TWENTY- ONE

I woke up and yelled when I saw Rose right next to me.

She groaned and covered my mouth.

I removed her hand and yelled again then she said in a coarse voice,"Where's the off switch on this alarm clock?"

I yelled,"What are you doing here?!"

"Well this is my bed."She said simply.

"Yes it is but you gave it to me, you said you weren't going to sleep."

"I believe my exact words were I don't plan on sleeping."

I gave her a ' really? ' look and she sighed and said,"Fine, I'm sorry, I was just so tired and you looked so comfortable while you were sleeping. I tried to sleep on the floor, but it wasn't as soft as my bed."

I sighed.

I've felt your pain.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

The man looked around then at his hands. A woman said,"You're awake. After so many years."

He looked at her then asked,"Who are you?"

"My name is Brenda."

"Where am I?"

"In my house."

"Where's my son?!"

"Who?"

"Marco, Marco Lester!"

She looked at him with a weird expression and asked,"Marco Lester as in Mark Lester?"

His eyes widened and he asked,"You know him?"

"Yes."

A tear fell down his cheek as he asked"Where is he?"

She then said,"Mr George Lester...your son is dead."

He then fell on his knees and held his chest as his heart throbbed painfully. He yelled his son's name.

Brenda tried to calm him down but he refused, he kept saying,"He was so young..."over and over again.

He wept for hours, he wanted another chance with his son. He had been asleep for two decades, he had missed him growing up, and now was never going to meet him again.

He looked at Brenda after he could no more cry and asked,"What happened to him?"

"He was killed by his ex girlfriend."

He muttered something in Russian then she said,"Let me get you something to eat."

He slowly ate his food while looking at the last picture of Mark he had left.

Mark was less than ten when George and Dinah, his wife were fighting. They wanted a divorce and were on their way as the rain poured down.

He almost hit a child crossing the street and made a sharp turn but the car skidded off the road and hit another car, then he blacked out.

Now he had woken up, he was expecting to be overjoyed at the sight of his son and possibly his grandchildren, but now he had lost him.

He asked,"Who is running Aqua now?"

She said,"It's now called Aqua bolt, they are two companies and it's Mark's adopted brother, his daughters are also heirs."

Finally some good news.

"Daughters?"He asked.

"He had triplets, but never met them."

Just like I never met him...

"And adopted brother?"He asked again.

"Yes, Tommy Hawkins, now Tommy Lester."

Hawkins, why is that name familiar?

Just then, he remembered Gregory Hawkins, his best friend since childhood, who became a soldier. Gregory was friends with him, despite the fact he was ten years older than him.

Marco adopted his son?

But why?

He asked this too but she didn't have any answers for that.

He thanked her for helping him and said he'd pay her back and she asked,"Why does it seem like you're leaving?"

"Because I am."

"You can't leave!"

"Why not?"

"Because you've not fully recovered. Once you do, I'll personally take you back to your family."

He looked at her then obliged, mostly because he had no idea where he was going.

I was in a display of the new clothing line and Lucille and Ruby were two of the models.

They were perfect in everything and I clapped for them, I didn't want to go as that would remind me of Mark's cheering and then I'd burst into tears in front of everyone.

The main reason I did it only in private was so no one would know I hadn't moved on, but I could tell Ruby and Rose already knew.

After the photoshoot, I took some of the refreshments from the reception and Rose modelled my way.

I had added my own flair to the clothes in this sequence, for instance, Rose's dress was midnight blue and had white glowing optic fibres which shone through it, making it seem like a starry night.

I walked to Rose and kissed her with Thomasina in my hands.

We looked at the other models, men and women in futuristic clothes that everyone was dying to see, Rose said,"Mark would be proud of you."

Just then, a tear escaped my eye then she wiped it and said,"You don't have to cry alone anymore, I'm here for you."

"But it's been two years and a half and I've still not moved on."I said.

"None of us have moved on, in a way, we never will, because he will forever live in our hearts."

I smiled and said,"Thank you."