Liam
"How could you!" I shouted, "you left her, didn't you? You let this happen to her!"
"I just went out for a while," Dad said. "I didn't expect her to leave, so soon."
"Will you stop lying to me already?"
"Liam I'm not_"
"Will you just shut up, don't call my name with that dirty mouth of yours."
He stares at me, getting angry.
"You are unbelievable, what are you getting angry for!" Angrily I shouted at him "you know I rather you be the one behind that door right now, I rather it be you!!!"
"Look I know you are hurt and angry, but this is not the way to go about things." He said
"The way?" Laughing for a slight second I look at him "are you seriously talking about how to go about things, do you know how much I want to beat you to death right now."
"You are not the only one who's worried about her."
"If that's true, why do you look more scared than worried Richard!"
He became quiet, avoiding my eyes.
"Look at me!" Shouting I went in front of him, "what have you done?"
"Richard what have you done!!"
"I didn't do anything" he pushed me away from him with his hand "get off my face boy, I have had enough of your disrespect."
"Don't you dare" I said, "take a step out of this building, I will tell the police what I think of you," I said to him
"I said I didn't do it"
"Then why are you in a hurry to leave, where are you going to? To cover up your track."
"That's it." He punches me in the face.
I hold my jaw. Twisting it, I looked at him. This is perfect, I thought. I have always wanted an excuse to beat him up.
*****
Mom. I thought as I look at her. Her face was swollen, with bruises all over.
Today was supposed to be a happy day for her. All she wanted to do was to celebrate her marriage anniversary. It was meant to be a simple dinner. How did it all turn into something else? How did she end up like this? I wonder what she's going to say when she wakes up and sees the blister on my lip. Is she going to be angry that I fought with that man?
She knows. she had always been aware of my feelings towards Richard. How much I despise him and put up with him all because of her. Richard said that he didn't do it, he said it wasn't his fault, she was robbed and beaten up. But I know that even though her pause was stolen there's more to the story Richard told.
"Mom," I said, "I never wanted a father, you didn't have to feel like it was your responsibility to get me a Dad." I cried, choking on my words.
If only I knew all this was going to happen, I won't have let her step out of the house. I won't have trusted that man to take care of her. And now she needs all this machine to breathe. I hate this fear, the fear I have of losing her. She can't go, she just can't do this to me.
Ever since she had left with Richard at noon I had been feeling uneasy. When I got a call from her at night, she sounded scared, like she was afraid that something was going to happen to her. I wonder what it was that she was trying to tell me over the phone, I couldn't hear clearly when she call, I was with Theo who was running some errands for his dad. And there was way too much noise in the background to be able to hear what she was saying. At first, I thought that it was weird that she had called me when Richard was with her, but now I know she call me because she trusted me. if only I could hear what she was trying to say to me over the phone. But now that I think of it, I think she said something like Harper.
Yes! I thought she had said something about Mrs. Harper and Richard being drunk. But if Richard was drunk, how is it that I wasn't able to smell any alcohol from him. Something was off, I know that Richard wasn't saying the truth but how much of it was he hiding. What could it be that could make him so scared. He is supposed to be worried about mom. but instead, he was scared and anxious. But why would he... Could it be? No that couldn't be, there was no way Mom would have found out about Harper, there was absolutely no way. But Mom said that Richard was drunk, why would she say that when he looks sober.
I furrow my eyebrows as I think of the conversation I had with Mom then I realized that I could hear Richard's voice in the background shouting at her. But Richard said that they had spent some time in the restaurant reliving old moments before they had decided to go to a different restaurant, he said that mom was waiting for him outside before she had gotten attacked. When he was talking to the police about what had happened he looks sorrowful. But why was he looking scared when he was waiting for mom outside the emergency room. He didn't look like someone who was in any way sad he looks afraid. Now that I think of it, I thought. His shirt looks a bit different from the one he wear out with mom, he looks clean, too clean for someone who just came to the hospital with a woman who had been badly beaten and stabbed. What exactly was Richard hiding?
*****
It was dark but I didn't care as I step into the restaurant. I hate being at this place ever since that day. The day Layla's Mom died. I hate myself for not being able to tell her the truth about her mom's death. But whenever I wanted to try, I just couldn't get the words out. I could never move my mouth, I could never bring myself to just tell her. Instead, all I did was blankly stare at her, completely lost for words. Relieving the worst moment of my life.
Richard's restaurant wasn't locked. Surprisingly, the doors were opened. That was strange, I still remember the day he urge us to have a family movie night. He told mom of how important it was to lock the restaurant at all times. He even brags about how much his staff love and respect him. I guess he didn't know about Lilian's true feelings for him. I met Lilian the day I decided to help Richard out at the restaurant, for some reason Richard was welcoming, way too welcoming and I didn't like it. I thought that maybe if I could get through a day at the restaurant I was going to be able to muster up the courage to tell Layla the truth. But still, I couldn't, I couldn't tell Layla the truth at the end of the day. While working, I met some of the staff, they were all nice, too nice probably they didn't want to have a bad relationship with me because I was the boss son, but if only they knew how I despise my supposed dad. But there was one of them that was different, One of them that wasn't interested in sucking up to me. Her name was Lilian brown, she was always angry at everything and anyone. I found it funny, and I was surprised at how she freely insulted Richard in front of me. She was one of his chefs. I remember asking her if she wasn't afraid of me telling on her. All she did was smile as she said that I didn't look like that kind of guy. Lilian was a free soul, watching how free she was at the restaurant made me jealous of her freedom. But the fact that she had anger problems made me happy. It made me feel a little bit better than her.
I step into the restaurant as I look around, everything was in place. That was odd, because Mom and Richard came in here, but the place looks like no one has been here. Or maybe they went to his office. I thought. Climbing the staircase, I went to Richard's office hoping that the doors were also unlocked. But the doors to his office were locked, maybe they didn't go to the office. While climbing down the stairs I noticed something on the floor. Walking towards it I look under the table as I saw mom's phone. Picking up the phone from the floor I saw a little crack on the screen. Okay, I guess maybe they sat at this table when they were here. Mom smells a little bit like wine at the hospital, so maybe they both had some wine but still, something felt off. Something was wrong with this table, it doesn't look like it had been used. I went into the kitchen to check if I could see a wine bottle or something. But I didn't see anything it all looks neat. How was Richard able to arrange everything at the restaurant before taking mom to the hospital. It didn't make sense, none of it made sense. But I can't find anything. Nothing at all. All I have is Mom's phone.
I sat down in a chair, resting my head on the Palm of my hands, trying to think. What am I missing, I thought. All I got is Mom's phone, I kept on thinking, closing my eyes. Mom phone, I thought as I opened my eyes in realization. I opened her phone and saw a message she had typed to send to me but couldn't.
"Save me," my hand tighten around the phone in anger as I read the message out loud.