The Playboy's Misfortune

27: Comeback

"Whoever said money can't solve your problems
Must not have had enough money to solve 'em"

~-~-~

The church visit was utterly useless.

It wasn't like I had expected god to drop a job on my lap.

But I did expect something.

Jim and the guys came to meet me again but I was so mad and frustrated, that I had no clue of what I was doing anymore.

I barely had fifty dollars left.

That was it.

No house, no money, a sick wife, a crying baby, and fifty fucking dollars. I roamed every street in the town with Lucy in my arms like a tramp.

The hours went by with zero luck and by the time the sun had set, I was sitting on a bench by the river. The same spot where I had brought Chelsea for our anniversary.

It wasn't too chilly though, and Lucy was lying beside me on the other end of the bench. Taking out a cigarette, I filled my lungs with smoke. Even though it didn't help much, it did ease my nerves to an extent.

I remembered the first time I smoked. It was the same night when I had to sleep on the streets.

After I had been kicked out of the orphanage with a letter of recommendation that would hopefully earn me a job, I boarded a train and got off at a new city.

I spent the entire day looking for work and handing the letter to all sorts of strangers. But none of them wanted me. Eventually, a hairy middle-aged man agreed to let me sleep in his shed if I gave him my scarf. Even though I had known him for only a few hours, he had been violent and I had no intention of making him mad. He gave me his cigarette to keep warm and I smoked till I fell asleep.

"A stupid trip down memory lane," I muttered to myself and stared up at the sky.

"Da"

I snapped my head towards Lucy who was on her knees and palms now.

"What did you just say, baby?"

It felt like my ears were deceiving me. Or so my eyes. Because Lucy was steadily but slowly crawling toward me.

Step by step.

She kept staring at her palms. Her warm cotton clothes were getting scraped because of the wooden bench. She stopped midway though, nearly losing her balance.

"Keep going, that's it," I whispered and had my hands stretched in case she fell.

Lucy stared up at me and tried reaching for my face with her tiny palms.

"Da!" She said again.

My heart skipped a beat.

"Come on, Cupcake," I couldn't help smiling.

Lucy put down her hands and crawled again till her tiny palms were on my highs.

I lifted her into the sky.

"Say it again. Say 'Dad' go on,"

It was as though she had become shy all of a sudden. Lucy made gurgling sounds while looking at the streetlights.

"You did so well though," I brought her back on my lap with a smile, "I wish your mommy was here with us, she'd be very jealous." My baby yawned and I kissed her head while letting her nuzzle into my chest.

Right then, my phone rang.

"Mr.Campbell-"

"LEO!"

My ear nearly exploded.