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****
We left the café and headed to the campus. The architecture was amazing as each building brought out the various years it has been around, from the very old to the very modern. I completely fell in love with the Street Hall building with its old style. Students filled the campus grounds despite it being the holidays. Sofia didn’t stop until I saw every building. Each building we entered, she explained its history and purpose to me; I watched as she spoke; I could see it brought her a sense of accomplishment and happiness. While for me, each building only made it clearer how useless I was. Sofia was going to be someone. She was on the road to accomplishing her goals, while I became someone’s wife and nothing else. I had bankrupt our diner and had very little to show for myself. “Addie? Are you okay?” Sofia asked.
“Yeah, I’m great. It’s just overwhelming.” I smiled. “You better get your ass to New York your next break!” I pointed my finger at her.
“Okay, I promise,” she relented. We hugged and kissed, promising to Skype the moment I got home. Sofia kept waving as Ted drove us off back to Manhattan. I sat in the car reexamining my life and the hard decisions ahead of me.Unwelcomed VisitorDaimon didn’t return home until early morning of New Year’s Eve. I hadn’t planned anything for New Year’s, still feeling sorry for myself from my visit with Sofia. He barely said two words to me as he walked in, making me feel even worse. Once he finished with his shower, Daimon came down and took a bottle of water out of the fridge.
“How was Sofia?” he asked, leaning against the counter.
“Fine,” I bit out angrily.
“Addie, are you okay?” he narrowed his eyes at me.
“I’m fine,” I hissed as I played with Drako.
“Just fucking tell me what’s wrong,” he barked.
“She’s doing great! All right! Better then great,” I shouted. “She’s getting honors and living her life. She’s going to get a career, the very one I wanted for myself. While I'm nothing. I’ve done nothing, I’ve seen nothing. All I am is your hired help. I'm worthless and useless,” I berated myself, jealous of my own sister’s success. “I'm almost thirty and I'm envious of my own baby sister,” I laughed a little, knowing how absolutely ridiculous I sounded.
“You’re not useless and you’re not hired help. You did what you had to do to help your family. Not everyone could do that,” he said surprising me. “You’re one of the most amazing people I have ever met. No one would give up a chance of a lifetime to help her family. You gave up everything and not once looked back.” He marched over and peered down at me.
“Not once looked back?” I said incredulously. “I looked back all the time and I hated that I lost it. I hate I lost my chance for something,” I sobbed, quietly.
“Addie…”
“Stop! I'm not doing this anymore. Tell me about your trip. Did you make the merger?” I asked, wiping away my tears. I had grown so sick of my pitiful ways.
“Come on, beloved. It’s me, Daimon. Of course I made the merger happen and made more money in the process.” He wiggled his eyebrows at me.
“Figures,” I shrugged.
“What figures?”
“You’re good at what you do.” I gave him a toothless grin fighting back my horrible behavior.
“Did you just praise me?” he asked smiling.
“Say it’s one of your belated Christmas presents,” I offered.
“I’ll take it.”
“Of course you would,” I teased.
“Look, I have to go and get some paperwork done at the office. I’ll be back before six, okay?” he said, heading upstairs to change.
****
Instead of cooking, I ordered in some Thai food which I spread out onto the table. I took out one of his favorite wines, a cabernet sauvignon and waited. It was almost six when the phone rang. I knew it was from downstairs; I could tell by the ring.
“Addie, it’s me.” Fuck. Darren had shown up without calling first.
“Darren, it’s a bad idea you’re here,” I said to him.
“I just wanted to see you. Jesus, Addie, it’s been weeks since I’ve heard from or seen you,” he said sadly through the phone.
“I can’t let you up here. If Daimon finds out—”
“I don't care if Daimon finds out. You’re my friend I want to see you,” he said angrily.
I knew I couldn’t let him up here, not after I made such a huge deal about him not letting anyone in here. I hung up the phone and headed downstairs. I found him sitting on the couch, leaning forward looking on the ground.
“Darren?” I said as I walked up to him.
“Hey,” he said, standing up and hugging me.
“Are you okay?” I asked as I pushed back to see his face.
“Now I am.” He smiled. I moved around him and sat down on the couch that faced his.
