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He would still be by Michele's side, and they would be happy.
"I brought you something," he cleared his voice, removing a small toy from his pocket and placing it on the chair opposite him, somehow imagining that his son was there, personally receiving the gift.
Michele only came there one a year. On Solomon's birthday. He couldn't physically bring himself to come any other day. On the anniversary of his death he simply buried himself in work and alcohol in an attempt to numb himself and forget.
But on this day… On this day he forced himself to remember. Because despite the pain, he still needed to honor his son's memory. He needed to face his guilt and renew himself with strength for the journey he'd already committed to.
And that was by remembering.
Only by remembering what he'd loved and lost could he sharpen his resolve and push forward.
* * *
"Daddy,"Solomon's voice cut through his focus. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong, bud. It's just a small blackout, the power should be back soon," he explained, using his phone to light up the hallway as Solomon carefully made his way towards him.
"I don't like the dark."
"You're not alone in that," Michele chuckled. "I'm not particularly fond of it, either."
It was around eight in the afternoon, and Solomon still had time until his curfew. Without power, though, he quickly grew restless.
"Here's what we're going to do. I'll bring some flashlights and we can play a game of chess. What do you think?"
Solomon debated his options, finally relenting. He wasn't the biggest chess fan, but he did love playing with Michele, especially since lately his father had been busier than before. Any opportunity to play with his dad was a golden one for Solomon.
"You take these to the living room and prepare the game. I'll be with you in a second," he instructed as he placed a few flashlights in his arms.
When Solomon was out of earshot, Michele dialed Andreas.
"There's a blackout at the apartment," he started, his voice grave. "I'm looking out the window right now and none of the other buildings seem to be affected. I need you to investigate it and send a few men here, just in case," he said succinctly.
Michele wasn't one to take chances just as he wasn't one to believe in flukes or coincidences. Already, he had a bad feeling in his gut, but he didn't want to worry Solomon too much.
"Yes, sir. I'll do that. I'm downtown so it won't take me too long to get there, either."
"Good. I'll see you in a bit. In the meanwhile, see if you can access any of the lobby feeds. I want to know if someone messed with the wires or something."
"On it."
Once that was taken care of, he painted a smile on his face as he went to Solomon's side. Though he hoped the blackout had no outside interference, he couldn't discount that when he'd made alotof enemies in a very short period.
Already, his brain was quick at work in case something was up. He had a built-in steel vault as a mini panic room for Solomon, and at the slightest indication that danger was looming, he'd take the boy and lock him inside. The vault could only be opened from the inside so Michele was sure no one could penetrate it.
When he stepped inside the room, Solomon had already laid out the pieces for the game and he was excitedly waiting for Michele.
"Let's see what we have here, bud," Michele smiled while taking a seat.
His phone by his side, he kept his eye out for Andreas' messages in case he found something.
They started playing. Solomon's attention was momentarily distracted from the blackout while Michele put on a jovial mask while he continued to be on alert.
Nothing on cameras.
The text from Andreas was meant to alleviate some of his worries. Instead, his panic increased even more as he heard a sudden sound.
Not one to riskanything, particularly Solomon's safety, he put his hands on top of the boy's.
