False Perfection

5 YEARS LATER   The sweat began to drip down from Gary Santiago's forehead. A bead entered into the corner of his eye, making him squint momentarily. He quickly wiped his face with the back of his forearm, leaving an obvious damp mark on the grey workout jacket he wore. Then with one final shook of his head, he returned to making sure he wasn't going to hit anything or anyone as he jogged through the park.  It was the end of September, but the coolness of the autumn season still didn't seem to sink in yet. Gary was really working up a sweat. Did he always perspire this much? He wondered if he should get himself checked. Even if he had just wiped his face, he could feel the beads forming yet again, with some starting to drip down already. He quickly checked his watch and saw that it was already a quarter to ten o'clock. He was surprised to know that he had been jogging for almost two hours.

The alleyway was grubby. Discarded leftovers festered on the ground. Stray cats and dogs wandered about. Trash cans overflowed. But this kind of scenery wasn't new to me. Even after my mom married well into my father's family, she raised me the way she grew up as a poor village girl in Latin America.  What I couldn't believe is how Rowena brought me to such a place. I always thought she was some fancy girl who made dinner reservations at the Ritz and was chauffeured around by some burly guy who probably also doubled as both her butler and bodyguard. But tonight, she invited me out and even drove the both of us to the "Orient of Huntsfield" as everyone liked to call it. We parked at the main avenue and walked. Rowena was now ahead of me. I tried to pick up the pace but the fatigue got to me. I took out tissues from my pocket, groaning after finding out I only had a few left, all rumpled with one p

Gary awoke in darkness. It was still the middle of the night. He had dreamt about Rowena. He couldn't remember what happened exactly. His mind was just filled with images of her, from long ago with her soft smiles, her short bobbed hair, and youthful face to now with an overflowing aura of maturity and how graceful her long hair fell behind her shoulders. But her eyes were still the same warm blue ones that he loved looking into.He sighed and got up, not wanting stay beside or look at the sleeping figure that was on his bed. He made his way to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of milk. The moon wasn't full but gave off enough light that peered in from the large glass windows. After finishing his glass, he walked to the living room and sat on the sofa.It had been about five days since that dinner with Rowena and he couldn't get her out of his head. They all parted ways on a good note. Rowena had only given R

Gary was confident enough to know that Hope would recognize him. She did remember he was the magic man from the hospital. But he was definitely worried if she would trust him. Although Rowena did tell him that she called up the school to let them know someone else would be fetching Hope, he was still anxious about her making a fuss. He didn't have much experience with children. Hope seemed like a sweet and well-behaved girl, but Gary knew enough to know children have their complexities, especially if they were put in an uncomfortable position.He waited outside with the rest of the parents. He was given a few looks, possibly because he was new. Thankfully, it wasn't a long wait and the children were let out soon enough. Dozens of small boys and girls rushed out toward their parents. Gary eventually spotted Hope, who was walking at the back of the crowd with an adult he could only assume was her teacher.As soon as Hope saw him, her face lit up in pleasant surprise. She