Chương 27: Self love
We're here to make a dent in the universe. Otherwise, why even be here? We're creating a completely new consciousness, like an artist or a poet. We're rewriting the history of human thought with what we're doing. That's how you have to think of this.
-Steve Jobs
28 April 2000
My father used to have this sit down session with me and my older brother, Richard, on Sunday afternoons. He held it once every week in the confines of what he had called his 'office,' which, in fact, was only a spare room inside the house that was transformed into a study.
He termed it: the dad interview.
In my young mind, I never understood the need for it.
As a teenager, I hated it.
However, I came to realize its mortal value recently. On the rarest of occasions, I stumbled upon an astonishing discovery.
After the fallout with Charlotte Davis, she and I had never seen each other again. Our paths seemingly did not cross until a few days ago.
After five long years, coincidentally, we met again in the same hospital where she was no longer a resident but a licensed heart surgeon. She was with a little girl of about five years of age.
We exchanged a few words wherein I found out that she was already married to a prosecutor.
Oddly enough, I was somehow drawn to the child with her.
She said her name was Shay. She looked very frail, but nonetheless, she had her mother's eyes.
They say that curiosity is always the driving force for discoveries. I was more than curious about Shay.
Hungry for answers and to satisfy my sudden interest, I did what most sane persons would do. I dug for answers, calling in a few favors here and there until I came across the records of her birth.
Five years ago, Charlotte Davis gave birth to Shay. There was no father listed, and she was yet to be married.
I became certain then about one thing: 5 years ago, my daughter was born.
And now, I had the chance to meet her.
--
SHAY
All I ever wanted was to make my mother happy.
All I ever wanted was to live a long and contented life, get married, have kids, and eventually die of old age.
Shay Zephanie silently mused. When she met Marcus Zephanie twenty years ago, she believed him. She believed in his promise to make her better.
So she left without telling her mother.
If she had known that he was going to end up killing her mother and using her for his stupid experiment, she never would have gone with him.
But, somehow, she did owe him the fact that she was still alive.
However, it wasn't enough to cover for his crimes.
Then there was Ava, her perfect version.
She doesn't hate her, but sometimes, she can't help but feel inferior every time she looks at Avalyn.
She was a constant reminder of the woman that she can never be.
True, they share the same physical appearance. But Ava wasn't sick.
Shay Zephanie let out a sigh as she stared at the elevator doors, waiting to get to her destination.
Marcus Zephanie was not really a bad person. He was, in fact, a kind one.
Shay knew that Marcus cared for her. He adores her.
Being his daughter wasn't so terrible. He was doting, and he never stopped trying to find the cure.
Yet, he had overdone it.
Shay Zephanie knew that Marcus was merely driven to help her get better so he could keep his promise.
Sadly, she also knew and came to understand that if her mother had been alive, she would have chosen to keep her away from him.
In fact, she had a distinct feeling it was exactly why she never disclosed that Kristof Reynolds wasn't her birth father.
Marcus didn't tell her either.
But Shay wasn't stupid.
Why else would this strange man care to find a cure for someone like her if there was no connection?
Besides, she found no distinct physical likeness to Kristof Reynolds while she saw many when she looked at Marcus Zephanie.
The elevator finally opened, revealing the small hallway that would lead to the apartel that she needed to get to.
Upon arriving at the door, she rang the doorbell and brandished a sweet smile.
"My lovely flower." Her greeter said once the doors had eventually slid open.
"Hero." Shay Zephanie walked towards the man sitting on the motorized wheelchair, his arms wide open to receive her.
She accepted the brief hug, planting a quick kiss on his cheek right after.
"Are you feeling better?" Shay Zephanie shrugged.
"Sort of. I mean, I had the Detective to agree, so I guess. Yes, I am. I am feeling better." A ghost of a smile appeared on Hero's face.
Shay Zephanie knew that smile.
Hero was Ava's ex-fling. And honestly, she stood by what she had said that Avalyn has quite a good taste in men.
Hero was good looking. His sleek haircut was giving him that bad boy appearance.
Shay Zephanie remembered being drawn to him when he first met him five years ago.
If not for her inability to love, she might have fallen for him.
Unfortunately, she only has the capacity to care for herself.
"That was quite impressive, Shay."
"Oh, please. That was hardly anything. Anyways, how are you holding up?" Shay Zephanie eyed the man.
Hero smirked.
"I can handle myself, thank you very much."
"I trust you, Hero. Else I wouldn't be here. What I don't trust is your inability to keep your feelings for Ava at bay. We need both her and the Detective to accomplish our plan. Remember that".
Hero chuckled at her sentiment.
"What about you? Are you certain that you haven't started to develop feelings for the dashing Detective?"
It was Shay Zephanie's turn to smirk and chuckle.
"You and I both know that I am not capable of that. If I were, I would have fallen for you a long time ago."
"Ah, but I'm not your type. There's that difference."
Shay Zephanie zeroed in on Hero, fighting the urge to wipe off the mirth on his face.
"You're forgetting something. I don't have a type. The only thing that I like is myself. Self-love is important too".
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