Way And Direction

Chapter 2

"Goodbye my lover, goodbye my friend, you have been the one, you have been the one for me, " James Blunt sang.

This particular song's lyrics held so much of meaning to Richard. He loved how well music was able to convey his thoughts that lingered on his mind. It was able to embody feelings that he could not quite decipher himself.

After a while, he reversed his car into the parking lot and paused for a while, before opening the door to embark on a new day.

He looked up and was proud of what his company had got to over all these years. He'd taken over his father's company that Dahlia had been handling after his demise. She had been happily relieved from the clutches of micromanaging the company and taking care of Richard.

He knew very well how much his mother worked, stayed up until early hours of the morning, just to make sure he got everything he wanted, to make sure he didn't feel like Ace's death snatched their happiness from them.

She would continuously think about Ace and cry, but her tear-soaked pillow would never come to the the knowledge of Richard. He was just a child.

RUSSELL LOGISTICS

He read those words that were written on a huge placard and stapled onto the building.

Upon walking in, he was bombarded with a slew of "Good morning Sir." He'd nodded his way through and sat down at his office.

His eyes navigated his shelves, full of files and documents. Running his hand through his hair, he let out a faint chuckle.

The words still echoed in his mind, If you have a well organized shelf Mr Russell, you'll be more productive. Productivity is- and he'd finished it out loud, "Prosperity."

Every little thing reminded him of her. He seemed to get used to that by then. While lost in his thoughts, and staring at the schedule in front of him, he got startled by someone who barged in through his door.

"Richard! Dude. Where have you been? I waited for you last night you idiot!" the man exclaimed.

He was a just a little less taller than Richard. He had well groomed short hair, and thick eyebrows, which at that moment, were brought downwards.  Richard could see that he came for a good explanation.

"C'mon Kia, you know I didn't want to come anyway," he said in his usual monotonous voice.

"Don't 'Kia' me! You need to get out of your little bubble Russ! Get out there, find yourself again man. You can't be miserable forever."

Richard dropped his gaze from Kiaan to the desk. He shrugged, "Miserable is not-"

"No no, philosophy is not needed now. Please save it," said Kiaan, shaking his head.

Richard snickered and this made Kiaan laugh against his will too.

They had been best friends for as far as he could remember. Being neighbours, they saw each other every day, and that just brought them and their families together.

When Ace passed away, Sushiel and Sarita Sethi, Kiaan's parents, were there for Dahlia and Richard. They came by every hour, taking time out from work, just to give her a shoulder to cry on.

Till that day Dahlia tried to repay all the time and support they gave to her but they did it due to the goodness of their heart, therefore expecting no returns.

Richard and Kiaan went to the same schools, sat together during break, were just there for each other from the start. Richard comforted him, especially the one time when he continuously wept because he came to a realization that he couldn't marry Emma Watson.

Kiaan knew his best friend, and his feelings. He understood him and that's what Richard loved about their friendship.

Kiaan Sethi, slouched into the chair in front of Richard's table. His eyes scouted the contents of the table and flashed a look of dismay.

"Now where is the coffee? I don't know how you do this without coffee. I mean look at the paperwork! Mind blown!" he said while gesturing a 'blown mind' sign with his hands. Richard enjoyed his presence, he brought a happy vibe wherever he went.

Richard pressed a little silver button on his table, leaned toward it and said,"Two coffees please. The usual."

In a few moments, a lady wearing a  formal dress entered his office. She had her hair in a low bun and she held a tray with two mugs on it.

As she laid the mugs on his desk, she said, "Good morning Sir. Here are your cups of coffee. Two sugar in the black cup and three in the white."

"Thank you Prina. Good morning to you too," Richard replied. She sighed in relief and smiled. Kiaan thanked her too and she looked at Richard, "Sir you have a meeting scheduled at 12pm. So you need to also go through the docs." Richard nodded in approval, he honestly thought that Prina was an excellent employee, one of the best.

She left the office in a while and he continued chatting to Kiaan. "So, what are you going to do today then?" as he sipped his coffee.

A little less sugar Mr Russell, he remembered. Suppressing his reminiscent feelings, he listened to Kiaan.

"You know the drill Russ. I've got to click pictures with the theme of nature today, freelancing is what it is right. Last week I got some good shots of some landmarks though. You wanna see? They got featured in Sederburg Magazine and they're being processed to be featured in Mag for the Grab."

Richard was delighted too, he knew how much of effort Kiaan made in his years of this career. He'd never wanted an office job or anything clearly 'sophisticated'. He wanted to go out there and explore. He always clicked the best pictures, and quickly realised his immense interest in photography. Kiaan had been making headlines for his work for years now, and he got countless offers for working for specific companies.

He'd reject all though, there was a passion he had for not being bound to one company, he wanted to work freely, capture what he'd like, and share it with the world.

"Of course! I'd love to see them." Richard said in a happier tone than usual.

Kiaan pulled out a USB from his pocket and handed it to Richard. He switched on his laptop and connected it. He turned the laptop a little toward him so he could get a good view as well. Richard opened the newest folder added and started scrolling through the pictures.

He had a smile on his face, he genuinely knew for a fact how wonderfully Kiaan clicked photos. He complimented him on every picture and made a comment on the surroundings and subject of the pictures.

"This is so well done man. I love the lighting here. Sunshine really is the best right?" and Kiaan grinned.

"I know right, you can just see how well it ties in with the rest of the picture." Richard nodded and clicked the button for the next one.

His eyes examined the picture and as he was about to make a comment, he noticed something that caught his eye. Zooming into the photo, his pupils widened. Kiaan looked at him in confusion but as he looked at the zoomed in image he was shocked too.

Richard said in a soft tone, "Poppy?"