Title: Coin Flip 16
I was with Olivia in the hospital when a nurse rushed over.

“She’s awake,” she told me. “Amanda is conscious.”

I froze for a second. Olivia looked at me, confused.

“Who’s Amanda?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“She’s… another patient. She’s also here,” I replied awkwardly.

“And you’re going to leave me here alone because of her?” Olivia demanded, feigning disgust.

“I just want to check on her. I’ll be back in a few minutes, I promise,” I tried to calm her down.

“Your lover? Are you visiting her out of compassion or because she’s pregnant with your child?” she asked, her eyes boring into mine.

I swallowed. The moment had arrived. I couldn’t hide it any longer.

“She has cancer, Olivia… stage four.”

The expression on her face changed immediately.

“Cancer?” Amanda never said anything to me. She’s been my assistant for years and never showed any signs of being sick.

“I know… and that’s why I have to go see her.”

“It’s okay… go,” she finally said with a resigned sigh.

I walked quickly down the hall to Amanda’s room. I entered without thinking.

“How are you feeling?” I asked softly.

“I’ve been calling you. I’ve been trying to reach you, Ayochidi,” she said weakly.

“I’m here now. Are you okay?”

“I have cancer,” she blurted out. “The doctor confirmed it.”

“I know… why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“Would it have changed anything?” She looked into my eyes. “Would you have loved me more than my boss?”

I didn’t know what to say.

“It was just a game between us.” “You gave Olivia the stupid idea of the ‘dating game,’ and now I’m pregnant,” she continued.

“So this was planned? You used me from the start?” I said incredulously. “And now you’re upset because it didn’t work out the way you wanted?”

“Are you sorry I’m pregnant?”

“It’s not that, Amanda… the doctor says…” I stopped.

“What?” she asked.

“That it would be best to terminate the pregnancy. Your chances of having a healthy baby are only 10 percent.”

“So you think I’m going to hurt my child? Do you think I’m crazy?”

“It’s not about you, it’s about the baby. Do you really want to bring a child into the world to suffer for the rest of their lives?”

“You don’t know what God can do. I don’t care what a doctor says. This baby will live. My child will live,” he declared with a force that surprised me.

I sat down beside him, without another word. Too much had already happened.

“Do you remember the first day I saw you?” he said after a long silence. “It was at the restaurant. You were trying to get Olivia’s number, and she rejected you. I was there, invisible. A mere assistant. But from that moment on, I knew that one day you would be the father of my child.”

“Amanda… what we had was never real. It was a game. You know that.”

“For you, it was a game. For me, it was love.”

“I love Olivia,” I said, my voice firm.

Amanda turned her face toward the window. But she couldn’t stop a tear from rolling down her cheek.

“I have less than twelve months to live, Ayochidi… Could you at least make me happy for the time I have left?”

Before I could answer, the door opened. It was Olivia. She walked in, a flower in her hand.

“I wanted to check on Amanda,” she said, not looking directly at either of them.

And then, in that hospital room, with two women who were pushing my life to the limit, I knew the coin was about to flip… and her face was still a mystery.

To be continued…