Happiness Doesn't Wait

Blake

The conversation I had with Ryan this last week was scary.

The day he asked me to go in the morning, he texted me saying that he had to go to a meeting. Until then, I barely talked to him last week.

He didn't look so happy that I didn't let him know about Abi's pregnancy. But I explained that she wasn't very confident about it until now. He understood, but he warned me tell him important news like that earlier. Then he congratulated me and I happily told him that I'm having a boy.

The night I found out, I couldn't shut my eyes not even for a second. My mind raced with ideas and memories of its heartbeat. His heartbeat. My excitement was too much that I had to go out and read for a few hours. I read articles about baby boys and what to expect. Then I helped my mother with her joint pains and I focused on her now. I was going to tell her about my boy, but she did not look so much in the mood to speak.

Abi and I can't help but smile at each other knowing of our baby boy. She's been slowing the pace at work though. Sometimes she asks Cam to help her out with a few customers while she eats a few snacks or takes a break from standing up. I've noticed that whenever she goes out to attend our customers, she holds her back with one hand and then winces when no one sees her.

So on Christmas Day, I gave her these straps that are useful to help with back pain and the weight of your belly. She seemed confused at the gift at first but when I helped her put it on, she understood the relief and gave me a thankful kiss.

But despite of my happiness, there's been other things keeping my mind occupied. My father's restaurant money. I'm still waiting on what to do with it. I told my mother the other day that I wanted to use that money to pay for her medicine and chemo, and she didn't like the idea.

So today, I get ready to talk to a man I met during a New Year's Eve party for supervisors only. In that case, we gave our employees December 30th and January 1st a day off to attend this party. I was mostly glad for Abi's sake.

Abi came by to visit me a while ago and helps me with my outfit. She smiles at my tie and says, "What if you don't wear a tie tonight?"

"You think?" I say as I pose in front of her.

She giggles and sits back down. "Yes. You look hot either way."

I give her a wink when she says this and it sends a blush up her cheeks. She checks her phone and says, "I think you should get going. It's better if you're at least a minute or two early."

I nod in agreement and we start towards the exit. Before we walk out, I turn to tenderly touch her belly and softly say, "Will you be alright?"

Abi puts a hand on mine and smiles. "I'll be alright. This young man will be safe. I promise."

I smile at the mention of my baby boy and lean in to give her a long kiss. Her stomach then interrupts us with a low growl. I pull away and look down at her stomach with suspicion. "Thirsty?"

Abi laughs at this. "No. It's about time for my lunch so.." Her stomach loudly backs up her claim and I smile at her.

"Alright then. I'll let you go so you can get something to eating."

Just before I enter my car, Abi calls out to me. "Oh Blake!" I look up and she says, "Um...I want to talk to you about something. If you can't today then we can meet up tomorrow. I just need to do it as soon as possible.

"Oh okay." I'm left wondering of that fearful look in her eyes, but she disappears in her car and drives off.

I put on my business posture as I enter the large building containing many offices. I enter and follow the instructions to get to Mr. Landon's office. When I get there, I stand in front of it with nerves. This meeting could give me a revelation as to what I use my father's money for. I take a deep breath and knock on the door.

The door opens to reveal the same businessman I met at the supervisors' party. He smiles at me and says, "Well. Good afternoon, Mister Tavares." His short hair is neatly combed to the side and his low voice creates a soothing tone to his welcome.

"Good afternoon," I say to him as he leads me towards his desk. Everything here seems to have some sort of dark brown leather to it. It reminds me of my office back at the restaurant.

"Why don't we get straight to the point? I don't like wasting anyone's time in long conversations." He gestures for me to sit at a small black couch he has at the middle of the room and I quietly obey. He goes over to a small counter with various glasses and drinks. "Would you like anything?"

I give him a respectful nod and say, "Some water is just fine."

"I'll have whiskey on the rocks and you'll have water on the rocks." I share a soft chuckle with him when he says this and watch him come over with two drinks. He puts mine on the table in front of us and then lets out a sigh.

"Well," he says. "I believe you've come to continue our conversation on the building?"

I nod at him. "Yes. What are some options you can give me about it?"

Mr. Landon stays quiet as he thinks of this. He then does a nod and says, "Look. I'll give it to you for just half the price if we partner up."

This isn't a good idea. Before I could come here, I searched him up and there aren't very good comments about him. I've read some of his comments and he doesn't sound like a person I'd like to partner with.

He sees my hesitation and he laughs loudly. "Let me guess. You don't like me already?"

I do a soft scoff and put my water back on the table. "It's not that. I just wasn't thinking of sharing that with anyone."

"Then the price stays the same. Look." Mr. Landon comes closer so I can see the hint of green in his eyes. "Do you have any kids?"

The thought of Abi comes to my mind the moment he says this. "We're expecting a baby boy."

His face brightens up when I say this. "Well congratulations! You see, maybe this deal isn't so bad after all."

"How so?" I say as I lean closer with interest.

"Your son will need some sort of inheritance some day. Wouldn't you like to give him something to remember you by?" His eyes shine like a good businessman should do to convince his buyer.

But it isn't his eyes that grab my attention. It's his words. The thought of my son looking up at me with his wide eyes. Looking upon a man that serves as an example of who he should be. I think of my own father. All those times at the restaurant with him made me want to be who I am today. It was his influence that encouraged me to be better in my studies.

I let a sigh escape my lips. This is a hard decision. One I should talk about with my mother and Abi. I give Mr. Landon a kind smile and say, "How about we reconvene? I have to talk about this with my mother as well. She....is going through a difficult time in battling leukemia and I don't want to step into anything if it'll bring me more debts than I already have."

His face softens when he hears this and he gives me a soft pat on my shoulder as we stand. "I'm sorry to hear that, Mister Tavares. Cancer can be a battle that seems as if there's no end to it, but...I'll tell you what. Think about it for a few weeks. Get used to the idea of having that building and working with me, and we can meet up to talk again. What do you say?"

"That sounds good," I gently say to him. "Thank you for having me over, Mr. Landon."

"Oh please," he says as he opens the door for me to walk out. "It's a pleasure having someone over for once. Have a good day, Mister Tavares."

"Thank you, sir."

Once he closes the door, I find myself still standing in front of his closed door. Wondering at the various options I have. Looking through the many roles I have to take on. If there's one thing I know for sure it's that I want my son to see me as a man to be worth remembering. I want him to love talking about me with pride or even smile when he sees me from across the street.

I suppose the time for these next weeks of discussion are worth the wait. I'll talk to my mother first.