THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

In a room within the private ward of the Centre Médical du Centre Ville located in Lubumbashi, DR Congo, a tall, middle-aged man with a physique on the thin side and a chubby woman stood by a hospital bed. They were Marie and Joseph Bemba, who were Zachary's only surviving aunt and uncle. In other words, they were the only children birthed by Zachary's grandma, still alive. At that moment, their gazes, tinged with a sense of worry, were fixed on the pale old lady wired to several medical machines on the hospital bed.

"Joseph!" The chubby woman in a patterned African-style dress said abruptly to break the silence. "Do you think mom will make it through this?" She spoke fluent Swahili like most of the people in Eastern Congo.

"I really don't know," the middle-aged man replied while stroking his goatee. "She has a tumor in her brain. So, we can only pray for a miracle and wish her a quick recovery. The rest is in the hands of the Almighty."

There was a prolonged silence in the room for a few seconds before the woman spoke again. "That nephew of ours, Zachary, is making it big as a pro footballer in Europe. I have seen him a couple of times on TV. He should be very wealthy. Maybe, he'll be able to find a way with all the money he has."

"From what I hear, he's a very prideful and distant person," Joseph said with a sigh. "He might not really care about this old grandma of his."

"Don't say that," Marie said, shaking her head. "You don't understand the situation because you haven't visited mom in a while. From what I gathered, our nephew cares a lot about mom. After purchasing that house in Lubumbashi for her, he has even continued sending her large sums of money every month."

"Really?"

"Yes, I'm sure about this," the chubby woman replied. "But what surprises me is that he wires all that money through that stranger, Coach Damata, instead of contacting us, his only relatives. Even right now, the Damata fellow is the person handling all the hospital bills. Our nephew seems to trust him a lot."

"Young people these days!" Joseph Bemba sighed, shaking his head. "They really don't value family ties. Why trust a complete stranger over us, his relatives?"

Marie, the stout woman, just shrugged in response before returning her gaze to the old lady lying on the hospital bed. What followed were a few more minutes of silence between them. Only the beeping sounds made by the medical machines continued interrupting the stillness in the room.

Suddenly, the door of the hospital room creaked open. With a steady gait, which was surprising for an aged man, Coach Damata marched into the room. But he wasn't alone. Behind him were Dr. Mathias Mathembo, the medic in charge of their mom's case, and two Caucasians - one aged male and another a stunning female.

Both Joseph and Marie were quite startled. The two whites didn't seem like they were part of the team of medics working at the hospital. But what were they doing in their mom's hospital room?

Coach Damata soon resolved their doubts. "Let me introduce you first," he said with a smile while pointing to the beautiful Caucasian lady behind him. "This lady here is Emily Anderson. She's Zachary's agent and here to organize his grandma's treatment in his stead. With her is Dr. Brian Sanders, a neurologist sent by Zachary to help."

A neurologist!

The two siblings gasped in wonder while exchanging glances. To move a neurologist from another continent in less than a day should have cost a lot. But Zachary had achieved such an almost impossible feat. How rich was that nephew of theirs?

-----

"Who are they?" Emily asked suddenly, glancing at the two.

"Madam," Coach Damata replied. "These two are Joseph and Marie Bemba, Zachary's uncle and aunt."

"Zachary's uncle and aunt!"

Emily was a bit startled. She couldn't help but give the two another glance as her lawyer-senses tingled.

Zachary had discussed his family issues with her on several occasions. However, he had never mentioned that he had an uncle and aunt who were still alive. Thus, they must not be on good terms with him.

"This is troublesome," she deliberated.

She wanted to organize the transfer of Zachary's grandma to Europe for treatment. But before that, she would have to acquire permission from the old lady's immediate relatives. So, if the two siblings intervened, all her arrangements might crumble.

"Miss Emily!"

As she was still pondering, the chubby woman that was Zachary's aunt stepped forward and extended her hand. "Nice to meet you." A smile outlined her plump face.

"Nice to meet you too, Miss ...or Mrs. Marie Bemba." Emily shook her hand while maintaining a professional smile.

"It's Mrs..." the lady corrected with a chuckle. "I've been married for more than ten years."

Emily beamed before turning to the thin, tall middle gentleman who was Zachary's uncle. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Mister Joseph." She extended her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Emily," Joseph replied, taking her hand. "Thank you for taking care of our nephew, Zachary. And thanks a lot for traveling all the way from Europe to help us out."

"Don't mention it," Emily said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Zachary's every matter is my responsibility."

It was at that moment that Dr. Mathias Mathembo coughed slightly. "I think we should step out of the patient's room before continuing the discussion," he suggested. "The noise may affect the patient adversely."

"Okay," Emily agreed readily before turning to the middle-aged Caucasian beside her. "Dr. Sanders! Do you need to examine the patient before we step out of the room?"

Dr. Brian Sanders exchanged a glance with Dr. Mathembo before shaking his head. "There isn't much I can learn by just looking at the patient. I'll have to study the blood and imaging tests results before coming up with a preliminary diagnosis."

"Is there anything you need?" Emily asked again. Her most valuable client, Zachary, had tasked her with taking care of his grandma. So, she had to be meticulous in whatever she did.

"For now, there's nothing I require," Dr. Sanders replied. "You guys can go do your own things. As for me, I'll discuss the case with Dr. Mathembo first—to find out about the patient's exact situation. Then I'll come to look for you."

"Okay, take your time," Emily said with a smile. "And thanks for all your help, doctors."

"You're welcome."

Emily then turned to Zachary's uncle and aunt. "Coach Damata! Joseph! Marie! Can we step out and leave the doctors to do their own thing? We also need to discuss a few things."

The two siblings and the coach exchanged glances before nodding in agreement. It seemed like they were also eager to talk to Emily.

-----

Ten minutes later, the four of them had already settled on a corner table in the hospital's canteen. Silence reigned supreme on the table as the afternoon sunlight streamed golden through the window, illuminating the space around them.

"So, Miss Emily!" Coach Damata was the first to break the silence. "As you already know, the doctors conducted a biopsy test on Zachary's grandma yesterday. We're still waiting for the results."

"That, I know," Emily responded after taking a sip of her juice. "And I also know that the test results should be coming out three days later. But we can't afford to wait for that long without doing anything."

"What are you implying, Miss Emily?" It was the plump woman - Marie Bemba, who asked the question.

"We all know that the old lady has a tumor in her brain," Emily said, leaning back in her seat. "Whether it's cancerous or not, it doesn't matter. She'll still have to undergo surgery to remove the tumor, whatever the case."

The other occupants of the table nodded in agreement.

"So," Emily continued, her voice turning solemn. "What we need to do now is to move the old lady to a hospital with adequate facilities and skilled medical staff to handle the tumor. To increase her chances of recovery, we need to do this fast before her condition worsens. We can't afford any delays. And that's why I'm here."

There were seconds of silence on the table before Joseph Bemba leaned forward and spoke: "So, what plans does Zachary have? Where does he intend to take our mother for treatment?"

"Zurich, Switzerland," Emily answered. "The city has some of the best neurosurgery centers in the world. They've world-class experts who'll be able to handle your mother's case."

"What about visa issues and passports?" Coach Damata asked. "Will you be able to complete the travel arrangements for the old lady in a short time?"

"You can leave the issue of the visa requirements and the travel arrangements to me," Emily said, her tone confident. "Through my contacts, I'll be able to arrange everything within forty-eight hours, at most."

"That's great news," Marie said with a smile. "However, there's one more issue we haven't sorted out. From my understanding, Zachary is always busy since he's a professional footballer. So, who'll take care of our mother when in Europe? Should we send her out there without anyone to care for her? Isn't that like abandoning her?"

Joseph Bemba also nodded to indicate that he was concerned.

"I do get your point," Emily said a bit hesitantly. "But there are specialized nurses who'll take care of your mother in Europe. Moreover, Zachary will also start taking time off to visit her often."

Marie Bemba shook her head. "I think that would be irresponsible on our side. As her only surviving children, we can't allow our mother to travel alone in her condition to Europe. If you were in my shoes, Miss Emily, would you agree to such a proposition?"

"So, what do you suggest?" Emily asked, feeling a headache coming.

"One of us has to travel with her to monitor her treatment," Marie said, her tone solemn. "If that's not possible, we can look for other options rather than sending her off alone to Europe."

"Give me a minute," Emily said, picking up her phone. "If you don't mind, I'll have to consult Zachary about this."

"Go ahead," Marie said with a shrug. "If possible, I also want to talk to Zachary."

"Okay."

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