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CHAPTER 7
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2024-10-29 19:42:56For someone who had gone to law school, Gary knew what he was about to do was dumb. In fact, what he was doing at that very moment was already the pinnacle of his stupidity.
Glenmont Public High School was shabby. Anyone could tell it wasn't one of the better public schools a state could offer. But it seemed like it had its charms. It wasn't gated since there wasn't much ground to cover. There was only about two buildings and one gymnasium, which wasn't big either. There was a baseball field that was only a few meters away from the soccer field. The buildings were of a faded orange color that looked almost beige under the noon sun. There was a relatively large staircase at the side entrance of the building beside the parking lot. On each side was a half wall that held some shrubs and bushes.
Gary was sitting on the ledge, leaves, and twigs irritating his back. He knew he looked suspicious idling by a high school in the
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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
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The buzzing in Rowena Von Dame's ears wouldn't go away. Her head felt like it was underneath a hydraulic press machine. It was only after she swallowed the invisible lump in her throat did she realize she was holding her breath for the past minute. But it had actually been almost ten minutes since she was pressed up against the corner of the relatively small bathroom, between the wooden wall and the door, barely struggling to hold herself up. It was about about a quarter to 3 o'clock in the morning. Silence coated the air as everyone in the beach house had gone to bed early after a long day of parasailing. There was barely any light outside the bathroom window, only a subtle white glow from the full moon.It was the sound of the waves crashing down against the shoreline that made Rowena snap out of her trance. The repetitive splashing and whooshing of the waters against the sands assisted in her attempts to breathe in and out,
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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.
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The woman's face was stern. There was a bit of tension to her jaw. "Thank you for looking after my daughter," She said with a bit of bated breath. She pressed her lips together. "Mr. Richard and Mr... Gary, correct? W-Well, thank you." Gary and Richard had frozen in place. Richard looked like he had seen a ghost, mouth closed shut and pale in the face. Gary, on the other hand, had a mix of emotion ranging from what could only be anger, hurt, and utter disbelief. Standing in front of them was a woman both knew all too well. At least they thought it was her. But the woman looked away and turned her attention back to the nurse behind the station. "Where can I see Maggie Sutherland? I'm her employer and I'd like to—" "Rowena!" Gary shouted. He slowly inched closer to her, hand balled into a fist and thumping the marbled counter of the nurse's station. Both the woman and Hope instinctively tu
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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
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The Barkley Diner was run by Henry and Elena Barkley. Back in the 1960's, they were a young couple with big dreams. Both had grown up with mothers who were cooks in a sanatorium for soldiers convalescing from World War II. It was fate that they met with such same interests in food. It was good fortune that their love bled well into their business. And even as the diner passed on to the next generation, business continued well and it had become a staple for folks of Huntsfield University. All the students treated it like home, somewhere they can always expect to have a warm meal. Gary thought it was a perfect spot for them to meet Rowena. Like the good old days."She's late," Jason said. He said it with a mix of doubt and worry.Richard and Helga shook their heads."It's only been seventeen minutes," Richard pointed out."I believe in our dear Rowena," Helga said with a gentle voice.Gary quietly kept his gaze outside the windows. He had arrived a w
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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
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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
False Perfection CHAPTER 7
For someone who had gone to law school, Gary knew what he was about to do was dumb. In fact, what he was doing at that very moment was already the pinnacle of his stupidity. Glenmont Public High School was shabby. Anyone could tell it wasn't one of the better public schools a state could offer. But it seemed like it had its charms. It wasn't gated since there wasn't much ground to cover. There was only about two buildings and one gymnasium, which wasn't big either. There was a baseball field that was only a few meters away from the soccer field. The buildings were of a faded orange color that looked almost beige under the noon sun. There was a relatively large staircase at the side entrance of the building beside the parking lot. On each side was a half wall that held some shrubs and bushes. Gary was sitting on the ledge, leaves, and twigs irritating his back. He knew he looked suspicious idling by a high school in the
False Perfection CHAPTER 6
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
False Perfection CHAPTER 5
The Barkley Diner was run by Henry and Elena Barkley. Back in the 1960's, they were a young couple with big dreams. Both had grown up with mothers who were cooks in a sanatorium for soldiers convalescing from World War II. It was fate that they met with such same interests in food. It was good fortune that their love bled well into their business. And even as the diner passed on to the next generation, business continued well and it had become a staple for folks of Huntsfield University. All the students treated it like home, somewhere they can always expect to have a warm meal. Gary thought it was a perfect spot for them to meet Rowena. Like the good old days."She's late," Jason said. He said it with a mix of doubt and worry.Richard and Helga shook their heads."It's only been seventeen minutes," Richard pointed out."I believe in our dear Rowena," Helga said with a gentle voice.Gary quietly kept his gaze outside the windows. He had arrived a w
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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
False Perfection CHAPTER 3
The woman's face was stern. There was a bit of tension to her jaw. "Thank you for looking after my daughter," She said with a bit of bated breath. She pressed her lips together. "Mr. Richard and Mr... Gary, correct? W-Well, thank you." Gary and Richard had frozen in place. Richard looked like he had seen a ghost, mouth closed shut and pale in the face. Gary, on the other hand, had a mix of emotion ranging from what could only be anger, hurt, and utter disbelief. Standing in front of them was a woman both knew all too well. At least they thought it was her. But the woman looked away and turned her attention back to the nurse behind the station. "Where can I see Maggie Sutherland? I'm her employer and I'd like to—" "Rowena!" Gary shouted. He slowly inched closer to her, hand balled into a fist and thumping the marbled counter of the nurse's station. Both the woman and Hope instinctively tu
False Perfection CHAPTER 2
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.
False Perfection CHAPTER 1: PROLOGUE
The buzzing in Rowena Von Dame's ears wouldn't go away. Her head felt like it was underneath a hydraulic press machine. It was only after she swallowed the invisible lump in her throat did she realize she was holding her breath for the past minute. But it had actually been almost ten minutes since she was pressed up against the corner of the relatively small bathroom, between the wooden wall and the door, barely struggling to hold herself up. It was about about a quarter to 3 o'clock in the morning. Silence coated the air as everyone in the beach house had gone to bed early after a long day of parasailing. There was barely any light outside the bathroom window, only a subtle white glow from the full moon.It was the sound of the waves crashing down against the shoreline that made Rowena snap out of her trance. The repetitive splashing and whooshing of the waters against the sands assisted in her attempts to breathe in and out,
