The Proverbial Mr. Universe (11 page)

Hating hospitals was an understatement. The smell of sanitizer was all it took to conjure painful memories from the past. Just like that, he was back sitting next to a hospital bed … or in one. If he had to sum up all the times he spent in this facility, the worst was the last time he saw his mom. He remembered how delicate she was, almost afraid to touch her. There were moments when Nick thought he couldn’t do it anymore, witnessing her suffering, watching her painfully slip further away from him. There were moments when he secretly wished he had died first.

Nobody ever talks about the sound the heart makes just when they’re about to lose something. After that, the heart goes silent.

As Nick was about to sit down at his kitchen counter, there was a knock at the door. He knew it could only be Dan, who lived in the apartment below his.

Nick stepped aside to let his brother through. “Hey. Why are you still up?”

“I heard you come in. So I wanted to check up on you.” He followed Nick back at the kitchen counter.

“So, is she okay?”

“Yeah, a little shaken up, but all right.”

Nick took a bite out of his sandwich. “Do you want me to make you one?”

“No thanks, I’m good. I had an enchilada stuffed with spaghetti for supper. I brought you something from the restaurant. I wasn’t sure if you had eaten anything.” Dan placed the paper bag on the counter and sat in front of his brother.

“Nice!” Nick unwrapped the paper plate.

He could always count on his brother to look out for him, but more so after he got sick. As grateful and appreciative for Amanda and his brother as Nick was, over time he became the irrelevant third wheel, probably more of a nuisance for them. Not that he needed someone to take care of him, but it would be nice to come home after a long day to look after someone else, instead of the other way around.

Nick took the plate to the microwave and could feel Dan’s eyes observing him.

“You look tired.”

Nick rubbed his face. “Yeah, it was a long night. So, I imagine Amanda is not happy with me?” Nick winced.

“That’s putting it lightly, but what do you expect? You blew her friend off for some girl you’ve been chasing around.”

“Her friend must think I’m such an ass.”

Dan gave what Nick considered it to be his best shot-down look. “I lied and told her you weren’t feeling well. Maybe you should give her a call tomorrow and apologize personally?”

“I never asked you to lie for me.” Nick’s eyes sunk back down to his sandwich. Nick couldn’t understand why he repeatedly found himself in a position he didn’t want to be in, always trying to do what pleased others … mainly his brother.

“No, but I thought maybe I’d try to salvage it for you. I could set up another date.”

“Ah-ha! I knew it was a date. Alright, if that’s what you want.”

“It’s not what I want. I’m only suggesting if you don’t want the door shut.”

Nick wanted the door closed, even better … nailed shut, never to be opened again. Why couldn’t Dan understand that he didn’t need his help? He felt sorry for standing Lucy up, but it’s not like he knew the girl, and he never really wanted to go on this blind date to begin with. It wasn’t entirely his fault that a friend needed him. Friend? Or more of an acquaintance. Actually, he wasn’t all quite sure what Olivia was to him. He finished the remainder of his sandwich. Three bites and it was all gone.

Dan watched Nick as he devoured his meal and quirked his eyebrows. “I take it you didn’t eat all day?”

“I’m starving. All I had was an oatmeal cookie from a hospital vending machine,” Nick responded with his mouth half-full, and it made his brother frown even more.

“You know you shouldn’t do that. You have to eat to stay healthy, don’t fuckin’ mess around.”

“Hey, I take thirty-five pills a day. Who needs dinner?” He smiled, which infuriated Dan even more.

“You think you’re funny? I’m serious.”

“Okay Papa Smurf, spare me the lecture.”

“So I guess I don’t have to remind you what will happen if you don’t keep yourself healthy? We don’t want any relapse, right?”

“You sound like my mother …” Nick mumbled, the words unintentionally slipping out of his mouth.

After their mother passed away over a year ago, Dan and Nick barely spoke of her. How could they? It was too painful. His mother reminded him of a beautiful crystal vase, the kind the light easily mirrors through, reflecting warmth and glow on everything it touched. As beautiful as it was, it was also fragile. If broken, it shattered, crumbling into a million pieces and sending the glass scattering across the floor … sending everyone into the dark shadows.

So now these days, life was grayer.

He hadn’t talked to anyone about her until tonight. At the hospital, he found himself in the company of Olivia’s mother. As they waited together while Olivia was being looked over by the doctor, he found it surprisingly easy to speak to Mrs. Montiano. She was in her early sixties, elegant, and obviously the years had been good to her. He certainly knew where Olivia got her looks, except her mother, was more of a gentler character compared to Olivia’s standoffish nature. It wasn’t uncommon for people to lose a parent by the time they’re twenty-six, but there were many moments Nick wished his mom was still around. He missed seeing her, missed talking to her, to have her to comfort him. His mom was always good at that, and Mrs. Montiano was a good reminder of what he had lost.

She had asked him about his family, and he openly told her it had only been Dan and himself for a while now. Whether she was genuinely sincere or simply felt sorry for him, she extended an invitation to dinner at the Montiano’s home once Olivia was feeling up to it.

Dan lowered his gaze back down to his hands. “Well, Mom is not around anymore to keep an eye on you. So don’t take it personally if I take it upon myself to be concerned, because all I have left is you, asshole.”

“Well, that’s not entirely accurate.” Nick paused from chewing on his second sandwich. “You still have Dad.” He smirked.

“Okay, are you deliberately trying to piss me off tonight? Because if you are, I’m just going to go.”

“I’m just saying if something should happen to me before the wedding, you could always ask him to be your best man. At least, he could be best at something—”

Dan started to get up. “Okay, I see where this is headed.”

“Where are you going?”

“Home.”

“Stay, I’ll stop,” Nick said as Dan sat back down. “Dan, I don’t usually skip meals. I don’t need someone to tell me exactly how to take care of myself.”

The microwave chimed, and Nick removed the plate and placed it back on the counter.

“It’s obvious you need someone to tell you.”

Nick remained silent. He knew it was hopeless to argue.

After several minutes of watching Nick dig into his vegetarian enchilada with his fork, Dan said, “So, are you going to tell me what the fuck happened tonight?”

“I was waiting for you to ask me that question.” Nick smiled, putting his fork down into his dish and went to the fridge for his bottle of water. He threw a bottle at Dan and took one for himself. Dan waited impatiently for an answer as Nick sipped his water.

“So are you going to tell me or what?”

“Like I already told you, she ran a red light and got sideswiped.”

“So tell me, how did you get involved in all this?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, should I be concerned … as in, are you stalking this girl?”

“Seriously?” Nick dropped the fork, making a
thud
when it hits the floor. Now it was his turn to be upset.

“I find it strange how you seem to be at the right place at the right time.”

“Is that what you think of me? I was on my way to meet with you guys when I ran into her at the corner store. I don’t know what she was doing there.”

“Okay, so you’re saying …”

“Yeah, just pure luck, I guess.”

Nick reached into his cabinet and pulled out his plastic seven-day pill box, another thirteen white and red pills before bed. Sure it was madness, but it was necessary to prevent any infections. There was a time when Nick couldn’t even swallow an aspirin. It used to take endless glasses of water to finally flush it down. How far he’d come!

“Olivia’s mother invited me over for dinner next Saturday.”

Dan let out a low whistle.

“It’s no big deal. She probably wanted to thank me for helping her daughter.”

“Are you going?”

“I’m thinking about it.” Nick shrugged.

From the distance, a familiar word caught Nick’s attention, and his eyes shot up to the TV across the room.

“Oh, shit.”

“What?”

“Shhh,” Nick said as he got the remote and put the volume up higher
“James Montiano, the chief executive of Montiano Inc. is due to appear in court this summer. Montiano had argued testifying at the inquiry
would jeopardize his right to a fair trial … The Supreme Court dismissed the request.”

Nick studied the picture of a man who he’d just met four hours earlier in the hospital. Now he appeared on the evening news.

“Nick? What am I missing here?” Nick turned around to glance at his brother’s face. “You know this guy?”

Of course, Nick knew him. “Yeah, that’s Olivia’s ... father.”

A
fter Dan had left, Nick sat down on the couch and closed his eyes for a moment. The whole situation was crazy. She had caught him off guard when she begged him not to leave her alone. At that point, he realized the effect she had on him. He would have done anything for her if she asked. Later, he found himself in the middle of a family drama. Every member of her family showed up at the hospital. It extended beyond her immediate family, so many of them that the nurses had asked them to leave. Only her immediate family was allowed to stay, and he, of course, managed to remain out of sight. He just wanted to sit quietly in the corner and not draw any attention to himself, but Olivia’s mother sought him out and sat next to him in the waiting room. Her father sat next to his wife, with his head down, and kept to himself most of the night. Now he knew why.

He had Olivia’s sister, Nina, and brother, Paul, sitting in front of him. Olivia had a tight-knit family, all were genuinely concerned for her. Nick couldn’t help feeling that maybe it wasn’t his place to be there, especially when Olivia’s ex-fiancé showed up and made things a lot more awkward. Nick could feel a pair of eyes burning into his skin. They barely said two words to each other, but Nick could tell Dario wasn’t too pleased about him being there. Nick hated the guy, more so when he decided to get something to eat at a vending machine around the corner and found Dario leaning over a desk, flirting with one of the nurses on duty. Why was Dario even there? He showed no concern about Olivia what so ever.

Dario had left way before the doctor came out, which he could tell Olivia’s family wasn’t too pleased about. The doctor told the family that she was okay, only a couple of stitches, and she would be able to go home right after.

At some point that night, Nick doze off on the couch, with the TV on the evening news. He didn’t know how long he had been asleep when he began to dream, a dream that seemed too real. It was dark, and he was on the rooftop … or under? Where were the stars? No stars, no moon, it was as though the world was in total darkness. He thought he was alone until he heard a young male voice coming from behind him.

“Can you help me?” the stranger asked.

Nick turned around to see a shadowy figure standing not far from him. He couldn’t see his features.

“Who are you?” Nick asked

“You don’t know who I am?”

“Sorry, but I don’t.”

“You know who I am, Nick. Think …”

“What do you want?” Nick asked.

“It’s time.”

“It’s time for what?”

“Time to let go of the past and forgive your father.”

“Did that prick send you to talk to me?”

The young stranger ignored his question and continued. “We are built to make mistakes, and we all deserve a second chance. I should know you don’t always get second chances … so don’t waste it.”

“What do you want from me, kid?”

“Can you relay a message for me?”

“Okay.”

“Can you tell my parents that I’m sorry and that I am okay? But most importantly tell them … tell them I love them.”

Nick woke up like he had just been underwater for some time and was now gasping for air. Puzzled and shaken up, it took a few moments before he realized where he was.

God, he had to stop eating so late.