An Old Friend

“Tell the chief editor to publish it now," Cassie Leighton said over the phone in a hurried voice before hanging the telephone up. She rubbed her hair backward as a sign of distress and groaned. It was a long day at work, and the holiday didn't mean anything to her. Not until her cellphone, sitting on the table, rang. It vibrated twice before she glanced at the caller. A blast of panic filled her eyes as she realized it was her son. "Phil? Have you been there for long? I'm so sorry. Mommy's on the way, okay? Wait for me and stay there," she excused in an apologetic tone while she rushed to fix her messy table. 

After organizing her things back to their place, she picked her business coat and covered her white sleeveless undershirt. For a mother her age, her body figure stood out. The curve of her waist was still carved on her body, and her hands remained smooth. In a hurry, she ignored the employees along her way and started her car as soon as she went to the parking. 

Cassie bit her lower lip out of worry for her son as her breathing turned heavy. The speed of the car was at a fast pace that she overtook every other. Despite this, she had to go through the traffic and follow the rules on the road. Her phone rang once again. "Where the hell are you? Phil has done his appetizer. You’re overworking even if it’s a holiday, Cassie. And for a CEO, you’re one damn fussy,” a woman lectured her. 

"I'm near the restaurant, Mom. Just order the food, so we can have dinner as soon as I arrive," Cassie answered and ended the call. The words her mother just said resounded in her mind, and she thought she was right. Yet, Cassie had no choice. Leighton's Magazine was the only business they had to survive. One wrong move and their company would die, especially now that her competitors were surpassing their sales and contents. 

The next thing she knew, she was in front of Phil, who was delightfully digging in on his food. When a speck of slight dirt stained the side of his lips, Cassie immediately pulled out a wet wipe and cleaned it off. "Cassie, you should take a rest. Don't push yourself too hard, or Phil won't even remember your name," Evelyn, her mother, advised. 

Chewing on her food, Cassie didn’t even look up to her mother. She could only answer her with an emotionless face in a full-of-food mouth. Evelyn directly understood her. Her daughter had always been hard-headed like that. As long as nothing bad would happen, she wouldn’t stop. 

“I want to go there, Mommy.” Phil pointed at a playground just outside the restaurant. It was an open area full of wealthy families. A park that only the high-class could afford. It wasn’t a surprise if they would see known celebrities and politicians in here. 

For a second, Cassie thought about it before drawing a smile on her lips. “Let’s go?” she invited as a sign that she agreed. With her cream leather handbag hanging on her forearm, she held Phil's hand with the other while Evelyn was walking beside them. Excitement could obviously be seen on Phil's bright face, which gleamed together with the night stars and luxurious-looking lights. The air was satisfyingly different than that of a place open to the public, maybe because of the scent of affluent families. 

Unable to keep the enjoyment in his heart, Phil suddenly let go of Cassie’s hand and ran away towards the carousel. He even raised his voice as if it was his first time seeing that kind of ride. Because of this, Cassie gasped and followed her son from behind, while Evelyn ran faster than her. For some reason, her sight became blurry, and her steps were slower than usual. Her mother didn't look back at her, bothered pursuing her grandson. 

Cassie was about to faint when a man suddenly caught her back. She didn't turn unconscious even though her head was in too much pain, as if it was splitting apart. The man guided her to stand up properly while she apologized. “I’m deeply sorry, sir. I… my head…." She tried to explain while regaining her balance. When her sight slowly went back to normal, she observed the man from the foot up to his head.

When she saw the man’s watch, it somehow resembled in her mind. Looking up to his face, Cassie was stiffened. Chills crawled under her skin as she suddenly felt the coldness in the air. Her breath was as if taken away by his presence. “S… Skye?” she muttered in a surprised voice. The hand holding her forehead weakened and dropped down to its place. “What are you doing here?” she asked, bewildered.

While she waited for his answer, someone called Skye’s attention. “Babe." It was a lady… a beautiful, more expensive looking than hers. The saturation of the pendant she was wearing and the glistening diamonds in her earrings proved her higher status. The woman then went beside Skye and clung to him before looking at Cassie. “Who is she?” she asked innocently while she scanned Cassie from head to toe. 

Skye clicked his tongue and smiled at her. “Oh, just an old friend in college I told you about,” he responded as if there was nothing wrong with his words. 

‘An old friend?’ Cassie thought in her mind, somewhat offended. “Oh, hi. Nice to meet you,” the woman said, trying to be friendly and offering her hand. Cassie had looked at her hand and met Skye's blank eyes. Confused about this, she shook the woman's hand and forced a smile.

At this moment, Phil ran toward his mother. “Mommy, please let me ride the carousel,” he said in a childish voice while pulling the hem of Cassie’s formal wear. She looked at Phil before gazing back at Skye to see his reaction. 

“Let’s go?” Skye looked away from Cassie and intertwined his fingers with the woman. She didn’t resist and turned her back concurrently with him as they walked away.