038 - From the ashes
After spending the first part of the night lying on the bed and blankly looking upward, the second part also came to pass.
When the sun rose again, Daemon woke up on his own. It was not only because of the habits from his old profession, but also because today was a special day.
To be frank, his feelings were a little difficult to put into words.
While he should have been happy as a man about to be engaged with a beautiful woman with all the advantages of beauty, brain, character, career and background, he was still feeling a veil between himself and normal life.
The shock of seeing Evelyn last time did shake him, but it also made the veil thicker. He was struggling to ground himself and stop feeling detached, and he was failing to find an anchor in his soon-to-be fiancee. And it was not like he had not tried to put heart, body and mind into it.
As he came out of the shower, his phone rang. The unknown number didn't belong to Cynthia, and when he picked up the call, it was male's voice that came out:
"Yes?"
"Hello, am I talking with Mr Peak?"
"Hm."
"Good morning, sir. I'm Mike, your driver for the day. I am calling to let you know that I'm in front of your hotel with the car ready to serve you."
Since he could not go to his destination in a cab today, that was the solution he found.
"I understand, I will be there soon."
After saying that, he didn't wait for an answer and ended the call.
He mechanically wore his smoking. While he was lacking the enthusiasm deep inside, he knew that he was at a turning point. The commitment he was about to make would steer his life in a direction that might never include Evelyn again.
_ _ _
_ _ _
Getting downstairs and leaving the hotel, he spotted a sharply dressed man at the side. He looked professional, and was standing beside a luxurious sedan. The man also spotted him, and he approached with some hesitation:
"Mr Peak?"
"Hm."
The hesitation turned into a professional but sincere smile:
"I'm Mike, your driver. Are we leaving immediately?"
"Yes."
"Then, this way, please."
Mike opened the door for his employer.
The car started, and moving at average speed, it went around the City.
Inside, Daemon was looking out of the window, reviving the memories of years ago. The places the footsteps of both Evelyn and him had been to.
Mike was sensible enough to keep silent during the time on the road, and when it was approaching 11 AM, the car stopped at the park Daemon had been to not long after getting out of the hospital.
"Get something to eat and come back later."
"Yes, sir."
Leaving Mike, Daemon started walking on the grass. He ignored the people around, and looked at his empty hand. Evelyn used to like holding it.
His footsteps stopped not far from a tree. It was quite old, and beneath it, a couple was cuddling, enjoying the breeze under its shade. The tree was one of the many old trees in the park, but that one had been the one Evelyn had liked the most. Not for anything else other than the wide foliage that made the place beneath it more enjoyable, and the view that encompassed most of the park from there, allowing one to watch the vitality exuded by those coming to the park to relax.
And she would rather lean on his chest, saying that it felt better than the bark of the tree.
A smile tugged at the corner of his lips, before he continued on his way. He stopped beside a bench, and sat down.
Raising his eyes to the sky, he looked toward the western direction he was facing. This had been where Evelyn had liked to make him watch the sunset with her. He remembered the eve of his downward spiral, before the plans he had for his life fell apart. They had sat here, and Evelyn had let herself fall asleep while leaning on him. Young as they had been, they had had the tacit understanding that they would spend the rest of their lives together.
He had helped her with her hair that had been dancing with the breeze. He couldn't forget how she had looked as she had let down her guard while he brushed her hair aside to prevent it from bothering her.
It was the time just before their last highschool year concluded, the time just before they said goodbye to where they had met and went to university.
Daemon sat there for a long time, alone with his thoughts. When the position of the sun changed, and the west direction he was facing got brighter, he checked the time on his phone, and stood up.
Everything was in the past now.
He let out a breath, and went back to the car that had been waiting for him.
Mike left his seat to open the door for him, and when he started the car, they left for the true destination that had prompted the rental of the car.
Mike drove toward the city center, and minutes later stopped before one of the best hotels in the city.
Holding the door for Daemon to get down, he kept his professional smile until the latter went inside, before he moved the car out of the way.
_ _ _
_ _ _
The hotel was luxurious, nothing like the place where he had been spending his nights in the last period. There were also more people coming and going, and most looked like the kind that were not struggling financially.
Taking the elevator, Daemon arrived at a higher floor where he was welcomed by Michael Harsh, Cynthia's father:
"Daemon, you are here."
He had a blooming smile on his face, full of pride and happiness like a father should be, as his daughter was turning into something more, embracing a new part of life as a woman.
However, looking at the people of the same generation Michael had been conversing with, Daemon suppressed a frown. And it was not because they looked like successful elites, as Daemon had nothing against people of that kind. It was because it seemed that not everyone gave the same meaning to what a private setting should be.
He didn't see any female guests, so he reasoned that they might be in some other part of the venue. Most probably, the mother of Cynthia he still had yet to meet might be there also playing the hostess.
Daemon showed a slight smile, even if out of politeness, and greeted his future father-in-law:
"Mr Harsh."
"Come, Daemon, let me introduce some people to you. No matter what the project you are working on is, they will be of great help if you meet any problem."
"I would love to, but I would rather sneak a peek at my future fiancee first."
Michael's smile widened despite the tactful rejection. No matter if it was for fatherly reasons, or for more selfish reasons, having Daemon enamored with his daughter was a result he couldn't be more satisfied with. So, he exploded with laughter and said:
"Then, go. Don't let us old people block your way to happiness. Cynthia just arrived earlier, and she is in room 2009. I will be entertaining the guests while waiting for you."