by Mara Lynne
“I would gladly do that, Doctor!” Dad replies, his smile reaching both ends of his ears. “I think staying here makes me weaker each day.” Mom lands a gentle pat on Dad’s shoulder.
“But don’t forget about your weekly appointment with me, George. It doesn’t mean that I send you home, you’re completely well. Your serum creatinine’s pretty normal this time, but I can’t promise you it won’t shoot up again. You’ll need your routine dialysis, George, and I expect Sarah to be with you so you both can draw strength from each other. And bringing Angel,” he paused, shifting his gaze to me, “would be a splendid idea… for therapy, of course. Family therapy, I mean.” I thought he struggled for the right word there.
“Angel would be busy for graduation practices,” Dad says.
Suddenly, I feel all my blood draining out of the holes in my skull, and my face goes entirely white. The horror of the truth is slowly unfolding, and I don’t want my family to know that I failed. When everything seems okay, it just so happens that I have to experience a share of life’s damnation. It is every parent’s pride to brag of their children’s achievement, and Dad is no exception. He’s expecting me to graduate with flying colors. He didn’t even know of the financial struggle I endured to keep steady in my last year. He thought everything was fine in school, but no, it isn’t anymore.
“Oh!” Eric Martin flashes a smile at me. “That’s amazing! Congratulations, Angel. I might invite you for a congratulatory dinner some other night.” Martin never fails to add a little bit of flirtation to his job. It’s not that I repulse it, I’m just not in the mood for dinner when I do not even deserve an inch of it.
“Angel’s birthday is fast approaching,” Mom intervenes. “You might want to come and celebrate with us.”
“Mom?” I raise my brow to stop her before she goes all out.
“What’s wrong with inviting your dad’s doctor to your birthday?”
I feel my cheeks burning.
“Right! What’s wrong with Sarah inviting me to your house, Angel?” His sly smile widens.
“I don’t want grand celebrations,” I whisper to myself, but I guess Mom heard it as she tilts her head closer to me. “Besides, I’ll be at Max’s for work.”
“You can always ask for a day off,” Dad says.
“Not really. It’s kinda busy at this time of the year.”
“Well, maybe we can celebrate it at Max’s!” Eric suggests.
“Please, people, a simple greeting is enough,” I say. “And Eric, thank you for all you’ve done to my family. I truly appreciate it, but really, please don’t waste your time on me.”
An odd silence spread like wildfire. I am completely unaware of how tactless I turned out to be. Dad’s face goes ashen pale, same as Mom’s, yet I refuse to look at Eric. I know he took it as a blow to his pride, but I didn’t have to witness his shame.
“I mean, you don’t need to forego important medical arrangements just to attend some silly birthday. I’m not really the celebrating type.”
I can see disappointment written on his face. If it was only me and him, he could have yelled at me for my insensitivity. Dad shoots a glare at me, and I know Mom is raring to hit me with her slipper.
Eric forces a smile — a professional one, one that goes after a serious loss or defeat.
“I think that’s all for now,” he mutters, taking away his eyes from me. “George, Sarah, I’ll see you in a week.” He turns his back on us and heads to the door, slowly closing it.
The moment he disappears from my sight, I let out a big sigh. What a relief!
“What have you done, Angel?” Mom’s voice is condemning, and her stare is as murderous as a python’s. “I don’t like what you did there.”
“The young man was just being nice.” And here goes Daddy acting like he hadn’t done anything like this before.
“He was flirting with me,” I say annoyed.
“What’s wrong with Eric showing interest in you?”
“Mom?”
“What?”
“You’re not actually digging this whole thing, are you?”
Mom makes a furtive smirk which Dad somehow allows.
“And you too, George Mohr?”
“Eric is a nice man. I actually like him,” Dad tells me.
“Honestly, people, you’re impossible!”
“Sweetie,” Mom wraps her arms around me and gives me a warm kiss on the cheek. “You’re not getting any younger. You’ll be off to the real world. No more school. No more Ray, I guess. You’ll be needing someone other than your dad and me.”
My tongue is itching to spill the truth. Perhaps, this bad temper is due to the ugly truth that I will be missing graduation. Poor Eric, he’s become the innocent target of my grouchiness and pure disgust for the one person who caused all this misfortune.
“I only need the two of you,” I say.
“We’ll always be here for you when you need us.” Dad approaches me and holds my hands in a tight grasp. He then leans over to give me a quick peck on my forehead. “But it’s time to open yourself to other people. It doesn’t hurt to be a little selfish, does it? You’ve always thought of us. Now it’s time to think of your own happiness.”
Dad sounds like he’s sending me away to some invisible groom.
I am more touched by their little gesture of affection than the thought of seeing myself with some man. Perhaps I’d consider love after all these trials… after Dad has found a new kidney, after I land a good job when I finish school. Obviously, I won’t get to experience that lucky day soon. Maybe some other time.
“Looks like that fucking bastard is on the loose again.” Colin grits his teeth together, looking over his shoulder to get a view of Damien persuading Ray with all his might to get past through the counter to bother me again.
“Just let him be, Colin,” I tell him as I refill his glass with beer. “The more you pay attention to him, the more he feels important. That’s a ridiculously absurd disease whose antidote is yet to be discovered.”
“Do you have no plans of kicking him out?”
“He’s a customer. His money flows to the cash box, how can I send him away?” I try to focus on wiping the edge of the counter table with a dry rug. Tonight is a regular night. The diner is half-filled, but everyone in the kitchen is busy. Apparently, it’s only me that’s spared from doing anything, and I hate it. I hate to be always assigned in the counter. I wish they sent me to the kitchen, so I could do some real job and not just display flashy smiles to anyone, ask them about their orders, and stretch my patience for impossible customers the likes of Etheridge.
“Angel.” Colin’s voice softens.
“Yes, Colin?” I halt.
“You and him… I mean, you and that brat Etheridge, there’s no you, is there?”
I step back in surprise with what he just said.
“Sorry for asking but I just can’t help it. Etheridge has been acting quite strange lately like he’s someone so important in your life,” Colin says. “He’s like some possessive boyfriend.”
“There’s no we, Colin. Damien Etheridge is just a pain in the ass,” I tell him. “I’d die first before I start liking him.”
A sneer explodes on his face.
“But isn’t he too persevering?” Colin asks, looking again at Damien and Ray’s direction,
“He’s just trying to annoy me like he always does.”
“It doesn’t look like that to me.”
Damien has broken loose of Ray’s clutch and is heading to the counter. I feel myself waver at the thought of him overpowering the tiny courage that is left on me. After the heated conversation at school a while ago, I don’t think I still have the courage to face him. I poured everything back there and yet I failed to win.
“Sorry, Angel.” Ray’s apologetic face is not to blame. I know he did all he can to stop the beast in Damien. “I tried.”
“Angel, please hear me out,” he begged.
“What else do you need to te
ll me?” I quickly walk to the other side of the counter, trying to avoid Damien. “Haven’t you heard what I said? I don’t need your explanations.”
“Hey, dude!” Colin calls out. “The lady obviously doesn’t wish to talk to you.”
“Stay out of here!” Damien churns with fire, his gaze unrelenting and dark and his voice angry. His fingers are pointed at Colin in warning.
A looming chaos is to unfold if I don’t stop this. Damien is slowly losing his temper. His frustration is aggravated by Colin stepping into our squabble. It is no good. Colin only made everything worse.
“Hey, what’s your problem, man?” Colin steps forward, raising his voice. The diner is temporarily silenced. Everyone’s caught up in the scenario. They all know who Damien Etheridge is, and they already know that disorder is bound to happen. Who is this young man going against the Damien Etheridge? People might be wondering. It is a rare sight to see someone go against the mayor’s son — Damien Etheridge at that.
“I said, stay out of this!” It sounds like his last warning before he goes berserk.
“Damien, it is best for you to leave,” I intervene.
“Not until you talk to me.”
“I already told you I don’t need to listen to your excuses. What are they to me now?” I have totally lost faith in you, I wish to tell him.
“Didn’t you hear her? She wants you to leave!”
Snap, Colin! He should have just shut his mouth.
“And who are you tell me that?” Threateningly, he turns his back on me and faces the already charged up Colin, his fists ready and his pulses pounding in anger.
“I protect Angel from the likes of you! And I don’t care whether you are the president’s son or a royal prince. I can still beat you to death!”
Damien, not letting his pride be beaten by a commoner and be shamed in front of all these people, dives to Colin, and both plunges to the ground. He has his hands around Colin’s collar, trying to strangle his competitor. When Colin attempts to fight back, Damien hit Colin’s pretty face with hard blows.
“Stop! Stop! Stop!” I scream at them. Colin’s face has turned purple, and everyone around us gasps at the thought of Damien committing the unspeakable crime of murder. The darkness that fills his eyes remains. They look scary. I do not know how to get back those piercing gray eyes that always melt my heart when they stare at me. I want to see them now, not those scary ones. They are murderous.
“I said stop at this instance!”
Damien stops.
Poor Colin. He’s all swollen and purple on the face.
Chapter 17: Act Not Told
“What went into their minds?” Ray sighs. “Did some evil spirit possess them?” He rolls his eyes at me. I think I get what he wants to imply. I am no evil spirit, and I definitely was not the reason for the two going berserk. The cab we are riding turns left, but the driver seems too busy listening to his earphones that I am quite confident he won’t hear the mention of Etheridge’s name. We are on our way to the hospital. I will be checking out Dad’s laboratory results one last time before we check out tomorrow morning. I still have yet to apologize to Eric for being too blunt a while ago.
“The animalistic instinct of the male species dominated them!” Ray continues to tease. “It was such a sight to see two guys fighting over you, Angel! It doesn’t happen all the time.”
“They weren’t fighting because of me, Ray. It’s just that both were onion-skinned and too egoistic to step back.”
“Say all you want, Angel, but I saw something different,” he persists. “My eyes did not deceive me. Are you still angry at Damien?”
Is that even a question?
“Perhaps you should consider hearing him out. Know his side of the story.” Ray pulls out a brown envelope from his bag and hands it over at me. “Asked Carol to sneak into Damien’s office. I genuinely think Damien spent more than what we can imagine creating this whole de Vere treasure. This is actually magnificent, Angel! I am no expert critique, but I think Damien did more than a good job. Here, he even put your name together with his in the cover page. That’s sweet!”
“He’s the reason I’m not graduating!” I blurted out. “And for heaven’s sake, you stole this for what?”
“To let you know that Damien has some goodness in him… I think.”
“My opinion about him will never change. Unless he does something to reverse my fate.”
Well, that is something impossible. Damien cannot alleviate this. He’s no God to turn the tables around.
The cab pulls in just outside the hospital’s entrance. Ray leans over the open window of the cab and reaches for my arm before I could walk away.
“Do something about the hot doctor, okay?” He winks at me.
“I won’t forget,” I say.
“And will you promise me you’d take into consideration forgiving Etheridge?”
It seems like he won’t release his grasp unless I give in to his request.
I nod.
“Promise me, Angel.”
“Fine!”
“Then all is well. I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning.”
“Thanks in advance, Ray.”
“Anything for you, dearest!” He smiles.
“But you know I hate surprises!”
“How did you know?”
Treading along the hospital corridor, I take notice of Eric talking to two male nurses at the station, probably discussing a case. He is holding an x-ray film which appeared to be an image of an impaled hip bone. I slow my pace as I get closer to him. The corners of his eyes slightly move to my direction, and he knows of my presence. To my utter surprise, he bobs his head as though acknowledging my arrival.
As soon as the male nurses leave, I halt in front of him, gathering my palms together as I feel my legs shake in fear of being ignored.
“Hi!” I greet, trying to sound joyful.
“Hi!” he greets back. His voice hiding a dismal guttural sound. His hands slide into both his pockets, and he stands there with his chin held high. He’s gauging whether I am easily intimidated or wavered. I can’t blame him. He was pretty hurt by what I did… hurt and embarrassed.
“I’m sorry for what I did a while ago.” I feel my cheeks burning like fire. Eric’s gaze is intensely taunting, I feel them eating my flesh and digging deep into my bones. I feel his eyes roaming over my already reddened face. If it’s sincerity he’s looking for, I’m pretty confident it’s shown all over my face. “I feel awful, really.”
My eyes try to avoid his, but his are demanding my complete attention.
“It’s not a big deal, Miss Mohr.”
Calling me Ms. Mohr than the less formal ‘Angel’ intensifies my guilt. This just means one thing: Eric might have been for real. If it isn’t a big deal for him, he would still call me by my first name like he does with the family of his other patients. He calls Dad and Mom by their first name, why does it feel new and strange to me? Is it because I got used to him acting so close to me?
“I have given George his discharge instructions. He’s okay for tomorrow. His latest lab results are normal in all aspects, so it’s safe to say that George is doing fine as of now.” There’s not even a tinge of emotion in his voice. “I expect him to comply with his weekly treatment, Ms. Mohr.” He then slightly bows his head before he leaves me.
A part of my conscience tells me to run after him and force him to forgive me by whatever means I could think of. But the other side just wishes for me to let it go. Perhaps this happened for the best. This is how I wanted our relationship to be — at a professional level. Nothing more, nothing less.
When I reach Dad’s room, I am entirely taken aback. My insides squeeze and turn upside down at the sight of the very person who I despise at the moment, the one I swore to never forgive. What is he doing here? What is he doing in my father’s room? After the commotion at Maxwell’s, he’s here for what?
My jaw dropped as I watch Damien Etheridge act all chummy with Dad and
Mom like they have known each other for so long. Dad’s face balloons as he laughs with all his might. It is the first time he is like this for a long. His illness has taken a toll out of him. Mom acts strangely around Etheridge, too—strangely calm and happy. Is it because Dad is recovering enough and that he can go home tomorrow? Or is it because Damien did something to make them happy?
“Angel!” Mom calls.
Suddenly, reality strikes me.
When my name rings in his ears, Damien quickly rises from his seat.
“I believe you know Damien here,” Dad says.
Slowly, I walk closer to them, studying the situation and trying to figure out why Etheridge is here. I wonder if Dad even realizes that the man they are getting comfy with is the mayor’s son. With the way they are interacting with him, it seems they are oblivious to who he is. What exactly is Damien Etheridge doing here?
“Yes, I think so,” I answer stiffly. “Heard of him several times.”
“He goes to the same college as you, Angel. Perhaps you have seen him somewhere in school,” Mom adds.
“Can’t remember,” I lie, tracing with my eyes Damien’s oops-she-caught-me face as it figuratively flushes with fire. His gaze doesn’t even meet mine. If I were to judge the situation, I thought he is more than surprised to see me here. He looks unprepared and a little tensed.
“The university is kind of big for one to be familiar with everyone,” Damien speaks. “Don’t think everyone really cares about the Student Body President.” He gives off a sly smile.
Mom and Dad laughs.
“Nobody passes over the son’s mayor!” kids Dad.
“Well except for one,” he hisses as his gaze travels from Dad to me. I feel the chilling sensation run down my spine to the very nerves that course through my peripheries. How could Damien Etheridge still joke about it after what happened?
Mom eyes me curiously as though she gets what Damien’s hinting. I just hope she doesn’t scrutinize me like hell later or worse right now in front of Dad or Damien. She’s too bright to be fooled.
“Damien has been deluging us with his presence,” Mom says otherwise. I freely breathe after she spares me her glare. Maybe not now. Later? I don’t know. I can expect the worse from Sarah Mohr. However, I see a bright side to this. I can have all the time to come up with a good excuse — something too good to be suspected. The again, it’s her we’re talking about.
