"Where are we going?" Eric asked.
"Soon you will find out." Mr. G. C. smiled as he drove his car.
Today was the day. This was the most exciting moment for Eric since he started to work in Cincinnati. It's not that his work was boring. Since his day one, he loved his work. He enjoyed it together with his co-workers. It's just that lately he was looking for something new, something fresh. Then the letter came. The suspense, the drama and the thrill of his search for the father made him in high spirit.
Actually, Eric couldn't sleep last night. Various possible situations came to his mind. He was thinking on what would be the reaction of the father for publicly reading his letter. Would the father storm out in anger? He then tried to prepare himself for the worst possible scenario either the father would scream at him or even protest. He was also concerned for the current condition of the father. He was worried that the father might not have much strength to talk with him. He also thought of the place that they would go. Would it be a hospital or maybe a home for the aged since the father was alone in life? Imagining the situation of the father, he felt sad. However, he also couldn't find peace to rest as his excitement grew every minute. It took him some-while before he was able to sleep.
"If I may ask, last night, you said that only one of us is allowed to talk with him. Why is that?" Eric asked.
Mr. G. C. smiled. "It's not actually only one. I just made that up. The truth is that he only wanted to talk with you. I knew that Ms. Pace would give in if I said that only one would be allowed to talk with him and I was right since you found the book," Mr. G. C. explained.
"Me? Why only me?"
"No offense with Ms. Pace but she's a lady and it would only make the father sad since the daughter is almost the same age as Ms. Pace now."
"I see. I understand now." Eric now knew two things. The longing of the father was still there and that the daughter is almost the same age as Casey and him.
"By the way, you could ask anything to him but please don't ask him about his cancer," Mr. G. C. said.
"May I know the reason why?"
"He becomes hot-tempered whenever he hears about his illness."
"I see." Eric scratched his head, as he was disappointed. He wanted to know more about the father's condition as he thought of some questions last night that he might ask today. "Anyway, if I may ask, how did you come to know the author of the letter? I mean, sure, he was your client but how did you meet him? I ask this since I noticed last night and even today that you seem to be attached with him," he added.
"Well, it was some years ago that I passed the bar exam. I was working as a neophyte lawyer in a large firm when this middle-aged man came to me and suddenly asked me one question." Mr. G. C. glanced at Eric. "What is a client to you? He asked me. I was like, you know, idealist that time, responded to him by saying that a client is a person with dignity that should be respected no matter what his or her status in life is." He smiled recalling the exact moment he first met the father.
"Can you guess what he said afterwards?" Mr. G. C. asked.
"What?" Eric asked.
"He laughed. Then said that he liked me and he wanted to make me his private lawyer. I just stared at him since I wasn't sure if he could afford my fee. It's not that I'm just after for money. I mean, he was in an inexpensive polo, jeans for pants and old ragged shoes for footwear. He has no bright shiny accessories, no diamond or gold. Would you think, a man like that can afford a private lawyer and for what purpose? Yet when he left, one of our veteran lawyers approached me and congratulated me. I was perplexed. Was my boss being sarcastic since the middle-aged man cannot afford my fee? Then again, he told me that the man who was talking with me is actually a big client in our company. As they say never judge a book by its cover. I was wrong."
Both Eric and Mr. G. C. laughed heartily. The middle-aged man remained simple. Despite having lots of money, he lived a simple life, owned simple things. "It was the first of the many meetings between us. True to his word, he got me as his private lawyer. And after eight years, here we are. I am still working for him not only as a lawyer but sometimes his private accountant, other times his butler but most of all, his companion. I'm just grateful to him for changing my life. He did not only influence my life but more so, he influenced my view on life," Mr. G. C. said.
"I guess you're really close with him. I mean not only as a lawyer but more so as a companion," Eric remarked.
"Oh… He's not just a client to me. Well, we started with a lawyer-client relationship but through time, it expanded. He's like… how could I say this… a family to me. Although we're not relatives or whatsoever, he's like my second father now."
"I see…" Eric observed that they were going to a place unfamiliar to him. Well, most of the places in Ohio were still new to him even though he was already staying in Cincinnati for months now. He was so absorbed with his work. His daily routine was from his room to the radio station, if Dexter would pull him then to Ally's and back to his room. Sure enough, he was hosting many events of the radio station in different places but to travel for fun or explore, he was not able to do ever since his transfer to Cincinnati.
"I heard from Mr. Lu that you're the youngest DJ among the young blood at WJRQ 103 and you're not yet from here… in Ohio."
"Yeah… but I'm from the other side of Central Bridge. So basically I'm nearer to Cincinnati than other places."
"Ah… Newport. It's a nice place. I have been there several times for some court meetings," Mr. G. C. said.
A deafening silence occupied the space between them for some time. To ease up the atmosphere, "How did you meet Luther?" Eric asked even though he already knew the answer.
"He's a frequent customer of the shop. If I'm not mistaken, he goes there almost daily before going to work and he buys the same coffee everyday."
"Oh… I see. What does he usually order?"
"He loves latte for coffee. For pastry, he usually gets the cinnamon roll. Sometimes, he tries new pastries. However, his coffee should always be a latte." Both of them laugh. They knew how Luther works. He's the type of guy who's predictable in his daily schedule. He has that same pattern printed on his forehead.
"If I may ask, why did you read the letter during your program?" Mr. G. C. asked.
Eric was prepared for that question. He had hoped for the best and had prepared for the worst. He has thought about it last night as a possible question of the author. "I don't know if you would believe me but there seems to be a voice wanting to be released from the letter. Every time I read, I always feel the message asking to be sent to the addressee." Eric caressed the side of his neck. "I know it's a bit weird but that's the reason why," he added.
Mr. G. C. just smiled. He understood how Eric felt. He had also read the letter before and he felt the same way. There was a force begging to be sent to the daughter. He knew it and that is why he made sure that the classic books would be sold in well-known second hand bookshops so as to not acquire many cobwebs.
"We're almost there," Mr. G. C. said.