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I made a mental note to leave Emma a text and decided that I’d had enough unwinding for the night. I brought out my phone and ordered an Uber…
one
Evie
Present Moment
“You know I had to leave.” Father's tone was laced with sadness. I understood it.
We didn't leave New York willingly. We were forced to due to my mother’s death.
Dad couldn't live in the house without reliving the memories of him and Mom. It was too much for him to bear. He needed a fresh start, hence the move.
Mr. Thorne cleared his throat. “I don't blame you, James.” His voice was dry, but I could tell he was grieving too — he’d lost his wife as well a year and a half ago. Father told me.
The silence in the room became awkward, especially with me standing at a distance behind my father’s seated frame. Mr. Thorne was staring right at Father, and although I couldn't see him, I knew Father was staring right back.
I'd never thought of a scenario where Father’s move hurt this … billionaire CEO.
I mean, I knew Father was hurt by a lot of things, mother’s death and leaving his best friend. But I'd just never thought…that maybe someone as rich as Mr. Thorne could feel the impact of the change.
Right now, staring at the slight, almost unnoticeable clench in his fist, I noticed it.
He missed my father.
Growing up, I'd found it quite far-fetched that people from different socioeconomic strata could establish or even maintain a relationship, but they did.
Even in times when my father felt less of himself, Mr. Thorne did his best to maintain the friendship.
“I don't think I need to ask how your company has been faring. Your exploits and the news of your success is worldwide.”
Mr. Thorne nodded slightly before unclenching his fist. “I'm in Minnesota to recruit excellent researchers in the field of Biomedics and propose the idea of establishing internships for brilliant students. All toward a new project I'm working on.”
I didn't know if this man couldn't figure out what a compliment was or how to take it, but from his voice and dry tone, he seemed unmoved by my father’s words. No happiness, no joy, no gratitude. Nothing. Proud much?
I'd barely folded my arms across my chest when I heard Father’s voice.
He didn't sound disappointed. In fact, he sounded very happy. “That's great, Ethan...”
Of course, Father must have been used to it.
“But what exactly is Biomedics, and why Minnesota?” I stared at my father’s bald head, a tinge of embarrassment washing through me. I wasn't surprised though.
I loved my father beyond words. We only had each other. And regardless of how he felt about Mother's death, he constantly showed me the best version of himself.
Still, I couldn’t deny he was always a bit slow when it came to technology and its applications, completely out of place in the twenty-first century and its advancements.
He never took a liking to tech; this was obviously why his best friend was super rich, and Father, well,… barely middle class. Maybe lower class. He had told me that he and Mr. Thorne had been best friends since college.
After college, they began the struggle to make ends meet.
His friend continued to chase a career in tech, while Dad chose carpentry. Yeah, he did. He actually studied it.
Dad’s passion for carpentry stemmed, in his words, from a deep corner of his heart. So he decided to chase a career in it. He did, and it started to work out, but very slowly.
While he was busy struggling to gather a market base, Mr. Thorne’s start-up rapidly started to gain recognition. In no time, he attracted the attention of major stakeholders, and that was his breakthrough.
Dad, on the other hand, kept struggling until his friend decided to help him.
