Chapter 1 A SPLASH OF MISFORTUNE

"Oh my goodness, I'm late for my interview,and I still need to walk down to the train station to board a train," Riley said while hurriedly walking down the street of Albany, New York City, with her bag hung on her shoulder and her cooperatively dressed gown. That was the only decent clothing she had,since all the clothes she has are party dresses.

With a roar of engines and a spray of water, a passing car splashed Riley from head to toe, erupting anger within her, a flame fueled by injustice and resentment.

"Hey you! !!" Riley yelled at the car that splashed water on her, her voice lost in the noise of the city. But the car paid her no attention, vanishing into the intricacies of the streets without a second glance.

Riley was left standing in anger at the spot as the car drove past her. "Moron, are you blind?" she yelled again, looking at her soaked clothes. "This is the only decent dress I have, and this fucking driver ruined it." "I hope your car crashes, fool!!!!!!" she yelled again. really bittered and angry,she continued walking, grumbling, and murmuring till she got to a grocery store.

"Hello, sir, please let me use your restroom." The old man behind the counter was looking at how soaked Riley was. "Sure, you can, to your right," the old man replied. Thank you so much." She walked into the restroom to do some cleanup.

At the train station, Riley boarded the train and was lost in thought, thinking of her grandmother's health and how she needed to save up more money to pay her grandmother's medical bills, when the train stopped at her stop. Elighting the train, Riley looked at her wrist watch and said, "What!!" She was 10 minutes late, so she hurriedly went ahead to take a taxi to her final destination.

She knew she was already late for the interview, but she proceeded to head into the building. "Hello, good day." The voice of the woman sitting at the counter of the reception came in. "I'm here for an interview." Riley responded, "Sorry, the interview is over. You are 20 minutes late." The receptionist replied, "Oh, okay, it's fine." Riley replied with disappointment and sadness in her face, walking out of the building.

(IN THE HOSPITAL)

"How did the car crash happen?" Dr. Robert asked the police officer in the hospital as he walked into Mr. Lucas's ward. "Nobody can tell; the car was damaged beyond repair.

I hope the patient is not seriously injured." The policeman responded, He has a bone dislocation on his leg. "It will take a lot of patience and a regular visit to a physiotherapist for him to be fine," Dr. Robert said as he walked into Mr. Lucas's ward.

"How are you feeling, Mr. Lucas?" Dr. Robert asked, looking at Lucas laying weakly on the bed.

"I hope I will be fine, doc," Lucas replied in pain. "You'll be fine, Mr. Lucas. We have administered some antibiotics and pain relief with the injections. Though you have a bone dislocation, the orthopedist will come and see you," the doctor said.

"Bone dislocation!! Lucas exclaimed,Will I be able to work again? Is it that serious? How long will it take for me to walk well again? Am I ever going to work again?" Lucas asked, bombarding the doctor with questions with worries and sadness in his face.

"Calm down, Mr. Lucas; you will be fine. I can't answer all of those questions; only the orthopedist can answer them,but with the look of things, you will surely work again," the doctor said, reassuring Lucas.

A few moments later

"Good day, Mr. Lucas. How are you feeling today? I'm Dr. Matthew, the orthopedist on duty," Dr. Matthew said with a smiling face, taking a look at Lucas's legs.

"I'm really worried, doctor. Will I be able to walk again?" Lucas responded, grimacing slightly. "You will definitely be fine, Mr. Lucas, with the right treatment and medication. You will be back on your feet in no time. First, we will need to gently realign the bone," Dr. Matthew said with an assuring look on his face.

Lucas winces at his thoughts.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you are comfortable throughout the process. Once the bone is back in place, we'll stabilize it with a splint to support the healing process."

"How long will it take to heal?" Lucas asked with a concerned look.

We can expect improvement within a few weeks; however, it's important that you have someone to assist you at home,as you may need extra time to heal and get back to your activities," Dr. Matthew said.

"Thank you for letting me know, doctor; that's reassuring to hear,Lucas said with an expression reflecting concern.

"I'm always here to help you every step of the way; let's work together to help you get back to optimal health," Dr. Matthew said with a smile on his face.

(RILEY'S HOME)

Hey Nana, how are you doing?" Riley walked up to her grandmother in the kitchen with a sad face and gave her a peck.

"What happened, Riley? Come on in, my dear," her grandmother called, her voice very calm and soothing,a balm to Riley's frayed nerves.

Taking a seat at the kitchen table, Riley described her day to her grandma with bitterness and frustration. When she spoke of the careless driver who had spoiled her day, her grandmother's brow furrowed in concern.

"It's okay, love." These are the challenges we face in our daily lives, her grandmother encouraged. By the way, did you hear the news Riley,a car crashed at Albany Road?".

"What, no.Riley responded with shock on her face.".

"Riley??" Grandmother called,

"Yes, Nana." Riley replied, taking a bite of apple.

"Did you curse at the driver that splashed water on you?" Grandma asked.

"What!, uhmm, no Nana?" Riley lied because her grandma always gets angry and scolds her whenever she curses, and she doesn't know why her Nana gets really angry about that.

Her grandma's brow furrowed in confusion as she let out a skeptical "hmmm," looking at Riley with deep concern and mixed feelings.

"Nana, what is it? Why are you looking at me that way? I'm tired. I need to freshen up, okay?" Riley said, walking into her room.