Cats In the Cradle

15. Daniel

Mr. Augustus regularly visited me in the week leading up to the retreat. He seemed really excited, for some reason, and I eventually found that his excitement was contagious.

He was such a good guy, and he had everything I wanted in my own life. He had a beautiful, devoted wife, 13 children—way more than I'd want, but props nonetheless—who were all married with children of their own, and he was respected and successful. And happy.

I began to look forward to his daily visits, listening eagerly to his advice about life and abou navigating through struggles and heartbreak. He seemed so wise, like he'd already lived a thousand lives. I told him that, and he'd laughed, saying his wisdom came from years of experience, as well as blessings from The Great Spirit.

I didn't find much online about the church, which was honestly kind of strange. It made me a little wary, suddenly afraid that it would be some scheme to take my inheritance or something. But Mr. Augustus assured me that there would be no money involved, and I would fit right in.

All I needed to do was be open to the experience.

So I was.

Mr. Augustus picked me up from my apartment bright and early on Saturday morning. We drove to a quiet, secluded little community on the outskirts of town. I didn't even know it existed.

The people at the retreat were so friendly and welcoming, frequently commenting on how tall and strong I looked, like Orion. They all seemed very into Greek mythology, and the Greek god Orion was brought up quite a bit.

There was no technology allowed, so I had to hand over my phone. They taught me about how they lived a simpler lifestyle, harvested their own food, and raised animals. It was kind of strange, but nice.

And every night, we sat around a fire and shared things about ourselves while we drank iced tea. I was pretty sure it was spiked, but I couldn't tell what it was spiked with. I felt drunk, high, relaxed, and horny all at the same time. But I appreciated that they provided it for those of us who were having a harder time opening up.

I confessed that I was struggling after a horrible breakup, and with the whole "nature vs nurture" internal war. And once I mentioned that Alessandro DeSantos was my father, it was like everyone instantly understood. And the counselors seemed much more friendly and almost reverent after that, for whatever reason.

Maybe they knew how horrible he was, and they could see how much it was weighing on me.

They said they were big on marrying young, before you were tempted to sow your wild oats with people who could corrupt you, and that struck a chord within me. I had been determined to find a good woman at the beginning of my junior year of college for that exact reason, but I'd allowed Sienna's gorgeous breasts to steer me from that path.

And look where it got me. There was clearly something to be said about marrying young and choosing partners wisely.

At the end of the week, I felt much lighter. I felt like maybe I could see myself joining their church and turning my life around. I didn't think I'd ever actually move into the community, but I was definitely open to adopting some of their principles. It seemed to center around good and bad light and energy, which was kind of New Age-y, but it appeared to be working for them.

Mr. Augustus drove me back home on Sunday and handed me back my belongings. I thanked him gratefully for inviting me. I could already feel my depression dying down, that voice of Alessandro a little bit quieter than it was a week ago.

Before I got out of the car, he stopped me.

"Daniel, I watched you closely this past week. I saw the way you opened up your heart, how the light returned to your eyes. I could see you becoming a church leader, son. I could even see you taking over the business one day, if I'm being honest. I'm getting up in my years, and I'd like to retire soon. Maybe Augustus Financial Services could be DeSantos Financial Services again someday."