Chapter 33

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"I figured I should visit before you went on your trip," Lucy said.

"I don't mind you visiting me while I pack my things, but I'm expecting good news," said Norman.

"I'm still thinking about it, but I'm starting to veer into denying your request."

He sighed while folding his shirt, "I don't think I'll ever understand you, Lucy. You are very intelligent yet I feel you are just wasting your talents in an institution that doesn't actually give you dividends."

"You mean school in general?"

"I'm not saying education is not important, but you can learn a lot more being in the real world. Look outside the window. See how much of the world you can see from up here. It's not the top of the building, yet you stand higher than the majority of working men right now. Many wish they could be at this height but instead live in a dirty apartment because that's all they can afford. You have no idea how lucky you are Lucy to have a father who can afford such a place, and you too can afford to live in a high-rise apartment. Many conclude their lives looking up at the world but you have the power to look down upon it."

"Neither of those sounds appealing."

"But one is more preferable than the other."

Lucy sighed silently as she looked in the direction of the window. Rising from the buildings, mountains capped with snow surrounded by white fluffy clouds, all underneath a bright blue sky. The buildings around them jotting up from the ground like giant spires. Even at the height in which her father lived, all other buildings surrounding his were tiny by comparison.

"Sir, why do you want money so much?" She asked.

"It's not that I want money, it's a necessity of life. You won't get taught this in school but the average yearly income for most of the population is less than thirty-thousand a year. That may seem like a big number to you who has no responsibilities, but trust me when I tell you that it is so tiny when you-"

"Sir, I don't want to hear a speech or be lectured. Why do you want money so much?"

He closed his luggage and began rummaging through a stack full of folders. "That was what I was answering."

"I want to hear it from your words, not some scientific data."

Without pausing his flipping of papers, he thought about her question before responding, "Money is important, Lucy, otherwise you will be poor for the rest of your life. I do not want to live in poverty and I would do whatever it took to make my money."

"Whatever it took?"

Norman paused as he turned to her who in turn gave him a look of worry. He continued his rummaging. "I guess those were the wrong words. Just trust me, Lucy."

"So you're just scared you're going to lose everything?"

"In a way, yes."

"What are you afraid of losing the most?"

"Well, my lifestyle, for one thing. I did get used to being rich, I'll admit."

"Anything else?"

"I guess my life."

"Anything else?"

He stopped what he was doing to finally give Lucy the attention she was inadvertently demanding. "Alright, I get it. What's on your mind?"

Standing a few feet from her, Lucy looked up at his tired eyes, "When you come back, can you take a break?"

"I'm not certain. I'm a busy man, after all."

"How about we do something together? You know, just go out on an excursion. Let's hang out and do something fun."

He scoffed as he turned around and continued his packing, "Still a child. Come now, don't let everyone else convince you that you are still a baby."

"I'm not a baby."

"But you're not acting like an adult either."

"That's because I'm not an adult. I'm a teenager."

"And when I was your age, I was already working for my father in his company. This is the reason why I'm such a success."

"Then why not just take a break? You have a lot of money already."

"Is that it? You want money?"

"No, Sir. You don't even have to buy me anything. We can even just stay here and chat if you want. Let's just spend some time together."

"But time is money, Lucy. If I take a break, that's valuable time being taken away from my business. Besides, I'm always on call so I have to be prepared for anything that can happen."

"That's fine with me. If you need to leave, you can. I just want to spend some time with you."

"Come now, Lucy. What do you really want? Is there a dress you desire? Maybe a new car?"

"I don't know how to drive."

"If you join my business, I'll teach you how to drive, and then I'll buy you a nice car. I'm certain this is what it's all about. You're around that age after all."

"Most fathers would teach their daughters without resorting to some kind of payment."

"Those fathers are idiots."

"What?"

"You do not get anything for nothing in this world, but that's the mentality today's men are teaching to their children. They spoil them and then wonder why they are so entitled. They are fools, but I am different. I spent years learning human psychology, I know all these things that we do automatically without a thought as to why. These men are slaves to their own feelings and emotions."

"Slaves to your feelings and emotions?"

"It's a complicated subject that you'll learn later, but pretty much, we have no control of our emotions until we decide to do so. The power to influence is the power to manipulate. The majority of people simply run on their so-called feelings, but not me. I am in control of them and with this knowledge, I have the power to control others."

"Dad, that sounds awful."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Uhh... Sir. Sorry, Sir."

After a brief pause, he continued with his packing. "The world is awful, Lucy. The sooner you learn that the sooner you will be able to handle reality. Don't learn it the hard way, just trust me. Now, are we done?"

"Just one more thing. What if I reject your offer? What if I don't want to work for you? What if I decide to go my own way?"

"Then you will be making a pretty big mistake."

"But what does that mean between us?"

"Between us?"

"Every time I come here to visit, you keep going on and on about business, money, making me your employee. I don't recall the last time we actually did something as father and daughter."

"That was back when you were a child, Lucy."

"I don't even remember back then either. Were you ever there for me?"

"What are you talking about? I've always been there, back when your mother and I were together."

"I don't recall you ever being there for me."

"That's because you are too young to remember, but I have photos and video of it, so I know what I'm talking about."

Lucy's eyes lit up. "Can I see them?"

"Maybe later, I still got a lot of packing to do. Why don't you ask your mother?"

"In that case, I don't have anything else to say."

"Very well. Then if you'll excuse yourself." Taking the hint, Lucy turned around and headed out the door. "Wait," her father said, causing her to stop and turn around. "I got a visit from a man claiming to be from the Department of Child Services. Is everything okay at home?"

"Yeah... I guess," Lucy said distraught.

He looked at her with his discerning eyes that gave her chills. It was a cold and distant stare that barely gave her relief when he returned to his packing, "My offer is just that, an offer. If you don't accept it, then I have no interest in you."

With a blank look on her face, Lucy turned around and continued to exit his apartment.

--

The door opened in front of her. A very rough and wild-looking man with a stubble beard and frantic hair was now standing in front of Lucy. She was so intimidated that she almost grabbed her emergency whistle only for her mother to suddenly be heard saying, "You got everything, Jacob?"

"No, I'm fine," said the man as he walked out and headed toward the elevator. Covering her nose from the offending odor left behind, Lucy entered her apartment.

"Did you forget something," said her mother walking into the living room only to stop when she saw Lucy. "Oh... hey."

Lucy let go of her nose. "Mom, I got to ask, do you have any video and pictures of me when I was younger."

"Yeah."

"Can I see them?"

"I guess, but I don't remember where I left them."

"What do you mean? Don't you have any on your phone?"

"The technology back then wasn't equipped with that stuff yet. I had to use, like, a digital camera I guess."

"Then where is the camera you used?"

"That thing is long gone. I now have a phone that can take 1080p pictures. I didn't need that."

"But you have the pictures backed up, right?"

"Backed up? I guess."

"So where are the backups?"

"Umm... I don't know. I think your father took them."

"Dad did?"

"Yeah. I'm certain. He got so spiteful of me that he tried to take everything. Too bad he didn't succeed. Stupid."

"But you have copies, right? In your phone, or your computer?"

"No."

"No?"

"No. Why would I if I had the camera?"

"But you gave the camera away."

"Yeah but I don't need the camera for that. You can upload things to the cloud now."

"So it's online?"

"No. Of course not. Why would I put pictures of a kid online? I think that's illegal and stuff."

"Mom, I'm serious. Do you have anything of you, me, and dad together?"

"Together? No way. I deleted those pictures. I don't want to see that man ever again."

"But you at least have pictures of us together, right?"

Her mother stood there with a confused look and then answered, "I... think..."

"You think?"

"Maybe... perhaps... somewhere in my room. If you look, you can probably find it."

"Find it? I shouldn't have to find something that precious."

"Well, in that case, it must be in there somewhere so just look for it, okay?"

"In that case, let's look together."

Her mother's eyes grew wide as she stutters, "Ahh... Uhh... I can't... I got to go and... deliver a pizza."

"No, you don't."

"Well, I got to make a pizza."

"Then let's make it together."

"No, this is an adult pizza. For adults only."

"Okay... then do you need any help with anything?"

"No. In fact, I must go now for adult reasons I can't explain to you, okay goodbye." Her mother scurries to the doorway and exited the apartment.

Lucy stared at the closed door before her eyes target the shoes right next to the doorway. The door opened slowly and quietly a hand reached in and grabbed the shoes before quickly closing again. With a sigh, Lucy proceeded toward her mother's bedroom.

All afternoon was spent rummaging in her mother's things looking for any kind of storage device. A few memory sticks were found and when she plugged them into her computer, they contained photos of Carry along with men Lucy did not recognize. A lot of them were of her partying with said men, others of them in a bedroom, naked, and performing acts that caused Lucy to throw the memory stick away and wash her hands.

The less provocative photos were dated recently and when she did the math, the earliest photo she could find was two days after her parents separated. It was a photo of her mother with yet another strange man. Out of the hundreds of photos, none of them contained her father, which she expected, but Lucy herself wasn't present in any of them either. 'When was the last time I recall her taking a photo of me? And Dad, is there even a point of asking him?'

Despondency was looming over her like a dark cloud as she got up from her computer. Grabbing her phone, the two cracks reminded her that she still needed to replace it, and realizing she forgot to ask her father for a new one, she plops it back onto the desk. 'By now he should be heading towards the airport. I guess it's too late to ask him. But he'd probably only buy me one for 'business' reasons anyways.'

The sun was now lowering enough for its rays to shine through her window as a streak of light appeared on her face, causing her to cover her eyes with her hand. Heading toward the window, she held on to the cord to lower the blinds when she noticed the mountains, the same ones she saw earlier in that high rise, looking tiny from the distance of the apartment building she called home. The buildings that towered over everyone in her visit to the Upper Area were now minuscule as if they could be plucked by her fingers from where she saw them.

The vantage point from the third floor of her apartment wasn't anything compared to the height where her father lived. Yet, even at this height, the streets below looked tiny, the buildings were model kits, and the cars mere toys.

'I don't need a giant fancy apartment building to feel better about myself. Nor do I need either of you. There's only one thing I want, and looks like I'm going to have to get it myself.'

She stepped away from the window, got on her computer, and opened Google Chat. '22 Hours Ago' was written underneath Johan's last message. After a deep breath, she replied, _'Do you want to meet this Saturday?'_