Chapter 11

Chapter 11 An old man popularly known with the name Don Maximus Cardinal was also at the bar fmdrinking away his sorrow, staring down at the picture in his left hands. A large droplet of tears fell from his eyes, his shoulders began to tremble as his lips shiver trying to hold the tears in but alas it wasn't working. This was like a routine to him, he would come to this bar this day of every year to drink his sadness and pain away, he would drink and when he had finally had enough his bodyguards would pull him into the car and drive him home, he wasn't completely drunk yet and he was planning to. A sob from the corner caught the attention of the old Don, he turned and saw Sawyer who held his head in his hand crying. He wondered what would make the young man cry in such anguish, he kept staring at him wondering what was going on when Sawyer tilted his face which gave the Don the full view of his face. "Isn't that the young man who works in the restaurant" he muttered. The Don first encounter with Sawyer at the restaurant was one he wouldn't forget, Sawyer was nice to him and not to talk if the intelligent conversation they had both had, he had instantly taken a liken to the young lad. It's been long the Don had encountered a young lad who was so ambitious and intelligent hence why he had taken a liken to Sawyer, he wondered what it could be to have gotten tears from his eyes and bring him down to the bar. The Don finally stood up away from his chair and went towards Sawyer, he couldn't understand why the cheerful young man he had known him to be would be so down as such. He pulled a seat from the table and sat on it, Sawyer raised his head at the intrusion. Who was it? And why does the person choose to sit exactly opposite him? "We all have our problem don't we?" The Don said and signaled the bartender to bring more drinks to the table. "We do and that's what life is all about" Sawyer chuckled and took the bottle of drink in front of it and he chugged down its contents. "I see, so what's your story?" Don Maximus asked. And Sawyer chuckled bitterly. "It's a lot, everyone of us here do have a story to tell" he said. "Yeah, so what's yours?" The don asked again. Sawyer took the bottle again and chugged down the last content of the bottle before responding the Don. "I don't think I can be able to share mine, I mean I don't know you" he said bluntly, perhaps the alcohol were beginning to kick in and he was shocked at how sharp his statement had come out. Don Maximus laughed, the young man was really something else and at this point he forgot about his sorrow and focused on him. "Well, I think that is solved since you know me, I do frequent your restaurant a lot after I got a bite of your infamous burger" Don Maximus said and this causes Sawyer to quickly snap his head towards his direction. "I'm really sorry sir, I wasn't aware it was… you were…" Sawyer trailed off, he didn't know what to say or how best he could offer apologies to the Don and of course he didn't recognize him at first but now having a full glance at the Don he could clearly recognize him and even the encounter between the both of them. "Since you recognize the face now, you can tell this old man what's wrong with you" the don said and Sawyer sighed. "I don't know where to start from" Sawyer sighed. "You can start anywhere I will listen" the don said. "Well, life hasn't been fair to me despite what the world might think" Sawyer started and Don Maximus paid rapt attention to him as he began to narrate his story. "I grew up in a huge mansion, my mom, dad and my little brother, there was love in the family except for one person, me, I was an outsider in my father's house and as time flew, I began to question things, I began to wonder why I was always treated differently from my brother then one sudden event, I had broken a mug, an expensive mug which was said to be an ancient mug and Dad had acquired it, it was a prize to him and I broke it." Sawyer said and stared far ahead into the dark. "He got furious when he had found out and pulled me by the clothe, I haven't gotten a word out when a punch landed on my face, mom had intervened but the damage had been done. Dad got furious at mom for defending me, it all turned into a full blown out argument between the two and that was when I found out the reason I was always been treated differently from my brother, I wasn't his son and he could never see me as his even if I answer his name" Sawyer turned towards the Don, the Don didn't say a word which was a go ahead for him to continue with his Narration. "After that night, I promised never to get him upset ever again after all he was doing me a favor in providing shelter for me, I began to work in the company when I becameof age, I made sure I did everything for him to be proud of me, I did my best but it still wasn't enough for him to see me as his son" Sawyer paused, he took a swig of the bottle right in front of him. The memories were doing worst to him than he had imagined. "I think at a point he was proud of my achievements and what the company has achieved with my contribution and I was announced the heir to the Johnson's distillery, I was happy, everything was finally falling into place, no more queries from father" he smiled sadly. "I thought that was the end of my sad days but I didn't know that was the beginning, whatever I did, he always saw faults in it and Alex was always the better son, he was perfect, never did anything wrong, I began to learn how to live on my own and not expect anything from him, I stopped depending on them as years went on I found happiness on the beach side where I always go to find solace" "For the first time in years, I was happy, I was finally happy, I fell in love with a woman who was the most intelligent, beautiful, caring and everything I had ever longed for, she was it for me but the happiness was cut short all of a sudden" he took another swing from the bottle which made the don raised an eyebrow but said nothing. "I was invited to the mansion by my father and I had assumed he wanted to discuss something important… business related, well, I guess it was important to him" he said and stared at the Don. "Do you know what happened next?" He asked. The Don shook his head in a negative form and he smiled. "My father had summoned me because he wanted me to give up my fiancée, the woman that I have grown to love, he wanted me to give her up for my brother as if she was a commodity, I was so stupid to have thought it wouldn't work, I refused and I told my father it wasn't possible even if I decided to let go, Catherine would never accept it, she loved me and that was something I was sure of until that day" he chuckled bitterly, he wiped the tears that were already dropping freely on his cheeks, he was such a fool to have believed she loved him and would fight for their love. "You know she chose him, she told me she wanted him and not me, it was that day I found out my father had decided to make my brother the heir to the distillery, I have been working for nothing only to be brushed apart, I got pissed and walked out of the house, maybe I shouldn't have gone there but I did" he whispered, the Don was confused at his last statement, he didn't understand what Sawter meant by that. "Gone where?" He decided to ask. "To the bar, I went to drink away my sorrow but I was so unfortunate to have fallen into the hands of someone who knew my family, a friend of my brother and when he began to talk I didn't properly think as I rained punches on him, I got kicked out and I guess I might have gotten loads of alcohol into my system that when I drove the car, it was straight to the bar" "My father didn't take it well, since the media was involved and of course gotten his band involved, I retaliated and I left the house hence why I am here" he concluded. "Today is their anniversary you know, they didn't even wait for long before they got married, I guess seeing their pictures and how happy they are without me has turned me into this mess, it's just a reminder that she never truly loved me you know" Sawyer said bitterly and empty again another bottle of beer. Don Maximus stared at him, the boy was a mess and something inside of him wanted to help him maybe it was because he reminded him of his dead son, if he had lived, he would have been his age. "So here I am in this city where I know no one, working as a chef to provide for myself" Sawter said and raised his glass up, the don knew he was drunk and way passed his limit. "Come on, let me help you" the Don said. "Help me? How?" Sawyer drunkenly asked. "I have a plan but you need to be sober to hear it" the Don replied and he signaled to his body guards who then carried Sawyer to the car.