Chapter 6: Chapter 6
New York had so much to offer, entertainment, music, luxury and leisure. But New York will always be New York it will never change–atleast that's what Delilah sees as she was strolling around the city with her luggages trailing her. The airport was too crowded, high-rise buildings that looked little bit like London and a wave of citizens walking on the streets. Delilah couldn't stop her eyes from eyeing the unlimited scenery of the city.
She waited at the pedestrian for a cab to commence on her way and luckily, transportation was as easy as counting one to ten. Delilah lazily stared outside, in a hush she observed the different stores and irrelevant buildings lined up on the streets. People who carried paper bags, lofty jewelry shops and loud musicals coming from the street entertainers.
She felt so empty, lone and unwanted even with the myriad numbers of people and entertainments she observed.
The cab stopped in front of the grand and luxurious three-storey house. It was practically not far enough from New York. A two-hour ride at a cab, but enough to be called as a countryside. Tall trees and well-behaved sounds of the wasps and numerous birds, cold breeze and subtle feeling, Delilah felt she was finally home, but a melancholic comeback, a sad one– on the day of her father's funeral. She withered as she visualized the front gate as the cab left her with luggages on her left side. It was the same as it was before, yellow flowers in the front gate and daisies which was her mother's own. The wall seems too old. The paint was detached from the surface but the stoic designs carved on the stone was still there. The gate was too old, with rusts all over the corner and creeping vines on the few cables.
Delilah can hear a few screeching voices inside. She holds the handle of her suitcases pinching herself to placate her pique and accept what she would be seeing inside. Slowly taking a step, Delilah held her breath as she faced the gate and hold the hinge. She closed her eyes before heaving a sigh as she slide the gate hinge open.
Personages gazed at her. It was like they've seen a ghost. Confusion, shock and inconceivable looks were embarked signatures in their eyes. No one had spoken for a few moments, it was a total silence. The only thing left to hear was the shallow sounds of their heavy breaths. Delilah heaved a deep sigh, she couldn't care less about the idea of her father's verbatim death much more to the people's inquiries about her sudden attendance after all the years of her silence and dormancy to the family tree. She placed her suitcases and luggages lifelessly around the corner before she walks unwillingly to the black-ish coffin surrounded with chrysanthemums, black eyed susans, carnations and two bamboo stalls of pink orchids placed on both sides of the casket. Delilah's foot wobble approaching the casket in front. What could she be seeing is unimaginable, her eyes started to get heavy as it is about to rain with tears.
Finally, in front of her was her father's body. Strolling with tears, Delilah couldn't talk and say anything. She couldn't afford to tell about her journey in London, her life on the city and her very being. His father's face denoted a reassuring picture that he was alright and everything will be for her. Delilah's sobs filled the room, echoed through the walls and enough to silenced the wake attendees, the glass-slid of the casket was a sea of tears. Few moments had passed til' her Aunt Auwie approached her, rub her back and handed a couple of tissue.
"It's okay sweetie, it's okay." her Aunt's reassuring and calm voice trading her ears.
"Your father was such a fine man, he always talk about you and your mother. After you left home and studied in London, he regretted what he did. He usually waited for the stars at night and gazed at it wishing you'd come home so that he can say those things that he missed to say. Your father regretted the things he forbid you to do. Until his very last breath he wished to say sorry personally and hugged you, he wished to eat empanadas with you just like before and wished to see you one last moment. You were so precious to him Delilah, so precious." her Aunt continued to speak while she sobs on it's chest. All of those things she missed about home were coming back. She hated herself, if only she came home early, she could say sorry to her Papa and do the things her father wished to fulfill. But she was too selfish and stubborn. She let her hatred and fear swallowed her to the point that she forgot about her family. The family that treasured her.
"I'm so sorry, so sorry," a cracked voice between the inexhaustible cry.
"It's okay, it's okay. There's nothing for you to say sorry. What's important is that you're here and you will continue your father's legacy of running his keepsake and the company he left." Her Aunt made her recall what the lawyer told her- about a man who inherited the business without her consent and probably to his Papa who poured his sweat onto the floors of the building just to established it years back. Delilah regained her devastated self and wiped her unending tears.
"Mr. Dayson told me about a man who nested his butt on the position my father worked hardly. Is it true Aunt Auwie?" Her question almost slip into an excruciating angst. Delilah was never been this worried in her very existence. A suspicious man trying to take over what was his father's is a great mania, how could his father afford to deposit trust into a mere stranger. It was like a miracle and a sudden twist of fate for the man- and she couldn't accept it. She was born persistent and what she didn't like was never to be disregarded nor to be broken.
"Yes Delilah, your father decided to rest running the company because he was too tired and it was about a month ago. He told me that he couldn't afford to loose the company and the people who worked there so he decided to gave the authority to someone who's close to him."
"Close to him? And he trusted this person? How could he do that?" An irate question she added while painting her face of unbelievable madness.
"Delilah your father was too old to work that time and he couldn't call you because he knew that you will decline no matter what he will say to you. So he decided to trust someone to took over until you've voluntarily go home and took over the company."
"I don't have a problem about that Aunt Auwie. What i didn't get was this man! Where could this man came from? We didn't know what he's like. We didn't know if he's a good man or not? He could possibly be a gold digger or something. I am just being protective with what father preciously treasured all his life." Delilah's voice were full of authority. She was not as determined as this before. Getting what's right for her and eliminating the man was her ultimate satisfaction at point, so that she can sleep peacefully at night- just like how she sleeps at the cozy nights of starry London.
"I understood your feeling Delilah, that is also the reason why i wanted you to settle this down. I wanted you to take your rightful place as what your father wanted you to be." Those words gave Delilah the confidence that she will be shoo-ing whoever he is.
"Don't worry Aunt Auwie, I will make sure that everything would be back to normal and will run smoothly as it was before." She assured her mid-50 Aunt that she wouldn't go home without taking the bacon.
Delilah calmed herself with water. She sat on the frontier of lined chairs chatting with the few wake-attendees– relatives from Florida and Wisconsin were there, fifty of them perhaps. Aunt Auwie was very busy entertaining few of the guests arriving each second.
Conversations is almost impossible to break until the loud bang of the door steal everyone's attention. Five big easels ordained with white lilies, hydrangea, and a few stalks of green hypericum and asters paraded on the carpet. The room was like a garden, the only thing missing will be butterflies. People started to gossip, confused and whisper even Delilah is puzzled by the abundant flowers right at her feet. Delivery men withdraw from the place after handling Delilah a white mini-envelope. She carefully open it and whizzes each fold. She carefully read the letter and discovered something she almost jumped on her chair.
"Jaycee Sahagun." Her eyes grew round.