LJ Idol Week 9 Topic: The Trolley Problem
It was one of these mornings when Louise thought it was a pretty usual start to the day. Ethan, her husband, was frantically looking for his tie and left shoe while he sipped coffee from his favourite cup. Adrian, their 13 year old son showed everyone how much he disliked morning time by hiding his head and face under his oversize hoodie. The youngest, 7 year old Melanie, was running around upstairs, late as always, because she’d rather play around with a doll, or a car or both, or spending the last few minutes in her room with Jackster, the family dog.
Everything seemed normal to Louise until Melanie came running down the stairs shouting: “Mooom, Mom, there is something wrong with Jackster!”
Louise was not preoccupied at first, until she looked at the family dog’s food plate. When she went upstairs, Jackster rested on the floor in Melanie’s room and was breathing heavily. Melanie had wet eyes. “I called him over when he was sleeping in his basket, then went towards me but broke down.”
Louise bent down to gently stroke the dog’s soft and hairy head. Jackster was not the youngest anymore, but not old enough to die (which was something everyone in the family refused to think about). They got Jackster from the local animal shelter when he was just a handful of a puppy from probably 5 different breeds. Louise and Ethan thought it would be good to have him as a guardian. Now he was a family member, nobody remembered how life was before Jackster.
“I’ll see if Brad is there.” Louise went down, grabbed the keys and was out of the door, having Ethan and Adrian looking a little puzzled at her sudden speed. Brad was a veterinarian living next door. He had retired just a year ago, but he looked after Jackster every few months.
He followed Louise into the house, saying a brief hello to Ethan and Adrian, who also got upstairs then.
Brad kneeled down beside the heavily breathing dog and started to examine him. His face went serious and when he got up again he said: “I am afraid, there is not much I can do here. Probably something with his intestines.”
Melanie started sobbing. Louise took her in her arms to spend some comfort. Adrian went downstairs and left the house without saying goodbye.
“You should bring him to the animal clinic in town as soon as you can. The earlier, the better. It is quite serious.”
“Thank you, Brad.” Louise grabbed the phone, called the clinic and announced their arrival. Melanie refused to go to school, so Louise did something she thought she’d never do: Call the school and saying Melanie was unwell when she wasn’t. Then Ethan helped her carry Jackster into the pickup before they all got in to drive him to work. They only had one old pickup since they had sold the first one. Louise had lost her part-time job just last month and Ethan had a hard time in his job as a broker.
At the clinic, they had Jackster examined and waited until Louise got called to the reception counter.
“Mrs. Miller, I am afraid, but your dog has swallowed some unknown object which has hurt the stomach and colon. We will need him to undergo an intense surgery. It will be a long procedure and it is not sure how he will react. He looks pretty strong though and his heart is working well so the chances are good.”
“How did this happen?” Louise felt guilty. What could Jackster possibly have swallowed that hurt him so badly?
“We cannot say for sure, Mrs. Miller, but without the surgery, he will not have much time anymore.” The doctor passed Louise a sheet. On that sheet the contract for the surgery including after-care was described. When Louise saw the number at the bottom of the sheet, she gasped. 4000 Dollars!
“We do not have 4000 Dollars right now. Is there any alternative?”
“I am afraid, there isn’t.” The doctor was friendly but determined. “He must have the surgery within the next two days, or I will have to put him to rest. We will keep him here until your decision.”
Louise mumbled a “Thank you” and returned to Melanie, who was sitting on one of the chairs in the waiting room. “Mom, will Jackster be alright?”
Louise looked at her daughter. “He will be, but the doctor has to keep him here for a while.” Melanie looked down on her shoes. “I miss him so much…”
Louise exhaled. “Me, too, honey. Let’s go home.”
Until the evening, Louise went through all the possibilities in her head. If they could possibly sell some stuff to raise money, it would still not be enough. They had to pay the rates for the house, too, or else they would lose it. They did not have anyone in the position to lend them the money.
“It feels like, either way, we have to sacrifice one family member to keep our home. Or sacrifice our home for a family member. This is not fair.” she said to Ethan when he came home for dinner. Louise was barely able to eat. Adrian sat down at the table with his earphones in his ears, a behaviour she used to scold immediately once she discovered it. But not today.
They all went to sleep but did not rest well.
The next morning was a saturday. Louise got up a little later, feeling knackered. Just when she had gotten down to prepare coffee and pancakes, Adrian came in. His head was not hidden under his hoodie as usual. His face was red from the fresh air.
“What did you do out there so early, son?” Louise inquired. Adrian hardly ever got up before 11 on saturdays.
Adrian did not reply. Instead, he pulled out a bunch of dollar notes and put it on the table.
“What is this?” Louise did not know how to react.
“This is money so we can have Jackster saved.” Adrian looked and sounded determined.
“Where did you get it?” Louise was nervous. A 13 year old did not just have all this money.
“I sold my guitar to Rick Henderson. And his old ones, err, I mean parents will let me work for them during the next months to compensate for the rest of the money.”
This was impossible. Louise was stunned. Rick Henderson was the richest and most cocky boy from the neighbourhood. Adrian loved his guitar. And she wondered how Rick’s parents had agreed to give Adrian all the money in advance. They probably still felt guilty because Rick had been using all the other boys, including Adrian, as his punching bag now and then.
Louise felt guilty, too.
“Thank you, Adrian” She tried to hug her son, but he just said: “It’s ok, Mum. Please get Jackster back, will you?”
A few weeks later, Jackster was almost back to being his usual cheerful and wagging self. Louise found a new part-time job and Ethan’s business was going better, too. There had been some sacrifices, sacrifices Louise and Ethan had not even thought about, but the family was still together. In their house.
And the parents smiled at each other when they put some money into the secret “Get Adrian a new guitar” cookiejar.