C1 1
Daniel sat down on his office chair, his head hung low as he stared at the floor. The morning news was on the television behind him along with some papers scattered about the desk that he usually sat in front of when work was going well. This wasn't normal for him to be so depressed about anything, but this particular thing had him so upset that it made it hard to get any work done. He felt a hand touch his shoulder and look up into the eyes of his assistant, Jessica, who could see the expression he was having on his face from the expression on his face, "I'm sorry sir, but are you alright?" she asked concerned.
"It's been two years today." Daniel said as he let out a sigh, "Two whole years since I lost her."
The look on Jessica's face changed instantly when she saw the look on his face, "Sir, please don't let this anniversary make you sad. She wouldn't want that for you. We've been through this before."
"I know," Daniel replied quietly, "That's just the problem. I'm always sad around now."
Jessica nodded in understanding as she walked over to her boss's side of the desk and placed her hands on top of his, "Let me help you then. Would you like a day off? A week off?"
"No," Daniel said simply, "She loved her job and would never have wanted me to take time off from work because she died. You know that. Besides, I need to stay here if there's ever going to be a chance to rebuild the company she worked so hard to build. It's what she would have wanted."
Jessica smiled, "Yes, I know. Just let me know when your ready to go back to work again."
Daniel gave a quick nod in reply as he looked over the desk, staring at the picture of Lisa that was sitting on a small table next to his computer. It was one she had painted herself when she was only three. She would always get excited whenever she got to paint something for her dad. Even though it was a picture of her, it still showed so much love and affection from how bright the colors were. When she was older, she would draw pictures with crayons and colored pencils, but this painting was one that would always remind him of how much he loved her.
"Sir, I'll be right out front waiting for you," Jessica said as she turned to leave, "And please don't forget about me."
"I won't," Daniel said as he stood up out of his chair, "but I have some things I need to take care of first. Have a good day."
"Thanks," Jessica said as she smiled, "You too."
After Jessica left, Daniel grabbed his keys off the desk and made his way to his black BMW. There was no one else in the parking lot, probably because it was a Friday afternoon, and most people had gone home for the weekend or went out for some lunch. His eyes scanned around the area as he slowly opened the door to the car, getting inside and taking off the seatbelt before pressing down the button that started the engine. Daniel let out a deep breath as he felt the car take off down the road and begin its journey.
As the minutes passed by, Daniel thought back to the days leading up to that horrible day. Two years ago, he was happily married and had just had their first child, Lisa. He was still in his early 30s, in great health, a successful CEO in his own company, and life couldn't have been more wonderful. But all that changed in an instant after his wife passed away from a freak accident while giving birth to her. He never knew what hit him. All he could remember was waking up in the hospital later only to discover his wife dead and his daughter Lisa in his arms.
From that moment on, everything went downhill. He tried to continue working at the company as best he could, but he didn't have enough time for the company that he had spent over half his life working on. The employees hated him because his heart wasn't in it anymore and they could tell. Even though he tried to hide it, the stress of losing his wife was becoming worse with every passing day.
One morning, he woke up to find himself in the hospital for overdosing on pain medication. Jessica told him that her and everyone else in the office had begged him not to take those pills, but he wouldn't listen. He said it was the only way for him to cope with the pain and the loss of his wife. As a result, he ended up spending two weeks in the hospital. Jessica stayed with him during his recovery, which helped tremendously, but it was too late. The damage was done.
He began drinking heavily, often ending up drunk before 8 o'clock in the morning. He also became distant from Lisa, not knowing how to deal with the fact that someone so dear to him was no longer in his life. But even now, he tried to keep a smile on his face for her sake. He knew she would have wanted nothing less than that.
His mind wandered back to her again while he drove. She was the kindest person he'd ever met. She had a beautiful smile, bright eyes, and soft brown hair that he loved to put his hand in whenever he held her. When she laughed, she made the entire room light up and it was difficult to hear her laugh because there were so many people around them. He could still feel the warmth of her body next to him as he fell asleep. They didn't have sex very often back then, but he found it hard to be satisfied with anyone after he met her. Whenever they did, it was always special.
As the miles passed and the scenery grew dimmer, Daniel finally arrived at his destination, the cemetery. It had become another place that she liked to visit, especially at night. The moonlight illuminated the grounds, and the graves glistened like silver. Some were even gold. The grass was perfectly manicured, and the flowers always seemed to be blooming. Even though she's gone, I know that I can visit and that makes me happy.
Daniel parked his car near the entrance, and he took a deep breath before stepping out into the cool, dark air that was beginning to settle. He could hear the cars driving by, but the rest of the world was silent and peaceful. He could see her grave from where he was standing, and the sight was so surreal.
On both sides of the headstone were dozens of other graves that were similar in size. He had visited this place many times since her burial. He would go there whenever he felt sad or lonely, and he was always greeted by something that reminded him of her: a butterfly flying by, a bird singing, or perhaps a beautiful flower swaying in the wind. He had no idea why she had chosen this particular place to be buried, but he was grateful that she did. It was the one place that brought him peace, and he always felt her near whenever he was there.
He approached the headstone and paused a minute to stare at her name before turning around to find a seat nearby. He couldn't help but think back to that day two years ago, and how it forever changed his life. 'It's been two years, and I still haven't gone on a date since her death. Every time I saw a woman, it reminded me that I was supposed to be with her. She made me happy, and she didn't deserve to die, but it was already too late for that.'
Daniel pulled out his phone and started to play her favorite song. The first few notes were played, and it brought him back to being by her side while she sang, smiling and laughing. She was so happy that day, and he couldn't wait to share it with her. 'It was the happiest day of my life, and I'm sure it will remain that way for as long as I live, even though that will eventually end. That's how much I loved her, and I wish she had lived to see me succeed in my business, to see Lisa grow up and be happy, and maybe one day, to have grandchildren.'
As he stood there listening to the song, he thought about the future of the company he shared with her. 'She built this, and I want to do my best to keep it alive. I can't let all her hard work go to waste, so I need to try my best to make it a better place than it has been before. If I can do that, Lisa will be proud of me, just as she should be.' He sat back down in his chair and began to reflect on the past couple of years.
He started by thinking about how the company had fallen apart without her. The employees hated him because he hadn't cared about running the company like he used to. And when he did manage to get the employees to work, they weren't very productive because they knew he didn't care. They also knew that he was trying to hide his pain from them. Daniel felt that he needed to keep the company afloat, so he continued to work hard even though he didn't have any desire to do so. After all, who would want to work in a place where the owner was constantly drunk? The answer to that is most likely no one.
But he couldn't show the employees how sad and hopeless he was feeling because he needed them for the company to survive. Even though he worked non-stop, he still had no motivation to do anything. One time, he came into his office at 4:00 in the morning, and he didn't leave until 7:30 the following morning. He had only had one cup of coffee all day and it had caused him to vomit at his desk.
He was still trying to figure things out when he heard the front door open. He looked up and saw a woman walk into the room, and his eyes were immediately drawn to her. She was a young, attractive woman, probably in her twenties. She wore a red dress and high heels. Her long black hair reached all the way to her rear, and she wore a pair of sunglasses. It was obvious that she was a professional and not someone that he wanted to talk to.
Daniel stood up out of his chair and walked towards her as soon as she turned around. He extended his arm out toward her and said, "Good evening and welcome to my office."
"Hello," She said, smiling. "I'm here for an interview."
Daniel stared at her for a moment before turning to look out of the window behind him. "That's right," He turned back towards her, "and we just started. So, please, make yourself comfortable." He looked back out the window and waited for her to reply.
"I would like to apologize for showing up unannounced," she said, "but I was instructed by your HR department to get in touch with you. I'm here for the nanny Job. they told me about your 2 years old daughter and I am ready to take care of her."
Daniel turned back to her and asked, "Did they give you my number?"
She shook her head and replied, "No."
"Then they must have meant to call my office directly," he sighed as he sat back down in his chair, "Well, if they're looking for me, they'll have to wait because the interview hasn't even started yet. I'm sorry, but this isn't going to work. It seems like they messed up somehow, and now I'm in the position of trying to fix it. I can't start the interview process until I know exactly what the situation is."
"What can I do to help?" She asked.
Daniel looked at her closely, "You really want this job, don't you?"
She nodded her head and said, "Yes, I really do."
"That's good," He smiled, "then I suppose you're qualified to fill in for me until I have time to hire a new nanny for Lisa."
Emily smiled back. "Well, thank you!"
"My pleasure," he replied.
For the next hour, Daniel and Emily spent a lot of time talking. She explained that she was a college grad with a degree in Business, but she had spent most of her years taking care of kids as a babysitter. The pay was great, but she had always wanted to get a job where she could use her skills more effectively. The opportunity finally came when she got her current position as a part-time nanny for a little girl named Rachel. Since she had been working for this family for years, they referred her for a full-time position with another wealthy family who needed her services. She took it because it allowed her to save more money while still making good use of her degree.
"When would you like to start?" Daniel asked. "I would prefer that the transition goes smoothly, and I'm looking for someone I can count on to make an immediate impact. I hope that you can handle that."
"I'm sure I can," She smiled. "As I said earlier, I've taken care of a number of children for years, and I love doing it. I would like to start tomorrow morning if that's ok with you. I'll come over here right now to pack my things."
Daniel stood up and shake hands with Emily, "great then, I will be expecting you to come to my mansion tommorrow morning at 7 am. I'd love to introduce you to my only child Lisa. Don't be late."
"I won't be," Emily replied as she walked out the door with a confident smile on her face.