Hoax or Hero

[ STEFANO ]

It's almost late at night when I'm about to go home. My work table is now cleaned up from files and information sheets that are used for anecdotal records. I am together with the guards and janitors here at my workplace after a long, tiring day and they are now on their duty to clean the facilities. When I knew it was done and it was time to go, I immediately went off the elevator and went out of the building. We had a lot of patients at the hospital than usual.

I took my car and drove myself home. I am now treading this long road, looking forward ahead of it. God, I'm feeling tired today. My occupation is consuming me.

On my way home, I was staring blankly ahead of the road with both my hands on the steering wheel of my car. In a sudden, I heard my phone beeped for a couple of seconds. I thought someone texted me an important message.

I got my right hand off the steering wheel to grab my phone on the passenger's seat and check it. I unlocked and took a quick scroll on it on my right hand while driving the wheel using my left. My eyes were actually struggling because the headlights were the only source of light that skirts the dark road this time. It is quarter to midnight.

Bringing my eyes back, I literally had no idea what this message has in store for me. Is this someone from work? I have no idea.

My vision was too blunt, trying to give both my phone and the road equal attention. It had me surprised to see that a notification popped up instead of a text message. It was a reminder from my calendar.

I saw what was the reminder about -- "Today is John's birthday" -- shit. I totally forgot about that. His birthday. This kind of moments aren't new to me. Every time I forget an important occasion like this, I know my reason is always understandable: my work.

I may be baffled with too much of my occupation since today was actually a more tiring shift than usual. A lot were happening in my workplace and I cannot complain. I gave an oath for this and I have to keep my pledge. I admit, I am workaholic. I never gave my son enough time. But that doesn't necessarily mean I am not a good father. Today is just too much at work.

As a result of too much commotion a while ago, my brain caught off guard that I literally forgot about my own son's birthday.

If only his mother could make him food at home, it would be better. But sadly, ever since then, it's been me and John against the world.

Ever since I had my first son with Hayley way back then, my life became complicated. Don't get me wrong, John is the best blessing that I've ever got. But it's really hard to raise a child when you're also a child yourself.

I had my son, John, when I was in high school. I was a player, I'll admit. But I guess being on that age was just an experiment of your anatomy -- in the most sexual way possible.

John's mother, and my girlfriend that time, Hayley, interrogated our relationship when she knew she was pregnant. She said we were too young to have a child and she knows her family will disown her if they find out. She grew up in a Christian family, and she cannot tell them about her baby and us having sex before marriage.

She insisted to have an abortion when she started having baby bumps, but I refused. I cannot let her kill my child. She was having anxieties and breakdowns that time so I took her to my apartment. We considered living in together for quite some time.

I thought she will be okay. She stayed silent not mentioning anything about abortion as we moved in. I thought she was sane and she's ready to be a mother. I even struggled to buy everything she needs upon her labor with my allowance back then.

We prepared every single thing, even the gender is not sure yet.

I thought she was ready.

We managed to stay under the same roof for almost a year and that went on with her parents not knowing anything. They thought she just went on a vacation, or went home to her grandparents' house.

Thinking about it and it still haunts me. I was so low, shattered to my core.

The sudden flare of some crazy stuff came unto us. After months of check-ups and nutritious diets, I figured out she was taking a medicine called misoprostol -- in which I found out was an abortion medicine. She wanted to abort John even if it was only a few months before giving birth. That felt like an intervention of the supernatural. Hayley was becoming delusional and I don't know what to do about it. My last option, I confronted her about what she was up to, and she admitted she didn't want any of those. The pregnancy, the responsibility, and us being together under the same roof. She disowned her own child... including me as her only refuge.

That was the time when I knew what she's doing is something I cannot stand anymore. What she's trying to do has to stop. So what I did was talk with her, tried to understand what she's going through.

It never worked well.

There, I convinced her about giving birth to John. We also agreed that I, after the procedure, will take care of him and raise him by my own. We had rough moments that night, until I convinced her to say yes. Provided, that I will stop disturbing her or contacting her again.

We broke up and forgot about everything. She left. After she gave birth, she went out of town without a trace. The last things she said was that she wanted to be out of my life -- that when someone asks who the mother of John is, I cannot tell her name. That was my living nightmare before; I went crazy thinking of her when she vanished without a word.

But no matter how hard those moments were, I cannot let them ruin what's happening on my present. Today is a special day. This marks another year of me, raising John alone.

Trying to alleviate what I was feeling, I tried to shake off my head to clear it out of thoughts ebbing unto me like a filmstrip. In a peripheral glance, I saw that the Champagne store is nigh. As I took few meters nearer, I pulled up and entered the store to buy John a kind of festive toast. I will buy him the wine we always take here. We even became VIPs of this store for we go along with drinking wines. We love wines and champagnes. We can spend a whole day of drinking them!

I took my wallet out and got my VIP points card.

"Hi, sir. May I assist you?" Said a girl in a ponytail whom I think is an employee. She's new, I guess. I never saw her around here before.

"Yeah, sure. I will have two bottles of the wine that I always buy here. Use this VIP card for points." I stretched my hand towards her, giving her the VIP card that I took out of my wallet.

She took it from my hands and looked at me with grimace. Did I make an invalid statement? The store literally knows what I always buy.

The sudden rage of doubt came in. She is getting into my nerves. If only she's blonde, she could have been my next. Blonde women are always a major turn on.

Confused about what I said, she grabbed a bottle of wine on a stall near her and showed it to me for preference.

"You mean, this wine, sir?"

That was an Allees de Cantemerle. That wasn't my drink.

"No. Not even close."

She placed the wine back to the stall with her eyes rolling. She really wants to get messy with me. So, I took inches near her. She needs to know who she's messing up with.

"Hey, I saw your eyes rolling, young lady. That got me uncomfortable with you. You see, I am one of your VIPs and I am friends with your boss. You better not screw this up or else, tomorrow, you'll lose your job." I said those with all the confidence I have. How can employees like her behave like that? I was grunting unto myself. Though, she shuddered a bit as I speak, even bowed her head a little.

"Look, sir. I'm so sorry. Can I know the name of your wine? I'm--I'm new here, so I definitely don't know what your drink is.. but I'm sorry for the eye roll, though. My apologies." She seemed threatened, but still had quite the attitude.. but her apology is enough I guess.

"If that's that, then.. my drink is Albert Bichot Chablis."

"Uhm, yeah.. Got it. I'm going to get it for you."

She changed her mood all of a sudden. She was tougher a bit earlier, but now she's a tamed lion. I looked at her nameplate to check, and to remember this new girl.

"Well.. no problem. Take your time, Gina."