Chapter 37 Is He Even Going to Show Up?
Emily arrived early to the charity event and found Sylvia was already there with some company employees. Byron’s mother looked flawless in a midnight blue spaghetti-strap dress, her hair in a glamorous updo. She was giving everyone last-minute instructions when she spotted Emily.
“Well done, you!” Sylvia said, “I’m pleasantly surprised.”
Emily decided to roll with it since this was as nice a compliment as she was going to get. She was pretty proud of the dress she had made with only a few days’ notice. It was made of a glittering silvery-grey material, and the contours flowed around her figure with lightness and grace.
“I thought Byron was coming with you,” Emily said nervously, “Where is he?”
“I don’t know, he went to get a sandwich.”
“He’s got dozens of people waiting on him hand and foot. Even his dog has got groomers and nutritionists and goodness knows what else, and he needed to go out to get a sandwich?”
“When you say it like that, it does seem suspicious,” Sylvia muttered. “Don’t make me nervous. I’m sure he’ll be here.”
Emily took a deep breath. Fortunately, the snacks were already brought out on large trays, and she wolfed down a few canapes. There was cream cheese and salmon as well as a vegetarian concoction of smoked red peppers and eggplant, which was delicious.
“What are you doing?” Sylvia said, approaching with a stern look, “Leave some for the guests.”
“I haven’t eaten that many,” Emily argued. She grabbed a cocktail from another tray.
“And don’t get drunk!” Sylvia admonished.
“I can’t help it,” Emily groaned.
A few guests were already arriving, and Byron was not there.
“Let’s go greet them,” Sylvia said, grabbing hold of Emily’s arm.
It was good to be distracted by small talk while the time passed. Half an hour later, most of the guests were mingling in the large hall, and the official start time of the event had arrived.
Emily and Sylvia went up to the front of the room to begin their introductory speeches, and Byron was still nowhere to be seen.
Feeling a touch of jitters, Byron went down to a simple deli shop not far from where he lived. It wasn’t the kind of place he would normally visit anymore.
He was tired of sitting at home or at his office, and he felt he could relax and clear his mind here as most likely no one he knew would be caught dead in this place. He ordered a sandwich and sat down on one of the plastic chairs.
He hadn’t grown up with billions of dollars in his bank account, and most people considered him a self-made man. Yet he knew he was lucky in many ways. His mother already had a small business when he was growing up, and she taught him much about running a company. Most people didn’t have so much care from a parent, or even a humble but solid financial foundation starting out.
Watching the regular clients at the deli, he thought about how if any of them were affected by the same soul-destroying disease, they didn’t have the luxury of skipping work like he did. Emily was right, he had to do this to help others. But he feared his life was going to change in ways he hadn’t even imagined.
When the sandwich arrived, he gave it to a homeless man who was sitting outside the cafe.
Suddenly, Byron realized he had lost track of time. He rushed home to change into his fancy attire and then to Grandcliff Hotel where his audience was waiting.
He entered the hotel lobby and walked towards the large hall where the event was being held. Smiling, he greeted everyone as they approached him. His mom was glaring at him from the platform, and so was Emily, who looked like a goddess in her silver dress. Maybe it was worth it if he could make her happy...
He walked lightly up the steps and to the microphone, smiling reassuringly at the two women who looked ready to kill him.
“Welcome, everyone,” he said, “I would like to begin by thanking the two ladies who organized this event, my mother Sylvia and my girlfriend Emily.”
