After two weeks, my father was finally able to come home. I was elated. He had gained weight and even looked happy. We both stepped out of the hospital to find an awaiting Daimon with his black sedan and driver.
“I hear you’re being let out.” Daimon smiled as he walked over to us.
“Finally, I get to go home.” My father smiled as he stood up from the wheel chair and reached out his hand to shake Daimon’s. Daimon gladly took his.
“I'm here to take you home,” Daimon pointed to the car behind him.
“Well this is service,” my father said with a smile and walked over to the car.
“Ted will take you home, I'm off to work,” Daimon said to me without sparing me a glance. He irritated me so much that I ignored him and walked over to the car. “Addie,” Daimon said in a low voice.
“What?” I turned my head.
“Try not to miss me,” Daimon smiled.
BILLS
My father improved every single day. I watched happily, as he finally was able to eat foods he couldn’t eat for so many years. He was eating so much that he had started to gain weight. We hardly talked about the diner and that was fine by me.
I had left him downstairs where he was watching his movies. I needed to pay the hospital bill and the nurse told me I could do it online. I was scared to death about this transaction as I took out my credit card. I went online and found the hospital website. I punched in my father’s client account number and when the page loaded, all I saw were zeroes. I reloaded the page again, but still nothing. I reached for my phone and dialed customer service, the stupid elevator type music was playing as I waited on the phone.
“Yes, thank you for waiting. My name is Jenny, how can I help you?” the operator said.
“Yes, I have a bill to pay at your hospital, but when I put in my numbers I don’t see a balance,” I said.
“Give me your account number and name and I’ll be happy to help,” she said, as she typed. I gave her the information she needed and she put me on hold again.
“Yes, Ms. Sakis. It seems your account with us has been paid,” she stated.
“Paid?” I asked. “How is that possible when I didn’t pay it yet?” That’s when it dawned on me.
“Yes, well it has been paid,” she said again.
“Thank you,” I relented.
“Well, have yourself a good day,” she said as she hung up.
I scrolled through my phone and pressed call once I found the name I wanted.
“Yes?” Daimon said low and rough.
“Why did you pay my father’s hospital bill?” I asked.
“I told you, I would pay for everything that concerns you and that includes your father. Didn’t we already discuss this?” he said.
“Daimon…Thank you,” I said softly.
“Finally you said something nice to me,” he said devilishly.
“Yeah, well I did sell myself to you, so I don’t know if I should be thanking you or myself,” I refuted.
“You said it now, there’s no taking it back,” he laughed. I was lost again. I never experienced the sound of his low gruff laugh through the phone. I swallowed hard while taking in the sound. This was a business deal, Addie. A business deal, I kept repeating over and over again.
“Daimon, I’m going to have to talk to you about…the diner,” I said, humiliated by the words I spoke.
“Addie, I don't want you to sound like that. A deal’s a deal. I told you I’d pay everything, so you don’t even have to think about it. I will need you to come down to my office to sign some papers about the diner, but other than that it’s pretty much done with,” Daimon said confidently.
“What do you mean?” I asked surprised.
“Just come tomorrow and I’ll explain everything to you.”
I woke up pretty early the next day wondering what the hell Daimon had done. I couldn’t wait until the time he had told me to show up so I ended up being in front of his building when he showed up for work.
“This is a pleasant surprise. You missed me, didn’t you?” he winked and grinned. I looked around and there was his personal secretary who was standing behind him.
“Couldn’t help it, it’s been a few days since I saw you,” I smiled, biting my inner lip hard, pissed off at the fact the charade had started so early in the morning.
Daimon took my hand and intertwined our fingers as he led me through the doors and lobby of his building. The security guard who was there the first time I had visited, allowed us to pass through as he followed us from behind. He placed his key into the side of the elevator and called it down. Once the doors opened, all three of us stepped through Daimon, his personal secretary and me. He held onto my hand tightly as we rode up to his office. I fell silent, uncomfortable with this third person who was standing behind us. Only when we entered his office was I able to relax and finally breathe.