“Simon, that’s your problem. You’re always playing it too safe, always waiting too long to make your move and then things slip out from under you. You need to tell Ian how you feel, right now! Don’t wait for permission. Besides, I don’t think Margeaux will really be a problem.”
“Why do you say that?” Simon pulled Olivia down next to him on the couch again, trying to contain her excitement.
“I saw her today, at the botanical gardens, getting very cozy with a guy. They were clearly involved. If she is seeing Ian, she’s definitely cheating on him with this guy. Or maybe you were wrong and there’s nothing going on between them. Either way, I think your chances might be better than you think, sailor.”
Olivia winked and reached for Simon’s hand, but he pulled his hand away and snapped at her. He felt his temperature rising, and was instantly a different person: “I can’t believe you can be so casual about someone cheating on Ian. Don’t you think he could be hurt by all of this? Don’t you care about how he’ll feel if he finds out?” Simon got up from the couch. He didn’t know exactly why his feelings were changing so drastically and why he saw Olivia as being so callous in that moment, but he couldn’t contain his outburst. “You can’t take so much delight in her hurting him!”
Olivia looked confounded. She looked like she was ready to have an outburst of her own, but calmed her voice: “Look Simon… you really care about him. I can see that now more clearly than ever. But I’m not the enemy. I’m trying to help you. You’re very defensive when it comes to Ian. I wasn’t laughing at his expense at all. I was just happy that you don’t have to worry about Margeaux. She’s not the kind of girl he needs. He doesn’t even need a girl. He needs you.”
For some reason, this wasn’t enough for Simon, and he couldn’t clear the anger which was fogging his mind. He should have been excited to hear that Margeaux wasn’t committed to Ian, but all he could feel was a frantic sense of confusion rising again. Olivia stood up and walked over to Simon. “Look, all I want is for you to be happy. I just want you to talk to Ian and tell him how you really feel. I think it will work out a lot better than you think.”
“How do you know that?” Simon’s voice was rising even more. He was now fully upset with Olivia. The jealousy he was feeling earlier was just the first seed of something deeper; he felt genuinely hurt that he could not have his prince charming the way that Olivia could. “How exactly do you know that he will feel the same way? Not everyone is as lucky as you are, Liv. Not everyone can have such a perfect life. You’ve been trying to pressure me to do something I don’t think is right, and frankly I’m sick of it. I think you should just let me live my life the way I want to. I can’t be this amazing guy that you imagine I can be. I’m not going to suddenly be able to confess how I feel about Ian. Don’t you see that?”
“Simon, I’m trying to help you, not pressure you. I’m trying to be there for you and, yeah, sometimes I think you need a kick in the butt when you don’t go after what you really want.”
“You look down on me. You make me feel like I’m letting you down, like I’m never good enough. How am I supposed to live up to your expectations of me?”
Simon stormed out of the door, slammed it behind him, and left Olivia in a state. She was hurt by Simon’s words. How could he think that she was being anything but a supportive friend? She called Justin and made plans with him to go away for a few days. She couldn’t be around Simon when he was acting like a spoiled child. She would give him some space to figure out all of the things that he needed to figure out.
The worst part was that she considered that maybe he was right. She had planned to leave him alone with Ian in the flat that night, not consulting Simon about what he really wanted. She only wanted him to be happy. If he couldn’t see that, then he was being obstinate.
She packed a small bag and decided not to be in touch with Simon for a few days. They both needed to cool off, and besides, it was her time to be happy. Not to be worrying about her friend who never wanted to take his chance on love.
Chapter 15
The week after Olivia left had been a frenzy for Simon. He had been calling and emailing management telling them that he would like to discuss abuse in university residences, but everyone was giving him the runaround. It was frustrating, but he was already putting together a good draft of the story to publish, and he knew that only a single interview with management would be enough to give him a strong story to report on.
Simon sat in the office as the week was drawing to a close. He was exhausted, hardly sleeping because of being so focused on the story. He was of course also consumed with guilt over the way he had treated Olivia. He knew that she was only trying to help him. He knew that he should’ve done nothing more than being supportive about her engagement. But everything was getting too much for him. He was glad that he didn’t have to deal with the distraction of Olivia constantly pushing him to talk to Ian. He could focus all of his energy on the story and make sure that Zuko got some justice for what had happened to him. He massaged his temples with his thumbs and closed his tired eyes tightly. His vision was blurry from a lack of sleep. He had compiled news stories on his desk, and even though they were neatly stacked, there was so much material that Simon began to feel claustrophobic in the Weekly’s offices. He decided to call the office of Professor Cornelius again, to try and confront him directly about what his son had done. All of his previous calls had gone unreturned, and Simon was already familiar with the perky voice of Cornelius’s secretary.
“Professor Cornelius’s office, can I help you?” she answered in her high-pitched, pleasant tone.
“Hello, this is Simon Northbrook from the Weekly again. I’d like to find out if Professor Cornelius is able to make an appointment with me yet?”
The secretary did not answer in her usual stern way with another excuse. Instead, she maintained the pleasant tone and said, “Ah, Mr. Northbrook. Yes, I’ve passed on your many messages to the Professor. He says that a meeting can be arranged for this afternoon at 4. Would that suit you?”
Simon was shocked. It would have been much easier for Cornelius to just ignore his call again. But he had to see him, to see his reaction when he asked about what his son, Dawid, had done. He obviously knew about it if he was willing to help pay off disgruntled students. Dawid was terrorizing others and he deserved to pay for it.
“I’ll be there!” Simon said, and took down the details of the meeting from the secretary. He felt exhilarated. This could finally be the piece of the puzzle that blows the story wide open. Would Cornelius really be able to deny what they had done?
Simon decided that he deserved a nap before the meeting. Besides, he had to be fresh and awake in order to confront Cornelius with the truth. He walked back to his flat, feeling the sun on his face. He had been indoors for most of the past week, and only then noticed that the telltale signs of summer fading were all around him. The streets were littered with leaves and the wind had a chill to it. Some of the students he passed were wearing jackets. The summer had been so eventful, but things were definitely changing. Olivia was getting married. Ian was retiring as editor. And Simon felt like he was changing as well; a new sense of determination was sparked inside of him. He arrived at the door to his flat, opened it and went straight to his bed. He collapsed into a deep sleep, his head spinning with thoughts of everyone important in his life.
***
Simon awoke with a start. How long had he been asleep? Why had his alarm not sounded yet? He fumbled for his phone and when he finally found it, it was almost 3.45. His heart leapt into his throat. He grabbed his satchel, and didn’t even bother to look at himself in the mirror before he started running to the admin building where Cornelius’s office was located. He arrived in front of the office at 4.02, not yet too late to be considered completely unprofessional, and he chastized himself for taking a nap when he should have been singly focused on work.
The secretary gave him a large, pleasant smile. There was something s
ickly sweet about her, like she knew what was going on and was trying to pretend like nothing was wrong. “Yes, Mr. Northbrook, they are waiting for you inside. You can go in.”
They? Simon had thought that he was only meeting with Cornelius. He wiped his forehead and felt faint sweat on it, and he swallowed heavily as he walked through the door. The office was magnificent - it was at least double the size of Simon and Olivia’s entire flat, and was adorned with a portrait of Cornelius and his family, Dawid smiling between his stern-looking parents. A conference table was in a sunny corner of the office, and seated at it were two men Simon didn’t recognize, dressed in very expensive looking suits, and Professor Cornelius himself. Cornelius’s moustache was visibly twitching, and his piercing green eyes stared at Simon with a hint of disdain.
“Simon Northbrook?” the man finally bellowed. Simon nodded, and Cornelius pointed to the seat across from him. Simon would have to stare directly at the imposing figure throughout the meeting.
One of the men in the expensive suits said to Simon, “Good afternoon, Mr. Northbrook. My name is Mr. Minzi and this is my associate Mr. Reynolds. We represent Professor Cornelius and the university. He has explained to us that you would like to report abuse?”
“Not report it,” Simon said, his voice shaking. “I’m writing a story to expose how your son, Dawid…”
“I’m going to stop you there, Mr. Northbrook,” said the lawyer. He raised his hand to silence Simon. “I wouldn’t say anything that you will regret later. I assume you’ve spoken to Mr. Mavuso. I trust that he told you that he signed a nondisclosure agreement about the events between him and Mr. Dawid Cornelius. I would like to remind you that it was a legally binding document with severe consequences if broken.”
Mr. Minzi stared at Simon without a word.
“I am not writing a story about Zuko and what happened to him. I’m writing about a pattern of violence.”
“And who will you credit as your source for this story? Tell me, what exactly did Mr. Mavuso say to you?”
Simon’s mind was racing. What should he say to them? Whatever he said, they would be able to trace his connection to Zuko and he might be causing him a lot of legal problems.
Professor Cornelius, who had been leaning back in his chair expressionless, finally spoke then: “Mr. Northbrook, you are a very smart man. Top of your class, I am told, and applying to postgraduate studies in journalism in a few years, no doubt? Do you know Arthur Camus?”
Simon nodded. Arthur Camus was the editor of one of the largest papers in the province.
Cornelius’s eyes came alight: “I happen to be a close personal friend of Mr. Camus. In fact, I have friends at many of the top papers and broadcasters in this country. It would seem that someone as ambitious as you are would know that.”
Simon sat in silence. He had walked into the meeting unprepared. He should have guessed that they would try to intimidate him, bribe him, threaten him. All he had thought about beforehand was his righteous quest to save Zuko from the evil management and egotistical, violent students. He hadn’t really thought about what kinds of consequences there would be for him.
Mr. Minzi spoke again, straightening his tie: “Mr. Northbrook, if you decide to pursue this discussion today, I will need to first know what Mr. Mavuso said to you. For legal reasons, it’s crucial that you tell me this. If you refuse to tell us now, we could always approach a judge.”
Simon was in a corner. He wished that he had asked Ian to come with him. He would know what to say. But Simon was lost. He felt a distinct sense of fear, and he saw his entire future falling away if he decided to push ahead with the story.
He stood up then. “Thank you for your time, gentlemen.” He started walking towards the door.
Cornelius’s voice bellowed behind him, “I trust I won’t be seeing you again, Mr. Northbrook.”
Simon walked out of the admin building completely shaken. He was in way over his head, and he had underestimated how strongly Cornelius would push back against him. He started to question everything. Maybe Zuko was better off at another university. Maybe he didn’t have what it took to be editor if he couldn’t stand up to people like Cornelius. This was an important story, but maybe it was too big for Simon to write.
He took out his phone and without thinking called Ian. He needed some comfort, and no one comforted him like Ian could. Ian answered the phone, still not sounding like himself.
“Ian, I just went to see Cornelius. He had lawyers with him and they basically told me that they could end my career before it even starts if I pursue this story. They also say that they will prosecute Zuko for breaking his nondisclosure agreement if they can link any leaks to him. I don’t know what to do. I completely fell apart in front of them.”
“Simon, you’re on to something. That’s why they’re being so aggressive with you. They’re threatened. You’re getting to them. You need to keep pushing with this. You need to write this story Simon. Not just for Zuko, but for anyone who could be treated the way he was.”
“I don’t know if I’m ready for this, Ian.”
“You can’t let your fear get in the way. You can’t miss out on the important stories because you want to stay on the sideline. Sometimes you have to get your hands dirty.”
Simon remembered how he had been too frazzled to interview Harry Baleka when he had had the chance, and how Margeaux had swooped in to take that chance from him. For some reason, when Ian said these things to Simon, he listened. “You’re right. I need to push this. I need to show everyone that I can be a real journalist.” Simon didn’t add that he really needed to show himself.
“I’m proud of you, Simon. You’re doing the right thing.”
Simon smiled and thanked Ian for the kind words. He loved the feeling of Ian being proud of him and encouraging him.
Ian spoke again, even more sincerely than before, “Why don’t I meet you at the office in the morning to discuss everything. I’ve been finding some info you might want to use in your story as well.”
“That sounds great. I could use your help. Another pair of eyes and another brain to think about the best way to pursue this.”
“Exactly. Oh, and Simon…” Ian hesitated for a while, and finally said, “I care about you too.”
Simon was speechless. The note! He had almost completely forgotten about the note he had left in Ian’s wallet. Secretly he had been hoping that it was all a dream, or that Ian would lose the note somehow. But it was real. And Ian cared about him too! He was walking on air.
“I’ll talk to you soon, Ian. See you in the morning.”
“Have a good evening, Simon,” Ian said before hanging up.
Simon was approaching his flat, and didn’t care who was watching him; he started to do a happy dance in the street. A group of young women walked past him then and giggled at his silly dance, but Simon didn’t care. He was elated. He was looking forward to seeing Ian the next day, and for the two of them to work on the story together.
Chapter 16
Simon had spent the entire weekend working on the article, pursuing many more leads and even finding some other students who lived in Zuko’s residence willing to be interviewed. Ian was by his side for most of the weekend, helping him to focus his research and to write the best story he could. Simon relished the time they got to spend together, even if it was only for work. Those words echoed in his mind… I care about you too. He noticed that Ian was looking a lot better, and was walking without his crutches, even though he said he was still in some pain. Simon made sure to bring him coffee and snacks when they took a break, trying to look after him a bit when he was struggling so much.
They were getting closer, and casually joking with each other in between bouts of deep concentration. Ian had even taken to a new regular nickname for Simon, tiger. He had called Simon this once before, back when Simon felt they were on the verge of getting closer, but he had stopped since. Simon was glad that it had started up again.
That Sunday, Simon
sat on the couch of his flat reviewing his notes from the week. With Ian’s help, he had put together a strong draft of the story, and Ian had heavily hinted that it would be the front page feature when it was ready. “Don’t sit on it too long,” he had said. But Simon wanted to make sure that it was perfect. There was a lot riding on this story.
As Simon sat deep in thought on his couch, he heard a key turning in the front door of the flat, and Olivia appeared, looking as surprised to see him as he was to see her. “Oh, you’re here,” she said.
Simon had felt increasingly bad about the silly fight he had had with Olivia. Clearly, she felt the same way because they both started apologizing at the same time: “I’m so sorry, Liv. I didn’t mean to blow up at you. I was taking out my frustrations on you. I guess I was just a bit overwhelmed. Can you forgive me, babe?”
“I should be apologizing, Simon. I’m so sorry for always being on your case about Ian. You’re right, it’s none of my business. I should let you live your own life.”
“I was a jerk. I had no right yelling at you like that, no matter how angry I was. But I think you’ll be happy to hear that I decided to take your advice.”
“Oh?” Olivia sat down next to him on the couch, smiling broadly. “Tell me more.”
“I wrote Ian a note, telling him that I care about him. And he said that he cares about me too.”
Olivia let out her signature squeal of excitement, and planted kisses on Simon’s face. “That’s amazing! I’m so happy for you!”
“Hold on a second there, sweets. We’re not dating or anything. We’ve just been spending a lot of time together. And we’re getting really close. He even calls me ‘tiger’. That’s a good sign right?”
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