ADRIAN'S PERSPECTIVE
TWO YEARS LATER
The Isiyatorio is an awful place. The ambience is underwhelming, the music is beyond uninspiring, and the crowd is extraordinarily mundane.
Yet, this is where Bo Dean prefers to socialise. The appeal is beneath me.
Our secluded booth sits privately to one corner, slightly raised and exclusive.
There's gorgeous women either side of us, drinking cocktails and giggling between each other.
Bo Dean's greasy long hair doesn't seem to bother them. Nor his scratchy beard. I guess gold-digging really does make you blind. He extends a rounded forearm over their shoulders as he leans in with his cigar.
"Congratulations," he bellows to me, and the women beside us applaud.
One next to me runs her hand over my thigh and I flash her one of my signature smiles.
Tonight is the night I've been waiting for.
"How does it feel? The big premiere? I know you don't get nervous," he chuckles again.
"It is a spectacular moment, yes," I answer.
"Such a shame how the whole ordeal ended – but a great movie. I'm sure she'd love it if she lived."
My smile falters for just a split second.
I shift my attention to the ladies. "How would you feel about a VIP screening?"
.
.
.
I wake up to a fit of myself yelling. My forehead drips with sweat and my body trembles.
"Who's Rose?" the woman beside me asks. I forgot her name.
I look at her bewildered.
"You were screaming her name," she says as if I didn't know.
"Get the f*ck out."
She flinches at my tone but nonetheless scrambles out of the room like a terrified mouse.
The nightmare always replays. The amount of women I sleep with can't fix it. Nothing can.
I know it's probably Rose haunting me for going through with the movie. It doesn't matter that I got her grandfather the criticism and scrutiny he deserved. That was her private life and she despises me from the grave.
But it's what I do, and I shouldn't be bothered by her opinion. She's dead for God sakes.
The routine plays out as typical when I have these nightmares. I wake up screaming her name, scare off whoever was laying beside me, start thinking about my integrity and greed and then thrash the hotel room.
This is the fifth hotel room this month. Fortunately, I can afford the cleanup.
To alleviate my guilt a little bit, I open my laptop to the news article I had been reading earlier this morning.
Then I scroll down to the address and send a cheque.
___
WARNING THIS IS NOT THE FINAL CHAPTER.
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