EIGHTY-EIGHT: Trust

EIGHTY-EIGHT: Trust

Jellina walked Arous into Ricci’s office and they were ushered right in by a Spartan Guard who smirked at her. She was expecting to confess to everything. She looked at Ricci, then down.  He smiled at her.

“Jellina, do you mind.  I’d like to be alone with Arous.”

Jellina left.

“So we meet again.  It’s nice to see you, Arous.”

He was too nice.  Arous was too nervous to respond.

“What’s wrong? It’s a beautiful day out.”

She looked at him and knew the surprise was all over her face.

“I’m not surprised you’ve come for me.  I expected something different, though,” her voice sounded braver than she felt.

“What?” he looked at her still smiling, then laughed, “Oh, that!”

“I’m not talking about the Rose Gazebo,” she said feeling a bit irritated and wondering if he was that dumb.  He laughed even harder.

“No, no you’re not,” he said. “That was mild compared to the fiasco at the HaleSpa.  You’d better be glad that I’m . . . I’m on your side. I’m a good friend of your mother.”

“How good?” Maybe her mother hadn’t lied.

“You have a lot of questions to be the one who should be here on the hot seat? How’s your father, the Diofe?”

“But I’m not here to talk about my father,” she said. “I’m here about my mother.”

“I know, but I brought you here to talk about your father.”

Arous didn’t understand and didn’t know what to say.  She looked into Ricci’s face. It was serious.

“I’ve already cleaned up that mess at the HaleSpa,” he said.

“Is Jason really . . .”

“Yes, but that is minor, compared,” he started but didn’t finish.

“Simon?”

“He’s fine.”

“He’s not . . . in trouble?”

“Oh, no, his first priority was,” Ricci hesitated, “protecting you.”

“Me?”

There was a moment of silence between them.  Arous looked out the windows behind Ricci.  His whole office was glass.  The walls of his office were double-paned glass filled with water that swirled around and constantly ran down inside the glass.

“I’m your father, Arous.  What did you expect?” he asked. “What has Miguel told you about me?  No, nasty stories, I hope.”

“No.”

“Go, ahead. Sit,” a chair had moved into place behind her.  She fell into it.

“Water,” he said and a glass pitcher pour a glass of water and the water came to her.

“Arous, we could be a team.  All that I want to do, with my gifts and your gifts: we could  be a force of nature the world has never seen. Literally,” he said.

“How did you do that?”

“And you thought only your Diofe was magic.  He tries to act like he’s the only Source but he’s not.  There is another Source. That’s how I do that.  I was saying? Oh, yes.  We could be a team.”

Arous didn’t know what to say.

“I just want to see my mother.”

“Arous,” his leg began to pump up and down. “Don’t you think it’s a fair exchange?  You came to find your mother. Instead, you found your father and he’s one of the most powerful men in the world.  He loves you.  He wants you to be his daughter . . . create a relationship with you  . . . If I’d known you existed, I’d come for you years ago. Don’t you think?”

“I don’t know.  I didn’t expect . . . I didn’t really think . . . I came here for my mother.”

“I’m sorry, Arous,” Ricci began.

“Sorry?”

“I was hoping we could at least, be friends?” his pumping knee barely masked the irritation in his voice.

There was a bit of silence not snapped up by crickets or pins.

“I’m your father. You trust me? Hell, everybody trusts me I’m an Ephor for crying out loud.”

“I’ve only just met you.” She agreed.

“Well, there’s something I have to tell you.”

“About my mother?”

“I’ll get to that,” he said with a timed pause.  “You’re friend Siobhan, she’s sick.  You knew that right?”

“I knew she hadn’t looked well and wasn’t well enough to -”

“Arous, don’t say it, I know what happens to Siobhan.  Don’t say that she was going to help you at the HaleSpa,” Edlawit whispered.

“I think you should come with me?”

“Where are we going?”

“To the HaleSpa to see Siobhan. I think you can save her.  Then we’ll see you mother.”