by Mel Ryle
When the bus suddenly stopped a few blocks from the hospital, I smiled at my luck. I stepped out and made my way to the hospital. When I reached my father’s floor, I stopped dead at the corner leading to the nurse’s station when I heard a familiar voice. My surly face suddenly broke into a smile.
“Uncle Billy!” I shouted as I run up to the startled old man.
Billy Henderson is my father’s childhood friend and fellow army veteran. He is one of the few people in my life that I considered family. He is like another father to me. When my dad and I moved back south to his hometown, Billy was there to help him get back up on his feet. At that time, my father was at his lowest, and he didn’t have the energy to raise me by himself.
“Oh! Hey, Andy! How are you doing?” he asked with his thick southern accent while he wrapped me in one of his bear hugs.
As he gave me a second to breathe, I looked at him from head to toe. He was wearing his usual plaid polo with a white shirt underneath and his faded denim jeans with his worn-out brown boots. He hadn’t changed one bit in the three months that I haven’t seen him.
“I’m doing fine, Uncle Billy,” I replied with a small smile. “I thought you wouldn’t be here until tomorrow,” I added after a short pause.
“Yeah, about that...” he stated, looking at me pointedly. “Nobody but Terry knows that I’m here early,” he continued with a smirk.
“You know that dad doesn’t like surprises,” I stated, giggling, my southern accent slowly taking over.
“That’s why I’m doing it!” he burst into laughter.
I laughed at his reply. But for a second, I thought of how Terry really is Uncle Billy’s nephew. Their laugh was almost identical and very intoxicating. You can’t help but laugh along with them.
The surprise went better than I expected, or maybe I was exaggerating. Billy entered my father’s room, looking calm as he tried to pretend he was in the wrong room. And I, with my bad acting, ended up chuckling half way through the performance. But by the time our laughter died down, the room went silent for a second before Billy and my dad started to insult each other’s looks. To people who do not know them, it might seem as if the two were fighting, but for me, it was the equivalent of them hugging in reunion.
As I sat there listening to Billy’s stories about home, I was starting to miss it. It’s not like I haven’t missed it from the time we moved here, but for the first time, I truly felt homesick.
I excused myself in the middle of Billy’s animated storytelling and went out of the room to buy something to eat. I couldn’t really control the small tears in my eyes that I was trying to hold back from their reunion. I missed the old times back at home when everything was better, and my dad wasn’t on a hospital bed.
As I made my way through the lobby of the hospital, I was too preoccupied at keeping my head down to cover my slightly red eyes that I didn’t notice someone standing in front of me. I staggered backwards from the impact. I looked up to apologize but held my tongue when I saw who it was.
“What are you doing here?” I asked with clenched teeth, my voice raspy from the tears that I held in.
“I came here to apologize,” he replied his voice almost a whisper as his face remained impassive.
I stared at him for a few seconds, waiting for his apology. But William kept silent as he continued to look at me. I didn’t let his eyes affect me as I held his gaze. And, for a second, I thought I saw worry cross his face. Before I could confirm on it, he looked away and cleared his throat.
“I don’t really know how to apologize since I don’t seem to see the fault in what I did. But I’m sorry for doing it anyway,” he stated in clenched teeth.
“You don’t look like you’re sorry,” I said as I raised my eyebrow at him in question.
“Okay, I’m not,” he admitted with a sigh and turned to look back at me. “I did what I did because I thought it was right, Andy. I wasn’t being high and mighty about it. I wanted to do it because seeing you that day...” he trailed off as his eyes softened in sadness.
“I know. And, thank you,” I interjected after a short pause, feeling the sincerity of his words.
“You’re welcome,” he said as the end of his lips twitched upward.
“I’m not saying this to boost your freaking ego,” I stated as I walked past him. “And if you like, you can come with me to grab some lunch, my treat as a thank you,” I added with a small smile as I continued to walk towards the door.
As we both silently walked towards the fast food chain beside the hospital, I thought about what I said to William. I think I did well on dealing with things the second time around. Maybe I was overreacting when I faced him this morning. Besides, he was the one who caught me off guard. And he looked like he meant what he said about helping me out.
When we reached the busy counter of the fast food restaurant, I glanced beside me to sneak a peek at William’s expression. From the way he was looking around the place while flinching when someone walked past him, I knew he wasn’t comfortable with the situation. I mentally laughed at his awkwardness.
“How did you find me anyway?” I asked him, trying to make small talk to ease his pain.
He looked towards me with a small shy smile, like he was guilty about something. “Mark told me.”
“Mark?” I asked, confused at his reply.
He gestured at a man in a familiar black suit by the door. It was the same man I see tailing William whenever he gets out of the company building. I assessed him for a second. The man looked like a statue as he stood there while scanning the place as if everyone were trying to blow up the building.
“I thought he was your driver slash valet guy. Why is he standing there looking like a damn secret service agent?” I asked William in confusion as I continued to study Mark.
He chuckled for a second before giving me a reply. “His job doesn’t just involve driving me to and from work. He is my head of security and sometimes my wingman.”
I looked up and eyed him in confusion. “And how does that answer the question about you finding me?” I asked, not letting him change the topic. It was working. I glanced at Mark who looked intimidating as he stood outside in a black suit.
“I asked him to look for you,” he admitted sheepishly as he turned and looked at the menu above the counter. “Hey, do they have anything non-greasy here?” he asked after a short pause.
“Don’t change the subject,” I stated as I sized him up accusingly.
“Okay. I’ll answer that question if you tell me why you reacted that way this morning,” he looked at me in challenge.
“You’re not playing fair.”
“You’re making this complicated for me.”
I gazed at him for a second and sighed in defeat. I knew he wouldn’t back down so easily. One thing I knew about Mr. Mogul was that he was one stubborn man.
“Okay. I hate it when people pity me. And, I hate surprises,” I admitted with a sigh.
“So if I told you I wasn’t doing it for charity work...” he stated as his lips twitched slightly.
“I would hate you even more,” I interjected in annoyance.
He laughed at my reply and gestured for me to move forward as the person in front of me finished paying his order. I turned towards the cashier and looked at the menu board. In the midst of ordering our food, I had to clear my throat a few times to snap her out from ogling William. I should have asked him to wait outside.
I offered William my token of thanks in the form of a burger and an extra-large serving of fries. He was hesitant on accepting it because of the fries. I lied to him and said that it was baked instead of deep fried in a pool of grease. I’m surprised that he actually believed me. It was the only way that he was going to eat it.
I was about to make my way back as I said my goodbye to him, but he was adamant on walking me back to the hospital at least. I refused him for the third time when he grabbed my wrist and started dragging me towards the hospital. The worst decision I ma
de in that moment was allowing him to do it.
When I got back, I was aware of the smile plastered on my face. I had to lie to my father and Billy about my encounter with William. How was I supposed to explain his appearance in the first place? I only hope they would not find out about it.
Before evening came, my father’s room was cramped with Billy, Terry, Andrew and me, who were all busy fussing about where Billy was staying. Though it was already arranged that Billy was to stay over at Terry’s, I was the one who had a new and better apartment. So, I offered Billy a place to stay for the rest of the weekend.
After some shouting, hissing, and occasional cursing, I was able to convince him to stay with me —with my father’s help of course. Terry tried to look defeated, but when we caught each other’s eye for a second, he gave me a wink. I mentally chuckled at his smoothness. I knew that Andrew moved in with him, which was why I offered my place.
As we made our way out of the hospital, Terry and I trailed behind Andrew and Billy, who were having a quiet conversation about something.
“Did Maxwell give you his reasons for paying your father’s bills?” Terry asked, breaking the silence between us.
“Yeah. I met him just a few hours ago,” I replied with a sigh as I rubbed my temple.
“So, are you two dating?” he probed as his voice spiked with interest.
I abruptly turned to face him. “Where the heck did you get that idea?”
“Well, Andrew wanted me to ask you after he flashed me this magazine article last week,” he replied sheepishly.
“Well, apparently, I’m not,” I stated sarcastically, rolling my eyes. “It was such a pain. At least, my face wasn’t photographed properly or people—well, women mostly, I guess—would be sending me death threats. I’m glad Maggie handled that misunderstanding,” I added with a strained sigh.
“Yeah. Andrew also gave me another follow up on it. The article said that you were just an associate. Really? You can pass as a rich girl these days?” he chuckled as he asked me teasingly.
“Well, they can dress me up to look like one. But we both know, this attitude breaks that image,” I pointed at myself with a cackle as I played along.
Terry laughed at that and playfully shoved me towards Billy and Andrew’s direction. I punched him in annoyance before I ran towards the bus stop in revenge. Andrew and Billy grinned as they watched us both bicker and fight like siblings.
We parted ways as we took different bus routes. When Billy and I arrived at my apartment building, he gave a whistle of appreciation as we entered. I felt embarrassed. He doesn’t really know the whole story about my new job and how I got this expensive-looking apartment. He didn’t ask anything about it and sat down on my living room couch as he made himself feel at home for the weekend.
“What do you want for dinner tonight, Uncle Billy? I could cook up something for you.” I offered as I stood in front of him, my back to the kitchen.
“Anything is fine, Andy. I’m still full from what Terry brought this afternoon,” he replied gleefully as his eyes ogled on my plasma television. “Man, that television is huge,” he remarked with a whistle.
I sniggled at his words and turned towards the kitchen, thinking about making some fried chicken and mashed potatoes. I checked my fridge for the ingredients and grimaced when I saw how little I had in there. I walked back to the living room and told Billy that I was going out to get groceries. He replied with a nod as he waved his hand dismissively, his eyes still glued to the television. I smiled at his actions. That was the Uncle Billy I remembered.
As I headed down to the lobby, I felt my phone vibrate in my bag. I turned it back on this afternoon after I talked to William. Since he had found me, there was no need to hide from him anymore. I dug for my phone and got it out of my bag. I glanced at the screen to check who was calling. I stiffened as I watched the name flashing on the screen.
I mentally cursed as I took a deep breath before answering the phone. “Ms. Maxwell. I’m sorry for not answering the phone right away,” I said my voice quivering slightly.
“Why didn’t you tell me that you’re taking a day off?” she asked sternly, making me stiffen at her tone.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Maxwell. I was... He was...” I stuttered as I try to come up with something to say. This call was not going to go well.
In reply, Alexandra chuckled at my discomfort. “Did my brother finally get your attention?” she asked, still chuckling.
“What? I’m sorry. I don’t seem to follow you, Ms. Maxwell,” I admitted in confusion.
“Oh. He still hasn’t asked you out?” she asked guiltily. “I thought my brother was better at his game,” she added with a giggle.
“What do you mean?” I probed as my eyebrows scrunched together in frustration.
“Well, I’m sorry for assuming anything since you don’t know anything yet. But, please email me next time you take a day off. I’ve got to go. Michael is calling,” she stated gleefully and ended the call.
When the phone beeped, the call ended, I looked down at it in uncertainty. I think I was missing something in this whole situation. Maybe it wasn’t luck that had landed me in this job after all.
Twenty-Two
The weekend passed by too fast. It seemed that there was so little time to be spent with Billy. We visited my dad and stayed there during the day, while in the afternoon I took him out for a tour of the city. Well, there wasn’t much sightseeing we could do since I wasn’t familiar with the area yet. Terry had better luck as he gave Billy a grand tour of all the bars in town on his last day.
On his last night, the old man almost drank himself to death. If that were the case, Billy would have died when I was in college. The thing that awed me the most about Billy was his tolerance to alcohol. No matter how much alcohol entered his system, he could still stand straight the next day. Maybe when you start drinking at an early age, it gives you that inhuman tolerance to alcohol. And from what my father told me, Billy had been drinking even before he started sleeping with girls. That was saying something.
The farewell was short and slightly emotional between my dad and him, but they were men. They sucked it up and insulted each other until the end. His flight was on Monday early morning, which made it hard for me to take him to the airport as I had to get to work. So he stayed at Terry’s place on his last day.
When Monday morning came, it felt like I just woke up from a dream and came back to reality with a kick rather than a kiss from a prince. Without warning, my mind raced back to the conversation I had with Alexandra. What did she mean about William not asking me out? Maybe she saw the article and started to assume that I was like her other secretary. I needed to straighten out that misunderstanding.
As I entered the company building an hour later, I felt as if everybody’s eyes were on me. I made a quick scan around the lobby as I made my way towards the elevator. And every time my eyes landed on someone, they would turn and walk away from me. Something is up.
“Hey Andy!” Danny called in a whisper.
I looked at her in confusion, not sure why she was whispering. Danny gestured with her hand for me to come closer as I remained standing, eyeing her with trepidation. I snapped out of it and walked towards her, scanning the room again as I felt someone staring at me again.
“Andy, did you see the latest article?” Danny asked as I reached her, her voice low as a whisper.
I look at her with my eyebrow raised. “Why are you whispering?” I asked as I grabbed the paper she held out to me.
“You’re on the paper again. And you’re not going to like the photo of this one,” she stated as I looked down to check what she meant.
I took in a sharp intake of breath as my eyes went wide. It was a picture of William and me, his hand on my arm as he dragged me towards the hospital. I knew that I should have insisted him to leave me. And then it clicked. Maybe this was why Alexandra assumed all those things. She saw this photo.
“When was this out?” I ask
ed as I checked on the date of article being published.
“Yesterday,” Danny replied as I found the date.
“Is that why people are staring at me?” I asked in defeat as I scanned the lobby again. I caught a few eyes on me.
“Yes. No. Okay, yes, they are looking because of this,” Danny replied as she tried to comfort me.
I turned to look at her in pleading eyes. “Help me out please?”
She gave me a weak smile before replying. “Already on it but...” she trailed off as her eyes landed on something, or rather someone behind me.
“Can I talk to you for a second?” William asked, stunning me before I could turn to look who caught Danny’s attention.
“This isn’t really a good time to talk to me,” I pointed out grimly as I quickly make another scan of the lobby, where everyone was glancing at William and me not so discreetly.
“Right. Then let’s go up to my office,” William stated after he made a quick scan of the lobby, too. He grabbed my arm, pulling me towards the elevator.
It was very amusing how people almost jumped out of our way as we walked towards the elevator, their eyes firmly on us. Suddenly, I felt self-conscious. Do they think I’m some tramp who slept their way up to this position, although I work for Alexandra and not him? How am I going to work while these people looked at me like a slut?
When the elevator door closed, I heard William let out a sigh. I turned towards him, finally realizing that we were alone in the elevator. I perused him for a second until he looked towards me. I tore my eyes away from him and moved a little further from him.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he stated grimly, breaking the silence.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I tried to remain oblivious to his presence. Suddenly, my thoughts rushed back to the last time I was alone in the elevator with him. I’m not letting that happen again. I’m prepared now, I think.
