Chapter 5: Fresh Starts

At the doctor's request, Simon had spent some extra three days in the hospital. He had to complete some final examinations before being allowed out of the hospital. The doctor was awed. Coma patients' recovery was almost always considered a miracle. Simon's recovery was just perfect according to his test results. The three days had passed and the day had come when Simon would finally reunite with his family. 

It was a couple of minutes past six PM. A black Rolls-Royce was pulling out of the gate of Solomon's mansion. Simone and her mother sat in the backseat with their seats reclining. Mrs Solomon was fifty but she looked thirty. She was beautiful and immaculate from head to toe. People often mistook her to be Simone's older sister. Mr Solomon was seated in the back seat too, but his seat was not reclined. He held a glass of wine in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Mrs Solomon and Simone were smoking too. 

 Inside the car was chilled. The driver expertly gunned the car once they were out on the street, and overtook other cars. They arrived at the hospital and the driver let the autopilot do the parking. The side doors automatically opened themselves. The opened doors made the car look like it had suddenly grown wings ready to fly. For a moment the accumulated smoke of their cigars clouded the Solomon's as they alighted. They had left their cigarettes inside the car. The doors automatically shut themselves. 

The trios walked towards the huge building majestically. Mr Solomon still held his glass of wine! His face wore a celebratory look. The doors were pushed open for them by the security men as they reached the front of the hospital. The receptionist immediately looked sharp! She smiled, nodded her head approvingly, indicating they could proceed. Mrs Solomon waved at her. They made their way to Simon's ward. The receptionist was already calling the doctor with the front desk phone to inform him.

Simon was sitting on the bed when the door to his ward pushed open. He lifted his gaze and saw his family. His face broke into a smile. His sister practically ran the short distance from the door to his bed to hug him. His mother and father followed behind her, but walked, and waited patiently. Mr Solomon sets his wine glass on top of a medium sized shelf. After Simone had let go of him, his parents leaned in to hug him together. The doctor came in, shortly after they broke the hug. They all turned their gaze to the man. His sister and his mother sat beside him on the bed. His father however remained standing.

"Doctor," he said firmly. "Everything good here?"  

"Yes sir," the doctor said, smiling. "Congratulations! Simon's vitals are all good, and there are no signs of amnesia either. Just sign these papers and he will be free to go."

Mr Solomon took a pen from the doctor. He signed his signature twice on the bottom part of the two pages long documents. "Thank you very much," Mr Solomon said. 

"Thank you doc," Mrs Solomon said. 

"Sure thing!" He responded. 

Mr Solomon picked up his wine glass with just his thumb and index finger. He sipped some wine and spun around to look at his family with grateful eyes. They all stood up. As they left, the doctor accompanied them silently from behind, before his footfalls veered off in another direction. They crossed the exit and Simon breathed fresh air into his lungs. His father handed him the glass of wine he was holding. Simon downed the content feeling refreshed by the taste. 

***

Stephanie was up in the attic. She turned on the lights and it reviewed a quick home studio she had set up for herself. She inspected some of her paintings. They all had a recurring theme which was: dangerous love. Boy and girl kissing in the middle of a greenfield road with one of those cars from the eighties approaching. Boy and girl on the beach lying side by side holding hands underneath a meteorite falling towards them. Boy and girl in the jungle fleeing for their lives as a leopard approached. 

She picked her scarf from one of the easels and tied it around her hair. She picked up her brush and began to paint. Her hand swung effortlessly towards the board as she slashed lines upon lines, and curves upon curves. She dropped the brush and picked another one that was dipped in blue paint. She repeated the process. Stephanie was so engrossed in the drawing that she did not hear Tiffany come in. 

Tiffany watched the meaningless lines sprawled across the drawing board begin to take form. It was a beach scene. On the edge of the ocean was a pair of sneakers with one leg resting on top of the other. Then there were footprints on the beach sands leading to the ocean. A girl stood by from a distance where the footprints had begun. With her outstretched arm she seemed to be saying goodbye. 

"That is quite impressive," Tiffany remarked as she walked towards her. 

Startled, Stephanie turned and said, "How long have you been in here with me?"

"Haha I guess I walked in a few minutes after you started to draw."

"Okay," Stephanie said, stepping back to admire the drawing. She would leave it out to dry and by morning she would cover it up. 

"This one is different from the other drawings," Tiffany said. "What was on your mind while painting it?"

"It's just me pouring out my heart," Stephanie said. "I never said goodbye to Shane and this is as close as I can get to saying it."

"Oh I feel sorry for you," Tiffany said, hugging her friend. "You poor thing!"

"What the hell?" Stephanie said, "get off me. I'm not a poor thing."

"Well that's good."

"Hey Tiffany," Stephanie said, leaning on the table where the brushes and paints were placed. "Kane asked me to marry him the last time we went on a date."

"And what was your response?"

"What do you think?" she pushed herself forward from the table and swung her hands in the air. "I wanted to say no, but I told him instead we should slow down. Tiffany I just don't feel like I'm in love with Kane. I've tried, but feeling, it's not coming!"

"Steph," Tiffany called calmly. "Love doesn't happen overnight. Give it some time. I mean look at you. You're already thinking about saying goodbye to Shane." She pointed to the painting. 

"Love doesn't happen overnight you say but it did in the case of Shane and I."

"Seriously!" Tiffany said, "I thought as a psychologist you will understand these things better. It was probably because it was your first time."

Stephanie knew Tiffany was right but still she just could not pretend that she felt just a normal likeness for Kane. There were no butterflies dancing in her stomach when she looked at him. There were no memories of him nudging her at night. "Whatever you say. I will keep giving him a chance and not stop him from making his moves. However, I still will prefer to hold on for the next one month at least before I decide whether or not I'll marry him."