Chapter 1 – The Eyes That Had Seen Too Much
I stared into those helpless eyes – the eyes that had seen what no man; woman or child should ever have to see. I guess I would never completely understand the full extent of what Eric had been through – of course I couldn’t, I was just a journalist trying to find out his story to save my failing career. My failing career that had never even really started. But with this story, everything could change – my debt could magically disappear as if it had never even existed. But first I had to persuade him to let me in, persuade him that I was not just another reporter, persuade him that I was the one that was going to get his story heard in the sensitive way it deserved. But maybe the key to my problem was to not act as a reporter...maybe the solution would be to act as someone else.
“Excuse me Sir, I was wondering if you had any spare rooms for a few nights,” I tried cautiously. “The hotel I was supposed to be staying in double booked me.” I kept perfect eye contact with him. Eye contact is the key to making a person believe you’re telling the truth. Many people also say that your eyes are the windows to your soul and in that second, staring into his eyes (full of pain and suffering), I could totally see what those people meant. I could feel myself getting drawn in so deep I almost didn’t hear his reply.
“Is there nowhere else you could stay? I’m not trying to be rude, honestly, only I’m not in my right mind at the moment.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that Sir...if there’s any way I can help, any way at all...”
“There isn’t,” he cut me off, almost rudely. “Now is there nowhere else you could stay because if there is, I’d like it if you could stop bothering me, but if there isn’t can you just come in and stop telling me things I’ve heard a thousand times before from people sounding even less sincere than you.”
“Ok...well then can you stop blocking my way into your house then?” I asked tentatively. He sighed and let me past.
“I’ll take your bags,” he said, taking hold of one of the handles.
“Oh you don’t need to do…”
“I want to – I don’t think we’ve really gotten off on the right foot. I’m sorry if I came across as rude...I didn’t exactly have the best time of it in the war.” And with that he took my bag and started off up the stairs.
