A dreamer and a traveler

2. Stranger in the Night

Can missed being alone and away from the city.  He missed being off the grid with no phone calls to answer, no meetings to attend or emails that needed his 'immediate attention'. He missed camping somewhere deep in the forest and sleeping under the canopy of stars. The last time he traveled just for himself and away from all the people was almost three months ago and he was itching to get away. But tonight there was a fat chance of that ever happening, he winced thinking about what was to come.

Tonight it was the exact opposite situation, where not only he needed to talk to a lot of people, but he had to do it in one of those dimly lit banquet halls where the whole point of lighting was to create more darkness. And as if that wasn't enough he had to do it all wearing a tux and a bowtie. His adjusted his tie for the 47th time, he hated those damn things so much!

He sighed to himself, and shook his head, giving himself a tiny pep-talk, prepping for the impending evening and whatever dreadfulness that came with it.

Look at your sorry miserable ass! Ha! What a hard life it must be being a sad little rich boy!

He gave himself a hard, worth-deserved mental kick. Anyone would consider themselves lucky to be living in his shoes however toe-constraining they might feel at the moment.

He had EVERYTHING!

It had been over six months since he had taken over the complete day to day running of the business from his Baba, finally giving Aziz Divit some breather he needed. The thought of his Baba getting the treatment at one of the country's best hospital without having to worry about his business was the reason good enough for Can. He would give up all of his hobbies and free time just to see his Baba back on his feet. He only wished his father could get those life-saving treatments close to home and not in New York that was still the only place in the world where they were offered.

Maybe he could make a trip across the coast this weekend to see him. That probably would count as a break right? Right now Aziz was going through the most intense part of his therapy and was often under an influence of painkillers, but Can remembered the last time he had gone to see him. His whole face had lighted up at the sight of Can and even though they couldn't talk much, he was content just holding his hand and sitting together in the hospital. Can would anything for his Baba and to see him smile like that once again.

He yearned for his old man's jokes and his wisdom. He missed getting a reassuring pat on his back, him helping Can figure out nuts and bolts of their business. But more that than he missed having him on his side especially in times likes these where he could see the years of hard work finally paying off. Aziz Divit had started Divit Hospitality twenty years ago in a new country from scratch in a wake of his fresh divorce that had left him bankrupt. He had nothing but the pure force of his will and a burning desire to give a world to his only child the only person left in the world for him. They had always been a team of two, father and son, and Aziz never really needed anyone else.  Can still remembered being that nine-year-old, fresh-off-the-boat kid in his elementary school, other kids calling him CanCan, not able to understand his heavily Turkish accented speech and feeling completely lost. Those early years had been brutal, but through it, all his father's love for him had been like a lighthouse guiding him through his turbulent youth and rocky early adulthood.

He took a deep breath. So, it was decided. He would go see his father this weekend and call it a vacation. But first, he needed to get through the evening.

Tonight was a big charity ball, (or was it called a gala?...He was never sure of the exact difference) for University of Southern California Hospitals and they were one of the biggest and oldest clients of their company. Not only they had contracts for all of the event planning with the university, but they also were the sole contractors that ran all the cafeterias, and dining halls on USC's massive widespread campus. For that matter, several of their other big clients in and around Los Angeles going to send their representatives for this ball tonight and for their company "Divit Hospitality" it was almost like their yearly performance review. There was a lot on the line tonight and Can needed to bring his A-game for tonight's event.