Relief

Rita reached room 4 and knocked on the door, and there came a soft high-pitched voice of a lady from within the room.

"Come in please."

The voice was so soothing, instigating in Rita a moment of life. 

"There must be peace and harmony in here." She thought and opened the door though meekly. Her earlier encounter with Ken still corrupted her mind; an ill-natured interaction that almost sullied her reputation. Nevertheless, she entered the room apathetically as she carried her book.

Inside the room, she found two ladies smartly dressed in their white pharmacist's robes. One was arranging drugs on the shelf, she was Mercy. The other lady Esther, was working on a computer.

"Young girl, you are highly welcome." Mercy received her and grinned.

The warm welcome Mercy displayed to Rita made her feel comforted somewhat, and a profound insight of the hospitality of the new people she was to interact with, showered her face with a benign smile. At that time, her mood was optimistic, and her heart rate, which was constantly high, started reducing gradually. 

"Thank you." She replied happily. 

"What is your name?" Mercy asked as she put on the shelf the box she had in her hand. 

"I am Rita." She dimpled up to them, exposing only two front upper jaw teeth like a baby who has just started growing teeth, though they appeared a bit longer like those of a rat. Indeed, her white glossy teeth spiced up her smile, and the two ladies were amazed.

"Rita, that is such a great name. Who gave you that name?" Mercy slightly twisted her eyes mirthfully to Rita in adoration of her charming smile.

"Hmm… I am not sure, but they say it was my mother who proposed and gave it to me. That is why I love her so much."

"Thanks to Mum for the great name."

Rita chuckled, looking down when Mercy appreciated her mother. She loved her mother so much that even a mere mention of her would make her feel very happy.

Subsequently, Mercy pointed a finger at a plastic chair on her right. "Please take a seat here," she said afterward.

Rita moved shyly to the seat and sat spiritlessly. But when she made a glance at Esther, who was looking so busy working on the computer, she chanced upon a delectable smile that automatically quenched almost all her dismay.

On noticing Rita's pleasant look, Esther asked, "How are you doing young girl?"

"I'm doing well!"

She answered in a sweet voice which young girls always use when responding to their mother's pleasant questions.

Mercy was already very close to Rita, pushing her hand to get the book from her.

"Let me have a look at your book," she said with her hand loosely holding the book.

Rita released the book straightaway and Mercy began looking into it for the information it conveyed. Meanwhile, her friend continued engaging Rita.

"So, are you from school?"

"Yes," Rita replied.

"Which school are you from?" This time she asked while gently tapping Rita's back and a feeling of maternal love ran down her spinal cord from her head appeasingly. Subsequently, her candor was triggered making her speak out generously.

"I am from Good Luck Nursery and Primary School," she said loudly and smiled.

"Wow, Good Luck primary school… The name of the school is such a blessing. How happy I feel when my child is studying at a school with such a name! Hmm… how great a name of school it is!" She wondered jubilantly.

With the immense gratification made by Esther towards Rita's school, Rita could never doubt her presence in a Shangri-La. She started looking merrily into Esther's eyes, expecting her to maintain the serenity she was developing. Indeed, everything worked out in her favor as Esther's face became brighter and brighter.

"In which class are you?" Esther's mind and heart were completely immersed in the interaction.

"I am in primary two," replied Rita.

"Wow…, bright girl, primary two! Who would you like to be in the future after completing your studies?" Esther clapped twice with overwhelming happiness.

"Doctor."

Rita lowered her voice like an elder. It was her dream, and most times she would go on telling her friends 'Call me doctor, I shall be a doctor'. So, when performing her childhood games together with her friends, she would be called a 'doctor' as she depicted the character of a doctor in every game they played.

"Doctor, a thought approved right just as your nobility reveals. So, Rita my daughter, I pray God helps you to become a doctor. Yes, a doctor but not an ordinary one. Most importantly, you will become the minister of health for our country."

"Oh! Thank you so much, Mum!" Tears of joy streamed down her face, giving her the appearance of someone crying. Esther, however, remained oblivious and thought differently.

"Why is she crying at such a joyful moment? Is her condition worsening?" Esther wondered to herself, and then said soothingly, "Please, my daughter, don't cry."

"No, I am not crying," Rita answered curtly and mirthfully, negating her thought. Even though more tears continued oozing from her eyes, she looked very fine and happy.

"It is just a way I am reaping the reward of the blessings you have just directed to me. Thank you very much, mum." She added still happily.

"That is so so so great," Esther appreciated cheerfully and laughingly, "It is so amazing. I hope we shall meet again."

"Yes, that will be so great." Rita anticipated.

Alas, their felicity was abruptly terminated by the influence of Ken's unaccepted work. It all started with Mercy's squeezing of her eyes as she looked into the book, an indicator that something was amiss. This pioneered the appearance of her sorrowful countenance, sympathizing with Ken's dirty work done in the young girl's book.

She comforted herself first and then turned and faced the other two, while the pages of the book were still widespread in her hand.

To Rita, she calmly said, "I have seen whatsoever is written here. Please move out and sit right in front of this room as we prepare. I shall call you when we are set to assist you."

"Yes, sit just outside there. We shall call you when everything is set." Esther seconded without delay as she smiled at Rita who also smiled back in return. Esther realized that there was something in the book imperative for special solutions from Mercy's prior facial expression.

Just like any other obedient child, Rita on being guided, humbly rose to her feet from where she sat, moved to the door, and slowly opened it. Without any little noise arising, she exited the room and closed it before repositioning herself in a settle just before the room.

Meanwhile, Mercy held the book wide in her hand and continued following Rita with her eyes. As soon as Rita stepped outside and closed the door, Mercy sighed with her eyes still fixed on the door.

"My friend, as we continue working here, we should be cognizant of the fact that our lives are in danger. Anytime we can go to jail." She shocked Esther, speaking in a miserable voice.

"What? What do you mean?" Esther responded like a shot.

"It's difficult to talk about this," said Mercy sadly as she turned to Esther. "The evidence is clear. Look at the terrible work done in this book. What do you think will happen to us if the District Health Officer chances on such inappropriate work by our colleague? Or if this child's parent reports us to the police?" She pointed a finger at Ken's messy work.

Esther looked at it straightaway and nodded helplessly, bowing her head closer to get a better look at the work.

Doodles covered the entire page of the girl's book, defacing it as if several nursery children were on it, learning how to write and draw. Only one legible word, "malaria," appeared at the center of the book. Could the writer have thought of malaria as the possible disease Rita was suffering from? 

"Oh no, this is awful! There's no mistaking it, this is Ken's handwriting!" Esther shuddered as she peered at an imaginary prison gate with closed eyes. "As I sit here, I can see an open prison gate. Ken is inside, and we are standing at the doorway. I'm afraid, my friend. I don't want to enter, and I can't face life in prison either. If the authorities won't address our concerns, I'll have to leave this job and pursue other opportunities to make a living."

Mercy stood up with a smile, but then she surprised Esther with her challenge. "Haha! My dear sister, I never knew you had such a great sense of humor! Do you think opportunities are like food, just waiting to be picked whenever we feel like it? Not! An opportunity is as elusive as a needle in your hand when you're stranded in the wilderness, with just one chance to mend your torn clothes. It's hard to hold onto, and if it slips away, you could search for it endlessly and never find it again. So, if you are lucky enough to have one, you have to handle it with care. We need to take extraordinary steps to address this ultrahazardous Ken's conduct."

Despite Ken's issues being reported to Dr. Lee the hospital's in-charge, multiple times, they were consistently disregarded. The workers couldn't understand why, but inexplicably, Ken's bond with Dr. Lee appeared to be deepening. It almost felt like a game of cat and mouse.

Mercy's eyes darted around the room, fear evident in her searching gaze. She responded with humility, "Your words are beautiful and your kindness is unmatched. You've shown yourself to be the wisest friend I've ever had. I never expected you to understand the struggles I've faced while simply searching for a job. I may have been imprudent in my previous communication. I agree we must take measures to safeguard our jobs while considering our security as well. What course of action do you propose?

"Our fight to remove Ken feels like an intense uphill battle. This hospital is filled with formidable obstacles, cunning devils lurking in the shadows, preventing the change we so desperately want to see."

Esther's words sent shivers down her spine. As she spoke, the sound of fierce footsteps echoed on the veranda at the back of the house. Someone was moving past, and their shoes suddenly began striking the ground with force, as if the words flowing from Esther's mouth had upset them.

Mercy turned sharply to the window after realizing Esther's worries about the person who whizzed by. She exclaimed with conviction, "Everyone knows that devil now. There are many of them, so they must be devils. Don't be shaken to speak about them, even if they hear. We won't tolerate any room for lunacy here."

One of the cleaners walked by and had just reached the veranda. Even so, Esther still responded to Mercy's encouraging remark, blank of the person's identity, and filled with a sense of unease as if she didn't belong. "Hmm... that's a valid point," she murmured, "I'm no longer afraid to talk about the three devils."

A strong wind was swirling in the compound. As soon as Mercy noticed it, she hurried out of the room to find Rita. They had only been apart for close to two minutes.