MASON
I walked out of the airport and into the waiting black Mercedes. It was July now, almost a year and a half since I left New York City and my life behind me. Everything still looked the same to me as it did before I left, yet life was completely different.
I was different! At least that's what I've been telling myself. All that time I spent trying to find myself again, it wasn't all for nothing. I wouldn't be back if I wasn't a changed man.
"It's been a long time,Son."My Father said, from the other side of the back seat. "How have you been--where have you been?"
"Everywhere, I didn't stay put for too long." I turned my head and looked out the window. It's been a long time, but that didn't change the fact that I still found it difficult to hold a conversation with my Father.
Like I said, I've changed. But I still bare a lot of feeling when I'm around him. Mostly shame for the type of son I've been all these years, I've done a lot of things to make him ashamed of him, yet he's stuck by me no matter what.
He's always been the type of Father that I've never deserved. There's a conversation that I needed to have with him, a conversation that's long overdue. Today is not the day, I'll work my way up to it.
"Well I'm happy to have you back home. Now, you didn't give me much notice that you were coming back, so I wasn't able to get you your own place in time."
A couple of hours notice, I called him at the airport in Venice. I didn't want a fuss.
"I can handle that myself. I'll stay at a hotel for now."I pulled out my phone already checking for hotels that I could check into until I get situated.
"Nonsense. Why stay at a hotel when you can just come home for a couple of weeks?"He said it so casually, like the place he lived had been my home before I left.
It wasn't my home-- it hadn't been my home for a long time.
"We don't want to push things."I turned my head and looked at him."You and I under the same roof, it isn't a good idea. I'll stay at a hotel."
He smiled lightly, creating crows feet around his eyes. My father had aged quite a bit in the time that I've been gone, he looked tired."If that's what you want, Son. We will drop you wherever you want to go."
"The Ritz. That's where I'm staying."I turned my head and looked out the window again. Surprisingly enough I didn't hear anymore from him until we pulled up outside the hotel.
The driver handed me my bag from the back and my Father was standing by the car door."I'll clean up and see you in the office in a couple of hours."
"The office?"He asked."But you've only just arrived home. I thought you might want some time to get sorted before coming back."
"I've had enough time, I'm ready to come back."I hung my bag from my shoulder, the bag that I've brought along my travels and held very little in it."You want me back, Right?"
He smiled."Of course i do. Knight & Son is yours and it always will be. I'll see you in a couple of hours."He turned around and slipped back into his car.
I was standing in reception, checked in in a matter of minutes. The Park view suite was costly, especially for the length of time that I will be staying. A week at the very least.
I glanced down at the time, noticing that it was after 1."I'm going to need someone to pick me up a suit at Armani, I've already called ahead so it just needs to picked up."
"Of course,Mr Knight."The woman in her thirties smiled politely, hanging on my every word.
"I'll need shoes too, black preferably.." I paused, distracted by the clicking of a woman's heels on the flooring. I looked around and found myself unable to say another word once I saw who the woman in heels was.
Jamie Harris!
Fuck!! Not now!! Of all people to walk through this lobby today, it had to be her. I wasn't prepared to see her yet. I've had a long time to think about how I wanted our first conversation to go,but I was jet lagged and my brain wasn't working. I haven't shaved in months.
She hadn't seen me yet, she was too busy looking at some papers she was holding and talking to the Man she was walking with. I could get away without her seeing me, despite that fact I found myself walking closer.
"Jamie.."
