Gavin Knight: From Rags to Richest

Better in Time

“Cry if you must. Being a man does not save you from the pain. But facing the pain like a real man will save you from despair.” Bill tapped Gavin’s shoulders. Those were his last words to him before he left him to cry alone.

Gavin sat on the bed. “Is this the end of my story with Aya?” Gavin reflected on the circumstances he was currently in. He slapped his head and exhaled deeply. Gavin bawled his eyes out. He loves Aya so much, he built his world around her. And now that they are not together anymore, he cannot think straight, what is left for him there if it is not for Aya? 

Aya gave direction to his life, his sense of being and it is not something he can throw out the window. He gathered his thoughts. “I need to get myself together first. I will get back to Aya when I am capable of protecting her.” He repeatedly told himself. Gavin spent the days inside his room, trying to get better. He had an ample amount of sleep and Bill kept bringing him nutritious food to help him recover. 

Gavin felt like he gained a father in Bill. He and his wife Ali were supportive of his recovery; he did not even want to accept his deposit for the room; even for the food he was consuming since he moved here.

He cleaned the unit he stayed in. He scrubbed the walls; it was obvious that the previous owner was a smoker that smoke stains are all over the room. The smell of it also is leaning on the undesirable side. Gavin also started de-cluttering the items of the previous owner.  

“Bill, are you sure your son will not look for these things?” Gavin asked Bill.

“Pretty sure.” Bill answered Gavin. He even handed him boxes so he could clear the room with the clutter. He was helpful that he even helped Gavin in choosing useful stuff for him. This simple studio apartment is actually nice. It is now spacious for a single person like him and convenient enough to get into vital places in the city. He opened the window so that natural light can come in. The room felt cozier than before as soon as he did that. 

Gavin found himself feeling better day after day. Maybe his extreme desire to move on and get better is pushing him to start anew. He took a quick shower and groomed himself. He wanted to look presentable to the people who helped him fix himself.

“Good morning.” Gavin greeted Bill and his wife; Ali. 

She turned her head and saw Gavin wearing a familiar pair of clothes. Ali smiled at Gavin. “It is great to finally have you down here. Do you want to eat?” She offered him a bowl of noodles in beef broth.

“Actually, Ali and Bill, I am want to help you out here if it’s okay. You are not accepting any payment from me. It does not feel quite right, I can’t abuse your kindness like this.” He said to the old couple.

Ali nodded her head and smiled as she thought of a great idea. “You can be our delivery guy while Gary is on leave. Do you know how to ride a motorcycle?” Ali offered to Gavin.

***

“Vroom, vroom”

Gavin is on his third delivery this morning. It was good having this work; it will not take long before he would master the streets in this city. His assumption about the people here also changed. Gavin actually feels more at ease in here because interaction with people is more uncomplicated. You will know if a person likes you or not, no filters no padding.

One particular customer however stirred his interest. She is a regular customer and she orders her breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but she never speaks a word to Gavin, even if he greets her every time they see each other. Ali was desperate to get details of the woman because she was yearning to get reviews from a regular customer.

It was just a shame that he was not able to get it for Ali. After two weeks of working as a delivery rider, the original rider is now back in town. 

"This is your last day as our food delivery rider, right?" Bill confirmed it to Gavin. 

He smiled and apologized, for he did not succeed in getting a review for Ali. Bill laughed at his desperate wife. "That's not a problem don't even think about it." He assured Gavin. "Sit here, let's drink some beer as a celebration." He added.

Gavin did not dare refuse Bill's offer. They enjoyed some beers together. The alcohol made Gavin a little bolder than he already was. "When is your son coming back?" He curiously asked Bill, because he would have to find another place when their son comes back.

"He left already." Bill answered shortly.

"Huh? Where to?" Gavin asked Bill. He really wanted to know more about Bill's son.

"I would love to think that he is already in heaven." Bill bravely answered Gavin's question. 

Gavin felt sad for Bill, he felt like they actually gained parents with the old couple and now he revealed to him that they lost their son. It occurred to him that their kindness to him stems from their longingness of their real son. Maybe the reason why Bill was in Hudson that day was not such a small coincidence after all. But Gavin wanted to confirm it.

"Is he the reason you were in Hudson that day?" Gavin asked Bill.

Bill nodded, and his eyes welled up with tears. For a big guy like Bill, he is the type that does not care about showing his emotions. He is transparent and unafraid to show his hurt. "Yes, three years ago he killed himself in the Hudson river. And that day that I saw you was his death anniversary. I just dropped by the river to throw in some flowers for him that day, begging him to help me find peace in my heart." 

Gavin felt shivers down his spine. He suddenly remembered seeing someone by the river when the incident with Gerard's group happened. "You saw it?" Gavin asked Bill.

Bill took a deep breath before answering. "Yes, I hid inside my pickup truck and called for the Police. I'm sorry son I was not able to help you out when they were beating you." 

Gavin chuckled at Bill. "That's silly, you shouldn't interfere in that, you will only get hurt. But did the police came? Is my girl okay?" Gavin finally understood why Bill never asked him about what happened to him.

"It was actually strange, they were parked a few meters from me and they only came in when those goons took you inside the van and left." Bill cupped his chin remembering the incident. "I followed the van as soon as they left. I did not want to see another dead young man by the road." He added.

"So you waited for me to stand up and walk around first?" Gavin was confused about the course of events. 

"No, I waited for the van to leave the scene completely. They only left around the time you successfully crossed the border." Bill admitted to Gavin. 

Gavin nodded, know he was sure about what really happened to Don crafted this incident without a doubt. "How can he do that to me?" Gavin mumbled to himself. 

***

"Gavin? Are you Gavin? The replacement delivery guy?" Garry asked Gavin. 

"Yes, bro. My name is Gavin." He answered, as he stopped cleaning the tables. 

The bright smile on Garry's face appeared. "You got to tell me the secret, dude." Garry's word confused Gavin. 

"What do you mean?" He asked him back with his furrowed eyebrows.

"That regular customer? I did not know she was gorgeous. We've been delivering food for her for about five months already and this is the first time I saw her face. And guess what she asked me the moment she saw my face?" Garry intrigued Gavin.

"Me?" He mindlessly answered.

"Yes, she said, where is the other rider? Next time I order please be sure it is him who would deliver my food. He shut the door out after saying that." Garry even imitated the way the woman talked.  

Ali heard Garry, she butted in. "Gavin, you heard what Garry said. From now on, you will be the one delivering food for that lovely woman. Now perhaps you can get that review I am dying to have." She instructed Gavin.

They all laughed about it. "Sure thing, Ali. I would take care of that." Gavin answered, though deep inside he was getting more curious about that woman. "Who is she? Why does she want me to deliver for her but ignored me as well when I went there?"