Kiss on the cheek

Chapter one: A rough breakfast.

A fresh morning in Chicago, a person wakes up.

Antoine was an old married man, while he’s opening his eyes, the first thing he sees in the morning is his wife, Margo. “Good morning sweetheart” said Antoine. “Hello” Responded Margo. Antoine decided to keep his daily routine.

At the kitchen, Antoine is the person in charge for making the food for two, some crispy bacon slices with eggs, and a tiny dessert, a chocolate cake that almost spills the fudge inside it, and the well know cup of black coffee, without sugar for Antoine and lots of it for Margo.

“Here you go darling, How was your sleeping?” Antoine starting to devour his breakfast asked.

“I'm tired, ok? Will you finally go today? Or you’re making more excuses as always?” Watching to the window, said Margo coldly.

“So a long night, huh? No wonder you're in that mood, anyway you know better than anyone that I’ve been busy, the bakery needs me. -He stared at Margo's intact breakfast- You don't like it?”

“It’s ok, you can have it if you want, I’m not hungry anymore” She standed up of her chair and leave to the bedroom”

With no doubts, Antoine started to eat her breakfast too,it would be such a waste to dump it.

Chapter two: Abigail

Finally at the bakery in the corner of the street, Antoine started to work, even though he’s the owner, he loves to make bread, that’s something that always pisses off Margo, because she has to make the accounting. 

Two police men and three ladies come in,everyone politely says “Good morning”.

“Go get them, I’ll be in the office” Said Margo sitting on the chair in front of the desktop.

“On my way” Antoine was cleaning up his hands because of the mix of bread.

“Is everything alright sir?” Asked one of the officers.

“Yeah, thank you so much, the usual?”

“Please” Answered the other officer.

“Mr. Antoine, how much is it?” The leader of the girls asked.

“On route, -Starts packing the bread and counting- Jesus, are you making a reunion or something?” Antoine was fooling around.

“Youp” One of the girls replied.

The leader handed the money to Antoine and he put it on the cashier. Then the girls left the place, now the police men and Atoine were the only people in that place.

“I’m deeply sorry officers, here’s your stuff” He handed two coffees and a bag full of bread.

“How much mister?” Asked one of the officers.

“It’s on the house”

“Really?”

“Sure, you’ve been checking up the neighborhood lately, It’s my way to thank you” Said while delivers the bag.

One of the officers accepted with a smile and sniffing the recently made coffee while the other looked down.

“Hey mister, I’m really sorry for…” Tried to say one officer.

“Hey! Hey!” Said one girl entering the bakery.

“Look who arrived! My colleague-girl in the flesh!” Antoine goes to hug the girl.

“Hello Dad… -She hugs strongly his father too- Is everything ok?” Asked the girl.

“It’s ok young lady, we were just checking the neighborhood” Answered the officer.

“So, what were you apologizing for? Asked Antoine without stop hugging his daughter.

“Don’t worry mister, It’s ok, he’s a rookie, let’s go, we have more places to check” The oldest officer took the bag and heads to the door.  

“Thank you again officers, come back and at least I can treat a cup of coffee” Both he and Abigail waved their hands to say goodbye to the officers.

“Have a good day” The youngest officer said before leaving the place.

Chapter three: Confrontation.

Back to the kitchen, Antoine continues making fresh bread, while Abigail drinks a fresh made coffee and a croissant full of chocolate her father asks “What brings you home? Cupcake”, after sipping the coffee she answered, “Same as always dad, helping you with the accounting and to use the machine at home to wash some clothes”.

Her father nodded almost instantly when he heard her, even he stopped making the bread, “But you know that’s your mother’s work, and you can use the wash machine anytime you want”. Abigail turned her eyes away from her father, even she crossed her arms, “So, where is she right now?”.

“In the office, she said that she’s having a headache since the morning, so she is in a bad mood as always”, he noticed her daughter left his side to check on the office, “She isn’t here” Abi turned her head to watch Antoine. “But she told me that she would stay there, maybe she felt sick and went home…” He’s abruptly interrupted, “Have you gone already? Doctor Issac told me you didn’t go to the session”.

Antoine sat in the edge of a clean table, he put both of his hands on his face, “I’ve been busy, you know? Your mom isn’t helping me as she used to, Ryan and Ivvone have been sick for a long time, I was thinking on firing them  but something stopped me…” Abi interrupted him again and hughed him strongly, “It’s ok dad, you’re a good person, I’ll go to clean my clothes first and then I’ll help you out with the accounting, ok?” Antoine had some tears on his eyes, so he cleaned them up and said “Fashion designer, accounter and baker, I’m so happy being your dad, no go on ‘cause your mom didn’t do anything yesterday”

Chapter four: The good, the mad and the grumpy.

At the waiting room on Dr. Isaac's office, Margo and Antoine were sitting on a couch, as hard as sitting on the floor, but with lumbar support, so not that bad.

Margo was playing with her fingers and Antoine was paying attention to it, “I’ll stay here, I’m not Doctor’s favorite person anyway so you go, maybe I’ll head home or maybe not, that’s up to you” Margo said while she made herself comfortable at the couch.

At first sight, Dr. Isaac’s office didn’t look like an unusual place, on the contrary, the room is just an ordinary psychiatrist office just like the TV shows present them, two couches, one for the doctor and other for the patient, but the one for the patients was so softer than any bed known by human kind.

“Antoine! I’m glad you decided to come today, please take a seat and make yourself comfortable” Said the Doctor showing with his enormous hand the comfy couch.

“So, where’s Margo right now?” Asked Isaac while starting to write something.

“She said that you dislike her, so she’s outside in the waiting room, but you know doc? She’s been pretty upset and grumpy recently…” Lying on the couch, Antoine seem kind of worry, expecting that Isaac could be the answer to all his troubles”

“Ok, I understand, why don’t you ask her, tell her to join us” Isaac stopped writing and put his notebook in a tiny table next to him.

“I’m not sure if she’s gonna join us, but I’ll try.” He left the comfy couch to search for his wife at the waiting room, the only people there were a bunch of kids and their parents.

“Are you done with your session? Said a man, coldly if he didn’t care at all.

“Not yet, I was looking for my wife, Margo, have anyone seen her leaving or something?” Antoine was confused.

“Man, I’ve been here as much time as you and…” He’s abruptly interrupted by Isaac.

“Don’t worry Antoine, let’s go back, maybe she told something before leaving” Isaac closed the door and the two of them returned to their seats.

“She said that She was tired and she probably headed home, that it would depend on me somehow” Closing his eyes and making a massage on his forehead to understand what she said.

“And you wanted her here?”

“At the beginning,  yeah, but when the session started I wanted to be alone…”

“Have you gone already?” Isaac interrupted again.

“No Doc, I’ve been busy lately, with my employees taking a long vacation and Margo without helping at the bakery is hard to make time for myself” He just turned to the other side, so Issac wouldn’t see his face.

“I really think that both you and Margo need a time for yourselves, go there and have a talk, so finally you will have a good night for sleeping”

“My daughter has the car, so I can’t go” Antoine replied while turning again to see the doctor.

“There is no problem, we already spoke about it and she’s waiting outside”

“It’s true, now I remember why I was mad at you, you called my daughter and told her that I was skipping sessions, Don’t you!?” He finally sit normally, his arms were crossed and his face was as red as a tomato.

“We weren't making any progress and it was a special request from Abigail, she really wants to help you…” Now Antoine interrupted him.

“I don’t want to make progress!!! I don’t want to go anywhere!!! I just want to finally get some rest!!!” Antoine exploded, even he standed up and close distance with Isaac.

“So go there, then you’ll have the closure you need, please, don’t do this for you if you do not want to, do it for the people that cares for you” 

“I’m really sorry Doc, I didn’t want to be so mean at you” Antoine started sobbing and he covered his face with his hands, anyway their tears were clearly visibly falling to the carpet.

“It is ok Antoine, you’re free to go now or if you want, you can stay here the rest of the session” Issac just put his hand on Antoine’s shoulder.

“I’ll do it”

Chapter five: Face to face.

Finally Abigail took Antoine to the place he was avoiding this few weeks, green hills, trees so tall that an entire family could sleep in the shadow of one of them, so peaceful and strangely,  the place was almost empty.

“I’ll wait here,” Said Abigail while turning on the radio.

“Are you sure? Don’t wanna come?” Replied Antoine while leaving the car.

“Nah, I’ve visited this place before meeting you at the bakery, you can do it Dad”

No more words were spoken while Antoine was walking, he noticed some people with flowers not far from him, the sun started to fall, and the wind was cooling down because autumn was almost over.

“You’ve taken your time…” Margo said without seeing him, just her back was visible, standing.

“I’m really sorry, you know that I´ve been busy lately…” Antoine tried to reason with Margo, so she at least would see him in the conversation.

“I know that you’re lying, better than anyone else. Why didn’t you come sooner?” Now she crossed her arms and still refuses to watch Antoine to the face.

“Because I don’t want to be here, because it would feel…” He looked to other side while closing both of his fists.

“What!? Because it would make this real!? I want to rest, you want to rest. You can’t keep both of us in this loop” She started to sound angry about it.

“I don’t want to lose you”

“Say it” Margo was starting to turn, slowly.

“I don’t know…”

“Say it!”

“I don’t want to lose you again!!!” Antoine sit one the floor and covered his face with his hands.

“”You know that it wasn’t your fault, I’m not angry at you, you’re angry with yourself” Margo squatted next to Antoine”

“If I only was at the bakery…” His voice started to weakend, the tears flowed like a waterfall.

“Abigail would become an orphan, she is still very young” She standed up and looked to the sky.

“I can’t live without you, Abi and you mean everything to me, please don’t leave me alone” Antoine standed up and tried to reach Margo.

“My time has ended, I don’t belong here anymore, my two regrets are that I won’t be able to see Abi grow up and become the great and awesome lady we both know she is…”

“And the other one?” He cleaned his tears with his bare hands.

“That i won’t be able to be with you…- She started to cry- Thank you for all these years…”

“I don’t want to say goodbye, please, I don’t want to” 

“Wherever I go, be sure that I would never forget my family, the two people who made the happiest person in Chicago”

“What am I gonna do now? Please, tell me…” Antoine was deeply worried and sad that he was almost crying again.

“You will live, for Abigail and for you. You’ll go home and both of you will cook my favorite dish and eat it for me. Your cooking was always the best” She smiled full of tears.

“I will always love you!!!” Antoine screamed.

“And that’s why I could leave peacefully, because I know that you will be ok, I’ll take care of you wherever I go”

“I love you Antoine” Margo kissed Antoine’s cheek.

“Are you ok Dad? I was worried” Abigail arrived.

“Yes Abi, I’m ok, let’s go home…”

Both Abigail and Antoine left the place while hugging each other.

A “Goodbye” sounded on the wind,  the place where they were standing has a stone that in the final line said “Beloved wife and mother”. Antoine touched his cheek and felt the kiss that Margo gave him before leaving.

“Goodbye Margo, We’ll meet someday again”

The end.