsh*t? Did you


    say you guys treat men and women all the same?


    Well, then, why do both of you want to marry a


    woman?” Mni raged.


    Infuriated by her scathing riposte, Frederick fought with


    Mni until the head of the department finally


    arranged for a female doctor to do the X-ray for Mni


    after finding out what had happened.


    At the end of the day, the disaster seemed to have


    affected Frederick more than it did Emmanuel.


    “Do you know her, Emmanuel? She was two grades


    below us. Apparently, she was the campus belle back


    ???????


    at Yeringham Middle School, but look at her! She’s a


    snob! Who does she even think she is? She’s not even


    that special! None of the other female patients had a


    problem with us!”


    When Frederick had finally finished his tirade,


    Emmanuel smiled weakly at him, saying, “She was


    actually my eighteenth date.”


    “She what?”


    15/19


    Appalled, Frederick fell silent for a long while until he


    finallymented, “She’s got the looks, though. Why


    does she even need to go on blind dates? Actually, do


    you think something’s wrong with her biologically? Is


    that why she refused to let you run an X-ray on her?”


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    Emmanuel had no clue what was the reason for


    Mni’s misbehavior, so he simply smiled.


    16/19


    “Is it because her breasts are asymmetrical? Is she sick


    or something?”


    Emmanuel was still quiet, leaving Frederick to make all


    the wild guesses himself.


    Suddenly, Frederick stopped talking altogether when


    he caught a shadow beside him.


    17/19


    The next thing he knew, Mni was already right before


    him.


    “Cut the crap out! You’re the sick one here! In fact, both


    of your families are sick. You two losers can never hope


    to nab a woman like me. That’s why you two will be


    single for the rest of your lives!”


    Mni did not leave until she had taunted the two to


    her heart’s content.


    Behind her, the mortified Frederick made a face at her,


    dissing, “I’ve never met such an arrogant woman!”


    Emmanuel could not agree with his friend in that


    respect, for the woman he had married at first sight


    was equally overbearing, except for the fact that


    Mackenzie was more tolerable.


    “All right. I’d better go get my mom’s report,” Frederick


    noted before rushing off to the CT scan room.


    Also concerned about the result, Emmanuel followed


    after him.


    When he saw Frederick shaking with the report in his


    hands from the door, Emmanuel knew something must


    be wrong.


    “What is it?”


    Emmanuel dashed over, sensing that things had taken


    a bad turn.


    He was aghast when he beheld the scan image.


    This is end-stage lung cancer!