Chapter 26: Soldiers don’t cry

Zara and Isla were at the end of the block, completing their daily morning runs. The weather was a little warmer than it had been lately. The rows of cars parked by the sides of the roads, the mail-posts and occasional fire hydrants beside  and the boarded up buildings with window ledges  surrounded the area.

Her phone beeped. She brought it out and saw the notification from her step-tracker app.

“We just made 3,000 steps today” she shook.  

“Wow, not bad. We could do more.

“Of course. Team work makes the dream work”

“Exactly”

They smoked together walking down pavement of cobblestones in their tight joggers and sneakers, their hair held up in a bunch

“You know,” Zara said. “Life feels lighter ever since I left Nat”

“You sure? Isla stopped and looked her in the eyes raising disagreeing eyebrows.

“Yeah”

“You seem a little bit out of place tho lately” Isla said

“How so” Zara stopped walking to look at her furiously, raising her eyebrows.

“Like getting home always drunk, oversnacking and you keep talking about how men are scumbags and so”

“Well”

Zara heaved a breath and shrugged off her shoulders.

“Don’t try to hide it Zara” Isla said compassionately. She knew her friends too well to not see through the blinds.

“It’s just that I really envisioned a life for us and it sometimes edit too good to be true and now I see why”

“Embrace your scars, your hurt” she took him

“Hold your truth. It’s the only way you could heal from it. What happened to you has happened to most of us”

“Isla to be honest” she said. “I admit he gave me money and satisfaction but it just feels like he’s gonna keep lying again and again”

“All men lie”

“This ain’t no regular lie”

“I mean, what if I didn't check on his phone I wouldn't have ever known. Be probably wouldn’t have ever told me”

They were at the door now.

“It’s true but it’s just his baby mama. There obviously won’t be any string attached. You can deal with that Zara.

“Besides—“ they walked the short flight of stairs and opened the door

“You can’t lose all that money girl. Go back to him”

“I think I’m better off being alone. Now I wanna invest my time and my energy into my brand”

“Okay so does that mean I could go for him and then go ahead and ride his golden dick” she teased

“Oh you wouldn’t dare” she said

“But you say you’re not going back, I suppose”

“Don’t try to manipulate me Isla, I stand my decision” she said now giving her a boned faced

“Alright! mama” she gave up

She opened the grabbed water from it, drinking it like a farmer dried up from the sun after a long day at the farm.

- - - -

At his office he held another shareholders meeting. This time it was intense, his inactivity and blatant response to the case at hand was simply not acceptable. As usual Cynthia Rourke, the biggest investor, the money woman was furious.

“No what’s plan B you talked about. Seems nothing in the picture. We need action, it’s a week before we lose our PrimeCore”

“Plan B is to allow them leave” Nat said ignorantly and arrogantly. He relaxed on his chair like he was carefree.

Clay was furious now.

“What the hell? It’s been 3 weeks and you haven't yet come up with something. You can do that right ?”

“If you don’t wanna go on with this contract because you are a social warrior and an advocate for the less privileged, you have to reach an alternative settlement. Figure some agreement with our clients.

“They made you hear,” Janett, the youngest investor, said.

“Son, I don’t know what you got panned but I want you to know I always want the best for this form. I watched your father grow this company from the ground. This is too precious to him. Wolfe Inc. is more than a company to him, it’s a vision son” he said like a father to him. If things go South, he’s gone turn in his grave” he was signaling a warning now, his tone with a lot urgency.

“And if his turning cannot save us, let him go ahead and spin. Who Cares ?” Janette shouted angrily. She was not heartless; she was just a New Yorker Businesswoman with no tolerance for inconsistencies.

Nay felt swampy with the weight of pressure.

“Guys”,  he said, his hands on the table. “I’ve been dealing with a lot of personal stuff, okay? Just me a 1 week ultimatum I promise I won’t let you down”

“You better not,” Cynthia said and stood up. I guess I’m done here.

They followed her and exited the room. Harold tapped him in the shoulders before leaving in sympathy.

Nat went to his fathers picture frame by the side of the room. Dr. Horace Wolfe was a carbon copy of Nat. The wide muscular body, the big sexy eyes and dark skin.

“Hey dad” he talking to him now, from the picture as be had done several times in the past in overwhelming moments

“It’s your boy again. Even though you left too soon without warning and vanished into the long night. I have since come to forgive you.

I’m  sorry I let you down by being weak these past days”.

He saw him and his father at the field behind the mansion having a sword fight with plastic mock swords. Along the clashing of the swords, Nat fell down and began crying.

“Hey what’s that?” His father looked at him disappointed.

“Soldiers don’t cry neither do they fall, you hear men. Now get up” he said he gave him a helping hand and raised him up from the floor.

“Now show daddy your muscles” Nat grinned and folded his arms, miling guilelessly.

“That’s my boy!” He gave him a high five.

And so, they continued their maniac sword fighting.

Nat was disrupted from his momentary reverie by the message beep from his phone, from Nina.

“I’m sending Johnny to your house now as you had asked. Please be a good father

Thanks”.