Forty-Four: Part II
"I'm dying Nina," he told her.
"W-what?" she whispered.
"I have cancer--lung cancer. I had it for a while and it disappeared. But recently it came back and it has already spread throughout my body," he explained as he smiled sadly at her, his tears finally falling onto his cheeks.
"Michael."
All she could say was his name as she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer to her and giving him a tight hug. He slowly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her even closer to his body. He placed his head in the crook of her neck as he continued to cry. And as they held each other, the only thing he could think about was the fact that one day, he would have to say goodbye to her, the woman who had taught him that he could love again.
Their embrace was broken when the sound of his phone ringing tore through the air. He slowly let her go and wiped his tears. She placed a soft kiss on his lips as she silently cried. And when she pulled away, she smiled slightly before wiping away her tears and walking over to Jason.
He walked to the bedside table and picked up his phone from where it lay.
"Hello?" he answered, sniffling.
"Mr Simmons, this is the office of Matthew Sands. I called to inform you that your meeting today has been moved to 6:30pm from 2:30pm. Will you be able to attend or would you like to reschedule?"
"I can attend, thank you for calling," he told the secretary, feeling grateful that he had more time to recollect himself after what had just happened with Nina.
"No worries, I will send you the new address and he'll see you at 6:30pm then."
He thanked her once again before hanging up the phone, walking over to the bed and sitting down. He placed his face in his hands as his tears returned once again.
He had been crying for several moments when he felt a pair of small hands holding onto his pants.
"Daddy don't cry" Jason said as he tugged at his pants. He quickly wiped away the tears before picking him up and sitting him beside him on the bed. He smiled at the little boy and nodded his head.
"Daddy won't cry anymore."
Jason's face lit up as he saw his smile.
"There you are," Nina said as she entered the room. She sat beside Jason and looked over at Michael, reaching out a hand to him. He reached out and held her hand.
"Everything's going to be okay," she said to him as she squeezed his hand. And once again, his eyes began to sting with tears as he nodded before wrapping his arms around Jason and Nina.
---
Michael took a deep breath and released it as he stood in front of the door of the private room at the restaurant. His hand shook slightly as his grip on his briefcase tightened.
This is it, he thought to himself, the moment that would determine his future.
He knocked on the door and entered when he heard a voice.
"I'm glad you could make it Mr Simmons," the man who held his future in his hands said as he stood up and walked towards him. They shook hands before he was directed to his seat.
"Thank you once again for having me and for considering my proposal," he said as he sat down, placing the briefcase beside him.
"No need to thank me yet, I haven't told you my decision," he said, taking a sip of his drink.
"Why don't we get something to eat first? I hope you don't mind that I already ordered for us."
"Not at all, sir."
And just as he finished speaking, the door opened to reveal a waitress with a trolley of food.
"Would you like some brandy?" Mr Sands asked as the waitress set the table.
"Sure," he said, picking up his glass for him to pour the drink into. When she finished, she left the room and they clinked their glasses before taking a sip and eating their food. And as he ate, he couldn't contain his nervousness as he was eager to find out if he would be receiving funding for his project which he had spent many years preparing.
The sound of Mr Sands' fork and knife hitting the plate caused him to look up. He gently placed his fork onto his plate and grabbed his napkin, wiping his lips as he kept his eyes on the man before him.
"I guess it's time to finally tell you what you came here for," Mr Sands said. And as he heard each word, he could feel his heart beating faster.
"There's no point in delaying it, right?"
He laughed nervously.
"Mr Simmons, your proposal was quite thorough and I must say, it was one of the best ones to have seen the light of my office in a while."
He felt his hands balling into fists in anticipation.
"And as such, I regret to inform you that unfortunately, we will not be funding your project at this time."
As he heard those words, he couldn't hide his disappointment.
"I-I don't understand--I thought you said it was one of the best ones," he said, attempting to change his mind.
"And that it is. But at this time, we feel that our funds would be much suited elsewhere. I'm very sorry but that was the decision made by the board and I have to say that I agree. It was a pleasure meeting you though and I wish you all the best in your future endeavors."
And with that, he left.
Michael remained in his seat for several minutes, wondering what he had done wrong. He had spent countless years preparing the project and several months just writing that proposal and now it had been rejected?
He reached for the bottle of brandy which was still on the table, half full. He poured himself a glass and drank it as if it was water. And in that moment, he was so focused on the fact that his proposal had been rejected, that he didn't register the burning sensation in his throat.
After all those sleepless nights, how could his project get rejected?
He poured himself another glass and drank, slamming the glass onto the table when he finished. He angrily picked up his briefcase and walked out of the room, making his way towards the door to exit the restaurant.
"Thank you for coming," the hostess said as he reached the door. He looked at her briefly before leaving and walking to his car.
Once he was at the driver's seat, he threw his briefcase into the passenger seat, put on his seat belt and turned on the engine before pulling out of the parking lot.
He had been driving for a few minutes, his mind racing with thoughts about what had happened, when he suddenly began to feel dizzy. He slowed down to a stop as he reached a traffic light. He placed his head on the steering wheel and closed his eyes.
And as he did, he remembered what had happened with Nina in the morning.
The sound of a car honking behind him caused him to look up to find that the light had turned green. He accelerated and changed lanes to allow the car behind to pass. And as he continued to drive, he couldn't stop his mind from wandering to what had happened.
What had he done for things to work against him, he thought to himself.
But as quickly as that thought had popped in his head, he remembered Nina's words
Everything's going to be okay.
He was so deep in thought that he didn't realize that he had accidentally veered onto the wrong side of the road until he heard the horn of a large truck as it approached him. Startled, he turned his steering wheel just in time to avoid a collision.
He felt his heart beating quickly in his chest as he breathed heavily and he couldn't deny how glad he was to have escaped that accident. But just as he was returning his attention to the road, his car was forced to a standstill as it collided with another.
* * *