“Left for where, please?” Nichole cried out.
“Mom, calm down, please,” Julie, who had just heard that Freya had contacted Denise’s staff members, advised her.
Then, Arthur looked at his distressed daughters and lover with empathy. He stood up and advised them, “It had been a hectic day for all of you. I think you all should rest. Phil, kindly come with me.”
“Where are you going?” Nichole anxiously inquired with concern.
“To look for our son,” he answered.
He walked to his study while Phil followed him silently. After they took their seats, Arthur called Dr. Quain. He suspected that Louis could have been involved in an accident, and the shock made his phone fall off his hand.
When the call connected, the doctor greeted him, “Hello, Boss. How many I help you?”
He ignored the formalities and went straight to the point, “Dr. Quain, is there anything I need to know about my son, Louis?”
Now, the doctor vacillated between providing him information about his son, which his profession demanded that he should keep secret, or dismissing him with a flimsy excuse.
“Not really, Boss,” Dr. Quain lied, “Is there any problem?” He asked.
All the same, Arthur ignored his question and pressured him, “When last did you speak with him?”
“Today, Boss. When I wanted to communicate with him, my phone fell off. I called him back, but his phone was switched off.”
“I see. Thank you, Doctor.”
“You are welcome, Boss.”
Now, he gave Phil a searching look and asked, “Do you think that he returned to Egypt?”
Phil, who had been attempting to get across to Louis, looked up from his phone and said, “It may not be impossible. Maybe there was an emergency and he left at once.”
“You may be right. Call the airport and request for their manifest.”
“It is all right, Father.”
At the Parlor.
After Arthur and Phil left for the study, Nichole interrogated Freya and Julie, “Did you call his house?”
“No, Mom,” Freya replied.
“Why? What if he had gone home?”
“We were considering that from the time he left the registry and the time we noticed his disappearance, he wouldn’t have gotten to Seven Oaks.”
Then, Julie intercepted, “What will make him return to Seven Oaks without informing anyone?”
“This is not the time for blame. Let’s call his house,” Nichole advised them.
Then, Freya called Louis’ janitor, Fred, and he picked up at once.
“Hello, Mrs. Anderson. How may I help you?”
“Hello, Fred. Have you seen your boss today?”
“Oh! No, Mrs. Anderson. Have you forgotten that he traveled to Cairo?”
“Oh! I just remembered. Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Freya cut the call and looked at Julie and her mother who were following their discussion. They looked helpless at her as well. Just then, Daniel, who had woken up from sleep, walked to the parlor by himself.
“Daniel. You are up. Come,” Nichole called out the moment he saw him.
Daniel walked up to her and rested his head on her lap after he greeted her.
Then, he inquired, “Grandma, are we not going for the marriage ceremony again?”
They chuckled and Nichole educated him, “The ceremony is over. It was over when you were sleeping.”
Now, the aghast Daniel raised his head from his lap, looked at everyone, and asked, “When was I the Page Boy? I did not write on any wedding page.”
His mother and aunt smiled softly and waited for their mother’s response. Then, Nichole made him sit beside her and informed him.
“You don’t need to write anything on any page, my dear. You only bear the wedding rings, which you have done.”
Now, Daniel felt better. Then, Nichole looked at Freya and requested, “Shall we leave? He must be hungry by now.”
“It is all right, Mom.”
They stood up and were walking to the door when Arthur’s voice halted them, “Louis had gone back to Cairo. We will reach him when he disembarks.”
Nevertheless, they were a bit relieved. At least he was not missing nor in danger. Nichole was satisfied with the information.
She looked on while Julie asked, “How did you find out, Father?”
“We called the airport for the manifest.”
“What time did he leave?” Freya asked.
Phil, who was standing beside Arthur, answered.
“2 O’clock flight.”
“Oh! There must be an emergency that made him leave abruptly,” Julie pointed out.
Then, Nichole advised Freya, “Let’s go. We will worry about that later.”
Howbeit, Arthur was not done annoying Nichole for the day.
“Freya, we are coming over for dinner. Assist your mom to prepare for us,” he announced as though it was his right,
Freya, who had just recovered from a shock as a result of the news about the missing Louis, was elated, and she accepted, “That would be great, Father.”
It was a few minutes to 6 PM. Phil drove his wife to her mother’s apartment, while Daniel and Nichole followed from behind. Soon, they got to their destination. Now, the janitor had gone far in the preparation of the dining when they arrived, but he had to adjust immediately to accommodate the additional people.
Subsequently, Arthur and Julie arrived and waited alongside Daniel and Phil, while Nichole and Freya were in the kitchen making sure that the dinner was seamless.
‘I have had the satisfaction of being with her throughout today. I will sleep peacefully this night,’ Arthur thought and watched them set the table.
When they were done, Freya announced, “Dinner is ready. Father, Hubby, and Julie, please come over.”
“It is okay,” they answered and walked to the dining table.
Now, the sitting positions were an impediment. How will he ensure that he sits beside Nichole?
Likewise, Nichole was watching them as they sat on the six dining chairs. She waited for them to be seated before she would do the same thing. Arthur took his seat where his late brother and Nichole’s husband, used to sit when he was living at the head of the dining table. Julie and Freya knew where they usually sat when they were younger, and they sat on their respective seats opposite each other – leaving the two seats beside their father empty. Now, Phil, who was carrying Daniel on his lap and must sit beside his wife, sat at the other end of the dining table with his wife by his left hand.
Nichole, who did not want to sit by Arthur’s left-hand side, quickly ordered, “Daniel, go and sit beside Julie.”
Then, Phil put Daniel down to enable him to walk to the empty seat in between Julie and Arthur. But Arthur was smarter.
He quickly announced, “Oh! Daniel, I feel you should sit beside your Mom. I will assist her in feeding you. Okay.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
Daniel responded and made a turn back to the seat beside his mom and on Arthur’s right hand. Now, the only seat left was the one by his left, which was where she sat when her late husband was alive. All the same, she tried to pull another string.