Boring job.
Boring apartment.
Boring life.
Everything about my life was boring, and nothing could have changed that fact.
But as soon as I got that card, everything...and I mean EVERYTHING, completely changed.
...
"Welcome home...daddy."
MATURE [18+...
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O N E Y E A R L A T E R
THE CUSTOMERS INSIDE THE café were talking over each other, almost making it impossible for me to concentrate on the document that I was reading on my tablet.
"You seem busy," someone asks amidst the growing noise that's accompanied by the sound of rain that's coming from outside. I take my eyes off the screen to look back at the owner of the voice, Todd Cooper, who was sitting across from me wearing an expensive-looking suit. He was bored, I could tell, and I could also tell that he was starting to get impatient.
"I actually am busy, so if you want to leave you can go," I coldly tell him, and instead of getting mad, Todd started whining like a kid.
"Day! Please, help me out here!" He finally tells me, and I looked at him and chuckled before taking a sip of my coffee.
"I told you, I'll be busy. I can't babysit your kid again like last time. And besides, it's not my problem your wife's going on a vacation with her friends. You're the other parent you idiot, you should take care of your own kid," I seriously tell him, and Todd just pouts and leans his head on the table.
"But I'm bad with the baby. Whenever I carry him, he starts crying. I don't want my wife to leave either, but I want her to enjoy herself. She's been too stressed with our kid," he says, and I couldn't help but genuinely smile at him. Mr. Todd Cooper, our university's most popular jock, is now worrying over a kid who cries because he carries him in the wrong way. Who would have thought that this would happen?
"You can do it, you idiot. And besides, wouldn't your wife feel a bit weird that your ex is going to babysit for you again?" I asked this time, and Todd looks at me and shakes his head.
"I told you, Kimberly adores you, maybe even more than she adores me. And she's a super fan of your magazines. We literally have it all over our house," he explains, and it sounded more like a complaint than a compliment.
"How about your mom? She's been dying for you to have a family of your own, and now that you have it, maybe she's willing to take care of him," I then tell him. I didn't mean to say it in a sarcastic manner, but Todd suddenly had a sad look on his face when he heard me say it. He looked at me like he was regretful, and before he could even open his mouth, I immediately said, "Please don't say anything like you're sorry again. You kept apologizing at your wedding too like you owe me something. I'm genuinely happy for you Todd, and I genuinely love you, but you gotta move on. Now that you're a dad, you're a complete turn-off."
I said the last line as a joke, and thankfully Todd ended up laughing so we wouldn't continue on with this serious atmosphere.
"It's not my fault I don't have time to shave my beard and now wear reading glasses," Todd tells me. "I'm telling you Day, when you get married, a lot of things change, and I mean a lot."
I don't know why, but the word 'married' suddenly made me feel uncomfortable. I unconsciously touched my ring finger again, but it was now empty. I don't even remember when I stopped putting a band-aid on it. It just hurt more when I did.
Todd must have noticed my sudden shift, so he clears his throat and said, "Anyway, I'm busy too since I have to overlook the fall collection tomorrow. We're going to have a meeting together about that, right?" Todd then asks, now looking at me with a smile.
"Yeah, I'll send you an email."
"Yeah, I'll send you an email," Todd repeats, mocking how I said it, almost making me hit him.
"Always so professional," he then says. I wanted to defend myself, but then Todd's phone rang. He takes his phone and reads the message, and then he sighs and looks back at me. "Looks like I have to head out first. New models arrived at the studio and I have to look over them."
"Alright."
Todd finishes his coffee and looks at his reflection in the mirror to fix his hair. Before standing from his seat, Todd looks at me and says, "I know you're still waiting Day. Whenever I look at you, your eyes feel distant, like you're looking for someone. I know we never really talked about it but...mine came to me, so I believe yours will too."
Todd's sincere words made me smile and nod my head.
"Then I'll be going. Thanks for the coffee, department head."
"Next time you pay," I replied, and Todd just shrugged his shoulder, making me roll my eyes in annoyance. This asshole literally got promoted last month and he's still a cheapskate.
Todd takes his suitcase, and then he pats my shoulder. "I hope you have an exciting life. Goodbye Day," he says, the same exact words he told me when the two of us broke up in this very coffee shop.
"You asshole."
Todd grins and waves goodbye, and as soon as he left, I took a deep breath and looked out the window. Looks like it's starting to rain harder now.
"Here you go sir," a waiter suddenly says, placing a slice of cheesecake in front of me as I looked back at him with a small smile.
"Thank you," I say, looking down at the cheesecake and taking another deep breath. After what happened, I haven't eaten cheesecakes because of how painful the memories were, but today was different. Today was 7 28. July 28. I visited my parents earlier like how I've always had in the past five years. I know I should be sad today, but I couldn't help but feel at ease. Of course, I still think about a lot of what-ifs, but right now, I'm contented. Maybe not happy, but contented.
I grab the fork and took a small piece. After taking a bite of it, I closed my eyes and savored the flavor. The familiar flavor made every fiber of my body shiver. The memories came crashing down on me like a landslide, and all I could do was let a tear fall.
I clenched my fork and took a deep breath, quickly opening my eyes so I could wipe my tears away. But as I opened them back, my body freezes when I saw something in front of me. It was a...
Band-Aid.
My heart was beating fast as my hands trembled, making me let go of the fork. I was afraid to look up, so scared to be disappointed like how I was every morning when I woke up in an empty bed. But as more tears streamed down my eyes, I mustered up the courage to finally look at the man standing in front of me.
Cold blue eyes that were surrounded with red because of too much crying stared down at my face. All I could do was cover my mouth in disbelief.
