Misty Gray
Pessimisty
The Sullivans Pub
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~
Adam Harper
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~
Adam Harper
When Elena hadn't brushed his arm off and instead rested her head on his shoulder, Adam faintly smiled. Despite still being in shock and unsure of what was going to happen now he had a daughter, something he wasn't unsure of was that he wasn't going to bail out on her this time. From what he'd learned already, he figured he had a lot to make up for considering the rough life she'd had in Cuba without him there.
Elena explained how she liked living with Thomas, explaining they were both happy with the arrangement and once she could she would start paying rent. The fact she elaborated that she would pay the rent with money raised a curiosity within Adam, but it wasn't something to bring up in their current situation. "Oh yeah. Thomas is a good lad. He'll look after you," Adam agreed with her. He knew the young man had been quite troubled since even before he returned to Dublin, but the one thing that had seemed to bring a smile to Thomas' face was Elena. Adam's expression once again turned serious as she mentioned the bad hotel man. Aware of which hotel she'd been staying in, he had a good idea of the kind of creep the man running it was. His thoughts were steered away from the hotel when Elena asked if they could meet more so they could get to know each other. "Of course. I'd like that," he told her. "We can do it somewhere nicer than in here."
Elena soon mentioned having to get back to her work behind the bar. When she stood up, Adam did the same, placing his hands in his trouser pockets as he observed her smiling at him. When she thanked him, he lightly shook his head. "You don't need to thank me. I should be thanking you for being so understanding... and going out of your way to find me like this. I'm happy you found me," he assured her in return. "Maybe you should finish work early. I can clear it with Martin," he suggested, figuring she'd have too much on her mind to focus on work.
*****
On his way home from the pub that evening, Adam made a split second decision and instead of going home continued driving north to Sutton. He had a lot to process and knew Chase was the man to share the news with. When he entered the Zegarra home, Chase and Jasmine were in the living room along with Emilia who was sat drawing nearby. When the girl realised her godfather was there, she brightly smiled. "Hola, Adam!" she brightly greeted him. Once he'd greeted Chase and Jasmine, Adam sat down in the armchair across from their sofa. Emilia rushed over to show him the picture she'd been drawing. "Do you like it?" she asked.
"Let me see..." Adam trailed off as he looked to the picture. He fell silent for a while as he looked at the drawing, knowing the child's wide eyes were fixed on him expectantly. "Wow, that' an awesome house, kid! You're getting good at this - I don't even have to pretend to know what you've drawn anymore," he teased her. His eyes lingered on the picture for a time, seeing how Emilia was growing up reminding him of the moments he'd missed when Elena was a child.
Jasmine could tell something was off with Adam and after she'd sent a concerned look Chase's way. She then stood up and clapped her hands together. "Alright, Emilia. Time to get you ready for bed. Come on," she said, reaching out to take the girl's hand. "Safia's already fast asleep and Michael's in his room. I'll leave you two in peace for a bit," she told Chase and Adam.
Once it was just him and Chase, Adam got up to help himself to a beer, offering Chase one of his own bottles in the process. He then sat back down in the armchair across from his best friend. After taking a long drink from the bottle, he eventually pulled it away from his mouth and cleared his throat. "I've just had some news and I'm not... It's a lot to take in," he began. He briefly rubbed his forehead as his face reflected that he had something big on his mind. "Do you remember back in the sixties when Liam and I came to Havana on business... The visit where Liam had those parties the penthouse suite. When I hooked up with that woman a couple of times - Isabella. Well, I just found out that..." Adam fell silent again, looking Chase in the eyes before lowering his vision; tears threatening to show again. "You know Elena who works at Conor's pub? Well, she just told me I'm her dad and she came here from Cuba to find me. She's Isabella's daughter... I just found out I have a daughter and I missed the first twenty years of her life... It's a lot to take in," he said, looking back to Chase through troubled eyes.
Pyroclast (Elena, Chase)