The man stood in his ward wearing his suit jacket with intense blue eyes. Tristan Jenkins had grown rather tired of being kept in the hospital for the past few months. Although he and his establishment had done their best to keep his sickness secret making it seem like he had suddenly disappeared into thin air but then the famous Tristan Jenkins has been suffering from inguinal hernia. Tristan was known for being a heavy smoker even though he kept that part of his life away from the public as he had to maintain his perfect gentleman and well-known chef identity. Smoking for him was something he just could not avoid and no one actually had any reasonable explanation for why he did such. The members of his staff how to keep his life away from the public which of course was the reason why he was paying them so well. You do not get popular about trying to bad mouth your boss after all.
Tristan was a powerful man even though he was just like an ordinary chef. Once a desperate employee had ratted about him to the media house. Too bad the poor man had no idea whatsoever that Tristan also controlled the media. Of course he was contacted immediately the news got to their hands, return he had paid a lot of money to maintain absolute silence about his life. However nothing was heard about that employee, whether or not he was sent away or just silenced nobody could tell. It just happened. But you can say Tristan Jenkins did not seem like the kind of man to kill people. He had an image to protect and the more he reacted, the more you could tell that he had something to hide or some people he was trying to compete with and prove to that he was good enough.
His smoking habit had led him to incisstent coughing as he was practically damaging himself. Tristan was depressed but he never owned up to it. You could see him after his job smiling at the camera or hand his personal card to one celebrity or the other. Being the ladies man was another of his personalities which he utilized very well. He was after all a sought after bachelor. His doctor had grown rather tired of trying to stop him from smoking hoping some sort of miracle would happen to save the chef. Eventually, the miracle he sought after came when Tristan noticed the growth around his groin. He had been really scared for once in his life perhaps and flew all the way to go see Doctor Ted. The man smiled when he arrived and then took leverage of the situation to show the young man a sample of what his lungs might be looking like at the moment.
“Tristan trust me you have to stop smoking. Or better yet see my psychologist friend, I bet you she would…,” he had been telling him in his office
“Listen Ted, I pay you to be my doctor and not adviser. Just get on with the surgery and leave shrinks out of our conversation okay?,” he said that day.
Ted had taken his word for it but had to make sure he did not smoke. To make certain about that, he had insisted that Tristan would remain in the hospital pending whenever his surgery was done with and perhaps healed. Tristan was a stubborn man but when faced with possibilities of death, he chose life. Within a week, he had organized everything he needed and disappeared. No one heard anything about him and all his staff were told was that he had gone on a brief vacation. It was hard to believe that Tristan Jenkins would ever go on a vacation. He was a workaholic and the staff at the headquarters could attest that bit.
The surgery eventually was conducted and was successful. Ted managed to keep him at the hospital for a period of two months without smoking and under strict supervision to make certain. It was hard really to keep an addict from his addiction. Tristan felt like he was in a cell and going mad steadily. The man closet to him and also his most trusted staff, Alfredo was there with him. It was at this point that Tristan knew what it felt like to be the one dishing out orders. Alfredo made certain he had nothing to do with smoking by clearing out his things and following him around. Eventually, some sort of withdrawal symptoms was beginning to set in and Tristan gave up chase. He would see the shrink but everything had to be done secretly. He would not have the world thinking he was a mad man.
Dr Amanda used to have sessions with him when she would come by the hospital and talk to him. She could tell he was toying with her as he had walls really thick and heavy. She needed to reach him somehow and figured she would keep trying. Tristan would be her biggest achievement yet as she had made It a task to make certain he does. She reckoned that he seemed not to have known what love really was and had gone through his series of girlfriends, Tristan loved neither of them. The one he claimed he loved was even the one he despised the most. He would not talk about his family and was prickly whenever talks about them came up. She learnt to by pass all of that and hoped that love comes by his way. He needed to soften up a little so she could gain entry. The one thing she could say was that as hard as he tried to be the bad guy, Tristan was a good man. Something must have happened to him and he did not need the posh celebrities to bring it out, he needed a listener who would go step by step with him.
This beautiful morning Tristan got up from hospital bed as he has grown suddenly too tired of lying down over a common surgery which anyone could get at anytime. He began putting his things together and asked Alfredo to get them. The doctor came by while he was almost finished and smiled asking if he was leaving. Tristan asked if he could leave and the man said yes. Although there were medical precautions he needed to take while completing his healing process. He handed him a portfolio saying it contained what he would be needing. Tristan saw the smirk on his face and could not believe it. All along, he had been good to go but doctor dearest had made certain to keep him there in the hospital. He smiled and told Ted that he would get back on him for that.
Tristan knew that he would not be so strong enough to begin his vigorous activities once he returned. He also could not stop cooking at his free time hence when they were driving away from the hospital, he asked Alfredo which place he might go to get it all together. The man thought for a while and told him that there was a rather quiet branch of theirs he had not visited since it’s establishment. He explained at length about the place and got Tristan hooked. A quiet life would be like paradise where he would get to think about certain things as well. He asked Alfredo if there were beautiful women at the place, the man said yes.
“Then Norman it is.” he said.
He would have arrangements for a house made for him and he certainly was not going with all his home staff members just Alfredo and two others would be enough. Tristan closed his eyes as certain memories popped up his mind. His hands automatically stole to the little casing where he kept his cigarettes but it felt empty. Tristan opened his eyes to look and found that there was nothing there except the little gum pack by the corner. He looked at Alfredo who was driving and smiling knowing at him from the mirror. He cursed the man under his breath and demanded to know what had become of his packets.
“Oh, I got rid of them sir,” he said
“Why?,” Tristan demanded
“Doctor said to keep them away from you sir,” he replied
“Between doctor and I, who pays you?,” he demanded
“You do sir but only while alive. If I have to get paid, I have to keep you alive,” he said.
Tristan groaned in frustration. This should not be happening to him. Could they not just try to understand why he needed the nicotine in his system.
“Did you get rid of all of them?,” Tristan asked
“Yes sir. Every last one I could find,” he said
“Jesus Christ…. Alfredo, do you know how much they cost?,” he demanded
“I know sir, which was why I exchanged them for really nice gums. You should try them. Really good.” he said.
Tristan was tired of this, he actually thought about firing the man but he could not. The middle aged man had become so attached to him filling a vacuum in his life that had been stolen away from him. Angrily he opened the gum pack, took out one and threw it into his mouth chewing angrily. Alfredo chuckled and tuned up the music as he drove.