I go back to my apartment with light steps, and even with lighter heart. Since I didn't bring neither my wallet nor my phone, I decided to just walk my way home.
I don't know whether it is always like this, or it is because my heart is so happy right now, but it is really a beautiful morning. It is only 7 AM, so the traffic is not too crowded. I can hear few birds tweet now and then. People who passes me by is so also cheerfully smiles back at me. So I deliberately choose to walk in human speed to enjoy them all.
It is almost 9 AM when I arrive at my apartment. After showering, I check my phone for any message while making my self a breakfast. There are two messages, one from Andy to remind me about dinner appointment we have tonight, apparently the exercise took me two days. The other one is from Thief
[What is the nickname that his ex-fiancee said Quint Rauss had ?]
Weird.
[Quite. Why ?]
Less than a minute later, Thief calls me.
"What is ..."
"I think you have 75% chance to be Quint Rauss," Thief cuts me.
"..."
"Score ??"
I was so dumbfounded to respond her.
"You must be kidding," I say afterward,
"I'm not. Let me explain.."
"And why are you whispering ? Where are you ?"
"My dormitory," Still whispering Thief answers. "Wait a minute, let me go outside first."
Why must she go outside first ? But I don't say a word to her.
"Okay," Thief say after a minute with normal volume. "Hmm.. so.. I met this guy.."
"Aha.." I respond her in teasing tone.
"He is applying as one of my father's cyber security staff.."
"Ah, so you just 'met' him ?" I tease her more.
"Well.. we dated last night." I can feel Thief is blushing. "Anyway.. he is a genius.. and he loves to play anagram," she quickly continues her words.
"Okay.. sound like a fun guy," I still tease her. I'm happy that she starts to open her heart for guys, you know after all what she's been through, I thought she might have phobia to man.
"So.. after dinner, we.. ehem.. went to my dormitory and played anagram all night long.."
"A guy stays at a girl's place to only play anagram ? Is he a gay ??"
"Do you want me to explain or not ? Why do you keep cutting me with non essential comments ?" She barks me. I laugh.
"Okay.. okay.. I will be silent.
"So we picked random words from anything we say and competed to make as many words out of them. At one point, I remember about one of your scorpion. Death Stalker. Well, he still won though. Then, this morning I woke up with its latinos' name, quinquestriatus. The anagram of it is Quint Quite Rauss,,"
"Come on.. but Rauss is death."
"I know. But it is the only connection between you and the scorpion dream. I man, Mrs. Rauss herself came to you, not just once but twice and claimed that you are her son."
"..."
"I mean.. maybe.. maybe.. somehow in twisted way, his death is not real. I mean.. like Tim Chang .."
"But.. why ??"
"I really don't..."
I hear a male voice talking to Thief, "There you are. Why are you outside ?"
"I'll be joining you soon," she says to the guy with muffled voice. I guess she covers her phone's mic. "It's my mom..."
"Your mom ??" I can't help not teasing her.
"I got to go, Mom. Talk to you later, okay. Love you.." Then she hangs up the call. I chuckle to have her action. But soon, my mind is already occupied with Thief's theory that I totally forget about the breakfast I was about to prepared.
The Tim Chang's theory is not far-fetched at all. I mean, if I could come out with that faking death method, obviously someone that has more power and resource than me can also do it. There must be more than one genius like Thief in the world and a general of A country definitely can pay this person to fake DNA, change news and other stuffs to make sure that his son is dead.
But.. why he did that ? That's the real question. Why he needed to fake his son's, which is me, death ? Were I a bad son ? Did I do something that humiliated the family or maybe even his career ? Or.. was I .. some kind of fugitive.. ? Maybe I did something so bad and should go to prison or maybe even.. dead penalty.. ? I did, didn't I ?
I must be an assassin from the beginning of my live. That's explain why even when they clean my brain, I am still naturally wanted to be assassin. Maybe, that's the result of my training before I was adopted by the Rauss. So maybe I was caught and then given a dead penalty, then my dear father decided to fake my death to give me a second chance. That's why he brainwashed me, hoping that I could have a live as a new man.
Thinking about that possibility warms my heart. I just realized I had been temperamental since I knew that someone deliberately playing with my brain. Knowing that the reason for my fabricated brain and memory-loss is not for cruel intention, but love of a father, even it is still a speculation, definitely reduces my anger.
Should I call the Rauss to confirm it ? "No," I whisper to my self. Let them live their lives peacefully. Even though Mrs. Rauss has come to me, I could tell that she hide it from her husband. Maybe it's because her husband doesn't want to remember me anymore. Maybe he had enough of me.
And he made right decision. I haven't changed. I am still an assassin. Well, I'm definitely smarter than I was before in term of not getting caught, but I am still an assassin. I do dirty job that most people think has the lowest morality, killing people. And I have never been remorse a bit about it.
No. I won't disturb their live with my appearance again. A phone call disturbs my thought. Someone calls my work phone.
---------------
In the evening I meet Andy at the restaurant we agreed in advanced. Since I broke up with Jennifer, this good friend of mine has been so kindly to regularly take me to dinner at least once a week.
"I think you have lost your charm, both in love life and work," Andy utters in teasing tone. I chuckle in response since my mouth is still full.
"The truth is, I have rejected some job offers this past two months. Six offers to be exact," I tell him once my mouth is empty.
"Why did you reject them ?"
"Can you believe that those six offers, all from different people, asked me to take on one person ?"
"Really ? Who is it ?"
I glare my sight around me to make sure no one has their intention to us before answering him with a low tone, "Thief's father."
Andy bulges his eyes before they turn into a fretful sight. "It's no surprise though.. his opponent is a true demon," he hisses. I nod. Actually, I believe Mr. Whittaker is not a totally innocent man. But no matter how evil he is, he is the father of my partner and friend. So of course I reject the offer no matter what.
"Are you planning on being his guard like you did to Jen ?" Andy asks, surely to tease me again.
"He has more than enough men to protect him," I answer him seriously, didn't catch his joking intention since my attention is placed on a silhouette I just saw. " Shit !" I quickly throw away my face and cover it with my hand.
"What's wrong ?" Andy asks in confusion.
"Don't look at your right !" I tell him in vain. Of course that order even make him turn his head to is right. "Ooh.. " he sighs in understanding. But it is too late for him to turn away.
"Andy !" A very familiar voice calls him cheerfully.
"Hi, Jennifer.." Andy replies, faking a smile while his sight is leering at me. I eventually lower my hand and turn my head to her that comes toward us.
"Hi, Jen," I greet him with all the coolness I can gather. I even manage to put a smile on my face.
"Hi, Scott," she replies," I didn't expect to see you both here.." It is Sunday night and the restaurant Andy as picked is .. well suitable for dating, actually. I can feel my face is getting red all the sudden.
"It's my birthday," Andy says to save my face.
"O Wow.. Happy Birthday !" Jennifer says then gives him kisses in both cheeks.
"Thank you," Andy murmurs while leering his eyes to me.
"There you are.." a male voice is heard from her back. A second later a man approaches her and rounding his hand to her waist, "I've been looking around for you."
"Oh, Jeff.. they are my friends.." Jennifer says to that man. My eyes don't miss how she smoothly release his hand off from his waist. I guess she notice my reddish face. "Andy Vaccaro and Scott Bennet." she continues then peck the man's chest, "This is Jeff Donovan."
Andy and I shake his hand.
"We should go now or we will miss the movie," Jeff says to Jennifer afterward.
"Oh, right," Jennifer says in response then smiles before saying good bye to Andy and me.
The dinner we had afterward was very tense and awkward. Even Andy didn't dare to kid around knowing my mood just dropped down to the bottom because of her appearance.
Well, her appearance is merely the cause of it, of course. I am very annoyed knowing that she is in a date, and not even with the same man she had sex with yesterday. The worse thing is,It really seems that she has moved on with our relationship, while I.. well I definitely haven't.
Due to my mood, Andy didn't even dare to offer me to go clubbing afterward. So after dinner, I just go back to my apartment, grabbing some bottles of beer and just sit in front of the television, letting it showing whatever it has to me while all my mind busy of is to calm my self down with the cold beer and keep reminding my brain to have 'human' mode.
After my third bottle, I decide to move my butt to sit in front of the window. My hand unconsciously grab my scope that just laid on the table near the chair I sit on and before I realize, I already throw my sight to Jen's window.
It is still dark there. Of course, you stupid.. she still in a date. She might even not coming home tonight, just do it in his place. I deliberately regulate my breathing.
You should be happy for her, a voice whispers to my ear. She is living her normal life back. That's what you want for her, right ? The voice continues. I nod. It is true. She deserves it. She deserve a normal happy life. She will never have it with me.
"But I'm sad," I whisper to my self, admitting my feeling then sight. It is the curse I need to carry on for the rest of my live. No woman deserves to live with me. I sigh again. For the first time in this five years of my live, I regret to be an assassin.