Chapter 6

DAMSON

•Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.

•We are reminded how short life really is, and how we are just passing through. 

•What we have once enjoyed deeply we can never lose.

The seconds were turning into minutes, the minutes into hours and the hours into days. He groaned as he lifted himself from the chair he had previously been sitting on to make himself a cup of tea. 

He has been trying to come up with some quotes for his tribute but they all sounded shallow to him. He was running out of time and he still couldn't come up with anything. His eyebags were enough indication that he was not getting enough sleep and it was showing in his level of productivity. 

He did not think that some mere string of words could properly convey the love he had for his father and how much he missed him but turned out not everyone thought so. 

He tried to look for inspiration from the tributes of others but it didn't help a bit. All he could think of was how most of them looked and sounded ingenuine but at least, they wrote something. 

The tea was scorching hot and he blamed himself for not making it room temperature. He placed it on the tabletop to cool and he turned to the window watching as the rays of light bounced against his window sill. 

It was a bright morning in Milan. One of those mornings he grew up to love. The feeling of nostalgia hit him so deeply at that moment. He missed it all. The innocence of childhood. He would have held on to it if he knew it wasn't going to last forever but sadly, he wasn't informed. 

The knock on his door brought him out of the little moment he was having with himself. He recognized the voice asking if she could come in. It was the housekeeper bringing him his breakfast. He declined as he was not feeling hungry. 

“Are you okay?” he could hear her ask through the mahogany door. “I am, I will eat in the afternoon just not now” he replied. She sounded concerned and he was thankful for her. At least someone in the house cared about him. He wished he could say the same about his mum. He redirected his train of thought as he wouldn't want to be in a sour mood this early in the day.

He went back to his desk and sipped on his now cold tea. He picked up his pen again and decided to complete the tribute and move on to other necessary things. He had no idea a funeral was so expensive and strenuous. He and Fin had been up and about since the day the burial dates were decided upon. Burnt out and tired, he still hadn't completed half of what he had to do. 

His mother refused to help as she was still pissed at him for what transpired at the hearing of Father’s will. Emotions were high on the day his father’s lawyer came. His mother especially was tense, expectedly so, as she was big on material things. It hurt him in the past discovering that his mother was a gold digger but it didn't get to him now. 

The lawyer slowly dragged through all the necessary formalities before moving on to read out the contents of the will. His father, benevolent as always didn't fail to include the help around the house in his will. The one that deservedly caught his attention was that Lily, the housekeeper’s daughter, was to work in the corporation immediately after her graduation and that she was also entitled to a 10% cut of the company’s shares.

It didn't sit well with him even though the position previously occupied by his secretary was currently vacant and he had no idea whom he was going to give the position to. His displeasure was noticed by Lily’s mother as she has always been able to read his moods. She was the closest thing he had to a mother figure. He felt bad that she might think he had a personal bias against Lily and he needed her to understand it was not so but he was not in the mood to explain himself.

While he was deep in thoughts, the lawyer droned on and on reading out the numerous properties and firms his father had acquired over the decades and who they were willed to. Most of them went to him as the first son with a clause that he should give his mother whatever he deemed fit. A few minutes later, the lawyer stood up to leave and that was when all hell let loose.

Her mother had expectantly waited till the end of the reading thinking she would get something but her hopes were dashed and she wasn't taking it lightly. Rage and disappointment were evident in her words and expressions as she went off on the lawyer as if he had the power to change anything. Drained and not willing to entertain any further drama, he turned to the stairs and made for his room.

He heard the pattern of feet struggling to catch up with him. His long strides didn't make it easy for his mum but she caught up either way.

“Can we talk about this tomorrow please” he pleaded with her but she wasn't having it. She ranted on and on about how she wanted this and wanted that and for him to will it to her immediately. 

It took all of his willpower to not lash out at her. The feeling of disappointment came rushing back and he tried his best to block it out. She no longer had that power over him. She was nothing to him. She didn't even mourn her husband but here she is fighting tooth and nail for his properties. 

“Strong and independent”. That was her tagline. 

“Ironical,” he thought with a suppressed smile.

“We will talk about this tomorrow” he bellowed in the deep voice he only used when he needed to establish dominance mainly in the office space. “Goodnight”.

She didn't reply as she stared at his retreating self till he was completely out of sight. 

***

The funeral was solemn and beautiful if he could say so. Every little detail was taken care of and he was so proud of himself and Fin for pulling it off. Prominent individuals from different walks of life came to give their last respects. The church service was short, just as he instructed. Seeing his father lying peacefully in an expensive casket made him teary. He quickly blinked back the tears and paid his last respects. 

Everyone else did also as they tried to keep in their tears but still ended up with runny noses. He could identify most of them but he couldn't place their names. It was one of his few weak points. He wished the church was farther from home as he loved the few minutes of solitude the car ride provided. 

The garden was full of people, some of whom he didn't see at the church service. He got out of the car, adjusted his tie, dusted his Tom Ford three-piece suit and walked towards the garden. 

He exchanged pleasantries with multiple people before he got to where she was. Lily was dressed in a simple long red gown with a slit by the left. She paired with dainty accessories and her hair perfectly framed her face.

Her blue-green eyes stared at him as though he was see-through as she said hi. He couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked as they exchanged pleasantries. He kept his answers as curt as possible as he was too drained for any full-blown conversation. 

This wasn't the first time he would be meeting her as he attended her graduation a few days ago. He saw that Lily’s mother needed a ride to her daughter’s graduation and he also thought to stand in for his father as he knew how much he would have loved to attend if he were still alive. He picked up some flowers on his way and a greeting card and delivered it to her in the name of his father. 

She seemed quite shocked and confused, understandably so, when she saw him arrive. She became quite teary when she saw whose name was on the card. He knew she always dreamed of Mr. Holland attending her graduation but this was the closest thing she could get to his presence. 

Her “bodyguard” didn't seem too excited about him coming though as he wore a frown throughout the period he stayed. He found out later on that the “bodyguard” was her best friend. 

“Jayden, Justin?” he couldn't bring himself to remember but he could bet that he was head over heels in love with her and she was too innocent to see it. “No need to feel threatened though” he smiled to himself, Lily was not his type and he wasn't particularly looking for a woman at the moment.

“I've been looking for you everywhere”. It was Fin. With his wide smile and charming personality, he turned quite several heads as he strolled through the crowd towards him. He dragged him by his elbows after saying hi to Lily through the large doors inside the house.