Say The Word

Chapter 36- Still Waiting For Time To Wash My Pain Away

  "Mon ange," three quick taps on the toilet door alerted me from my struggle with my bowtie. "Are you ready? We should go now, the party starts in an hour."

"Give me a second, pa, I'm almost done." Yeah, I was totally not about to murder a non-living object. How I love getting ready for parties by rich people in the busiest state with the worst traffic jams. Of course this stupid event had to be in Tazania because why not. My hand grazed over my chest, nine years and seven more months to go, I reminded myself. The past three months of trying to get another visit was undoubtedly denied, all of my attempts flopped like cold pancakes; they were not lying when they said they would deny visit. I got the message along the way; the desperation in me was buried deep down, not to be seen again before they were released.

"Vastel, are you done? We HAVE to go," uneasiness laced in papa's tone.

I hummed as a reply before deciding the bowtie had enough adjusting and I took a deep breath before stepping out of the bathroom. Papa gave me a 'finally' look before patting me on the shoulder, "Let us go now, I know you do not want to go, me neither, but we have no choice, it's from Kaiser, it would be rude of us to turn him down."

Kaiser..? Vati used to work with them as an analyst before he was a teacher, if I were not mistaken. The possibility that he would be there nudged me in the wrong way. Papa's slightly excited voice gave me no room to think about leaving last second, "They are really nice, so do not worry, mon chou. This could be fun, you know? Get out there, know someone. I heard he has a son around your age."

"Really? Sounds cool," my answer was half-hearted, my head still in the clouds, wondering when we could leave Tazania. There was not much joy in my life anymore, as edgy as that sounds, all I ever wanted to do was to finally go back to my room and take a long nap, maybe I could just wake up and things would be back to normal, where I would still have to go to school, but only the resentment for Vati would be far from my mind and Ceb just a fifteen minute walk away; where all the good things that had happened to me stayed the same.

But, hey, sometimes some things change and I can't do anything about it. A fantasy will always be a fantasy. The reality was I graduated high school, having nothing to do, I was an admin at papa's clinic in the hospital he worked in (I started a month back so I don't spend all my time with Elly anymore), while debating if I should send the letters I wrote to Ceb and waiting for my college acceptance letter. Life seemed sort of...aimless out of school, a part of me wanted to get studying again in no time, and another part, well, let's just say I would much rather not be anywhere but my room, college would require me to be in Tazania (if I got accepted).

We walked down the halls of the hotel that led to the lobby on red carpeted floor, not many people walked pass us, just a few staffs carrying heavy luggage and the rest were fresh residents. Our formal wear did not feel as out of place as it should, with quite a number of people dress the same as we did,

The grey skies were painted with angry red streaks, the sun barely visible shining blindingly behind skyscrapers made out of tinted glass and cement, and I felt unbearable small standing next to papa at the side of the hotel entrance with various types of crowds coming to and fro in a rush in front of us while we waited for the valet.

▪▫▪▫▪

To say that the place was grand would be an understatement.

It was not hard to imagine somebody would live in that mansion, and that was the weird feeling. I thought Elly's place was enough to desensitize me; heck, I thought my entire life of going to fancy parties by rich people for rich people were enough to make me get used to the sight of them, but no, how wrong was I.

The mansion was not like Elly's place or any others, it was extremely big, yes, yet there was sort of a homely feeling to it, if it makes sense. As if somebody actually spent the entirety of their lives here; normally, places like this would be impossible to picture somebody living their day to day lives. Every inch looked spotlessly clean, sparkling with polish. There were not many people there, the second door (yes, apparently one set of door was not enough for them) were still close shut, with butlers and maids guarding the sides. Guests were just lounging about, scattered between inside, where we were; and outside, where the garden with rows of low green bushes were.

Papa looked at his watch, humming to himself in French that we were early. With my head resting on my hand that was on top of the provided velvet burgundy sofa, I looked outside, not to people-watch but to zone out while staring into the slow ever-changing skies, fixated on the fading orange, dreaming about my own soft isolating bed.

▪▫▪▫▪

Oh, Jesus, when papa said the Kaisers have a son my age, he was not joking. Brown hair that parted from the right side neatly slicked back, a pair of warm brown eyes under carefully trimmed eyebrows and long eyelashes, in a form fitting tuxedo, was Luzien Kaiser. He was familiar; in fact, too familiar that I knew who he was the second Mr. Misha Kaizer introduced that son of his.

Papa introduced me to the father and son as well, my lips forcing into a smile as I addressed the host. He was a tall man, and Luzien definitely got his genes for height. He only wore a vest and a dress shirt underneath with a tie, his black coat hung on the hand of the butler beside him. Pointed moustache, and just like his son, hair gelled up and parted, gray only showing at the roots of his hair.

"Really appreciate your treatment and suggestions for Darya's back, Doc, they really helped ease the pain," Mr. Misha said with a smile, hand patting papa's shoulder.

"Do not worry about it, congratulations on the new project though, the medical field does need more advancements and technology," papa raised his glass of champagne at him a little.

"Of course, the medical field needs all the help it can get advancing it" ─ he turned to Luzien ─ "Boy, take Vastel here for a tour or something, you two can do whatever, just don't get into trouble."

I looked at papa to see him looking at me, signalling that it was alright for me to go with him while they talked about Mr. Misha's project. Luzien did not hesitate one bit, taking the lead to pull me into the dense crowd, avoiding servers with experienced slithering, and turning back to check on me from time to time. I was, indeed, fighting for my breath tailing him, not that he needed to know.

We were at a hallway miraculously, the soft music seemed to have cut off, staying muffled behind the line of the open wooden doors.

Luzien spoke first, "So, it's you. Vastel, was it? I remember you."

I confirmed, it was from Sumi's ballet dance. "Did not know you are a Kaiser."

He gave a light breathy laugh, "Yeah, and I didn't know you are the son of my mother's doctor. Do you want to stand here by the door awkwardly and talk or do you want me to show you around like my pa suggested?"

I chose the latter, not knowing that that was the beginning of something unexpected.