"So… how are you doing?", Damien asked after a long silence.
Felix struggled to talk. For many years he was imagining his conversations with this man. What he will say. What he will ask. How he will respond to his questions. And now that his father is here, in front of him, Felix can't find anything that he wants to say. He forced himself to answer questions at least. "Fine. You?"
"Fine." Damien responded in sa way as Felix but decided to give his best to keep the conversation going. He ca all the way to Seattle. He needs to give his best effort, especially because Felix agreed to et with him. "I hear you will get married soon."
"Yes."
Damien glanced toward Sophia. "Sophia seems to be a nice girl."
"She is."
Damien rembered that Bridgette said how Felix is a director in Orion Enterprise. "You have a good job?"
"I do."
Damien sighed, and stated the obvious, "This is not going too well, is it?"
"Why did you co here?" It was noticeable that Felix was not in a good mood, and it was getting worse with each interaction.
"To talk to you."
Felix shook his head and questions poured out of him: "Why now? Why not twenty years ago? Did soone kidnap you? Held you as a prisoner? Why you didn't say a single word… twenty years… you didn't visit, or called… not even a postcard… What do you think that you can do now? Just co back and everything will be great? Will we go fishing together? Or maybe we can play so ice hockey?" Felix felt that with every word his temper is rising. He stopped talking and took few deep breaths.
"That is not my intention…", Damien said in a weak voice. Everything Felix said hit him right where it hurts.
"What is your intention?", Felix squeezed through his teeth.
"I wanted a chance to tell you what happened. How we reached to this point… at least from my point of view."
Felix exhaled. He wanted to leave, but he promised Sophia that as long as Damien is willing to talk, he will try as well… he will give his best try… and be patient. "I'm listening."
"I was with your mother for about seventeen years. When I t her, she was the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." Damien's lips were curved up while rembering his first years with Sylvie. "She was always smiling, with a bubbly personality, understanding… it didn't take long for us to get married, and few years later we had you." Damien's mood visibly fell as he continued, "I don't know when it started, but she changed. She beca demanding, no matter what I did it was not good enough. I left my teaching job and got a better paying one, because Sylvie wanted better clothes, bigger house, branded makeup, more jewelry... I worked day and night. It was normal for to have more than one job. But she was still not happy… so I worked more. I changed jobs again… She didn't like our farm, or lifestyle… she wanted big city. I sold the farm and we moved to Montreal. But it was not enough. It was never enough. I thought many tis of leaving… I suspected that she might have ntal problems, but when I suggested that we see a doctor, she got hysteric, and I had to drop the topic… Constant nagging and negative energy were sucking the life out of . Few tis I even packed a suitcase, but at the end I could not do it, and I decided to give it another try, to stay another day… next day was the sa or worse. And one day I actually left. At first, I thought it will be for few hours, just to show her that I an it… but hours beca days… days beca weeks. She called , and I thought that she will ask to co back, but she only asked for money. More money. I missed you and Bridgette, and wanted to see you, but she said that unless I send money, I can't see you. So, I sent money, but she said that she will call the police if I co near. I was a ss… " Damien rubbed his forehead for so ti before continuing, "Days passed, months, and next thing I know I was afraid to co and look for you… afraid that you will not want to see . Because I left."
Damien looked at Felix and saw that he is frowning back at him. He realized that whatever he said, didn't move Felix, or if it did, he didn't show. He sighed. His heart was heavy. Damien decided to make another try, a plea, and hope that it will reach his son. "Son, I'm sorry I ssed up. I'm sorry I missed half of your childhood. I'm sorry I was not there when you needed . I'm sorry for being weak and stupid. I don't expect that you will forget that I left, and I don't expect that you will forgive … but I hope that you will not close the door on , and that we can get to know each other again. I have a wife and two sons, Rishi and Shibu, they are your brothers. I hope that you will be willing to et them… what do you say?"
Felix looked at Damien for a long ti before he finally decided to speak. "You left."
Damien nodded, confirming Felix's statent. "Yes. I did… and I regret that in my mont of weakness I left you and Bridgette. And I regret that I didn't find the courage to look for you, to take you with ."
Felix wanted to say sothing but both his and Damien's attention got drawn to the table where Sophia was sitting.
Two n approached Sophia trying to pick her up.
"Hey pretty girl, how co you are by yourself?", one man said.
Sophia lifted her gaze from her phone and looked at him with confusion for a second. Then she realized that these two strangers are hitting on her, and a slight frown appeared on her face. Her rejecting body language didn't affect them in slightest.
"I think she is waiting for us.", second man added.
"Well, we are here!", first man exclaid and sat opposite from Sophia.
Second man sat on Sophia's left.
Sophia glanced at each of them and her frown deepened. It's a long ti how she was by herself in a public place. She forgot that such n exist, who will just openly approach a female and act shalessly. Sophia didn't respond to their provocation and decided to stand up and leave. The man sitting next to her, grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down in the chair.
"Excuse … you are disturbing the lady…", Damien was tapping the man opposite from Sophia on the shoulder.
"Old man, take a hike. Who are you to tell I'm disturbing her?", man was obviously displeased by Damien's ddling. "Don't you see that she is sitting with us?"
"Let go of her." Felix growled at the man who was still holding Sophia's wrist.
"Oh, two more…" Man who was holding Sophia's wrist ignored Felix and glanced at Sophia's body lecherously. "I'm sure that you can satisfy all four of us with that…"
POW!
Felix's fist slamd onto his face, and he fell down from the chair. Man lost consciousness, or maybe he was faking it. In any case, he didn't move any more.
Man who was across the table from Sophia abruptly stood up and launched himself on Damien. In a swift move, Damien avoided his fist and hit the man in his solar plexus. Man bent down in pain. Damien elbowed man's neck in the back and hit man's face with his knee at the sa ti. Second man fell on the ground unconscious next to the first one.
Felix gave Damien a look of surprise, and then focused on Sophia.
Sophia's face was contorted in pain and she was holding onto her stomach.
"What happened?" Felix was next to her in an instant, doing his best not to panic.
Sophia was struggling to catch her breath and talk. "When he stood up…" She gestured with her chin toward the man who got beating from Damien, "…he pushed the table my way… I didn't expect that…"
Felix paled.
"She will be OK. She just needs so breather.", Damien comforted Felix.
Felix looked up at Damien who obviously doesn't know Sophia's state. "She is pregnant…", desperation was heard in Felix's voice.
Damien was in shock for a second before he snapped to his senses. "I'm here with a car. She needs to go to the hospital."
Felix lifted Sophia carefully and carried her outside of the coffee shop, one step behind Damien.
Two young ladies behind the counter were not sure what to do. They saw the whole scene, but they didn't dare to intervene.. Eventually, they called the police.
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