Chapter 12

“Let’s,” Simon said.

“You have got yourself into a real mess, son. I got a call from a buddy in the police department telling me they are looking for you. I have sources telling me you are involved in the Russian mob and I hear you owe them money. What the fuck is wrong with you?” I asked. I had let more anger than I had intended seep into my voice and Simon looked pissed.

“And why is any of this your business?” he asked.

“You are my son. If you are trying to screw up your life, I will make it my business to un-screw it. Or do you prefer to be sent to jail or end up in some brothel to earn back the money you took?” I asked.

“Fuck you! I have a plan and I don’t need your help to sort things up,” Simon shouted.

“Right. Your brilliant plan to send the mafia after your ex-wife? What the fuck is that? Do you even call that a plan? Throwing an innocent woman under the bus to save yourself?” I was getting angrier by the minute and I knew I needed to dial it down or I would do something that would cause the rift between Simon and me to expand to the point that it couldn’t be repaired.

“How did you know that?” Simon asked. His anger had disappeared and he just looked surprised.

“Hana was easier to find than you. I didn’t know about the divorce so I thought you were hiding at her place.”

“Well, if she just pays back the money to them she will be fine,” Simon told me. It took all of my self constraint not to jump over the coffee table and punch him in the face.

“From what I have guessed you have been working with them for some time. Do you really think they will let her go if she gives them money?” I asked, clenching my jaw. He shrugged, fucking shrugged.

“Not my problem.” The statement was simple and said without any feeling.

“You are okay with letting Hana take the fall for your dealings?” I asked, stunned at his lack of caring. I had no fond emotions towards his mother, she was a bitch, a liar and a cheat. But I could never put her in a situation like the one he had put Hana in. If nothing else for the memories of our first time together, it had been a good time before all the shit happened and I saw her for who she was.

“She should have thought about that before she filed for a divorce. I won’t protect someone who isn’t mine,” Simon told me.

“She should have expected you to send the Russian mob after her as a consequence of divorcing you? Do you hear how that sounds? It sounds insane. You don’t send the mafia after someone just because your relationship didn’t work out.” I was trying to get through to Simon, to make him see the unhinged reasoning he was making.

“Look, you don’t get it. She was mine, I protected her. She decides she wanted to do her own thing and not be mine, well fuck that! Then she doesn’t get my protection either,” Simon explained.

“She wouldn’t have needed any protection if you hadn’t given her stolen money,” I pointed out. He shrugged again and I felt my hands close into fists.

“Had to teach her a lesson when she tried to stake claim to what was mine. She thought she could black mail me using my company that I had built from the ground. I had to show her you don’t do shit like that. Not to me. To be honest I was kind of surprised, I didn’t think she had it in her. It was my parting gift to her, a final lesson,” Simon said, chuckling. Lesson? What was he even talking about?

“I’m disappointed in you, Simon. This is not how a man behaves,” I told him.

“Nothing new there, dad. I’m too old for that shit to work anyway.” I flinched as I heard the cold tone in his voice.

“Simon, I’m sorry if that is how you see things. I have been proud of you for most of your life. I haven't been as present as I should have been, and that is my fault for choosing the line of work I did. It has never meant I don’t love you, or that I’m not proud of you. But the decisions you are making at the moment are not good ones.”

“Listen, I’m not interested in this, whatever this is,” Simon told me. He was gesturing back and forth between the two of us. “How you handle your women is up to you. But I know how to make sure my women respect me and know who is in charge. Hana should have known better than to go against me. She knows the consequences. Was there something else?” I looked at my son for a while in silence. I wondered where I had gone wrong, there were so many times throughout the years where I had been away. I sighed and got up.

“Call me if you need my help,” I told him and handed him my business card as I didn’t know if he still had my number. “Day or night, you call and I will answer. Don’t be too proud to ask for help if you need it.” He scoffed but tucked the card into his pocket. He followed me out and closed the door behind me the second I was outside. I felt depressed as I walked to my car and drove off. My first thought was to plan an evening with a bottle of malt and brooding. But the thought of Hana made me change my mind. What if she called and needed help and I was too drunk to do something? It was getting late, the sun was sinking below the buildings as I drove back into the city. I stopped by my favourite Indian restaurant and bought more food than I could eat. At least that meant I would have leftovers for the following day. As I sat in my apartment, having the TV turned on to start watching a nature documentary to have some background noise and eating my take out, my phone buzzed. This time it was Jason.

J: Two days from now 8 pm.

It was all it said, it was all I needed to know.

Me: I’ll arrange it.

I sighed and looked at the clock. It was too late for me to drive over. I was tempted to do it anyway, now that I had a good excuse. Or at least an excuse. But I held myself back. I considered phoning her, but this wasn’t a conversation I wanted to have over the phone. It was an excuse, but at least it was a good one.

Me: Hi, I have some news regarding your case. Can I come over tomorrow afternoon to talk to you about it?

H: Hi. Sure. After my interview I don’t have anything else planned. Should I be worried?

Me: No, it’s good news. Then I’ll swing by around 3pm.

H: Ok, nice to hear.

H: About it being good news, I mean.

H: Not that it’s not nice that you are coming over, it is.

H: I’m just going to stop now

I chuckled to myself as I read her ramblings. She could be so adorable that it was hard not to like her.

Me: Thank you. Is there anything you need that I can bring?

H: No, thank you. I have everything I need.

H: Do you like pastries and cupcakes and things like that?

I looked at the message a little perplexed.

Me: Sure, who doesn't?

H: Good to know.

She didn’t continue that train of thought and I let it go, thinking it was just a random thought that had popped into her head. Her mind seemed to be a little unfocused. We continued texting as I finished my food and as I put the leftovers away. Hana mentioned a show she was watching and I switched to it as well. That lead to an ongoing commentary between the two of us. It was one of the best evenings I had spent in a while and I found myself laughing more than once. The break from my usual routine of going through emails and reading reports was welcome.