Life Without You

Chapter 33 - Out of Rehab

The day of freedom finally arrived.

Leon's liver readings were back to normal and his withdrawal symptoms had died down. However, his vocal cords were still healing and he was reminded again not to attempt to sing until his vocals fully regained their strength.

Nevertheless, Leon showed great progress that the rehab decided to release him earlier than the stipulated time frame.

"Well done, son. I am so pleased with your progress. Don't forget the words I shared with you," Ron patted his back.

"I won't," said Leon, who was proud of his own progress.

"Feel free to ping me whenever you need a listening ear."

Leon felt touched by Ron's unpretentious warmth. If there was one best thing that come out of rehab, it was Ron. To gain another friend meant more than anything else for someone like him who had been lonely for so long.

Not only Ron's gardening therapy taught Leon a new hobby that he'd grown to love, Ron was also trustworthy despite being long-winded at times, having no intention of ill will. Despite working in one of the most expensive rehabs in the country, Ron was a down-to-earth, simple man who just wanted to help others and he revealed how he chose to live a minimalist life in order to be free of materialism, debt and he just wanted to happy. Despite Leon being a much richer man than him, he envied that part about Ron, and he wished that Ron's son would bury the hatchet and mend the relationship with his father, and see the wonderful man he had become.

Through many of their heart-to-heart talks and the therapeutic activities, Leon found the strength to get over Ariel and he was no longer obsessing over her like he used to. He made peace with fact that she had moved on with Hiroshi despite missing their happy times and their once strong emotional bond. Leon knew that for his sanity's sake, he had to move on. What was even better, he no longer dreamt about her and those scary nightmares.

Brent Bay was no longer needed for now and he was paid handsomely for his work,  even though he was somewhat disappointed not being able to meet Leon Waltz in person.

When Leon reached home, he scanned the penthouse that he had not stepped in for months.

Anna did a good job keeping it clean and dust-free. His favourite hang-out place, the minibar was wiped clean of all alcohol and replaced with pots of fragrant herbs and flowers. His mother, Mrs Waltz had it transformed into a little indoor garden with built-in lights. It was done up quite creatively and pretty eye-catching like an Instagram-worthy home and decor. Mrs Waltz was to stay with him temporarily as his live-in home cook. She made sure her son stick close to a healthy diet of well-balanced organic foods and freshly-squeezed juices from her gardens that she had delivered on a weekly basis.

Leon walked into the room that once drove him crazy - the room of his former chef. The furniture was changed and every trace of remembrance of Ariel was wiped clean for the first time. Even the bedsheets she used to sleep in smelt of a new detergent with a citrus fragrance so that Leon would not be reminded of her scent. A glass bottle that contained orange and pomegranate scented oil with reed diffusers replaced the original lavender smell that Ariel was fond of.

What was once Andy's room was now converted back into a guest room. It still felt odd not having a kid around even after so long. Leon remembered forgoing some of his usual nights at the clubs just to come home straight away from work so that he could look forward to cute little Andy sharing some exciting stuff he learnt at school.

Leon ran his hand along the top of the backrest of the living room sofa, reminiscing the occasions when Andy would run his lego cars on it and that one time he leaned on the backrest to look out at the window and revealed the sadness of not having a father. Sometimes, Andy would impersonate his favourite Marvel superheroes and run around the house acting in make-believe. 

And there was the pool, Andy's favourite spot where he'd swim so often after school.

The penthouse had reverted back to the life he knew before meeting them, but it did not feel quite right anymore. The spaciousness of this big luxurious house was beginning to feel overwhelming for one person. Even Ron's tiny wooden house on wheels felt more cosy and relaxed than his own penthouse!

Just then, Arnold called.

"What's up?" answered Leon.

"You're finally free! Finally FINALLY!" exclaimed Arnold.

"Yes....I think."

"Great! Let's get down to business."

"Before you do, have you found out any scoop on CherryBerryKiss?"

"Oh, that one. Our PR team did some diggin'. She seems to be only active on Instagram. We checked on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, etc. There are profiles with the same username, but we don't think they're the same person. Other than that, no other information that's vital enough to lose sleep over."

"What do you mean?"

"She's just a fan who really likes you," Arnold dismissed with a laugh.

"You serious? Is that all you can conclude? After all the traces of evidence I showed you? The fact that she follows you too?"

"Ah! Get over it. She's harmless. Fans do say things that can be spot on at times. I mean, com'on, it's just coincidence. It's not like this cherry berry lady has the power to influence the media with a few short comments about you."

"I digress, I know she's a mole in our midst!"

"Well, that's your point of view. And if she is, why isn't she revealing your secrets to the media? Perhaps she's someone at Avon who's gotta crush on you. Anyway, I don't want our PR team to waste any more time on this. We've got more important things to do."

Leon exhaled loudly, not pleased with the way Arnold was making light of his convictions, "This matter shouldn't be sidetracked. I've got an awful gut feeling about this..."

"Look dude, she's not worth a nitpick, ok? You have many women falling for you."

"Whatever. Next topic."

"Right," Arnold got excited, "I've got a talkshow in the pipeline for you!"

"Talkshow?" Leon rubbed his eye with a finger, "I'm not ready,"

"What? Not again!" Arnold exclaimed. "Do you know how tough it is for opportunities to fly by? So many opportunities have evaporated cos you've disappeared for MONTHS, my friend. We can't keep giving excuses after excuses just to cover up your rehab. Even Brent Bay can't sing or act for you. The talkshow is the least you can do for Avon now that you can't sing."

"Sheldon Avon, you mean?"

"Listen," Arnold sighed in frustration. "If you don't take it, it'll be passed to Jake Miliano. Already, he's taking away more and more of your limelight. He's young and keen and will do anything that you won't."

Jake Miliano!

Did Arnold have to rub his competitor's name in his face? Even though they were under the same label, by no means did Leon ever consider him a real threat. Until now.

"So, what's this talkshow?" asked Leon.

"It's The Elia Dera Show. She wants you on her talk show. Great exposure!"

"Elia Dera?!" gasped Leon.

Elia Dera, the nation's most watched and most successful talk show host who could rake in millions of viewers worldwide. She was well-known for her strange and elaborate wigs that she wore only once for each show, her bright and colourful weird clothes and makeup, and her exaggerated facial expressions and gesticulations that cause millions to laugh. Many loved Elia's comedic skits and her crude jokes poking fun at herself, politicians and other celebrities. In addition, whenever she interviewed celebrities, she was brazen with her prying questions and oftentimes, insensitive remarks.

"Tell her, NO," Leon was adamant.

"Com'on, Leon. You know you need this more than anything else. Besides, your finances are in a hot mess. Being on her show will give you the much-needed publicity," Arnold persuaded.

Even though Leon did not like his suggestion, Arnold was unfortunately right. Other than Elia Dera, there were no other interesting offers, much less those that did not include singing live.

After hesitating, Leon relented, "Alright, when's the slot?"