“Yeah?”
“You don’t run away from your problems. You face them head on.”
“I’m not running,” Brad objected.
“What are you doing then?”
“I’m not running,” he repeated.
“I never said you were.”
What was he saying then?
“It’s just, you have to know that life isn’t perfect,” Liam explained, “Sometimes shit happens and once it happens it has happened. We can’t change it.”
Brad nodded.
“It’s when things like this happen that we have to do an evaluation of our life and decide what’s important and what’s not.”
“Yeah,” Brad agreed. Talk about clarity.
“You have little Aaryn. You have a relationship that has given you joy for six years. It’s been six right?”
“Yeah. Six years.”
“You are a man, Bro; you have to decide what’s most important to you.”
Brad had an idea of where this conversation was leading to and the more he spoke the more he realized that he didn’t like that direction.
“Considering everything I know about Alana, it’s obvious you are the only one she loves,” Liam said.
“Are you trying to tell me to go and make up with her and live happily ever after?” Brad asked. His tone was sharp.
“I’m not trying to tell you what to do,” Liam said. “I’m just reminding you of the important things. The things you shouldn’t allow your anger to make you forget.”
“I haven’t forgotten them,” Brad said. “I also can’t forget the other things Liam.”
“Yeah,” Liam agreed. “You just have to weigh everything carefully.”
“Honey?”
The voice came from outside and was followed by a knock on the door. It was Rosa.
“Come in,” Liam said.
She pushed the door open and walked into the room, filling it with music. It was Rihanna’s “Diamond’s”. “Someone’s calling you,” she said, handing Liam his ringing cellphone.
“Thanks honey,” he took the phone from her and checked the caller ID. The moment he turned to look at Brad, Brad knew immediately. “It’s your wife.”
Brad shrugged.
“Alana,” Liam said in his best Liam voice. It was the one that sounded like melting butter in the mouth, the one that brought warmth. He got up from the chair and walked out of the room.
“Brad, are you okay?” Rosa asked.
“Yeah I am.” No, I’m not, my wife cheated and now she is pregnant with her lover’s baby.
She didn’t look convinced, so Brad had to flash her his best smile.
19
It took Alana four calls to get to Liam. The first person she called was Cliff. He thought she was calling to tell him that Brad was back home, which was disappointing because she called to find out if they had been in contact.
The second person was Bernard Simpson his law school classmate who had recently moved from the town to Washington DC where he currently rubbed shoulders with some serious power players. He hadn’t seen Brad and he wanted to know what was happening. Was Brad missing? Had the police been alerted yet?
His questions gave Alana pause. She didn’t want to raise a false alarm over the safety of a man who had only gone off the grid to find peace. She thought about stopping, reasoning that eventually Brad would come back home, and she would know her fate. But the moment she thought about another sleepless night of anxiety and unease she dialed the next number. It was an unlikely one, Roger Sandler.
It was from him that Alana learned about Brad’s email and claims of being unwell. Again, the usual questions followed. Roger’s was worse than others because he was beginning to see shadows in places that were lit by floodlights, just like Cliff had done earlier in the morning. He kept asking if Brad was going to another firm. Alana had to pretend she couldn’t hear his questions in order to end the call.
She almost didn’t call Liam. Mississippi was far away from here. Besides Brad had just returned from there three days ago. But when she called, and he told her that Brad was with him she heaved a big sigh of relief.
“Could you please give him your phone so we can talk?” she asked with a pounding heart.
“I’ll get him to call you,” Liam said.
Alana wondered if Brad had told him anything. Of course, he had. Why else would he be reluctant to get the phone to Brad? “Promise me you will and also tell him that his daughter misses him.”
“I’ll tell him, I promise.”
“I’ve sent him like a million texts and called countless times, but he isn’t answering,” she said while sniffling.
“I think he’s trying to err… clear his head or something,” Liam said. “That’s probably why.”
“Clear his head of what?”
“Are you asking me?”
“I’m sorry. Just tell him to call back or reply my texts at least,” Alana pleaded. “I’ve been worried sick.”
“I will tell him.”
For a moment she considered asking Liam what Brad told him but decided against it. The thought that the man was probably seeing her as a cheating whore made her to decide against it.
When she ended the call, she felt a lot better. At least she knew where he was now.
It was later when she went to check on Aaryn that the anger began to creep in. Their little daughter had been crying and rejecting food and generally making her life miserable because she wanted Brad. He had no right to just up and disappear without any trace simply because he felt that she had cheated on him and gotten pregnant by another man. He should have thought about their daughter before leaving. He could have slept in the guestroom if he was that mad at her.
“You had no right,” Alana muttered, clenching her fists by her side.
On the bed, Aaryn stirred and Alana’s heart flew into her mouth. Getting her to sleep had been taxing. She wasn’t ready to do it again. She waited with bated breath until she was sure Aaryn was not going to wake then she padded away, leaving the door slightly ajar like they always did.
When she got back to the master bedroom, she texted Greg.
Please forget about the interview. He isn’t interested.
The messages he had left her were unsavory. They contained words like ungrateful and a waste of his time. But she didn’t bother dwelling on them.
She simply proceeded to check her other texts. There was one from Fred Luther bemoaning her missed appointment. She had forgotten it completely.
***
Alana was jolted awake after having a nightmare of being attacked by a man who was familiar, but she couldn’t see his face.
“I need to call Greg and get to the bottom of this!” she moaned. She checked her phone to see what time it was, since the sunlight was already peeking through her bedroom blinds.
It was 7:00am – enough time to meet with Greg if he would allow it, and to make it to her stupid follow-up appointment that Fred kept pestering her about.
She swiped her screen to shoot Greg a text, but her eyes widened in surprise as she saw that he had already texted her!
Can I see you today?
She almost typed a snarky response, especially since he had practically cursed her out the night before, but she decided there were more pressing matters at hand.
Yes. Can we meet in 45 minutes?
He responded with a ‘yes’, so Alana bounded out of bed, took the quickest shower of the century, got Aaryn ready for daycare, and was on her way.
She sighed as she pulled into a parking space at the coffee shop she and Greg were meeting at. Her heart thumped more and more with each step as she made her way to the door.
“Hey,” Greg eyed her like he was trying to read her mood.
“Hey.” She sat down across from him.
Greg gestured toward her coffee, which he had already ordered, and she reached for it, but paused. I forgot – I can’t have caffeine! She almost palmed her forehead for her absentminde
dness.
“So…?” Greg stared at her.
“Look, I need to ask you a question. What happened that night at your hotel?”
Greg’s jaw dropped slightly in shock. “What do you mean?”
Her eyes narrowed. “I think you know exactly what I mean.”
They stared at each other for a few moments, neither of them daring to blink.
Greg broke his silence first. “Alana, what the hell are you talking about?”
“Did we…” Her face flushed. “Did you take advantage of me?”
Greg looked taken aback. “Take advantage of you?” His response was a little too loud.
“Did we have sex?!” She hissed, reprimanding him with her eyes for his tone.
“Why are you asking me that?”
“Just answer the question, okay?”
“No.”
“Then how am I pregnant?”
His eyes widened. “You’re pregnant?”
Her entire face and neck grew hot. “Yes.”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Don’t you have a husband?”
She didn’t like his tone of voice when he said the word husband, but she wasn’t here to argue about that. “Look, we need to take some kind of early DNA test or something.”
He blinked. “For what?”
“I need to know if you are the father.”
His jaw clenched. “I already told you, we didn’t have sex.”
“And why would I believe you? It’s not like you haven’t lied to me before!”
“Alana, this is far cry from what happened while we were together all those years ago. I would never take advantage of you in that way!”
“Right,” she snorted. “Prove it then. Take the test.”
“Okay,” he countered. “This is nothing but a waste of time and money, but I know how stubborn you are. I’ll take the stupid test, and once you find out that I’m not the father, I will gladly exit your life for good.”
She opened her mouth to respond, but before she could speak, he scraped his chair back, threw some money on the table, swept his jacket over his shoulders, and walked out the door.
Her eyes followed him as he exited the building.
***
She trudged into her follow up appointment with Fred.
“Hey, Fred.” Her tone was flat as she followed him into the check up room.
“Hey!” he said, his tone a little too cheery for her liking.
He asked her a few questions about her tooth, and checked her mouth to ensure that she was healing properly. As she was preparing to leave, he stopped her.
“Oh, I almost forgot: I texted Brad the other day.”
She turned around. “You did? What did he say?”
“Oh, nothing. Just that we need to catch up.”
Alana felt the color drain from her face. Is he about to tell Fred what we’re going through? “Did he say anything else?”
“No…” Fred paused. “Why, what’s up?”
She shook her head. “Nothing. I’ll see you later, Fred.”
“Alana,” he started, but she was already out the door.
20
Sleep came for Brad earlier than he expected it to. It had played so cruel a game with his eyes in the past few days that he had grown used to its neglect, resigning himself to his fate. She had to be wooed in the manner of those who had a thousand years to live, with utmost patience and a solid hope that did not flinch with the continued ticking of the wall clock in the room.
While dreading it, he had waited for Liam to come back. But fortunately that wait had turned out to be unnecessary. He realized that when was woken up in the early hours of the morning by the ringing of his phone. It was Olivia. With a groan he answered her call, trying to guess what had driven her to seek out his voice this early. It was only 6:00am.
“Hey Brad!”
Her voice was cheery. It was as if nothing had happened between them two nights ago. It made Brad wonder if the awkwardness that had settled around them in the later minutes of their stay at the Ivory Tower had been imagined.
“Hey. Good morning.”
“Did you sleep well?”
“No I didn’t.”
“That’s because I wasn’t there,” she giggled.
Brad laughed too and then asked her, “How did you sleep?”
“Badly too.”
They laughed again.
“Listen,” she said in a tone that was suddenly serious, “There’s someone I’d like for you to meet.”
“Okay. Who’s that?”
“My uncle. He wants to see you.”
“Uh okay, why?”
“He’s impressed by how you handled the case. My case.”
Who wasn’t? Even old Roger who was never impressed by anything had been wowed.
“Good to hear.”
“You can preen. You are free to.”
Brad laughed.
“He wants to know if you’d be free by eight.”
“Sure,” Brad said.
“Good.” Olivia sounded pleased. “His driver will pick you by that time.”
“Okay.”
“Brad.”
Brad’s heart skipped a beat.
“Yeah?”
“If you make up your mind about the holiday thingy let me know, okay?”
“Mhmm.”
“I like you a lot. It’s not a bad thing is it?”
“No. No it’s not.”
“It isn’t bad if we spend time together is it?”
“No it isn’t,” Brad said again.
“Okay then. Have a great day.”
The call ended with a soft beep and Brad held the phone feeling, unexplainably exhausted. Maybe he shouldn’t have told her that. Maybe he should have reminded her that he was married. If he did that often she would take a hint.
He got up from the bed and went out of the room to the kitchen. Despite the burden that still lay on his chest, his steps were light. It was the effect of the praise he had just received that morning and the prospect of something good coming in the future. Olivia was from a rich family. Her uncle was probably rich too, and there could only be one reason for his desire to meet with Brad. A new client was on the way! A rich one.
This called for celebration. The first person he would have told about it was Alana, but she was not here. And he could not even call her on the phone. Not after having ignored her for two days now. As he walked into the kitchen he found himself wondering what Liam discussed with her last night. He hadn’t expected her to call him. They had only come out here twice. Those times were before Aaryn was born.
Brad went to the fridge and took out a bottle of water. He was drinking it when the sound of footsteps on the stairs came to him. He turned to face the door and waited. In a few seconds Rosa walked into the kitchen.
“Brad you are up?” she asked, surprised.
“Yeah. Good morning.”
Back home, he was usually up earlier than this. While the murder case had been going on, he woken up at 4:00am consistently. It was only on those mornings that preceded all-nighters in Liam’s study that he had slept late.
“Good morning,” she yawned, covering her mouth with a cupped hand. “Did you sleep well?”
“Yeah I did. Thanks for asking. What about you?”
“I did too.”
Brad drank the water that had brought him there and thought about last night. When he drained the bottle, he called her, “Rosa.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you know what Liam discussed with my wife last night?”
“Mm-mm,” she shook her head no. “You will have to ask him.”
He didn’t believe her. But he still had to wait for Liam to come down. Until then, he would make himself useful. He could see that she was preparing to make breakfast.
“Can I give you a hand?” he asked.
“Sure,” she gave him an appreciative smile.
***
Liam came down at thirty minutes past seven. By
then the table had been laid and the kids were all down. It was strange. Brad had never had any of his meals with both of his parents. It was either his mother supervised his breakfast and dinner, or his nanny watched as he ate lunch and, sometimes, dinner too. His father was rarely home. He grew up without any siblings and with cousins who lived far away. All the company he had in his childhood were friends he had made at school and from the neighborhood.
Breakfast was done in twenty minutes and Brad went to dress up and wait for Olivia’s uncle. Liam followed him to his room.
“Can I speak with you for a minute?” Liam asked. He was dressed in immaculate white shirt and navy-blue trousers. His black tie hung loosely around his neck, yet to be knotted.
“Of course.”
Brad held the door open to let him in.
“I need you to do me a favor please.” Liam said with a grave look on his face.
“Sure. What’s that?”
“Promise me first that you will do it.”
Brad considered him for a while, unsure of what he wanted. Then he said, “Okay.”
“Call your wife or return her texts. She’s worried about you.”
“That’s not gonna happen.”
“Come on, you promised. Stop being a kid. Hiding from her won’t change what happened.”
Brad’s phone started to ring. It was Olivia.
“Stop ignoring her texts okay? You two need to have a heart to heart.”
Brad nodded his head.
“All she wants is to talk. You will call her right?”
He nodded again, knowing that he wasn’t going to call.
“Okay, I’m off.”
“Have a good day.”
Brad picked up the call.
“Brad I’m so sorry,” Olivia sounded flustered.
“Are you okay?” he asked her.
“I am. My uncle just called. He won’t be able to meet up anymore. Something came up.”
“Alright.” Brad couldn’t keep the disappointment out of his voice.
“I’m so sorry about this.”
Why was she apologizing like it was the end of the world?
“It’s okay.”
Brad ended the call and went straight to his email to check if he had any messages from Roger. There were none. That irritated him. Not even a get well something or an inquiry about his health status. Just nothing. God he was tired of that man.
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