Max
I stopped in front of a cluster of four high-tech buildings. They were large, smoked glass and steel, each one joined to the next by a covered walkway. I got out of the car and gave the valet the car keys.
The name, GIOVANNI AGriENTerPRICE, was engraved on the building showing the world that I belonged to him.
He did not inherit it from his family but built it from the dust, and it was still growing on. He and my mother - that is.
Perfect couple. A great team, they were until they wavered and broke off. I sighed, making my way through the entrance, and headed towards the receptionist.
"Hey, handsome," As usual, she gave one of her best flirty looks, but this time it did not make me happy as before. Instead, it only made me disgusted. Nevertheless, I still gave her my toothy grin.
"Hey, Clair, is Rose Mary in?" she looked at me with brows furrowed, probably wondering why I did not flirt back.
"Yes, she is but moody, I must warn you," she regained her cool immediately and smiled.
"Thanks" With that, I turned around, and headed towards the private elevator and pressed the 15th floor.
'...which girl sleeps on a man's bed who is not in a relationship with?'
Melisa's words rang in my head.
We don't have any friendly nor genuine connection between us apart from our selfish wants. You want your land, and I want to appease my grandmother. Maybe whatever happened back then was just a reality check. Something to wake us up from these lies we have built our relationship in
I raked my fingers in my hair, suspiring in tiredly. It really hurt when she said those words.
She knew very well that I was trying to be her friend, but she still thought that everything was for the deal.
But then again, she was right. Maybe we did really need a reality check. The two of us were polar opposites, and we should not have forgotten what got us stuck together.
The sound of the elevator stopping snapped me out of my thoughts, and I stepped out.
Brenda, Mom's secretary, was rubbing her temple, exhaustion visible on her face. She raised her head, sensing my presence, and I could see a look of relief when she saw me.
"Thank goodness you are here, Max. Please save us from your mother," she pleaded dramatically. I chuckled, giving her a high five.
"So, I have heard,"
"Clair," she said, frowning when I nodded my head.
"She tells me everything whenever I visit," I grinned, pecking her on the cheeks, before walking towards mom's office.
Slowly I opened the door and leaned against it, watching the most beautiful woman going through her computer and taking some notes down.
She was light skin, a beautiful woman who, when in the dappled light, was an ever-morphing serenity of browns with her thick eyelashes that were so long, fluttering like butterflies. Her hair was dark and tied in a needed ponytail.
"Brenda, I thought I said I don't want any interruption today!" her voice was low, firm but tired.
"You look exhausted," I said, frowning at her. Her head quickly snapped from her work to my direction.
"Max," she went back to what she was doing.
"Hope you have good news for me," she said, not limiting me another glance. I could not help but sigh. We were back to this topic again.
I walked towards her. Work was her medicine to deal with all the stress and loneliness in her life. Ever since Masher passed away, she pushed everyone away, including me. The reason why I lived in the apartment, and not in the main house, was that it was too lonely. She was never there whenever I was. It was either working in the office or at home. And every time I visited; she would start talking about business which I didn't like at the moment.
Deep down, I know that she was trying to rid of everyone near her. She pretended to be strong but was broken inside.
I engulfed her with a hug from behind, taking her by surprise as I felt her stiffen before she relaxed with a sigh leaning in against my chest.
"What do you want? You must want something to be this sweet," she said after a while.
"Ouch, I am always this sweet," I faked hurt, only to hear her chuckle.
"And maybe you are right," I added, squatting in front of her. She rolled her eyes, giving me a mockery smile.
"Aren't you always sweet?" She asked with sarcasm making me grin.
"Always for you only, though I want something from you. I want to always see you smile and not overwork yourself and your workers," I stated, my smile still intact.
She wasn't mad as she was still looking at me with a smile. A sad smile.
"She used to say the same thing, your sister," she said after a while, and I could see the pain in her eyes.
Placing my hand on hers, I squeezed them with a reassuring smile.
"Someone told me today that for our loved ones to be at peace, we have to set them free," her eyebrows creased, looking at me with confusion.
"And to free them, we have to let go, live with the good memories instead of torturing ourselves with self-blames for not doing enough. We should celebrate and be thankful that even if it was just for a short time, we had them in our lives," I finished wiping off the tears that were now streaming down my mother's face.
It hurts to see her like this, pain and this vulnerable.
I know the reality is that one will grieve forever. One will not 'get over the loss of a loved one; One will learn to live with it. One will heal, and one will rebuild oneself around the loss one has suffered.
No matter the pain of the loss, we would be whole again, but we will never be the same. Nor should we be the same, nor would we want to.
I hugged her, rubbing her back softly as she sobbed. This is the first time in many years that I have seen her let her emotions out. I was glad that I came. I was thankful to Melisa for reminding me that life has to continue and live for ourselves as well.
"I didn't know you have wise friends," I heard her say after a while, earning a chuckle from me.
"Well, now I have. She is the wisest," I wildly grinned as she pulled away from the hug giving me a skeptical look.
"A she?" she asked in askance.
"What? Can't I have a female who is a friend? I have Nicky," I reminded her.
"That doesn't sound like Nicky," she stated, sure of herself.
"Because it's not Nicky. You will meet her one day," she was about to ask another question, but I cut her short.
"Let's not talk about other girls. Today is only about you and me,"
"What do you mean?"
"I am taking you out," I said, getting up and closing her laptop, then went ahead in sorting her files.
"What are you doing? No, I'm still working," she tried to reach for the laptop, but I snatched it away, clearing her table.
"No more work. We are going out," I repeated, picking up her handbag.
"What do you mean? I am not going anywhere. There is still a lot to do here. Look," she said, waving her hand over the files.
"Now, don't be like that, Rose Mary. You don't wanna stand this handsome guy overwork, do you?" I used my best puppy face at her earning a soft slap on my chest.
"You big-headed boy, are you flirting with your mother? What has happened to you" I threw my head back, laughing.
Her face was priceless!
"No, mom, I am just trying to lighten your mood. Look at you. I can start to see wrinkles all over your face because you keep frowning 24/7"
"Well, it isn't working," she said, attempting to hide a smile, but I could see right through her.
"Yeah, right, I believe you," I helped her get up and engulf my arm in hers leading her outside the office.
"Wait, let me use the bathroom first." She said, walking towards the bathroom.
I checked my phone, hoping to see if Melisa had, texted, only to be met by Jake's
Jake-Already dropped her safe and sound. -
I didn't even bother to answer as it wasn't what I was looking for. I was about to put back my phone when it rang, and the name on the screen had me frozen for some time, contemplating whether I should answer it or not.
"Hello, son, are you there?" I heard my dad's voice once I answered the phone. I did not speak when I did not answer his question.
"I know you are there. I just called to check on you and your mother. How are you doing?" he continued.
"I was worried," I scoffed loudly enough for him to hear.
Worried, yeah, right, then where is he?
"No need to trouble yourself. I am taking mom out.¨ I curtly replied, ¨ I need to go," and I hung up the phone just in time for mom to return.
"Who was that on the phone?" she asked, walking towards me.
"No one important, come let's go," she hesitated for a while, wanting to ask more but only nodded her head.
Brenda was overjoyed when she saw me leaving with mom and even showed me a thump up behind my mom's back. I had to refrain from laughing out loud.
"Still have eyes on my back," My mom's voice rang in the hallway, making me laugh at her priceless face of Brenda.
"Where are you taking me?" she asked on our way to the lift.
"It's a surprise," I smiled at her.
"I hate surprises,"
"Then, for my sake, start liking them,"
I took my mom out for dinner and then watched one of the movies that Masher loved a lot. It was Mulan, an animation about women's power. Trust me when I say that I had to watch everything she wanted, including the Barbie movies. I was indeed my little sister's slave. She owned me.
I miss her so much.
We also watched the stars and talked about Marsha. I had never seen my mother happy ever since Masher left. Seeing my mom's eye twinkle again made me the happiest son, and all of It was thanks to one woman who turned my inside into turmoil.
She was yet to send me any messages, and the thought did not sit well with me.
The following morning, I made breakfast, not that I knew how to, but I made mom help me, of course. I was very terrible at cooking anything, honestly.
We spent the rest of the day bonding with my mother cracking jokes and other funny kinds of stuff. Even though mom kept wanting to go back to work. I had to come up with every possible reason to keep her beside me. She deserved to be happy after everything she had gone through.
"I know I should not bring this now, but son, I have found a piece of land. You can go and check it. Mr Kamau said it's okay. I have yet to see the pictures," she said, taking a bite from her muffin.
Instead of feeling happy, my stomach clenched at that thought. I wanted so much to complete my mother's task and stop the stress, but if she had already found the land, then that meant that I had to break the deal with Melissa.
Which I couldn't. Not when she was yet to forgive me.
The thought of cutting the only thing connecting us was unbearable.
Why do I feel this way?
"Ah, mom," I started.
"This is my task, and I don't want to fail you,"
"You can never fail me, my son," she smiled warmingly at me, reaching for my hand.
"I know that I have pressured you a lot this past few days, and I am sorry, but you know, the CEO of the company has to be different from your mother, right?" she continued.
"I know, mom. I know that you work very hard every day, and I am not complaining that you pressure me so much at times. Maybe that's just what I need, but you don't have to worry. You have given me a task, and I will see to it that I have accomplished it. The time you had given me hasn't expired yet," she let a little giggle followed by a sigh.
"Okay, son, then the task still stands, and you will be receiving lots of texts from me," that was definitely expected.
"I am happy that instead of being sad about Masher, we got to spend time together. I know I have been distant for a very long time, but it doesn't mean that I love you less or less or unimportant to me,"
I was so emotional listening to her words. I know she loves me. But when things went wrong, and we lost my baby sister, I could not help but feel less important. I was not enough to hold my family together and could not make my mother happy again.