Chapter 5

Allen

Flashback continues....

In a next couple of hours Harris made a few important calls to top most government officials to clear off the mess generated in the house. I understood he was a tough arbiter but a generous human. Handing me to the police would have been a cushy number for him but he was person with integrity who would stick to his promise till the end of the time.

"All your hassles are cleared young man your records are now clean." Harris declares triumphant patting my shoulder. "Now you could be a doctor without a hitch." He tells me excited. I inhale heavy and hug him breaking to tears. He runs his hands softly on my back and pipes words of inspiration.

The men in black spread like a swarm of bees in the house and packed all our belongings shifting me and my sister to a modern four bedroom condo with sleek furniture including a gymnasium and three attached bathrooms.

As promised Harris put me in the best science coaching school and my sister in the cream of the crop kindergarten. After mom died Stacy became like a mother to us. Every day she would make breakfast for both of us before we leave to school, pack our lunch boxes and looked after our daily necessities.

On the other side Harris visited us once in a week and took care of the finances required for the house. All of us went for shopping on every Saturday like a real family to buy provisions and sometimes clothes for me and my sister. Slowly our days started turning lively. The void created in our heart for our mother could never be filled but Stacy cared for us equally enough and Harris was no less a dad. He attended our parent teachers meet and even at times took us to a doctor when we fell sick. In other words he became a father to us that we never had.

Though Harris never expressed it, I noted he had a soft corner towards Julie. On every Sunday he came home for lunch and stayed till dinner. Whenever he was present for meals Julie had a special place reserved to sit for dining. She sat in Harris lap and he fed her meals in small morsels from his own plate.

Julie loves Harris's company no less. It is her pleasure time. She would talk animatedly in all smiles moving her hands, making faces and would share all her dreams to Harris. I wouldn't hesitate to tell but sometimes I used to feel jealous of my sister who was not even half of my age but had all the mafia don's attention captured.

Harris once told us he has a daughter of the same age but never discussed anything more about his family. Probably that was why he fell more attached to Julie. He couldn't bear to see her in tears and often her preposterous demands were met by him without a glitch of hesitation.

After some years with maturing age I understood Harris family is a gray area of his past and he doesn't like to discuss about it with anyone. Ruffling his feathers would only cause me damage than bring me any good and thus I stayed away from his personal matters.

But there are times when Harris shared his inner most secrets with me. Sometimes they were related to business and at times about his personal problems but he never discussed with me anything about his family. A couple of times he told me bits and pieces about his daughter but that were all. I do not know anything about his wife except that he loved her more than his life and she left him and this world because of an accident.

At times I felt without knowing anything I knew everything about Harris. When he felt desolate and dejected he would lock himself in the study of the house and spend hours in isolation between smoke and drink but most of the times he was jovial and funny. It was a surprise that such a ruling dangerous gangster would have a softer side in his heart to look after the family of one of his deceased employees.

During Sundays after dinner we would go relaxed in the swimming pool and discuss various things. Harris cracked jokes with us and listened to our stories about the school starting from my science projects, the grades and homework to Julie's Cinderella stories, her first crush and her cribs about a boy in her class who drew a picture on her science class work. Sometimes Stacy joined us too in the fun.

On the day I learnt Harris had a special place for me in his life, my joy knew no bounds. I hugged him in happiness and he embraced me back with so much affection. His diction always was when God had forgotten to give him a boy he made me and brought us close to amend his mistake.

I was on the moon when Harris took the initiative in attending my school's annual function. I was not an orphan anymore and the feeling brought me the brightness of a star in the sky. He listened with interest my teachers addresses about my accomplishments. Sometimes he even praised me in front of his business delegates when he held meetings in the house. Hairs stood on my limbs when Harris bragged about my success to everyone. It was not the praise worthy annotations in people's words that brought me excitement but it was the happiness in Harris eyes that gave me a sense of achievement.

"Hello Simon, meet my son Allen. He is my most favourite person in the world, very intelligent, honest and best behaved child among all my children. Recently he represented his school in nationals and grabbed first place in national science quiz." Harris tells his friend with pride in his eyes. I do not know, if I truly carry the qualities of intelligence and devotion that he attributed to me but I was happy that I could generate a place in his heart for everything he was doing to me and my sister.

I wish one day I could return at least a piece of his philanthropy for everything we owe to him.

Present:

"What are you thinking about Allen?" Harris's fragile voice brought me out of the flashback of my life. "Why did you choose me as the groom for your daughter? There are many successful business men out there who are much capable of handling your enterprise and care for your daughter better than me?"

With a wave of his hand Harris calls me closer and when I reach him he held my hand with his, softly moving his fingers on the back side of my palm. "I scrutinized you very closely in every aspect Allen. You are a very caring man truly devoted to your family. I still remember the day when you stood for Julie risking your life for protecting her from me - the most reputed don in the city. No man who loves his mother and sister so much can be disloyal to his wife." Harris's eyes were twinkling in happiness observing me with curiosity.

"Harris I...I do not know..." I shrug shaking my head. He examined me for a moment looking into my eyes, the same way he used to do when I was a child to find out the truth. "You are empathetic and compassionate Allen. You worry about me too much. I know very well that you love me from every beat of your heart and never saw me as a person less than a father."

I helped Harris to sit as he struggles to install on the hospital bed. He pats my shoulder gazing at me with fatherly affection. "I know you are apprehensive to take over your new responsibilities but everything will be fine. You are born to hit success in every place you step." There was again that pride in his eyes, he used to have when I was a kid. "You have too much of confidence in me." I complain like a three year old toddler. "I wouldn't deny you with that." He squeezes my hand that held his.

"You will be a perfect husband for Arianna, Allen. Do not worry. I know you will take care of her well all her life and don't worry about the businesses. It is not like I am going to die today." There was a solemn smile booming out of his brims. "Don't you dare utter those calamitous words again?" I warn him holding up my forefinger with my eyes wide like saucers. "Okay...okay" he raises his hands in surrender.

"Now tell me will you marry Ari?"