You Narcissist! Am done! But...

Taveuni island was the picture perfect plan for his first time alone. Far from the big city life, his family, his father...especially his father; a man who had hardly been in his young life because he was always on business trips, his girlfriend...his girlfriend? Rather it was his father's girlfriend. Talon's dad has selected a girl for him, saying that they were a perfect match and that he wanted grandchildren of the Russian ascent. Talon had timidly agreed to dating her a couple of times. It was not that he hated her less, but he dislike her more. She was pretty, attractive, independent, but she was the same flock as his father; overly self righteous. He passionately hated her.

Picking his journal from the one room hotel table in the heart of Taveuni, he jotted down: ' Meet up with the board of contactors,' 'for father,' he added. It was just sunrise and Fiji's sunrise was the perfect backdrop, serene, beautiful, yet his heart was not at peace enough to enjoy it. His puppet heart had yearned for more happiness than being there at that moment running his father's business. For the past seven decades, the Lightfoot family had been known for owning a construction firm, identifiable by its ecstatic name ' The Boss Lightfoot Construction Ltd.' The TBLC. Whether it was truth of fact, it still remained that the legendary company had thrived for most of its lifetime. They were light on their feet for accomplishing major breathtaking constructions in the heart of Tahiti, had even split branches to other places such as Bora Bora, Samoa and breached boarders to having interest in the islands of the world. Therefore prompted the new phase of TBLC in Fiji, for Fiji's renowned tourist destination. 

Talon's father, just like his grandpa and great grandpa before him, had fallen in love with the family business. They had breathed in its profits and bathed in its glory. For Talon, it was a roller coaster ride. He had been coerced, or rather the firm's duties had found him naturally, since he was the only son and a middle child of his parents. His older and younger sisters had been immersed un intensely because at the end of it all, the male child carried the name.

Talon walked into the new TBLC building. At the lobby there hung a big banner with the firm's vision, mission and logo. The other half of the banner bearing his father's huge portrait image. A man with lilac green eyes, dark brown hair with tinges of grey, and not a single stand out of place, a pale skin with freakles at the bridge of the nose and a stern smile with two gold central incisor teeth on the upper row. 

"You must be Talon Lightfoot?" Asked a lady in the firm's tifanny blue theme colour T-shirt. 

" Yes, sure. I am"

"Very well," she nodded. " They are ready for you,follow me."

Talon obeyed as instructed. The meeting suite was a huge hall with a twelve- feet long table, holding eight Alera Elusion swivel chairs. One was unoccupied; his. On the wall were several decors, all abstract, ranging from mosaic to oil paint. 

"Oh if only I pursued this..." The voice in his head. Again.

"Your files are set." Having said that, his lady escort turned and left, leaving him to face a bunch of men and women in their mid fiftys...for father. The deliberation was on the grand opening night, a night he would have to introduce himself as the new face of The Boss Lightfoot Company. This scared him to his bones, he desired non of this, the very least. Talon Lindsey Lightfoot had studied fine art, photography and literature. He had loved all three dearly and was on to pursue a masters, when his egocentric and narcissist father thought he knew what was best for him, shut the door to his eternal love and sent him to the company to man up for the business. He, Talon, obliged though he had put up a fiery fight that had been queched by his father's big round ego. Talon had been reduced to nothing. 

"Hi!" Cooed his newly found companion.

"Oh, hi."

"A tourist?"

"Nah, Am here on business purposes."

"Real cool." She had said with a raised eyebrow. Afiya did have a questioning for the stanger that sat beside her on the bar stool. He had looked in his mid twenties, roughly twenty five and was good looking. Certainly not one to frequent bars. 

Talon had decided in a jiffy to clear his mind after he has sat two hours long on a meeting he was forced into, and so ended up in a tavern with a glass of whiskey in hand. He was never alcoholic. He and Afiya had spoken at length and had laughed silly at Talon's miserable life. She had been twenty three and had chosen her happy path to success. 

"So what's keeping you?" She had asked, but he had not found an answer to it.

"Listen, if you want to be freely flying, you have to cut the rope tied to your leg." That was her last words before she had left to be happy in her world. Talon would never forget her. Ever. She was the most beautiful woman of colour he had ever seen, and smart too. 

"Are you ready son?" Asked his father in pride. It was five minutes before his climb to the podium for his ceremonial swearing in as the new face of TBLC. He was not ready. Never will be.

Applauds went up, indicating his arrival. As often his father stood besides him. The only times he ever stood by him. He had always wanted a present father, not one present only when situations benefited him. Gerald Lightfoot hadn't been much of a father to his children. Had divorced his first wife and ran after business. 

"Uh...ummmh, welcome all." He began, his father nudged him on. A sea of expectant eyes were on him, several microphones directed to him and journalists holding pens and pieces of paper ready for his Lighfoot speech.

"I am Talon. Lightfoot, privileged for this new tittle am about to adorn."  

"Are you?" He heard Afiya's voice in his head.

He wasn't privilaged.

"... If you want to be freely flying..."

"Flying."

"FREELY FLYING..." It kept getting louder.

"Son! Say something, it is all written on that piece of paper."

" No," he mumbled.

"What did you say!" The whole room was in uproar. Utter confusion. The Lightfoots were known as a picture perfect family.

"I said No! I have been living in your shadows far too long!"

"Lindsey Lightfoot! What has gotten into you, stop this nonsense!" 

"No, I am not done yet. You have made me your puppet, you narcissist!" He said outrageously. " I wanted to be, and still want to be a painter and writer. To hell with TBLC!"

Having said that, Talon left having trashed his dad's ego. He left that podium knowing he had lost his dad and his last name too or so he thought. It was worth it. Maybe he would marry that Afiya girl, just to spite his father. For the first time, there was a sincere smile on his face. He was unstoppable.

"Konk, konk konk!" His hotel room door sounded. Perhaps hotel service, Talon thought. The previous night he had gone to bed a free man and was determined to live a new dawn a happy person.

"You here, at this hour?" Said he in an annoyed tone. "What are you doing here dad?"

"I just want to talk." He drew in an unnecessarily long breath and spoke. " I want to apologise." 

"You! Aaaah, apolog... You, really, to apologize!" 

He hung his head and mumbled. "Certainly. I have wronged you. Aaar, always wronged you."

Talon and his father had a a long conversation. Gerald was glad his son was receptive and Talon was glad he had a shot at new beginnings with his father maybe even a long shot at having a proper father figure. Forgiveness came easy for Talon, and he was thrilled to have pardoned, afterall to err is human.