by Kendra Riley
“Nice one, I’m impressed. And you got them the perfect gift to keep them busy all night. Smart.” Wesley was laughing as he watched the twins run out to get started on their puzzle.
Wesley showed him around the house and Damien was pleased to see how normal it all was. For some reason he had created this image in his head that his brother lived in this huge mansion but while the house was very nice it was also quite ordinary. And very homely. There was an immediate sense of warmth and belonging the moment he had stepped inside.
“Nice place. You’ve done well, my brother,” Damien said.
“Not quite the mansion you had imagined with all the hot tubs and waiters. But we like it.”
“Nah, it’s great Wesley. Really. Remember – I live in a motel right now. But even if I didn’t, I’d like this place. And thanks for having me.”
“Well, thanks for coming. Here.” He passed Damien a glass of wine and they cheered.
Damien and Wesley sat at the bar area attached to the kitchen while Christie continued with the food preparations. She turned around and grinned at Damien. “So, how are things going with the lovely Hazel?”
Wesley groaned. “Christie, I told you not to mention anything!”
“Ah, I’m too curious. And anyway, it’s not like you were going to ask. But knowing you, afterwards you’d be dying to know and wish you had. I’m just cutting all that out and getting straight to the point. Also, I’ve had a few glasses of wine which helps.”
Damien laughed. “It’s okay. I have absolutely no problem with talking about Hazel all night.”
“Ooh,” Christie said, “So it’s going well?”
“Yeah. Actually, it’s going much better than I thought it would. We’ve gone on a few dates and she seems keen for us to give things a go. I’m even seeing her parents tomorrow night. Which, admittedly, is a bit nerve wracking considering the last time I saw them I left early to rob a bank.”
“Ah… details.” Christie said. “But other than that it’s going well?”
“It is. Man, I really like this girl. I mean, I always had. But coming back and seeing her again – I just realize how much she means to me. I’d do anything for her. Oh, and we even went to see a counselor.”
“A counselor? Well, that’s a big step.” Wesley said.
“Yep. Who would’ve thought? You know I’ve never liked admitting my problems to anyone. But the counselor was pretty cool. She got us talking and we both left feeling very positive. We might go see her again but separately.”
“And how about the boy?”
“Ben? He’s adorable. The two of us get on great. It’s almost weird actually – like he knows I’m his father. I mean, I don’t want to get too excited about all of this – we’ve promised to take it slow – but it feels right.”
“This is by far the happiest I’ve seen you. I think we need to meet this girl. What do you think Christie?” Wesley said.
“I think so, too” Christie announced.
And it felt good being there with them, just catching up on their lives and getting to know them. Damien knew so little about his brother and most of the things he heard he was actually hearing for the first time. But Wesley never once turned around and berated him for not knowing anything. By the end of the evening it was as if he had information overload and he felt closer to his brother than he had in a long time. They walked unsteadily outside and Wesley patted him loudly on the back.
“Bro. It’s good to have you back.”
“Wait, don’t get emotional on me.”
“I can’t help it. Wine does that to me. I really should stick to beer.”
“Ah heck, come here before anyone sees.” And Damien enveloped him in a huge bear hug.
“Thanks for coming. Come again. Please.”
“I will. And I’ll bring Hazel.”
Damien went to bed that night feeling content. He looked around at his small motel room and knew that his time at that place was coming to a close. He had started to look around at apartments and already had his eye on a few. Hopefully, within a week or two, he would be in his own place. Things were really starting to fall back into place. Now, the next step was to get through dinner with Hazel’s parents. He went to sleep and tried not to think about it. This was just another hurdle that he would have to get through.
***
Dinner with Hazel’s parents turned into breakfast. He woke up the morning after his brother’s dinner with a message from Hazel asking if they could rather meet that morning, as her parents had something else going on that night. Damien’s head was still hurting from all the wine the night before and according to the message they wanted to meet in the next forty minutes, which gave him very little time to get ready and feel better. But he didn’t want to say no. This was important to Hazel. So he replied and said that of course they could meet for breakfast. Then he hopped straight into the shower, drank a strong cup of coffee and got himself as ready as possible. The positive side was that he didn’t have to spend the whole day worrying about the dinner. There was simply no time to worry now.
He was meeting them at a place called Vine Café, which he was sure Hazel chose because she knew that he would be able to walk there. He had given his brother back his car and was now relying on public transport or his own two feet to get anywhere. It was a beautiful day with just a slight breeze and the walk did Damien good. He’d always enjoyed walking – it always cleared his head and made him feel better about things. It was good to arrive at breakfast feeling that way. When he arrived, he spotted them immediately. For a second he thought he was late but after glancing at his watch he was relieved to see that it was just them who were early. He was also glad to see that it was just her parents and not the entire extended family. He had gotten on very well with Hazel’s brother that evening and he was probably the one he was the most nervous to see again. He took a deep breath and went to see them.
“Daddy!” Ben shouted and wobbled towards him.
“Daddy? Who taught him that?” Hazel’s father demanded.
“I don’t know, Dad. I’ve only ever told him to say Damien.”
“Hmm… well, maybe it’s just easier to say.”
“Hey Ben! Cool outfit.” Ben was wearing a different set of pajamas – this one with little robots all over them. He was so incredibly cute that it was sometimes hard for Damien to even look at him. Damien reached down and pulled Ben up and twirled him around. Ben giggled. Then Damien walked over to the rest of the family.
“Hey, Hazel. Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Rose, thank you for seeing me. I know this isn’t easy for you.”
“Hello, Damien,” Hazel’s mother said. Neither of them got up to greet him so he just pulled up a chair and sat down. The father just grunted at him.
“Hey, you, thanks for meeting us for breakfast. I’m sorry about the sudden change in plans,” Hazel said. Her voice was cheery in an obvious attempt to keep the whole thing light and positive. He felt so bad for Hazel then and he realized just how good she had been to him throughout all of this.
“Oh, it’s no problem at all. I’m always up for a good breakfast. And… uh… I really wanted to see you all again. I’m just going to go right ahead and say how sorry I am for everything. I know that I have a lot of explaining to do.”
“You sure do,” her father said and Damien gulped. He was a lot kinder the first time they met.
Just then the waiter came and they all nervously placed their orders. Damien just ordered the same as Hazel simply because he could barely think. The moment he left there was a deafening silence at the table until the father finally spoke up.
“Well… what are you waiting for? Go on… explain.”
Damien took a deep breath and launched into the same tale that he had told Hazel when he had explained it all to her. He didn’t leave anything out or try to fluff it up simply because he was talking to her parents. He told them everything. Every raw and real detail. He felt his stomach lurch as he spoke about what he used to do and the pe
rson he once was. And when he spoke about the night that Tom called, his voice caught a little and he tried not to cry.
Afterwards he looked at both of them earnestly in the eyes and said, “I’m not at all trying to place the blame on anyone. This is my fault. I got myself into this mess. And the only thing that I can do is to pave the way for myself again and to start all over. I’m terribly sorry for hurting your daughter. I will always be sorry about that. Always.”
For a while nobody spoke. The waiter bought their food and they all sat and ate in silence. Damien had said enough. There was nothing else for him to say.
“So you tried to get out of this years ago? When you met Hazel – when you met us – you were starting your life over?” Damien’s father said.
“Yes.”
He watched Damien’s father nod. He was looking at his food and not at Damien.
“Damien, I hate what happened. Of course I do. And I hate the things you used to do. But I don’t think you’re a bad man. I happen to think that I’m a very good judge of character and despite everything, I still think you’re a good man. You’re still certainly better than her last boyfriend who could never admit to any of his faults. We all make mistakes. And it sounds like you have learned from them. Hazel has told me all about your brother and your new job and it sounds as if your life is getting back on track. Of course I’m worried. And trust me, I’m going to be watching you like a damn hawk. But I do like you. And I love my daughter. Hazel, you just be careful okay. You are still very hurt from what happened. And if you both decide to give it another go, then take it slow. And if it doesn’t work out then at least stay friends, for Ben’s sake.”
Damien couldn’t believe it. “I appreciate that. Thank you, Mr. Rose.”
“Oh please, call me Robert.”
Then Hazel’s mother reached out and took Damien’s hand and squeezed it.
After breakfast, Damien spent the day in a happy daze. He had nothing planned for the day and so he spent it reading at the park and watching TV in his motel room. He got a message from Hazel saying that the breakfast went very well and that it was a good start. Then later on he got another message saying that her mom was talking of inviting him over for a Sunday lunch again. That made him nervous but also quite grateful. The Rose’s were a good bunch of people.
The next day he was practically whistling on his way to work. He had a meeting with Charles just to see how everything was going and he was looking forward to it. He wondered if it was just an excuse for Charles to come in to the shop for a cup of coffee – he knew that Charles battled to stay away from that place. But just before he turned the corner he felt a hand over his mouth and he was thrown to the ground. He looked up and saw three men in masks standing over him. They took his backpack and rummaged through it – fishing out his phone, his wallet and his notebook. He cursed himself for taking that notebook home instead of leaving it in the drawer like he normally did. Then they threw the empty backpack back at him, kicked him once on the side and rushed off.
The only thing that Damien could think of is that this is what he used to do. He never threw people to the ground and kicked them, but he still stole from them. This was how it felt to be on the other side of it. Were these people that he had stolen from before? Or did this have something to do with Tom and his gang? Or was it all just completely unrelated? He tried to believe the latter but he wasn’t so sure. After seeing Tom the other day, he couldn’t truly believe that this was just a coincidence. He walked to work with shaking hands.
“Damien, what’s wrong?” Charles asked the moment he came inside. The fear must’ve been written all over his face. He told Charles that he had been attacked and that his phone and wallet were stolen.
“Oh no, Damien. I’m so sorry. There are so many idiots out in this world. Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”
“I’m okay. It was just a shock. Not quite the thing you expect to happen while walking to work.”
“Did you see who they were? Recognize them at all?” Damien knew that Charles was thinking the same thing – that these were guys from his past.
“No, they were wearing masks. Nothing about them seemed recognizable to me.”
“Listen, why don’t you go home and rest. Things like this are always such a shock to the system. I am happy to stay here today.”
“No, that’s okay Charles. I think I’d rather stay here and keep busy. I want to work on the website side of things today, anyway. If I go home I’m going to do nothing but think about what happened.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. Now, should we have that meeting?”
Charles got up and made them both a cup of coffee and then the two of them sat down to talk about the business. Charles was happy with how things were going and pleased with his progress.
“Most of all, Damien boy, I can see that you love it here. You have the same sort of passion that I had. And just like me you didn’t see it coming either. I would never have believed that I would be the sort of man that would work well in a bookstore. I thought I’d find it incredibly boring and yet I fell in love with it quickly. I’m very happy with the progress you’ve made with the website and I know it’s good that we bring a slight modern twist to this place. You know that I’ve been fighting against that for so long.”
“I know. But trust me, I won’t let it interfere with the integrity of this place.”
“I know you won’t. I’d like to think that Curious Corner will always be somewhat curious. Now, my boy, I have to get going. But are you sure you are going to be okay here alone after what happened? I’m sure the wife will understand if I have to stay.”
“I’m sure. I can’t let something like that frighten me. I’ll be fine. I have the website to look through today and I’m halfway through the most amazing book at the moment which I’m dying to carry on with. I seriously doubt they’d come back anyway. They took everything from me.”
“Well, okay then. If you’re sure. But you just call if you need me to come back. And if you want to close up early today I don’t mind. In fact, I insist that you close up a bit early.”
“Thanks, Charles. I will.”
When Charles left, Damien felt a strange sense of unease for the first time in the shop. He knew that they wouldn’t come back straight after just robbing him but he still couldn’t shake off how uncomfortable he felt about everything. He picked up the phone and called Hazel.
“Hey, you,” she said. Her voice was soft and sweet.
“Sorry, I know you’re at work.”
“No it’s okay, I’m on a small break. What’s up? Everything okay?” She knew that it was unlike him to call while she was at work. He normally just sent her messages if he wanted to say something.
“Actually, not really. Some guys attacked me on the way to work. They took my phone, my wallet and my notebook.”
“Damien! Oh my God. Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”
“They kicked me once. But I’m okay. They were all wearing masks so I didn’t get to see them. Kind of no point telling the police, I guess.”
“I don’t know. Tell them anyway. Although you’re right, they probably won’t do anything. Listen, is there anything that needs canceling? If so, do that immediately.”
“Yeah, my phone is locked so hopefully that helps. I’ll call the bank and get them to block my card. Thankfully, I actually don’t have much in that wallet so they lucked out with me. Stupid idiots.” For some reason he didn’t want to tell her about the book over the phone.
“Damien, I’m so sorry. What a horrible way to start your day. Thank God you’re okay though. Look I have to go. The break is over. I’m really glad you called me. I’m going to come in after work. Okay? I finish early today.”
“You don’t have to, Hazel. Everything is fine. I just thought I’d let you know.”
“Tough. I’m coming in.”
He was glad about that. “Thanks, Haze.”
As soon as he put the phone down, he won
dered why he had even called her. He should’ve known that she was only going to worry about it the whole day. And yet, she was the first person that he wanted to tell. And he actually did feel better for telling her. It probably had to do with that whole honesty thing Dr. Wright had spoken to them about. Damien spent the rest of the day jumping at every sound – especially when someone walked in. But, of course, the men didn’t come back and he knew that he was being paranoid for nothing.
He wasn’t sure what he hated more – the fact that they had taken his phone and wallet or that they had taken his notebook. He hadn’t written anything incriminating and he had left out names and descriptions when talking about someone else – but still, it felt so personal to him and he hated the idea of someone looking at it. He regretted starting the damn thing in the first place. When Hazel arrived, he was grateful. She rushed up and hugged him.
“Are you okay?” she asked. There was worry written all over her face.
“I’m fine. Come, let me make you some coffee. Afterwards we can go. Charles said I could lock up early today. He knows about what happened.”
While he was making coffee he told her all about what had happened and then he sighed and looked at her again.
“What’s wrong Damien? There’s something you’re not telling me.”
“Yeah. Well, I actually didn’t think it was a big deal but now I’m not so sure anymore.”
“What it is?”
“Tom came to see me a while ago.”
“Tom? What do you mean? Where?”
“Here. At the bookstore. Who knows how he found me. I guess he heard I was out of jail so he came to check up on me. Nothing happened but it wasn’t pleasant.”
“Seriously? You went to jail because of him. Actually, you went to jail instead of him – and he didn’t apologize or anything?”
“Nope. Not at all.”
“Ah, I wish you had told me.”
“Like I said, I honestly didn’t think much of it. And I didn’t want to frighten you for no reason.”
Damien noticed that Hazel looked uncomfortable. “Actually, Damien, there’s something that I have to tell you, too. Something I probably should’ve told you from the beginning. But I also didn’t want to frighten you and I was hoping it was nothing.”
