by David Barton
There was no haste to my pace. I had plenty of time till I had to meet her for lunch. I walked until I came across a street vendor sitting inside his little cabin. The bunches of flowers he had in pots looked beautiful this morning. Better than any morning before.
The pricing of them weren’t too bad either. I dug an empty hand into my back pocket and pulled out my change. As I was counting through it I heard a voice from behind me. “Getting flowers for a girl?” I turned to face him. His eyes fell to the files in my hand. “Or maybe a colleague.” There was judgement in his voice which matched the smirk he always had on his face. “Hello, son.”
“Hi.” The word dad wanted to follow my greeting but I refused to let it out of my mouth. I kept my voice flat and emotionless. It was the complete opposite of how I felt right now. Deep in my stomach there was a ball of my emotions I was keeping away from the surface. A ball full of anger and regret.
This man barely speaks to me and treats my mother like a stranger. He’s not a father. I only ever looked at him as a sperm donor. Nothing more.
“Haven’t you got a hug for your dad?” He knew he wouldn’t be getting one. Hence why his voice still sounded sarcastic.
“Nope. What do you want?”
“I wanted to see how you were doing. I heard you got an article in the paper, that’s brilliant.”
“You heard about it. You didn’t read it.”
“Well you know how busy my life is and how important I am to my company.”
“I’ve known this for years. Too much time at the office, not enough time with your family.”
“That’s unfair. I had to do it to give you guys a house and food. All the things you enjoyed when you were younger, that was because of me and the hours I spent at that office.” The lack of emotion almost seemed like he was reading from a card.
I scoffed at his words. “I wanted a dad. Not someone who replaced his presence with money and stuff. I just wanted you home with me and mum. Wanted to play catch in the back garden or someone who would come to my football matches when I was younger.”
“Ryan, you don’t understand about all these memories you have. You’re being angry at me for no reason.”
“No reason.” My voice was suddenly elevated as the ball deep in my stomach bashed against the side, wanting to get out. “I have plenty of reasons. You were never my dad and you still aren’t.”
“That’s unfair.”
“Not really.” With that I walked away. This time my feet hit the pavement like a hammer on a nail. I wanted to get as far away from that man as possible. The anger that was within the ball of emotions stayed with me.
That was until I came to the little café Felicity had picked for our lunch meeting. When I laid my eyes on her all that anger inside disappeared. Instead it felt like I had the warmth of the sun inside my whole body. Making me smile.
She looked up in my direction, our eyes locking before she pulled a smile back. She stood as I made my way through the tables to the back of the café. She was casually dressed. Black jeans with a nice black sweater. If it wasn’t for the lack of sleeves I would have said it was too hot for that kind of clothing.
“Hi, Ryan.”
“Hey.” I plopped the files on the desk. “I’ve been busy. I didn’t get much sleep so I’m going to need a coffee very soon.”
“You look fine. What is all this?”
“Well, these are all your files which I’ve had a good read through.” I separated the pile, putting hers to one side. “The rest is my research.”
“You did all this?”
“You don’t have to sound so surprised by it.”
“I wouldn’t say I’m surprised. More like I’m impressed.”
“Thank you, I think.”
The short waitress who looked like she was still in college came over with a small notepad. “Can I get you guys anything?”
“I’ll just have a coffee thank you.”
She moved her attention to Felicity. “Could I get a coffee with a little sprinkle of nutmeg please?”
“I’m afraid we don’t do nutmeg anymore.”
“That’s a shame. Could I get a couple slices of cake as well?”
“Chocolate or jam?”
“Definitely chocolate.”
The waitress walked off to get our order. I looked at Felicity. “Ordering me some cake? Pretty presumptuous.”
She leant on the coffee table between us, “Actually the slices of cake are both for me. You shouldn’t be so presumptuous yourself.”
“Oh. Both slices?”
“I can’t get enough of the cake they have here. It’s amazing.”
“Okay. You must love your cake.”
“I love all food actually.” The young waitress came back with a tray and our order. She pulled a fake smile before heading off to see to someone else. Clearly she hated her job here.
For the next few hours we talked both about the article and about ourselves. I learnt more about Felicity in the few hours at the cafe than I had the whole time I worked with her. She was really opening up to me and I did the same. Telling her about my father and even about the surprise meeting with him hours before.
It was nearing four hours when our topic went back to the article. Out of the businesses I found in my research we agreed that eighty percent of them were like Felicity’s. Organisations or buildings that were doing something illegal. Doing something they shouldn’t.
All kinds of dirty deeds all pointing towards the man that owned them all. We had even discovered this kind of behaviour in other businesses. It wasn’t a surprise when we figured it was Henrikson’s company that owned them indirectly.
He was a very greedy man with his hands in other people’s cookie jars. This was going to be the biggest article the paper had ever published and I had my name attached to it. Apart from this morning, today was looking to be a very good day.
Felicity looked down at her watch. “Wow.”
A part of me seemed to curse a non-existent person who controls the time. “Is it getting late?”
“It is.”
“I guess we should call it a day?”
“Maybe.” My eyes shot up to hers. I didn’t want this to end. It was the best day I’d had in years. “Maybe for the article.”
“Excuse me?”
There was a slight flash of shyness before she uttered six amazing words to me. “Would you have dinner with me?”
My heart practically jumped into my throat from joy. I wanted to get up from the sofa and do a little dance but figured it would hinder my chances with her. Plus I would look extremely stupid with my dance skills. So I played it cool, “Sure.”
“Come on, I know a perfect place for us to try.”
I looked down at the scruffy clothes I was wearing. “I’m not really dressed for it at the moment.”
“You’ll be fine. I’m not dressed smart either.”
“You look okay to me.” I looked into her eyes, my cheeks flushing red from embarrassment. I couldn’t believe I had just blurted that out.
She smiled, her cute smile. “Thanks. You’ve just won yourself a free dinner now.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“It’s fine. I invited you and I’m picking the place. The least I could do is pick up the bill at the end.”
“Sure.” I had no intention of letting her pay for my food but she didn’t need to know that yet. “So where is this place?”
“It’s a small place. I’ll drive.”
“We’re driving?”
“It’s not very local.”
“Okay. Fine by me.”
“Good.” We both stood, grabbing our portions of the files and I followed her to her car in the nearby car park.
“Just dump those on the back seat.” I opened the door after she unlocked it. Seeing a big clear tub. I placed them inside and stood up. “Here.” I came face to face with Felicity. She was smiling up at me and I had a sudden urge to lean in and kiss her.
It was like she could read my mind because she gently pushed the files into my stomach. The smile faded and she turned and got into the driver’s seat. Maybe I had been miss-reading the signals all this time.
I placed her files into the container then went and climbed into the passenger seat. “Where are we going?”
She turned to me smiling, the happy Felicity was back. “I know this great restaurant.”
“How far is it?”
“You’ll see.” She started up the engine and we moved into the traffic. The silence brought back the awkwardness I had experienced between us.
That was until we came to the restaurant. My interest had peaked when we entered the more expensive area of the centre. Then we pulled up outside the restaurant she had mentioned. It was The Armada. The big red sign stretched the width of the building. The name in golden letters.
The windows were tinted so you couldn’t quite see into the restaurant but I was betting it would be the opposite once you were inside. We got out and I looked up at the building. Felicity’s voice suddenly came from my side. “Have you heard about this place before?”
I looked at her, “Of course. I think everyone in the city has heard of this place.”
“Ever eaten here before?” She started walking off to the entrance where I saw a very long queue.
“Of course I haven’t. I can’t afford somewhere like this.”
“Well, you don’t have to worry about money tonight.”
“What if I’m worrying about getting in. The queue looks pretty long.”
“We don’t have to worry about that either.” She pulled the door open and walked past the queue that stretched up to the welcome desk. We not only received dirty looks from the people waiting but we got a smile from the host.
Felicity leant in close and whispered something in her ear. They had a short conversation before we were shown through the restaurant. Straight past all the tables. The smell of food was amazing in the restaurant but it was nothing compared to when we burst into the kitchen.
I was hit by the scent of gorgeous food and my mouth immediately salivated. Looking around I saw all the chefs, not minding our presence as we made our way through. All the food that was being made looked amazing.
The host showed us through another door and out into the back. There was a man waiting by a single table for two. There was even a candle lit in the middle of the red and white chequered table cloth.
Maybe I had been right about the signals. That was until she got to the table. She leant down and blew out the flame. The man waiting walked off after Felicity said something to him.
As Felicity took her jacket off I looked around. Up was a sky full of stars. The area was surrounded by trellis sticking out of plant pots. Vines with beautiful red flowers bloomed on them. It made the whole place look beautiful.
Then I looked at Felicity, she was staring at me with a little smile on her lips. “It’s pretty nice out here isn’t it.”
“It sure is. How did you manage this?”
“Believe it or not, this is my regular table.” She perched on the edge of the table.
“How?”
“I know the owner.”
At that point a very loud, happy voice came from the kitchen door. “Felicity, my darling.” He wore a baggy white chef’s shirt with the typical black and white trousers. He walked straight up to Felicity, ignoring me as he placed a little kiss on her lips. She got this table because the owner was her boyfriend. A sudden hole appeared in my stomach, ready to swallow my heart whole.
She had never mentioned it but I wasn’t surprised. It wasn’t likely that I was the only person to like her. The chef turned to me with a very big smile on his face. I felt like punching him at that very moment.
“Ryan, this is Harlee. He’s the owner of the restaurant.”
“Hi.” I held out my hand and he shook it.
“Wow, you never told me your friend is so handsome.” Suddenly my thought had been wrong. He spoke again in his very camp voice. “Does he have a boyfriend?”
I looked at her to see her reaction to the question. To my delight she had a nice smile as she said, “He is single at the moment.” Then she looked at me. I smiled and got one in return.
“I might just have to throw my name into the hat before someone else does.” He gave Felicity a little nudge and a wink making me think she did like me. Then I wondered why she hadn’t said anything. Then I realised he was hinting at liking me.
I was about to inform him he was wrong about me but Felicity cut in first. “What specials do you have today?”
“I have the perfect thing for you two. Have a seat and I’ll bring out your food myself. Just ask Vincent here if you would like anything else. I have a terrific wine that will great with the food.”
The waiter came back with some water but was sent back to the kitchen for some wine. Harlee gave us both a big grin before entering the building, leaving us two under the stars together.
We sat down and started a conversation immediately. It first started with the article, explaining about how we should set it out. It quickly moved from professional to personal again. I learnt more things about her I never knew and I in-turn shared more of myself with her.
The food when it was brought out was spectacular. Especially with the wine that had come in the now empty bottle. We had the most juicy steak and the trimmings that came with it stood up to the restaurants reputation. I was stuffed even before they brought out the desert.
It was only ice cream but according to the waiter they make it from scratch on the premises every morning. It was fantastic. The ice cream came with a wafer that tasted like food gold. I only managed to finish half of it before it felt like my stomach was about to explode.
What I loved about the meal even more was the fact that Felicity ate just as much as I did. She even managed to finish her ice cream. I commented on this with a smile. “You sure can eat a lot.”
“When it’s this place I could eat all night.”
“I think I’ll die if I ate anymore.”
“We couldn’t have that. I can’t write this article without you.”
“Sure you can.” We shared a nice smile before the waiter came back to the table.
“Is there anything else I can do for you two tonight?” He looked from her to me. His eyes looking down upon me.
“I don’t think so. Thank you.”
“Of course, sir.” He walked off muttering something in a different language which seemed strange since he had a perfect English accent.
I looked at Felicity who was busy staring up at the night sky. “So, what’s the next move for the article?”
“I guess we should try and get an interview with Henrikson himself. Which won’t be easy.”
“Tell me about it. I heard he doesn’t even have time for business meetings let alone an article which doesn’t paint him in the perfect light.”
“Maybe that will make him agree to the interview. Get his chance to put his view across. Maybe defend himself?”
“Maybe. You never know do you.”
“No you don’t.” She looked at me, a playful glint in her eye. Another signal that I was seeing. But, I was still not going to make a move. I didn’t want to ruin our friendship or the chance of getting my job back. It would be too awkward if she rejected me and I still had to work with her on this article.
With the seconds passing like minutes it seemed forever before there was another word in our conversation. “It’s a nice night. Do you fancy walking me back to my apartment?”
“Sure.” I answered without thinking how I would get home.
“Great. Let’s get going.” She stood and I joined her on my feet. I felt a little light headed thanks to the wine. We made our way back through the kitchen. She grabbed a kiss from Harlee and he gave me a firm handshake before we left.
That’s when her phone went off just outside the restaurant. I got a little excited thinking it could be about the article. However,
when he face dropped it scared that excitement away. “I don’t understand why it’s not allowed. I can’t see that. No…”
There was a long pause before she said the word, fine, with a stern tone. She looked at me. I asked, “Is everything okay?”
“Just something that’s a little disappointing.” She quickly pulled a smile. “I have to pop to the toilet, freshen up. I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Sure, I’ll see you in a little bit.” She quickly scooted off, heading back inside. The first few minutes I spent the time watching people in the queue. Making up little stories in my head about the strangers. After getting a little bored I headed back inside. I couldn’t see Felicity so I tapped the host on her elbow.
“Excuse me. I don’t suppose you could check on my friend in the women’s toilets. She’s been in there a while.” She agreed to do so when she got a second.
I thanked her and headed back out the front. Walking along the empty path I leaned on the tinted window. Felicity’s car was still at the curb so she hadn’t made a run for it. I was there for another minute, watching the odd car or person move past.
Then something cut through the air. A sound that was being carried by the soft breeze. It sounded like a couple arguing. It was nothing new in this city. I was about to ignore it until I recognised the female voice. It was Felicity’s.
I quickly moved away from the restaurant. Finding the near-by alleyway where the voices were coming from. I turned a corner and found the couple and just like I had thought, it was Felicity.
I froze to the spot. This must have been what the phone call had been about. She obviously knew the guy and he wasn’t trying to nick her handbag. I spun on my feet and decided it was none of my business.
That was until I heard her scream. The noise of it rang through my whole body and triggered something deep in my heart. I didn’t know what I was doing until I got behind the man she was arguing with.
My hand shot out and grabbed the sleeve of a very expensive looking jacket. That’s when my heart stopped. The man who had been shouting at Felicity was looking down upon me. It was a look I had seen plenty of times before. My mind couldn’t think of any words as I looked up at my own father. The man I had seen earlier today still wearing his fancy coat.