Chương 11: Chapter 11
August 21, 2018 (Tuesday) 6:17 PM Sherryl Restaurant
The Sherryl Restaurant's motif was bright garnet, elegant velvets, and complimenting browns from carpets, floors, and curtains. All cloths were thick and embroidered with intricate designs of patterned fleur de lis.
A fragile and glassy chandelier dangled from the ceiling painted in bloody red hue.
The violinist made his instrument sing in dashing harmony.
Bryner is sitting on a red couch and before him is his table filled with empty plates and glasses. He just had his dinner and exquisitely enjoyed every bite of his meal.
There was a remaining vanilla ice cream in front of him as he reserved it for the last. It's his favorite dessert.
A spiffy middle aged man in his black bow tie suit approached Bryner with utmost respect. "Sir, do you need anything else?"
Bryner narrowed his eyes to read the letters in a silver nameplate from the waiter's left chest. Raven. "Uh… Raven, is it?"
"Yes, sir," Raven subtly fixed the small nameplate as he noticed it tilted a little bit. "Should I clean up your table now, sir?"
"Yep, please!" Bryner replied casually with a hoarse voice. "And could you bring me some of your best whiskey? And also, more of the vanilla ice cream."
"Alright, sir." After a flimsy bow, Raven went to the counter to inform Bryner's additional orders.
He carried the branded whiskey and the vanilla ice cream with the restaurant's silver tray. As Raven was striding slowly to his customer, Bryner's vision was slowly swirling. His mind played tricks on him as his surroundings spun out of control.
Raven placed down the silver tray to the table and gently handed over the additional orders before finally placing the cold empty plates to the tray.
Raven looked at Bryner and noticed his heavy eyelids begging to shut.
"Sir?" Raven grabbed the whiskey bottle and started opening it.
"Oh, nothing," Bryner struggled to keep his eyes open. "I'm just feeling a little dizzy, that's all. Not sure why, though."
After opening the whiskey, waiting to be sipped, Bryner's vision blurred and his head weighed down to the table.
"Sir?" Raven pushed and waggled Bryner gently as he calls out for the fainted customer.
Following the protocol, Raven talked to the manager about the customer who suddenly lost consciousness. Raven pulled up the customer, drove him to the nearest hospital, and finally sending him off to the emergency room.
There was a manual directory over the hospital's counter. Raven scanned the names and slowly read the listed names.
Scarlet Shese
Quin Pelan
Raven went to check Bryner's valid identification card. He let out a heavy sigh and listed the customer's name to the directory, just under two familiar names.
Bryner Hesse
"The universe had to be so big," He gripped the pen from his hand tightly, the ink almost blotted down to the next page. "While the world had to be so small. Why is that, I wonder?" He whispered with a contained rage.
Walking back to the customer, a man in all black bumped onto him.
The world suddenly spun slower as Raven burns down his brain that he just encountered a very strange man – Quin Pelan. The man didn't stop to say sorry, not even to stare or idle.
It's as if Raven never existed even as a passing stranger who might be easily offended with such simple harm. Bryner was admitted to the hospital and Raven stayed until he finally wakes up.
"I'm really sorry, man," Bryner's head was still drilled with pain, but he managed to utter a few words of apology. "I must've busted your working hours. Really, am such a pain in the ass."
"It's alright, sir. My employer did--"
"Ah, it's Bryner. I'm Bryner Hesse. Though, I don't think it's necessary, 'coz you're the one who's responsible for my admission so you've already seen my name. Anyway, let's drop the formalities, it's no big deal. We're somewhere that's not your workplace or my workplace. Fair enough, isn't it?"
"Yes, I think so," Raven remained polite, still thinking of the man as a customer.
If anything, he needed this. Because if he were to treat this customer as something or someone personally, it would definitely not an acquaintance of good terms.
Bryner Hesse isn't a name of stranger or a mere customer from his heart. "Are you feeling alright now, Mr. Hesse?"
"Hmm, I guess so? Just a little bit… vertiginous feeling up there, but I'm fine. I'm up to kicking for more, definitely."
"That's good to hear."
"You'll be returning to Sherryl Restaurant?"
"No, I need to be somewhere today. I was just waiting for you to regain consciousness."
"Oh, I see. Where do you live now, uh… Raven?"
"I don't think you'll be delighted with my residence, Mr. Hesse," Raven stood up and grabbed his car keys. "Very well then, since you're awake now and everything's fine, I'll excuse myself now."
"Where to, may I ask?"
"It's my relative's funeral, Mr. Hesse." Raven turned around and swung the door open.
"Oh, can I come with you? If you don't mind, of course."
Raven shot a curious glance towards Bryner. "I don't, but I'm anxious that you just might get bored at the funeral."
Bryner clambered to get up from his soft bed and white sheets.
He slowly plodded towards the polite waiter and rested his arm around Raven's shoulders. "I think that's what I need right now. Boredom and silence. Also, a touch of melancholy. I'd like that, please."
Raven was convinced to bring Bryner with him, so they rode on his car and went to the funeral of Raven's relative.
The meadow stretched across hundreds of tombstones with weary ashes and lost sorrows underneath.
The two men walked along and saw the ivory white casket surrounded with lamenting cries of dear ones. A priest was clutching his hands, intertwined fingers and closed eyes as silent and sincere prayers from his thoughts dawdle and lurk heavenwards.
The night goes deeper, darkness crawled throughout the infinite sky, the universe flaunted itself once again.
Raven gestured a Roman Catholic sign of the cross and closed his eyes before uttering his sincerest prayers. A tear fell out from his eye.
The liquid racing down his cheek was filled with regret and grief. All at the same time, it had relief and contentment.
"My earnest condolences, Raven," Bryner whispered with a cultured, gentle, and respectful bow. "May I ask who died tonight?"
"That's my father," There was a remorseful pain disgorging from his quivering mouth. "He was brutally killed by a friend yesterday. Naturally, my mother brought up a lawsuit against the criminal. And all this time, we considered him a friend of our family… I can't believe that the amount of trust we've given was something to be broken like this."
"Somethin' close to vendetta, hmm. What was the motive? Why did his friend killed your father?"
"Unclear," Raven's voice dropped to an undertone, a menacing anguish defeats his patience. "I don't know why, but we will surely find out about everything after we've caught the criminal responsible for this. We'll make sure he'll pay for what is due."
There was so much contained anger and pain coming from Raven's heart.
Bryner could feel the subtle dark dust symbolizing the man's wrath. He must be loathing the way he feels too. Not only because of the death or the agony or the lost. There's a conscience too. There's still a heart.
Though it comes out like a demon, it was truly a demon with corrupted wings. It has still its angel side. Even if he feels like a demon, he couldn't deny that he was once an angel. That's how it exactly looks like from Bryner's eyes.
It could easily read an open book with well-written words from a parchment paper. Ancient and priceless.
"It wasn't just a life's death, then," Bryner couldn't come up with good words for comfort. "It was also a friendship's death."
"There was never a friendship in the first place if it ended like this," Raven immediately shot down the idea that his father would still be connected with the murderer. And definitely not with the connection of friendship. "He was never a friend to my father."
"If that's what you want to believe," Bryner shrugged. "But there must be something that your father at least appreciated from their relationship. Well, friendship's all about appreciation, you know. You can't lose that, can you?"
"Death's such an imperious thief. Arrogant."
"And demanding."
"And worthless."
"Oh, I don't think death's not like that. Death ain't a sin. It's a very interesting gift. But it demands and costs so much. All the memories, flesh, beauty, heartbeat… There's so much death could take away and it's so unexpected, so arbitrary. It never ceased to be amazing and painful at the same time. Just ironically exquisite."
Raven heaved a sigh and approached his crying mother.
"Mom," He gently kissed her hand as he saw her reddish and bloodshot eyes. Wrinkles were gradually forming out of her soft skin. "You look very tired."
"Oh, dear!" She moaned and cried and wept like an old lover would do in her husband's death. "I don't know what to do! He's gone, my dear, he's gone!" Sobs came rushing after each words.
A rising ire builds up continuously from Raven's heart.
He tightly gripped onto his mother's arms, hoping he could transfer some energy of faith and courage to go on.
"You're okay, mom. Don't worry. A lot of people will be helping us and we'll still be together. Please cry your heart out until it feels better, then we'll accept this altogether."
A series of nod came after as his mother relied on her son much more than anytime she could've.
After a few minutes of stay, Raven and Bryner went to the pub and drank hard till the alcohol reaches their heart's fill. As they were slowly being intoxicated, the intricacies of their hearts' insecurities began showing up more and more.
"I'mma plummet that motherfucker's skull down to our floor with a butcher knife, I swear! You'll see!" Raven hollered defeated statements as he quickly shove down the liquor down to his throat.
"When I see that annoying piece of shit, I'll break his body to parts and throw 'em all out to the river of Lancord!"
"Yeah, do that! That traitor ain't worth livin', eh? Push him out! Let's stop giving that fucker the life to live!"
They laughed and drank and cursed.
Everything from those two men could think of were yelled up to the nothingness of a loud music and noisy crowd. It was almost midnight and the people were wasting their bodies to set off their exhaustion from a day's work.
"So hey, I've been meaning to invite ya somewhere," Bryner's eyelids could barely keep up with his energy in the surface. "I've got this camp that I manage annually for an outreach program and it'll be held this coming Monday! Are you in with me or not?"
"I'm in! I'm comin' with ya!"
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