Faith is a Secret Not a Promise

Chapter 2 - A Side Less Sweet

Michael

Waking up is always a drag; yet it is still the easiest part of my day.
I suppose that's the valid reality of being the CEO of my late father's company. Daily late nights at the office, fixing every persons' mistakes from that day, since it's somehow much less effort than simply shouting and firing people. Though I do have a reputation for both. A contrasting reputation, in fact, to that of my father's. A perpetually smiling man who was unceasingly kind to everyone with the only ever reason being, that he wanted to. He was the boss I always tried to be, even when he was still alive. But God, was it so much easier to know how to be nice to people when he was here to tell me what to do.

Nevermind, cancer won the war of kindnees in the end.

I swing my legs round to the over-hanging side of the bed as I glance around my hotel room. I've never been much of a fan of rooms beside my own, after all I'm a creature of habit who is convinced to be allergic to unfamiliarity. Standing slowly, I start towards the bathroom annoyed by the lack of freshness I feel after sleeping for what should have been enough hours.

The usual routine of getting ready continues as I remind myself of today's agenda: get coffee ( multiple times ), go to yet another college to give the same old boring talk about some very subjective advice on how to become successful in the world of business, get more coffee, oversee my own company's progress and finally, sleep. Manageable? Let's hope so.

______

Driving through London is not exactly the simple task I thought it to be upon initially arriving, perhaps given the fact that it's the slowest city in the whole world to drive through. However, I don't have much choice than to bear the traffic, since I haven't quite been able to figure out the London Underground system yet in the span of the week I've been here. Besides, I'm only in the passenger seat, it's Terry (my offical driver) doing the hard work of this task. Eventually, after an unnecessarily long time, we arrive.

Gathering my belongings, I bid Terry 'goodbye for now' as he knows to wait for when this godawful lecture will end. Despite my grim mood, which no doubt can be seen through my sour expression, I do feel a certain power in walking through a college as a power-stricken business man amongst these power-hungry twenty-year-olds. My expensive suit, the money haircut, a firm walk and stoic face; I look like the exact definition of 'asshole'. Yet, would I change it? Only a deluded person would ask me that question.

After being curtiously directed to the office of a Mrs Briggs, I knock on the door not really knowing who I expect to open it. To my delight, it's a cheerful older lady who seems overly excited to see me, though her exaggerated excitement appears geniune.

"Oh, well you must be Michael Bardo. I am just so pleased to have you here! My name is Amanda Briggs, how are you today Michael?", her enthusiasm certainly has its effect on people as I can't help but invite a warm smile to spread across my face as she addresses me with that sweet grandmother presence (with a British accent of course).

"Hello Mrs Briggs, I'm doing good thanks, what about yourself?"

"Well I'm just fine now that you're here darling, please come in", she pauses before she moves aside, with a teasing smile emerging, "but only if you call me Amanda."

A chuckle bubbles in my throat as I nod, noticing how comfortable she makes me feel, which is precisiely what I need right now. We walk futher into her office, closing the door me I glance around and look at the interior. Bookshelves rich with both knowledge and sentiment, framed pictures on the walls, a cozy rug on the floor leading up to her desk, perpendicular to a couch, which she clearly prefers to sit at.

"So Michael, we don't have long until we should make our way to begin the lecture, but I'd love to hear how your stay has been so far", she waits for me to asnwer as she takes a seat on one end of the couch, I follow suit onto the other. I'm not quite sure how to tell her that I've done practically nothing but work on my tour of lectures in some select few countries. "Well Amanda, unfortunately I haven't had much time to myself yet, though I wish I did", that's not actually true; I've had plenty of time, just no desire to go sightseeing as if I'm on some relaxing holiday.

"What a shame! Oh you must change that Michael, there's so much to see around here. Oh, I bet I know what you would like...Camden! It's honestly wonderful, I've been there many times myself."

Genuinely intrigued I ask, "What is it?".

"Well it's a sort of market place with many food, clothes and jewllery stalls and other weird and wonderful things. That's what Lonon is best known for, it's overpriced tat!"

Another chuckle threatens to escape, Amanda Briggs is definitely one animated personality.

"Darling, could I get you a cup of tea to calm your nerves?"

"Oh I'm not nervous Amanda." I defend, surprised by her remark.

"You're only human sweetheart", she tilts her head slightly and looks at me softly as if I were her favourite grandson.

"A tea would be great, thank you."

______

Amanda leads me to the lecture room, though I don't feel as reluctant as the previous visits I've been on, perhaps Amanda's positive personality has rubbed off onto me. We approach a wooden door, though identical to the rest, I rightly assume it is where the lecture will take place. She turns back and whispers a quiet 'good luck' before gently pushing open the door.

She saunters in with her breezy quality, which somehow holds the power to hush the immense chatter of her many students. I follow in my regular, firm composure unwilling to look at the vast number of people in this grandly sized room. Instead I continue to keep a strict gaze ahead of me, in which I see Amanda look back and give me a consoling smile.

She reaches her desk in pinnacle position to the room, when she then turns to her students, addressing them in the same manner as she did to me. "Hello everyone. I'm sure you're all excited for this lecture to begin", this is followed with (and to my surprise) the majority of students avidly nodding their heads, as if actually engaged and waiting for me to talk. Amanda must have seriously exaggerated my success to her students.

"Well then, I'd love to introduce to you, Michael Bardo", clapping erupts as she steps aside allowing me to take her place as the new speaker. Only then do I finally look at everyone.

All eyes on me I suppose, well what did i expect? Though this time feels different. It feels more...more? I can't quite put my finger on it yet.

Finally, I begin my lecture.
"Thank you Mrs Briggs ( I would guess that she didn't want me to use her first name infront of her students ), I am delighted to be here today on my tour of educating young people like yourselves on how to become like me."
it was the same, now tasteless, introduction I have used in every talk so far, yet for some unknown reason I found myself prouncing it clearer this time, talking louder, even standing up slightly straighter.

I continue to make eye contact with the room as I proceed to talk through the rest of my speech, until.

My gaze haults.
I keep talking despite the rest of my mind and body becoming completely disengaged.
My eyeline had stopped on another. One specific pair of eyes.
I don't know why, but I keep talking, only ever ripping my gaze for some very few seconds before returning. 

It's as if I was talking to him. And only to him.

The rest of my speech dissolves directly into his green eyes. And I don't mind.