Page 41 of Rough Start

Grabbing an overnight bag and the keys to his nicest car, he hastily packed and left the clubhouse, forgetting he still had a pair of black lacy panties in his pocket that most assuredly didn’t belong to Eliana.

* * *

“Please allow me to introduce you to this year’s class valedictorian and recipient of our first ever, All Saint’s Scholarship, Eliana Granville!”

From the sea of crimson hats, Kye watched as the lone woman stood and made her way toward the front. He was positioned at the very back of the auditorium. Dressed in his perfectly tailored suit, designer shoes and with his hair flawlessly styled, he looked like one of the patrons with whom he sat. People with money were always revered.

Kye’s heart began racing as he saw Eliana embrace the woman who’d introduced her, and with the dying applause, she took her place behind the podium, her smile shining as brightly as the honors cords that were draped around her neck.

“Good evening friends, family, professors, our esteemed board of directors, alumni and of course, graduates,” she began in a commanding voice. “Today we welcome all because today we’re marking a monumental occasion. No, I don’t mean graduation,” she continued with a small smile of mischief. “As those who have gone before us can attest, graduating from Harvard University is no small feat, but it is achievable. What I’m referencing is that today is the day we graduates declare a new legacy. Today we dare to defy.”

“As the recipient of Harvard’s newest honor, the All Saint’s Scholarship, I can tell you that a life of defiance is not a bad thing. We face more challenges than we do solutions, more struggles than ease, and more battles than victory. No, I’m not just referencing Dean Waterford’s mid-terms…” the crowd chuckled at her small joke. “We are a generation of individuals who’ve been told ‘no’ at almost every turn. But not today.”

“Today we stand together, staring ‘no’ in the face and saying ‘yes’. Yes, we will struggle. Yes, we will strive. Yes, we are going to claw and crawl and bleed for our dreams because we are going to defy the odds. You can stack statistics, percentages, and odds against us, but that won’t stop us. We are the class that will set a new precedent. We are the one percent, the odd-man-out, the black sheep, the underdog. Today we defy, and tomorrow we celebrate a victory. To my classmates and all in attendance: I believe in you. We are going to change the world.”

Eliana looked near tears as she received a standing ovation for her emotional and inspiring speech. Kye couldn’t take his eyes off her as she was handed the plaque of recognition. Even though she had no idea he was there, he felt she was speaking directly to him.

Defiance in the face of adversity.

Standing to leave the auditorium just after her name was called to receive her diploma, Kye felt more resolute than ever. It didn’t matter how long it took. He would conquer the Demons and turn his kingdom into the catalyst that would secure his future with Eliana.

They would defy the odds.

“I’m sorry Miss Granville,” Doctor Newton said, placing a comforting hand on Eliana’s shoulder as she sat on the edge of her father’s hospital bed. Eliana nodded solemnly, and the doctor left the room to give her a moment of silence. Looking down at her father who was more machine than man now, her chest heaved, and she felt she may vomit.

“Damnit, Dad,” she cursed and stood on trembling legs. Having just heard the prognosis, she now knew that her father would never wake. His health had been declining for the last two years. First diagnosed with a fatty liver, then diabetes, she hadn’t guessed it would eventually turn to lung cancer. At this point, he needed more transplants than he had organs. Two less than successful surgeries, he wasn’t even on the list for a new kidney let alone able to survive the operation.

Eliana paced to the window and looked out from the high vantage point. Below her, the city of Boston continued as usual. Why shouldn’t it, though? Her dad wasn’t anyone important. He’d mooched off unemployment and disability for nearly three years after breaking his back while off the coast. Never mind he’d been drunk and slipped down the stairs of the rig.

The last year of his life had been in Eliana’s guest room hooked up to every kind of monitor. She’d been signing over every bit of his social security just to keep the full-time nurse on staff so she could keep working. Henry hadn’t been shy about complaining either. Having his left foot amputated from diabetes, he’d been bedridden for ten of the last twelve months.

Eliana felt a hot tear leak from her eye as she covered her face with both hands. Her shoulders were shaking with restrained sobs. She felt overwhelmed with guilt.

“It’s not like I didn’t try!” she yelled as she rounded to confront her unconscious father. “I sent you to three rehabs, didn’t I? I gave you a place to live when you were going to be homeless! I hired nurses to care for you around the clock. I sat up with you, cleaned up your shit and vomit, and read to you when you lost your vision from liver failure! Didn’t I try!” Her voice was shrill and piercing, but her father remained unmoving in the bed. “I tried! I tried so hard,” she sobbed and sank to her knees on the floor.

The salty drops fell onto the cold tile, and Eliana felt that the whole building could collapse around her, but she wouldn’t care at all. Though she’d never admitted it, she had always held out hope she could save her father from his alcoholism. There had been a stretch of nearly a year when he’d been sober, and they had been blissful.

She’d convinced him to travel with her, and they’d spent two weeks visiting the historical attractions in New England. They were memories she would try her best to cherish, but at the moment, they just made her angry. “You could have stayed sober,” she said through gritted teeth. “You could have tried harder. You could have asked for help, but you didn’t want it! You didn’t want me—you just wanted to drink! I hate you!” Fresh tears sprang from her eyes, and she sat with her back to the wall and cried for a long time.

When she finally was able to stand, she wiped her face and composed herself. Opening the door to his private hospital room, she saw Doctor Newton and two nurses waiting for her.

“Turn the machine off,” she instructed quietly, and the doctor nodded wordlessly. He moved past her into the room and with a flick of a few buttons, the apparatus that kept poor, broken Henry Granville breathing stopped pumping air. Doctor Newton removed the mask and the tube from his throat.

With a small gurgling noise and a flutter of his eyelids, Henry Granville took his last breath. Doctor Newton gave Eliana’s hand a small squeeze as he once again left the room. Eliana stared at her father’s lifeless body for a moment before she took a deep breath and let it out in what she would later realize was a heavy sigh of relief.

It was over.

* * *

The plane had barely touched down when Kye felt his phone vibrate. He was descending the staircase to the private plane with his duffle bag over his shoulder when he flipped the phone open and read the text.

‘My office’ was all it read, and Kye knew exactly what was expected.

“Have a pleasant trip?” Grier asked sarcastically as he opened the door of the Town Car for Kye.

“Successful is a better word,” Kye said and handed Grier his bag before sliding inside. The beige leather upholstery was kept immaculate, and Kye loosened his tie before removing it and tossing it on to the seat next to him. Grier took his spot at the wheel, and the car was off.

Their overseas operations were booming, and Kye was now traveling every other month under the guise of an international gemstone dealer. While suits, business meetings, and corporate hedge funds weren’t exactly his speed, he couldn’t deny the benefits.