Ciara's Lamentations

It was yet another morning at the Victoria Memorial Hospital, Houston, Texas, where George was admitted after he survived a severe heart attack in his office. Luckily for him, doctor Escobar has been doing an impressive job so far, helping George restore his heartbeat to a normal breathing rate again.

Ciara was home alone, reminiscing about the embarrassment she went through at the hands of her father the previous night at the hospital. The event keeps playing in her head like a song. 

 Despite not getting enough sleep for the night, she was still up in her bed, glaring at the ceiling fan with seriousness. She spent more time communicating with the ceiling as though someone was there to respond to her.

"What exactly is going on in my life? Why is it so messed up? Did I do anything wrong? I missed my old self. My Father wasn't like this before. I can't tell what went wrong." Ciara asked herself. It was a question she had no answers to. That was the moment Ciara wished she had a friend to share her pain too. Perhaps, she won't have to share the pain alone. 

Ciara's phone beeped amidst her deep thoughts. Out of excitement, she rushed to check her phone because she thought it was her father. That was the only reason she wanted to speak up.

To Ciara's disappointment, she discovered that it wasn't her father but the alarm clock she set the previous night. Ironically, Ciara woke up before the alarm. Something that hasn't happened before. 

 Angrily, she turned off the alarm notifications and hissed. "So disgusting. I thought it was something else. What sort of disappointment is that?"

"And why hasn't my father returned from the hospital yet? What seems to be the issue? Does he realize that he has a daughter at home that needs his presence?" Ciara asked herself rhetorically as her voice echoed back to you. She can't fathom how her Father would choose to prioritize George over her.

Ciara had the urge to call Kelly herself and find out why he had yet to return home, but on second thought, she didn't sound too desperate.

"The last time I checked, he was the one who offended me without a second thought when he treated me like a child in the presence of Derek and Dexter. He should be the one reaching out and not me. I still can't believe why he hasn't called yet. What the hell is he waiting for?" Ciara said to herself and dashed to the living room when she heard someone knocking at the door. 

"Who could be that person? Could that be my father? I honestly don't think so. If it's truly my Father, he would have called me to notify me of his arrival," Ciara harbored the thought inside her head as she arrived in the living room.

"Who's that? If you want me to open the door for you, then you must identify yourself." She asked with a shaky voice while pressing the door handle. 

She received no response. All she got in return was constant knocking on the door. For this reason, Ciara concluded that it wasn't her Father knocking.

"I know my father too well and what he's capable of doing. My Father won't come knocking before entering the house he pays the bills," Ciara mumbled in silence. She ensured that the person knocking didn't hear her speak. 

"I guess there's only one way to find out," she muttered and slowly went to peep at the window area just to satisfy her curiosity.

Surprisingly, it wasn't Kelly, her Father that she expected. It turned out to be a different person entirely.

 Ciara would have sworn that he wouldn't even show up at her place. The multiple questions running through her head were, "How did he locate this place? What the heck is ad doing here?"

 In the process of trying to get the right answers to her question, the knock came in again. This time, it was accompanied by a baritone voice that almost pulled down the roof of the building. "I know you're in there. Please, come open the door for me,"

"Damnit! How did he see me from outside? All I did was limp," She bemoaned.

"I heard you, Ciara." The voice teased her and laughed. Unlike the gentleman, Ciara didn't find the laughter quite funny. She wasted no time to bash him. "That wasn't funny. You need to stop doing that,"

"Fine! I apologize. 

I just want to talk. 

Can you please let me in?" Like a perfect gentleman, he apologized from the outside. Ciara might not be with him, but she could tell that he was putting up a straight face. 

Slowly and reluctantly, Ciara opened the door. Without waiting for him to speak, she launched the direct quotation at him. "What do you want?"

"My name's Derek, the second son of Mr. George," he wasn't done talking when Ciara interrupted him with an awkward gaze, "I already know who the fuck you are. I just want to know what you are doing here,"

"I will speak! 

Can I at least come inside so we can talk about it?" Derek pleaded. He still wore his outfit from the previous night which made Ciara wonder if he truly went home or slept inside his car.

"And why do you think I should let you in? I don't even know you," she declined.

"But you just said you do know me. 

I am Dexter's younger brother and Mr. George's son. What more information do you need?" 

"And you think knowing your Father equally means knowing you? Please don't be a joke." She scoffed.

"How about we start by you telling me how you found your way to my house? Because I can't recall telling you. Wait a minute! Did you trail me down here? That's the only way you could find my home," Ciara quizzed Derek as though she were a private investigator

 With her questions, she made the smart Derek look average.