Addicted To Greed (26 page)

“And dad, how did he deal with the loss?”
“Your father was heartbroken, however he hid his grief very
well, and he threw himself into his work a lot more than usual!”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me, is this when he became a
workaholic?”

“Yeah I guess it was, but your father was hurting just as much as
me, he found it difficult to express his feelings especially to me
as I was so heartbroken and lost, the only thing that kept me
going was you sweetheart, you needed me more than ever, as I
did you!”

Chase felt an overwhelming feeling of peace in his heart, he
finally had some answers, most of his frustrations he felt most of
his life suddenly made sense. He was absolutely devastated that
he had lost a brother and would have donated any part of his
body to bring him back, just to have one more moment with
him, all he could do now was treasure his brothers memory in
his heart forever and treasure the old photographs.

“Thanks for confiding in me mum, you don’t know how much
this means to me, whenever I get those lonely feelings I´ll just
remember my twin brother, he will always be a part of me
now!”
Jeannie held Chase tight and whispered, “You’re welcome; I
know your brother is never far away from you and you never
have to feel alone again, just remember you are the biggest part
of him and in you his memory lives on!”

Chapter 12

Oxford University accepted Chases five Advanced higher a level
results in mathematics, chemistry, economics, computing and
biology and invited him for an interview and various
mathematical aptitude tests. Oxfords admissions criterion was a
lengthy procedure that would put Chase in good stead to prepare
his aptitude and technical skills. He hoped he would pass as he
had spent the last two years of his life preparing his entry in to
university. His desired course would be maths and computer
science. When he got the long awaited good news that he had
been accepted into Oxford, he ran in to the large kitchen where
his mother and Charles were seated shouting out the good news,
jumping up and down in excitement.

Both Jeanie and Charles joined in and began to sing, “For he’s a
jolly good fellow!”
The same evening Wilhelm called to congratulate his son on the
good news.

“Chase let me take this opportunity to congratulate you dear son,
you’ve over exceeded all of my expectations and I can’t tell you
how proud I am, well done. I have arranged to come over to
England next week on Monday in the hope you’ll maybe
accompany me to London’s World Architectural Festival on
Tuesday and Wednesday, providing your free of course?”
Chase let out an exaggerated deep breath, he had been holding.
He hated speaking to his father on these boring long distance
calls, where the echo of his own voice would repeat itself.

“Thanks dad, I have worked so hard for this for the last two
years! Yeah I guess I’m free next week. What time do you
wanna meet up?”

“I’ll pick you up at home around ten in the morning. Don’t
forget to bring an overnight bag. I have a little surprise for you!”
Chase gathered all his courage to ask, “Will it just be the two of
us?”

“Yes son it will
, I promise, be sure to ask your mothers
permission before hand, perhaps if you haven’t made any other
plans we could spend the whole week together?”

“Cool, sounds like a plan! I’m
sure mum will approve, but I
better ask in case she and Charles have made any plans I don’t
know about. Can you call me back because they’re not home at
the moment?”

“No problem, I’ll call you in the morning don’t forget we are
nine hours in front here in New York!”
“Oh yeah, I always forget the time difference, ok I´ll speak to
you in the morning, bye, dad!”

Chase hung up the telephone receiver making sure it was placed
back on the handset. Thinking it was typical of his father to call
and congratulate him on his good news, as he recalled his father
had done the same with Ella and Destiny.
Would his father only
ever be a glory supporter when he approved of something?

The last time he had spent time with his father was over in New
York for Christmas last year with Ella, Destiny, and his young
new wife Felicity, it had been awkward as he felt his father had
become more of a stranger in his life as he only saw him twice a
year. Their conversations were strained and it was clear that
Ella and Destiny were uncomfortable in the presence of Felicity
as was he was to some degree, he couldn’t help but notice his
father was drinking a lot more whisky than usual on their annual
visit. Chase always sat silently observing his sisters, whenever
they were in the presence of his father they would often fight for
the next conversation always eager to gain the man’s approval in
some shape or form, Chase had no time for this, he secretly
disliked his father for abandoning him as a child, it was only his
mothers much persuasion that had him go there in the first place,
he always dreaded those short family holidays with his sisters
acting out and the pretentious Felicity, not to mention his father
actually behaving or pretending to be a father for a few days in
the year, he didn’t know which was worst. He reluctantly
agreed to next week’s meeting with his father as he knew it
would be all about his architecture work old and new, although
Chase admired his father’s work, he often had to remind himself
that was why he was absent most of his childhood and he
resented his father for this to some degree however he felt
obliged as it was tradition that his father had treat both Ella and
Destiny when they received their a level results, he would go
along with it and let his father have his moment of glory and he
would try to enjoy it so long as the ultra fake Felicity wasn’t
joining them.

In the mean time Chase buried himself into various volumes of
books, relating to complex mathematics and computer science,
the days soon passed by and it came to the morning his father
was due to pick him up. Chase admired his tall lean reflection in
the full length mirror, he wore a pale blue silk tie matching the
colour of his big oval shaped eyes, a pristine white shirt along
with his tailored grey Armani suit, he looked older than the
eighteen years he was, blessed with his mothers high chiselled
check bones and fathers square strong jaw line, he could of
passed for at least twenty one. The only thing he didn’t like
about himself was his thick amounts of curly black hair, even
with hair gel it remained unruly, he considered shaving it all off,
however he thought better of it, he didn’t want to be labelled a
rough skin head and spoil his chances of scoring with the girls,
so he kept it as short and neat as he possibly could.

Jeannie knocked at his bedroom door waiting to be let in.
“Oh my boy, you look so grown up and hansom, just like your
father when he was your age!”

Jeannie carried a small decorated box with a blue ribbon around
it and handed it to Chase.
“It’s just a little something I thought you’d like and would be the
perfect...”

Jeannie stopped in mid sentence, stepping back to admire her
son.

“Oh don’t
listen to me wittering on, you know how terrible I am
at keeping surprises, just go on and open it please before I spoil
it and reveal the contents!”

Chase gently removed the thick red wrapping paper, careful not
to tear at it too much, inside the paper there was a black suede
Goldsmiths box that contained an 18 carat yellow gold men’s
Rolex watch. He gasped in disbelief at the watches beauty.

“Oh mum I can’t believe it, it’s absolutely amazing, oh my god
thank you so much, I never expected this, it’s so extravagant!”

“You’re welcome sweetheart, it’s a present to a congratulate you
on all your hard work, determination, and success over the last
several years, I know it hasn’t been easy with all the changes in
your life but you’ve made it and I am so very proud of you.”

Chase hugged his mum and asked her to put it on his wrist as
she did he felt incredibly proud; he vowed never to take it off.
A sudden beep of a car horn, echoing through the window
startled the pair of them.

Chase made his way to his bedroom window and saw his father
sat behind the steering wheel of a shiny black Audi sports coupe,
he hated that his father was always punctual; it was exactly ten o
clock.

Chase grabbed his bags, kissed his mothers check and made his
way down the stairs, waving goodbye to Charles who was sitting
at the kitchen table reading the daily news paper.

Wilhelm got out of the car and shook Chases hand firmly.

“Chase it’s been too long, you must have grown four inches
taller since the last time I saw you, Jesus how tall are you now
son?"

Chase returned his father’s strong handshake.

“Six feet three inches and still growing I may a
dd. Hey dad it’s
great to see you again. Nice car by the way is it yours or a hire
car?”

“It’s mine
son, I bought it last year in Cumbria whilst visiting an
old friend, he keeps it in his garage on my return to England,
very good old chap, Wallace is his name.”

Wilhelm took hold of Chase’s small suitcase and put it the back
of the boot.

“Are you ready for a little adventure son?”
Chase nodded excitedly.

They soon got into a long conversation about cars, their
favourite models, makes and so on.
Chase estimated the time their journey was going to last it would
be several hours before they reached London and another hour
of navigating to the hotel on Piccadilly Square give and take the
amount of traffic delays if any.

“So tell me Chase how’s your mother and sisters?”
Chase thought it strange his father was asking after his mother
and took a few moments to reply.

“
Oh mums really busy with Charles buying more apartments to
lease or sell, she has a real business head on her shoulders, I was
quite surprised to find out she has enrolled at night school to
study business and accountancy!”

He witnessed his father’s deep expression and added
, “Ella’s
never around, she out most of the time, I hardly ever see her,
apparently she’s been apartment hunting, as she longs to be
independent, however I think she may struggle with her low
wages at the boutique unless she gets a promotion pretty soon.
Destiny as far as I am aware is loving her second year at St
John’s, she writes and telephones home every week, apparently
she has become engaged to some fellow called Spencer Pratt
would you believe, he is several years her elder, I can’t wait to
meet him, mums invited him over next weekend for dinner.”

“My how things are changing it doesn’t feel like five minutes
ago you were all so small, now you’re all busy venturing into
new paths, I know I don’t often say it but I am proud of you all,
I know I haven’t had a great deal of time for you all when you
were younger, as my work took me away from home more so
than it should of done and I can only apologise for that, if it’s
any consolation son I am here for you now. My only hope is
that you can forgive me and maybe find it in your heart to give
me a second chance if it’s not too late?”

Chase struggled to find the correct words; he had never heard
his father talk like this before.

“It’s never too late; I am here now aren’t I? But you’re right
about your work, I missed not having you around, we all did,
especially mum!”

“I should’ve never put my work first, you and your
sisters are
far more important and I’m so sorry I didn’t realise it at the time.
I was a dam fool son to sacrifice you all and really wish I hadn’t.
I am so sorry.”

Chase accepted his father’s apology but it would take time to
repair their father/son relationship.

“It’s
ok, I guess I could have turned out to be a major
disappointment to both you and mum if I hadn’t turned myself
around and got the support from mum and Charles. I know this
is difficult for you to accept but without Charles’s input in my
life I don’t know what would have happened to me. To be
brutally honest Charles was there when you couldn’t be and God
knows I needed a father, it’s ok now I am a grown man and I
have a big heart and yes I can forgive you to a certain extent!”
“Chase, it’s ok I understand it will take time. Just let me try and
make some of it up to you now.”

“Mum told me about Chad the other night, do you remember
him?”

Wilhelm felt cold shivers running through his body at the
mention of Chad’s name. He had to take a few deep breaths to
try and calm his nerves.

“There’s not a passing day I don’t think about him,
Jesus how
could I forget him? Your identical twin, my brave little man who
was so full of life, his smile alone could reduce me to tears of
joy and happiness all in one go. Chad was a little fighter you
know, despite what the doctors were telling your mother and me
that he wouldn’t reach six months old and to prepare ourselves
for our final goodbyes. Chad somehow managed to battle on
with his heart condition even after two operations were
unsuccessful and despite the doctor’s initial diagnosis Chad
proved them all wrong. I remember at nine months he learnt to
crawl and at ten and a half months he began to walk, something
you went on to copy to perfection. You were inseparable you
know, little angels, mine and your mothers pride and joy!”

Chase noticed his father rub one or two tears that were rolling
freely down his checks in order to focus on the long winding
road ahead. He also felt choked with emotion and asked in a
broken voice gently, “Can you tell me more about my brother?”
Wilhelm broke eye contact from the road to meet his son’s teary
eyes and asked gently, “Are you sure Son?”

Chase nodded; he couldn’t summon any more words
in fear of
weeping. He began to let his father talk and this time he didn’t
let it go over his head, he wanted to know everything about his
brother and he didn’t care if it took all day, all week he wouldn’t
have it any other way.