These people, no matter how much he wanted to keep them, would eventually leave him one by one.
In the end, he was left alone, no matter how powerful or wealthy he became, no matter how big the house was… he still couldn’t keep a single person.
They left without even saying goodbye.
Ms. Protich put down the bag she was holding and started cleaning up the scattered bottles on the floor. There were at least thirty bottles; who knows how long Leland Burns had been drinking.
“You’re drunk.”
Leland Burns drawled, “I’m not drunk. If I were drunk, I could sleep. If I slept, I could see her. But I can’t sleep and I can’t see her. I know I’m not drunk. If only I could get drunk. I’ve drunk so much, my body hurts… but it hurts more that I can’t see her. I should hate her. She’s dead; shouldn’t I be celebrating with fireworks? But why does it hurt so much here…”
Leland Burns’ hand slipped off the couch and onto the floor. His eyes were unfocused as he stared at the bottles in front of him, seeing one turn into three. He reached out but missed, tried again, and finally grabbed one to drink.
Drinking so much at once not only hurt his stomach but also risked alcohol poisoning; it was practically suicidal behavior. Ms. Protich couldn’t stand it and snatched the bottle from his hand.
Having drunk too much, Leland Burns had no strength left; his whole body was limp.
When Ms. Protich took the bottle from him, he collapsed to the floor like a boneless snake.
“Give me my drink.”
“Mr. Burns, you really can’t drink anymore; it’s bad for your health and your stomach.”
His stomach had already started hurting. He was always good at enduring pain; stomach pain was nothing to him.
“Who do you think you are to tell me what to do!” Leland Burns shouted.
Ms. Protich stiffened and her face showed bitterness. “I don’t have the right to tell you what to do, but if something happens to you now, there will be no one to look for Miss Dawson.”
Hearing Ms. Protich mention Winifred Dawson, Leland Burns finally calmed down. Yes, he couldn’t afford anything happening to him now; if something happened to him, there would be no one to arrange for finding Winifred Dawson. He had to find her. Moreover… Winifred Dawson didn’t like the smell of smoke and alcohol; if she came back, he would quit immediately and never touch them again so she wouldn’t smell a trace of it.
Leland Burns struggled to get up from the floor but slipped on one of the many bottles he couldn’t see clearly and fell again, his whole body aching too much to stand.
Ms. Protich hurriedly helped him up and struggled to get him back on the couch, panting from the effort.
Leland Burns lay on the couch silently watching Ms. Protich clean up the bottles and cigarette butts scattered on the wet carpet.
“How did you get in? I remember locking the door…”
While cleaning, Ms. Protich replied, “I called Mr. James; he told me the password.”
“Do you know what those numbers mean?” Leland Burns suddenly asked.
Ms. Protich shook her head and said, “No.”
“81930 is our birthdays-hers on September 30th and mine yesterday. Yesterday was my birthday.” He had planned to celebrate this birthday properly with a cake and 21 candles to wish for Winifred Dawson’s return but instead received news of her death that day.
Ms. Protich threw away the last glass bottle into a box before taking a good look at Leland Burns from head to toe.
This was completely unlike his usual self; normally Leland Burns was somewhat of a neat freak who kept himself meticulously clean even when he was in prison wearing inmate clothes-he still looked different from other prisoners, always spirited.
If Leland Burns used to be a dragon soaring in the sky, now he was like a mudfish in the dirt.
He had brought this upon himself; it was his own doing that made him so miserable.
His clothes worth thousands were stained with wine and wrinkled; he wore only one sock while his other foot was bare with no idea where the sock went; his hair was disheveled with stubble growing overnight; his body still bore injuries with dried blood on his left hand and broken nails on his ring finger.
Ms. Protich, being highly empathetic, couldn’t bear looking any longer after a glance and quickly turned away.
She quietly mopped the floor while Leland Burns sat on the couch watching her busy herself occasionally mumbling words she couldn’t understand clearly.
“When Winifred Dawson was around… did you also… care for her like this?”
Ms. Protich tied up a full garbage bag and said, “No, Miss Dawson didn’t need me to care for her; she was very sensible.”
“Sensible?” Leland Burns chuckled as if hearing a joke. “It’s my first time hearing someone call her obedient and sensible.”
Ms. Protich didn’t know what had happened between Leland Burns and Winifred Dawson; they treated each other as mortal enemies wishing nothing more than to torment each other but when something happened one became lost while another went mad with grief.
If they cared so much about each other why would they hurt each other?
The world’s love puzzled Ms. Protich but she had only one thought now-to pray that Winifred Dawson would be safe.
“Mr. Burns…” Ms. Protich stood before him looking down earnestly saying: “I don’t know what happened between you two nor do I know what Miss Dawson used to be like-people grow they can’t stay unchanged forever-Miss Dawson must be different now than before but from my perspective she’s very good now.”
Leland Burns’ throat tightened fingers twitching slightly.
Ms. Protich didn’t know if he heard her but she spoke from her heart: “I hope when you find her don’t hurt her treat her well care for her love her if someday you can’t control yourself think about today when you ‘lost’ her-I don’t want you repeating mistakes regretting later.”
Leland Burns closed his eyes feeling some clarity in his previously painful muddled mind after hearing Ms. Protich’s words.
For some reason he remembered cursing Winifred Dawson before:
–“If ever I force you into doing something you hate making you suffer like today then may I lose everything important suffer your pain a thousand times over.”
He indeed forced Winifred Dawson into things she hated forcing her in church before Jesus’ statue-it must be karma then.
People shouldn’t easily swear oaths-they might come true someday.
With a hoarse voice filled with pain Leland Burns said: “You’re right people shouldn’t dwell on past.”
The past is gone people should look forward thinking about future.
Sometimes Leland Burns wondered if his bad deeds caused this curse-for instance arranging Liam Burkhart’s death at sea only for Winifred Dawson meeting an accident also at sea shortly after.
“Do you also believe Winifred Dawson will be fine…?” Leland Burns asked cautiously seeking reassurance rather than questioning.
It was Ms. Protich’s first time seeing him like this understanding empathizing as she once asked caregivers similarly hoping recognition increased survival chances slightly more feeling his current mood deeply nodding without hesitation firmly affirming: “Miss Dawson will definitely be fine blessed by heavens returning safely.”
“If she really returns I’ll pretend nothing happened forgiving betrayal imprisonment.”