His Eyes

HIS EYES: Chapter 16

THEY SAID that you could judge a person whether he or she was lying through their eyes. I already lied to Orlstein but she couldn't judge because I was wearing sunglasses. Was there any way to prove that someone's lying?

I thought about this several times already. Was lying to her a bad decision? Should I tell her about what I knew?

Before I discovered about my eyes and Neo wasn't born yet, my mother used to tell me a story. It was about the choices we're making in life.

According to her, a man went to the forest and he was lost. He tried to find a path that could lead him outside the forest. He was so hungry and thirsty. The sun had risen and set, but he was still stuck in there.

One day, he saw two paths. He couldn't see the end of each path and didn't know which path was easier to take. The path on the left side was quiet and peaceful and so as the other one. He chose the left path and started to walk under the extreme heat of the sun.

At first, he was at ease because he could already see the tall buildings from the city. But, in the middle of his adventure, he met a wild animal. It was ferocious and he thought he was going to die. He prayed and prayed until he saw a wooden stick. It wasn't a languid one, but it was strong enough to defend himself.

He successfully defended himself and continued walking. He could no longer see the tall buildings which were odd. He noticed that the path he was walking in took him in a riverbank. It wasn't the end, though. This time, he was being more careful. Out of the blue, a stranger who had a braggadocio manner. He didn't even know where the hell did he came from. He used his bare hands to defeat the stranger.

It wasn't that easy to defeat him since he was really strong. The man's face was beaten black and blue. The stranger was about to kill him using a knife but the stranger slipped and fell into the river. Again, he was safe. He looked at the other side of the river, it was the other path which he didn't take. And he could already see the other end of the other path, but he was taking the other one.

I asked my mother if he was saved, and she said yes. The man became stronger and optimistic. After two days, he reached the end of the path and found himself beside the road. She said that the two paths were like choices in life. Sometimes, we chose the wrong path without knowing it in the first place, but instead of blaming ourselves, we should learn from it and become a better person. She even added that we shouldn't treat those problems we're facing while taking the wrong path as obstacles, but rather tools to make us better.

I knew I was taking the same path the man did. I hadn't met any obstacles yet. I was scared of what would happen to me after Orlstein would know the truth.

~<>~

We were waiting for Hendre's secretary to arrive. Orlstein had decided to meet Hendre today, with me of course. His office was still close and we were waiting outside.

"Act natural. Guard your mouth," Orlstein said once again. She had been saying these phrases over and over again. Maybe to remind me.

"Is he that scary?" I whispered. My voice was almost like a child who would always ask a question.

She shrugged. "I don't know. Based on our researches, he must be a tough one. "

"What do you mean?"

She rolled her eyes and whispered to me. "They told me he's a psychopath."

She was joking. For me, a psychopath couldn't be a doctor except for those who were in the movies.

"Come on, tell me why," I demanded.

"You're like a kid, you can shut your mouth now," she said. I zipped my mouth just what she said. Why was she mad? Damn, girls like her made me confused. Were they bipolar?

I couldn't zip my mouth for a long time. "So, how long are we going to wait for him?"

She didn't turn to me, but I knew she was starting to be annoyed. "I don't know. We'll just wait for the shit's secretary."

Another hour passed. This time, a woman who had a name tag on her uniform came with a folder on her arm. Her hair was like the color of caramel and her pale skin made her looked like a dead standing in front of us.

"I suppose you are Mr. Carthik Martel and Ms. Orlstein Gagnon. I'm sorry to say this because Dr. Hendre is on vacation live. He'll be back by the next month. Dr. Simson is here to replace him for his absence," Patrina, the secretary, said.

I forced to smile and thanked her for telling us. We stood up and stormed out of the building.

"We waited for five hours yet he wasn't there! Great!" I mumbled.

"Correction. An hour only," she said.

"So, where are we going now?" I asked. She just shrugged. "How about we'll visit my parents in the cemetery?"

She was shocked, but her smile didn't disappear. I knew she was happy. It was our first time to go there just the two of us. A taxi stopped in front of us and we hit the road.

The place was still the same. We walked along the covered walk because we couldn't handle the extreme heat of the sun. I glanced at her. She didn't remove her smile at all.

"Why are you smiling?" I asked. I couldn't stop myself to smile too.

"I'm happy for you."

For the first time, I forgot all of my problems. I was walking with her in a blissful state. I pulled my hand from my pocket and grabbed her hand. She was startled and was about to remove her hand but I held it tightly.

"Come on. We used to do this when we were young. No other meaning," I said.

"Yeah. I miss those times."

We continued walking until we were a few meters away from my parents' tombstones. But, we were shocked when we saw a girl standing in front of my parents' tombstones.

"Do you know her?" Orlstein asked.

What was she doing here?

~<>~

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