Shadows And Regrets

Chapter 6: Father's Wish

Frost Enterprise looked more of a castle in the center of a kingdom than a simple ordinary corporation center. It took over more than two blocks! Robert parked the car at the front of the main building where Jack's father used to work. It was tall rectangular building towering over the other buildings which were departments, ranging from agriculture to engineering. There were Human Resources and Research and Development, but, for example, agriculture was one of the various elements that built up the enterprise's business model. And that was to provide society with eco-friendly products and services. Robert opened the side door, letting Jack to step outside. Anna hopped off her seat, touching the warm cemented sidewalks with her barefeet.

"Do you need me to show where the office is?" asked Robert. Jack shooked his head. "I think I'll manage to find it."

"I'll be waiting right here whenever you're done," Robert told him, kindly. "Thank you, hopefully I won't take that long," Jack said before leaving. "Hopefully…" He whispered.

Anna followed Jack into the front entrance of the building. They walked through the opened glassed entrance way that welcomed them to spacious main lobby. It was busy like Jack always remembered. Employees and staff going about their days; groups discussing about data reports, showcasing among each other with diagrams of earnings and stocks, some on their phones, others traveling from offices to conferences rooms for meetings. It was a circus! Except no creepy clowns and dancing bears.

Jack navigated himself to a directory to find the name of person he needed to see. Robert gave him the name before heading down here.

"T. Santos..." Jack found the listed name after scanning the list of last names that started with the letter S. "Great I almost forgot. She used to work at the very top floor," Jack didn't sound pleased to ride up an elevator to the very top floor of the building.

"Come on," Jack told Anna to follow him to the nearest elevator. Several employees huddled around one doorway, waiting for the doors to open. Soon the elevator dinged, indicating that a cart was ready to pick up some passengers. Everyone walked inside, filling up the space like a pack of sardines.

Jack didn't enjoyed being stuck inside very tight spaces. The smell of sweat and the mixture of cheap and expensive perfumes and colognes into one area can be overwhelming. The constant chatter and heavy breathing soon sounded like a rhythmic beat of a song. Jack pushed more his aviator glasses inward, pulled down his Yankee baseball to hide away his face, and bow his head down, fading himself to the abstract collage of working citizens.

As for Anna, she was mesmerized over the group of adults towering over her. She watched the numbers changing, on a small screen; indicating what floor their in.

Then she noticed how Jack was looking a bit nervous. Either he has motion sickness or has the cases of the butterflies.

"Hey be happy," Anna encouraged him. "I bet they're happy to see you." She smiled.

Jack didn't respond back. "Sure they will," He doubted himself inside.

Little by little, some people exited the elevator. while new ones came inside. But when they reached to the highest floors little came in and out. After a couple more floors, Jack and Anna was the only ones remaining inside.

Soon the two made it to the last floor of the building. The doors opened, revealing another spacious lobby. Jack and Anna walked down the waiting room. The interior design was screaming post-moderism. Simple and contemporary art pieces glued onto solid color walls and furnitures decorating the space.

A young woman, in her mid-twenties, with hazelnut hair and blonde highlights spotted Jack looking quite lost. "Can I help you sir?" She asked kindly.