If All Else Fails

If It's A Secret You Keep

"Wow, you are a spitting image of your mother." He smiled but it didn't reach his dark brown eyes. "I hear you've been a good boy and I'm glad you grew up to be just like that. Your mother needs you the most. Protect her at all costs. You're the man of the family always remember that, okay?"

Even as I was confused, all I could do was nod. "Ah right. Well, our ride's here. Do you guys want a ride home?" He stood and pointed to the black SUV that was waiting for them.

My mother spoke. "No, Pete. Calum and I are fine. We'll see you soon."

"Are you sure, Sue? We have plenty of room." He said while the driver got down and opened the door to the back seat.

"No, no. It's fine. Calum and I can walk. We're just two blocks away. You need to rest. Now, go." Before Peter got inside the car, he walked back and gave my mother a bear tight hug which she gladly obliged. They must have been really close back in the day. I was itching to ask her. He walked back to the SUV and that was the last I'd seen of the girl and Peter until seven years after.

I was seventeen when my mother decided to file for a divorce and I fully supported her on it. My father put up a fight but ended up losing plus he had to pay her more than half of his assets and for the damages he caused in their twenty years of marriage. A few months after, I recall being in the house alone while I urged my mother to spend a day at the spa to relax. There was a knock at the door and I found my father waiting.

He raised both his eyebrows and sarcastically said, "Took you long enough, boy."

I rolled my eyes at him. I was trying so hard not to punch his face. "What do you want?"

He placed an arm on the doorway and leaned in. "Where's that wretched, good for nothing mother of yours?"

"She's not here so what do you want? Do you want me to call the police? Stop barging in like this if you don't want a good punch in the face."

He laughed. "Should I be insulted? Should I be scared? You were lucky Judge Mary overtook that case or you and your mother would have been left to rot in the streets! I sure as hell won't help both of you."

I clenched my fists. I was so close to punching him but I closed my eyes and started counting to ten backwards and let out a deep breath. "Right. Well, guess we were. And should I be scared at that threat of yours? Don't worry. I'm not. Well, mom may be but she always was scared of you but I'm here now and I'm going to make sure that you will never see the light of day if you so ever go after us again. Now, what do you want?"

He spit on the doorway, mumbled a few things that were hard to understand and left. I never saw him since then although mom and I heard a few rumors that shortly after the divorce settlement, he was dating a model. Good on them. The only thing that was important to me was my mother's happiness and right now, it was just the two of us.

As soon as I graduated senior high, I kept in mind the words I swore the day that I last saw my father. I applied at Columbia University and got accepted. I always knew that my father had heart failure and I was going to give him a run for his money as soon as I got my license. Med school was tough, but I managed to survive and make it to the top with mom's moral support. I was constantly busy and had little time to see her but she was fairing well herself with me away. At least, that's what she'd tell me on a number of occasions I'd call her.

I was in my third year when I got a call by my friend Sean who invited me to their frat party. It wasn't my thing but I needed an ice cold beer after a hectic week of nonstop studying. It was cold out and I needed to dress warmly. I wore a grey turtleneck, jeans and grabbed my black cashmere coat. The house was just three blocks from my dorm so I decided to ditch my car and walk. I could hear the music and all the shouting from a hundred meters away. I don't plan on staying long anyway, so I should be fine. There were people sprawled on the front lawn and on the porch and I thought it couldn't get any worse. As soon as I stepped inside the house, the music was blaring and there were people everywhere. I saw Sean and weaved my way through the crowd to him. He handed me a beer and told me to get comfortable. Are you kidding me?

It wasn't my first time in this house anyway. So with my beer in tow, I went upstairs and looked for his room. I checked and opened a few doors only to be surprised at how many people were staying there. There were couples making out, some lighting up weed. Ugh. The third door to the left of the stairs from the landing. Right, here it is. I hope no one's here. I peeped inside and there wasn't anybody. Perfect. I went inside, locked the door and turned the light on. As soon as the lights went on, there was a blonde haired girl sitting on the floor in the corner, knees and head bent. Her shoulders were shaking and I could hear her sob lightly. It almost gave me a heart attack. I set my beer on the bedside table and approached her.

"Hey." I tapped on her shoulder lightly.

She didn't flinch. She didn't look up. She just continued sobbing. "Don't touch me! Leave me alone!"

I stepped back and studied her. I could tell she was drunk and by the looks of it, she must have been dumped. I offered her my beer. "You want some?"

She stopped sobbing and much to my surprise, she looked up at me and the first thing I saw were tear-filled baby blue eyes. I was mesmerized. I didn't know what to do with her but console her. "What happened?"

I bet she was too drunk to even remember that she was wearing make-up. Her eyeliner smudged down her cheeks and I couldn't help but wipe them. I remembered bringing a handkerchief so I reached for my pocket and handed it to her. She gladly accepted without saying a word. When she was done, she looked at me again.

"You've got the nicest shade of greens." She smiled. I smiled. We were silent for a few more seconds until she started giggling for no reason at all. Her giggles were pure innocence. I liked the sound of it. She started covering her mouth to stop herself and there I saw how her eyes crinkled, how her long hair flowed to her hips, how she'd purse her lips in an attempt to keep composure. All of that and more and I thought to myself Wow, she got me good.

"I won't probably remember you in the morning so I won't ask your name but know that your good deed has been appreciated. And in return, I'll tell you a secret." She drunkenly pointed to the handkerchief and then to me. But before she could speak, there was a bang on the door.

"Open up!" So I got up and unlocked the door. It was that British guy living just two doors from me. We were on the same Biology and Anatomy class. "It's you." He said that as if I'd done something really bad. I stepped away and watched him approach the girl. He helped her up slowly and the girl just kept on giggling and saying incomprehensible things. They were just about to leave the room. What? No "Hey, thank you for taking care of my friend for me"? I ran after them and Mister British guy was already out the door carrying her.

"Hey! Give me back what's mine!"

He stopped dead on his tracks and turned to look at me. The girl was still half-conscious. "What? What did you say?"

"Give me back what's mine."

He snorted. "What's yours?" And before I could speak, a car stopped just a few steps from them and he got in with her and drove away. So much for a good night.