Winnie smiled at Calvin as he adjusted her chair for her, She sat and put her purse and phone on the table.
"Where is mom Katherine? I thought you told me she was already here," she asked him as he sat down.
"Oh yeah, She texted me that she was already here. Umm wait I'll give her a call," He told her as he looked around the restaurant to see if he can spot her while he take his phone out of his coat and rang the only number in his speed dial.
He stopped when the call got connected, "Mom" he paused to listen to the other end, "I'm in the restaurant, where are you?" "Oh okay, alright."
He disconnected the call and look at Winnie, "She met an old friend outside, she is coming up now," he told Winnie. Winnie nodded.
"Should we start looking at the menu as we wait for her?" he suggested.
"That seems like a good idea," Winnie smiled and proceeded to keep herself occupied with the menu but in reality her mind was anywhere but on the menu, she didn't care about the food, anything was alright with her. She just kept thinking about her plan. She secretively scanned the place as her face was covered by the menu. She was cut off by the sound of heels, she looked at the direction of the sound and a smile immediately filled her face.
"Mom Katherine!!" she shouted as she stood and hug her tightly.
"Oh Winnie," she muttered fondly as she hugged her back.
They parted from the hug, Katherine took Winnie's hand and smiled fondly at her.
"How have you been? I really missed you."
"I have been okay. I missed you too," Winnie answered.
"I'm so happy you agreed to come. Cal told me you rarely come out of your room nowadays."
"I'm so sorry, things haven't been that good lately. But I was going to visit you soon, I really was. Either way I'm glad I got to meet you here today like this and have a meal with you," Winnie smiled at her.
"Me too," Katherine smiled back even wider. They all were grinning at that point.
"Wait...have you been getting younger and prettier??" Winnie suddenly commented as she playfully moved back a little to have a full view of her.
"Oh please. Are you mocking me!? I probably look as a maid comparing to you, I should have tried harder if I knew you were going to dress up, you already are too beautiful without dressing up as it is," She remarked.
"How much I missed your sense of humor!!" Winnie smiled.
"But I'm serious," she answered with a poker face and they all started laughing.
They were cut off by the sudden cough from the table, they looked to where it came from.
"Oh Cal," Katherine called him with a smile on her face. She almost forgot he was there.
"Finally someone notices me. Thank you," He commented.
She laughed hard and went to hug him too, "Forgive me, I haven't seen Winnie in a while."
"You're forgiven," he smiled at her.
They all sat down. Right away the waiter came and they all gave their orders. After few minutes he brought what they ordered and they started to eat.
"Calvin, why didn't you tell me about Esha?" Katherine suddenly asked.
"Esha! What about her?" he asked, having no idea what she was referring to.
"Haven't you talked to Haroon recently?" Katherine looked surprised.
"Did something happen to Haroon's mom?" Winnie asked her. Winnie has never met Esha but she heard about her and the rest from Michael. At that point she felt like she knew the whole circle.
"Esha passed away last week," Katherine told them and they all stared at her in shock. "I only found out today in the morning. Right after I went to their house to see Haroon but the house was locked, not even his father was home. He also doesn't pick up my calls. I thought atleast Cal would know."
"Oh my God, I feel so terrible. And it has been a week!!" Winnie exclaimed.
"I know, and to think that we all didn't go to the funeral!! My heart break for him. He must have been so sad and alone. How could he not let me know!! We should have been there for him," Katherine said sadly.
"Calvin you also didn't hear anything from him?" Winnie asked him, seeing as he was silent all that time. He looked like he was in a deep thoughts.
"Y-yeah He didn't call me either," he answered in a small voice. He looked more shocked with the news than the rest. Calvin was closer to Esha than them so it was understandable. Actually it was a surprise to them he only found out then.
Calvin remembered the night before when Haroon came to his house. If his Mom died last week then it must have been right after the funeral to be over. Was that why he came? He wondered.
"Haroon must have been so devastated. Esha meant so much to him. Poor Esha! I thought she was finally doing well after her last chemo. I have been too occupied with searching for Mike that I haven't been checking up on her," Katherine sighed.
"I'm sure she understood. You have been having a hard time too," Winnie reassured her.
"Does that mean your parents didn't go either?" Katherine asked Calvin.
"I don't know, I haven't talked to them in a while," He answered.
"What!? Why?"
"Work has been hectic lately," he answered as he cut his steak, keeping himself occupied. And for some unknown reasons suddenly the steak was hard to cut.
"I always see you almost everyday. I'm sure you can manage to give them a call atleast once a week," Katherine reasoned.
"They're not cool like you, I always argue with them whenever I visit," He sighed, giving up on his steak and looked at her. At that point no one else on the table was touching their food.
"You should still check with them, they are your parents Cal, you don't know how much time you have left with them. Look at Haroon, Look at me...learn something from us," Katherine didn't notice the tear that fell until she felt something cold on her cheek. Winnie quickly grabbed a tissue and handed it to her, she then gently patted her on the back to soothe her.
"I'm sorry. It's a good day I shouldn't be doing this. I just couldn't help it," Katherine apologized after wiping the tears.
"No. I'm sorry mom, I'll call them. I promise. No, I'll visit them actually. I'll make sure to visit them this weekend," Calvin quickly told her, feeling like it was his fault she was crying.
Katherine nodded and smiled at him. Even though she was smiling, her eyes was still filled with sadness.
"So which old friend did you meet outside?" Winnie asked as an attempt to change the subject.
"Uh just someone I knew back in the days. We used to be best friends," she answered, Winnie could tell her way was working a little as Katherine eyes lighted up.
"By the way did you know this restaurant is owned by Martin?" Katherine asked them.
"Yeah, almost all good restaurants and hotels in the country are owned by him. That man is loaded," Calvin answered "How did you know it's owned by him?"
"My old friend I just met told me," she told them. Leaving the fact that Martin himself was the old friend. She thought they wouldn't believe her.
"I bet his son is as loaded as him. I recently heard our employees talk that he is the major shareholder in our company," Winnie commented.
"He is a major shareholder in Sharon!! Wow!" Katherine was in awe.
"I know!! I had the same reaction when I found out. I was told when I first joined the company it was not in a good shape economic wise and they had to sell a lot of shares, he is the one who bought them and technically saved the company," Winnie told her.
"It's not a big deal to be a major shareholder in the company. I can be a major shareholder in any big company I want as long as I put my mind to it. Plus I'm sure he just used his father's money," Calvin commented bitterly.
"So what!? If a son works as hard as he does and has as much achievements as he has I'm sure any father would gladly let him do that much," Winnie shrugged.
"He doesn't even have that many achievements. And I'm sure he is not even working hard, he is probably slacking off knowing that whatever he does the company is going to be his, he is his only child," Calvin argued.
"I read Martin Gold doubled the gain after Henry joined the company, and that's how he won the best entrepreneur award and how he became so popular too. If you don't call that hard work and achievements, what do you call them?" Winnie held her eyebrow up to emphasize her point.
"Wow Like father like Son, Martin sure is Lucky," Katherine chipped in. Failing to notice that Calvin was not enjoying that at all.
Calvin sighed. This is supposed to be the best night of my life. What is happening?
"I have to use the bathroom, excuse me," Winnie muttered and stood up.
Calvin looked at her as she walked away from the table. She really is beautiful. Her presence itself makes this night special already. Even if she takes a side of a jerk like Henry it didn't matter. At least she is speaking to me. Plus the night is still long, anything can happen. He smiled.
*******************************************
~6 years ago~
"Mom Esha!" Michael called her as he walks in the hospital room.
Esha was lying on the bed, she was so pale and the white hospital gown and the white sheets weren't helping to mask it. She also had a white turban covering her bald head.
"How are you today?" Michael asked as he went to sit on the chair beside her table. He took her one hand and kissed it's back before holding it in both of his hands.
"I'm better now that I've seen you," Esha joked.
"I should come more often then."
"You're already coming here every single day, if that isn't often what is?" Esha laughed.
"After every two hours?" Michael grinned, his dimple coming to full display. He earned another laugh from Esha.
"You have to get better so that we can go to that trip we always talk about," Michael told her.
"Oh..that trip around the world with just me and you?" Esha raised her eyebrow playfully.
"Yep that one. I'm an attractive man, use this chance when I'm offering. There are millions of girls out there dying to even be in the same car with me!"
Esha laughed, "My dear Mike, you've to use that as a joke only when you're ugly and there isn't really a bunch of girls dying to even be in the same car with you, otherwise you're just being cocky!"
Michael laughed with her.
"How is your mother?" Esha asked him.
"She is okay. She told me to pass her greetings. She will come to see you tomorrow."
"Tell her she doesn't have to bother, she is busy with work as it is. She doesn't have to come every time I'm admitted."
"She is as stubborn as me, She'll never agree."
Esha shook her head in amusement.
"So where are your triplet?"
Michael smiled, "They are downstairs buying fruits. They'll come in any moment now."
"In the mean time, want me to read you a story?" Michael suggested.
"You brought a book today also? Okay, let's see what you got," Esha told him with a smile.
Michael smiled back before taking the book out of his backpack and start reading it to her.