Chapter Thirty-Five
Damian and Xavion returned to Damian's house at night. They went up to Damian's room to sleep. Around one o'clock in the morning, Damian heard a noise. It came from his dad's room. So he had returned home.
Damian decided to go to his room and check on him. Going upstairs, he found his dad's door locked with him muttering something which was quite inaudible. He knocked,"Dad, I want to talk to you," he said.
His dad mumbled something and opened the door. To Damian's surprise, he wasn't drunk at all. "Yes son, come inside," he said.
Damian walked into his room. His things were strewn all over the place. It seemed like he was searching for something. "So what did you want to talk to me about?" His dad asked, sitting beside him on his bed.
"Dad, can't you resign from this hospital?" He asked hesitantly.
"Why son? Is Caitlyn Lockhart bothering you?" He asked and Damian gaped at him.
"Yes, but how did you know?" Asked Damian.
"I may not be the best dad, son but I know everything. Believe me, she won't bother you for long. I have gathered enough evidence against them that I have hidden in my electronic safe. The password combination is your grandma's date of birth," his dad said. Damian didn't understand anything still he just didn't probe further. He nodded not knowing why his dad was telling him all this.
"You are the best dad," said Damian and his dad kept his arm on Damian's shoulder.
"I wanted to be the best dad and the best husband but believe me your grandpa destroyed my life. Although I loved someone deeply, he forced me to marry a woman who loved another. I unknowingly destroyed the woman I love and pushed her towards her death. You don't know anything about my waste of a life," he said with a sigh.
"You cannot undo what has been done, dad. At least you can do other good things to balance the bad that you did unknowingly," said Damian and his dad hugged him more.
"I know you're right but it's too late for that. I don't have anything left. However, I want you to live a fulfilling life. Try to forgive me if you can," said his dad.
"Please dad, I love you," he said, not understanding why his dad spoke to him like that.
"I love you to son. I'm sorry," he said and Damian looked at him in confusion. "It's late. Go to sleep," said his dad with a sigh.
Damian walked out of his dad's room towards his room in a daze. He lay down beside Xavion thinking about what his dad said, falling asleep at last.
They woke up a little late the next morning. After having coffee, Damian told Xavion about his talk with his dad last night.
"Bro, I think you should ask him before he leaves, what he meant about that evidence thing against the Lockharts," said Xavion.
Damian sighed. "You're right. It was so late that I didn't probe further. I'll go and see if he's up. I need to talk to him before he disappears again," he said, getting up from his chair and going to the kitchen to rinse his cup.
"I'll make some breakfast in the meantime," said Xavion and Damian nodded.
Damian went up the stairs to his dad's room. Surprisingly his dad's door was unlocked. Opening it he peeped inside. He saw that his dad was lying on the bed. A strange smell filled the room. Some chemical smell and stale suffocating air.
He walked inside to check from where the smell was coming from. Strangely the smell was from near his dad. There was a strange packet on the nightstand. He picked it up and gasped. It was an agricultural pesticide which was very toxic! The packet was empty!
He looked at his dad. He looked stiff and totally still, not moving, not breathing at all. Horrified, Damian touched his dad to wake him up. He was stone cold and dead.
Damian staggered back from the bedside. Is it what he thought it is? Had his dad consumed the pesticide and committed suicide?
He couldn't think anymore. Walking out of the room in a daze, he went downstairs and sat on the last step of the staircase with his head in his hands. Xavion peeped from the kitchen and saw him.
"What happened bro? Did you talk to uncle Ronald?" He asked in confusion.
Damian didn't answer. Xavion went closer and touched Damian's arm. "Damian, what happened?" He asked more loudly, concerned, and disturbed.
"Dad consumed pesticide and committed suicide last night. He's no more," he spoke in a whisper.
Xavion sat on the floor with horror. Did he hear correctly? It was unbelievable that uncle Ronald had committed suicide. He should have known from his strange talks with Damian last night. He was suspicious yet he hadn't spoken out to Damian as his suspicions had been baseless.
When he had digested the news, he said, "I'll call Angela's dad and her brothers. You stay here. Don't touch anything else. We have to call the police." He rushed out of Damian's house and ran to Angela's house and rang the doorbell.
A sleepy Adam opened the door and his eyes popped out seeing a frantically distressed Xavion. "What happened Xavion?" He asked with concern. It was eight o'clock in the morning and he had to go to work.
"Uncle Ronald committed suicide, Adam. He's dead. We just checked. I don't know what to do," said Xavion, traumatized just like Damian was.
Adam gaped at him, horrified by the news. Xavion said,"I've got to go. Damian's all alone." He rushed back.
Alex came forward and asked him what the matter was. Adam informed him and they called his dad and Arnold and rushed over to Damian's house. Xavion opened the door and they all went inside. They went upstairs to check and after confirming they called the police.
Damian and Xavion sat in the living room with everyone waiting for the police to arrive. Damian was not in a position to answer any questions so Xavion told Angela's family everything that happened, except about the details of the conversation that took place last night between Damian and his dad.
The police arrived in five minutes. They interrogated everyone and proceeded to go upstairs to check when Angela rushed into Damian's house. She had gone for her morning jogging and on returning home, she was shocked to see two police cars and lots of officers in front of Damian's house.
Going in she saw an agitated Xavion and asked him what had happened. He explained to her everything. She went to Damian in the living room. He looked like he was in shock. His eyes were red but there wasn't a drop of moisture in them as he sat dazed without any movement. Xavion and Angela's family answered all the questions that the police officers asked.
Some officers were upstairs, collecting evidence and preparing to take the body for post mortem.
Angela went up to Damian and sat beside him. He turned and looked at her. She just pulled him towards her and hugged him. "I'm here Damian," she said and Damian relaxed a little and embedded his face in the crook of her neck.
"Angel, dad died," he mumbled.
"I know Damian. He has found his happiness may be where he is. Let's hope he's in peace now," she consoled.
"Yes, I hope so too," he said, composing himself at last. He sat straight when more officers came in and were introduced to Angela too.
The officer's found a note beside Damian's dad stating that he was committing suicide. His body was taken away for post mortem and his room was sealed till the police completed their inquiries.
Juliette came in when she didn't see her friends at college. Xavion opened the door and updated her. He introduced her to the officers and the investigation continued.
The officers left and everyone got up to go home,"If you need anything just come over son, ok?" Said Angela's dad as Damian nodded at him.
Arnold said, "Don't worry about the legal processes, we'll hire a good lawyer." Damian nodded knowing that he meant the inheritance procedures. Angela's dad, Arnold, and Alex left.
Adam looked at Angela, "You can stay here if you want to," he said. Angela nodded at him and he too left.
Damian hugged Angela and hid his face in her neck. Xavion pulled Juliette and brought her to the kitchen to give them some privacy.
"Angel, dad spoke to me last night. He wasn't drunk at all. He said he was sorry that he was a bad father. He said he loved me," said Damian, looking at Angela.
"Did you comfort him?" Asked Angela, stroking his hair.
"Yes, but he said that it was too late. He didn't have anything left for him," said Damian with a sigh. "He asked me to forgive him. He said he was sorry. I should have understood it then and saved him," said Damian brokenly.
"How can you understand the complexities of his mind, Damian? You're just eighteen. You cannot save someone who doesn't want to be saved," she consoled.
Damian sat with his eyes closed. He told Angela every conversation that took place between him and his dad last night. Tears pooled in his eyes and cascaded down his cheeks. Angela just hugged him close and let him take it all out of his system. He needed it.