One Day at a Time

Chapter 2 - "Why, Father?"

          But, the thing that stood out the most was not an object, but a person. A person staring out into the city, not facing me in a black and white suit.

          My father.

          Behind him, the sun was setting, falling behind the beautiful buildings that makes the city what it is. Wow, that journey was longer than I thought.

          "Hello, Blaire."

          I jumped at the sound of his voice. It sounded familiar, although i could not remember when I heard it last. He turned around slowly, showing me his face. It looked relatively younger than my mother, but still held smile lines and lines across his forehead. His face had long stubble across his cheeks and around his mouth, and his hair was dark brown, matching the shade of his beard, and was long, gelled back. His nose was sharp but fairly big, the bridge of it separating his emerald green eyes, and his lips were full, but seemed as though they could hold a warm smile. The kind that was contagious. 

          "Father." I muttered.

          He smiled. I don't know why, but he smiled. It wasn't evil or wicked, but it was a genuine, happy smile. "Wow, your mother wasn't lying when she said you are beautiful, Blaire."

          "Why would she lie? My mother has no reason to lie, especially not to you. Although, if she did, would you even believe her, after you left her, your two-year-old and your newborn baby?"

          His smile faded, and he took a step away from the window. "You have got your mother's fire, I see. You hold it in your speech, and it is there, glinting away in your eyes, my dear." His gaze stood tall, towering over me. I wasn't going to back down, though. I glared at him. 

          "I might have your colour hair, and your lips, but I am more like my mother than I am you." I said, making it more obvious to him that I wasn't going to loose this battle. "Like I said downstairs, I do not bare the Hawford name with pride as you do. Instead, it is an insult. It links me to the man that left my family with nothing, just for his business. The man who left out of selfishness and greed, and I am not related to him."

          He stepped forward again. And again. And again. He stepped forward until he was six inches away from my face. 

          "You do not know my reasons for leaving." He said, anger making his voice cold. "It was one of the hardest things to do, leave your mother and you. so don't you dare say that the Hawford name is an insult, it is anything but."

          I was not backing down. I looked him right in the eye and said clearly, "Then why? Why did you do it?" He looked me back and didn't say a word.       

          "I said why! Why, Father? Why did you leave your family?" I yelled, anger building up inside of me. 

          Still nothing. I stepped back and Turned around, walking towards the elevator again. I stepped inside and turned around, facing him. My suitcases were still in the middle of his office, I was just going out for a little while, away from him. I would be back soon enough. "If you won't tell me, I'll just leave then." I said. "I'll see you later. Or maybe I won't." 

          And with that, the elevator door shut.

          "You'll find out soon, my dear." He said, just loud enough for me to hear through the thick metal door and the thumping of my heart.

                                                                              +++  

          It has been an hour since I left my father's office. As soon as I stepped outside I searched for my phone and put my earphones back in, and wandered around the city for a little while. I was sat in a fast food restaurant, waiting for my order, when my phone rang, showing the face of Cooper and his contact information, he was calling me. I pressed the answer button, and held my phone against my ear.

         "Blaire! Thank god you answered, I have been worrying about you all day!" A voice came from the other side of the phone. "Mum has been too, she was stressing so much when the Uber drove away. She is really worried about you and Dad."

          "Don't worry, Cooper, I'm fine. He might be an asshole, but I can see he cares; it shows in his eyes."

                                                                              +++  

          It has been half an hour, and now I was walking the dark streets. It's true what they say about the city changing at night, it becomes alive in the dark. It became so much brighter, even though the sun wasn't around. People stumbled passed me and my paper takeaway bag, intoxicated by alcohol, frequently, even though it was had only just turned ten. Falling into the world of my phone, a car pulled up beside me. It wasn't just any car though, it was a limousine. It was incredibly long, though, even for a limo. The glossy black showed my tired, worn out reflection. 

          The driver window rolled down smoothly, uncovering the face of a man. A wrinkled, shrivelled face of an old man. 

          "Evening, Miss. Hawford," He said, his voice glided over the words, like a mother singing a lullaby to a newborn. "Your father would very much like you to return, so he can head back to his house."

          "And why exactly does he need me to be there?" I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "Surely, he does not want me to be staying with him after what I said and questioned."

         Then, the limousine door slid open gracefully. A man in a black and white suit, looking like my father climbed out, just as gracefully as the door opened. 

          "My dear, do you really think that I would let you stay on the campus, when everybody knows your last name?" My father glared at me. "My business is one of the most famous in the world, Blaire. You would not be safe sleeping there." He gestured for me to get in the car. "Would you like to get in, my dear?"

          I knew he wasn't giving me a choice, I would have to get in either way. So, hesitantly, I climbed in and sat down, with him following me in carefully. We drove past the streets I had just wandered by, and I just looked at the window. I wasn't looking outside, I was simply staring at my own reflection. Even though I was tired and just wanted to sleep, father was right. I was beautiful. His lips and hair-colour suited me well, along with my mother's icy blue eyes and soft nose. My jawline was sharp, but not too sharp, and my cheeks were the perfect amount of rosy and skin-coloured. I'll admit, I was beautiful, but I didn't make myself vain because of it. Instead, I accepted it and ignored it.

          I looked down at my lap. The takeaway back was thrown on it, the grease of the burger slowly seeping through the thin paper. I opened it greedily, just to sniff it. I would wait until we got to his house to eat it though. 

          "You can eat it, you know," My father's voice interrupted my sniffing. "There's an air freshener installed in the car."

          Willingly, I peeled apart the grease-covered paper, wrapping up the burger and took a small bite, greedily. I hadn't had a burger like this in a little while, now. To go with my beautiful face, I kept a slim figure. I worked out frequently at home, and only treated myself with fatty foods once in a while. I wasn't a goddess, but I was slim enough to have a good, fit figure. I took another bite of the burger. I was in true heaven.

          "You have a wonderful and blessed body and face, my dear," He said. I was confused by his comment, but he didn't mean it in a weird way, he meant it as a compliment; his next comment made that clear.  "You would be perfect as a model."

          "Thanks," I said, my words muffled by the burger in my mouth. I swallowed the food. "But, I'm an artist, not a model."

          Another awkwardly silent ten minutes passed, and then the drivers smooth voice spoke, "We are here, sir."

          The driver opened up the door for us, and helped me out of the car. I stood, mouth opened, amazed at the sight in front of me. 

          This wasn't a house, it was a goddamn mansion.