You Look Just Like Your Sister

by Rachel Burns

  Derrick rolled his eyes. What answer would he give his father-in-law when he asked where Elise was?

  It wasn’t like they were a normal couple, and they texted each other throughout the day. He was glad when he didn’t see her.

  His goal was still to get a bigger apartment, so the baby wasn’t sleeping in the living room.

  It would be nice to go home and be able to sit down and watch a movie before he went to bed. His life had changed and not for the better. There wasn’t anything in this for him.

  Derrick rose up from his chair ready to leave, but his secretary stopped him. “Elise is here with her baby. You’ll be able to see the baby in Mr. Montfort’s office. Could you find out if it’s a boy or a girl, and what the baby’s name is?”

  “It’s a boy. His name is Patrick.” Elise never called the baby Patrick. She called him Patty, or Patty-Cake. She was a good mother. Derrick just wished she’d chosen someone else to play house with.

  “You’ve already seen the baby?” she asked.

  “Yes, I’ve seen him.”

  “What does he look like?” Everyone in his office was listening to him.

  “He’s tiny, sort of pink and wrinkly.”

  “Men.” His secretary shook her head at him. “What color are his eyes and does he have hair? If he does, what color is it? Find that out for us.”

  “He has blue eyes, dark blue,” Derrick informed her.

  Sometimes, when Elise held him, Patty would look around. He looked so old and wise, as if he understood exactly what was going on at home.

  “He had a bit of blond fluff, but it is getting darker every day.” The baby looked like him. When Patty got older, it would be more obvious.

  His secretary looked surprised with his answer, but she didn’t say anything.

  Derrick slowly went to his father-in-law’s office. He knocked and went in when Mr. Montfort called out ‘Come in, Derrick’.

  Elise was standing in front of her father’s desk with Patty in her arms.

  “The happy young couple.” Marshall called out. “Your son is so adorable. You must be very proud, Derrick.” Mr. Montfort had been using Derrick’s first name since the wedding.

  Derrick wished he wouldn’t. He felt he’d given his soul to the company. Somehow he felt dead inside. If only he hadn’t taken this job.

  Marshall could see that the two of them still hadn’t made peace with the past. It didn’t matter what brought a family together as long as they ended up together. That was the most important thing.

  “I called you two here to ask what your plans are for Christmas, this year. If you like, you can come to the house and celebrate with Ashton and I. We’ll understand if you two would rather go to your parents’ house, Derrick. They haven’t met Patrick at all yet. I mustn’t be selfish and hog him. I’d also understand if you two would rather be alone on that day. I don’t want to cause any problems. I only want to extend an invitation.” Marshall couldn’t help but smile at them. They were his family. His line would continue through them.

  The door opened, and Ashton came in. “I heard my godchild is here.” She rushed over to Elise and lifted the baby into her arms. “Isn’t he beautiful?” She kissed his little nose and held him in her arms.

  Derrick had to smile. The baby looked good in her arms. Ashton was beaming at the baby.

  “You three are coming over to the house for Christmas, aren’t you? We’re going to have a big meal, and the tree this year is enormous. You won’t have to lift a finger, Elise.” Ashton looked at her sister and saw how tired she looked. “It would be a nice break for you. You could even take a nap. I’ll watch Patty-Cake while you sleep.”

  Elise looked at her husband. Usually, she avoided catching his eye. He was looking at Ashton and smiling at her.

  “We’re glad to accept,” Derrick told Ashton.

  Elise hung her head a little. Derrick still loved Ashton. He would never love her.

  Marshall saw the way Derrick looked at Ashton too. He saw how Elise reacted. She looked like she’d been stabbed in the back, but she was pretending the knife wasn’t there.

  “That’s fantastic.” Ashton kissed Patrick and handed him over to Derrick.

  Derrick actually smiled as he took the baby. “Hey there, little guy.”

  Ashton look at at her gold designer watch for a second. “I have an appointment. I have to run. He’s probably already waiting in my office.” Ashton headed to the door, but paused. “Did you get the file I sent you?” She looked at Derrick.

  “Yes, I glanced at it. I haven’t finished reading it yet, but I’m leaning towards a no.”

  “Oh.” Ashton’s shoulders slumped. “Promise me you’ll look over it again.”

  Derrick smiled at her. “I will.”

  Once Ashton was gone, Derrick laid Patrick in Elise’s arms. Marshall was watching everything very closely.

  Derrick looked at his father-in-law. “So everything is settled? I’ll just get back to work then.”

  “Wait. I wanted to ask you what time you want to go home. I thought maybe you could drive us.” Elise hoped he wouldn’t snap at her because her father was here. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have asked.

  Derrick looked at his watch. He’d hoped no one would see them together. “I need another hour. I’ll meet you in the parking lot. Be on time,” he warned her, strictly.

  “Yes, sir,” Elise answered him automatically.

  Marshall felt like he was going to have a heart attack. He grabbed onto his desk for support. His daughter had to call her husband ‘sir’. Things were worse than he thought. Elise couldn’t be happy.

  He found his tongue before Derrick had reached the door. “That’s too cold for the baby. Patty shouldn’t be waiting in the cold.” Normally, a husband would insist that his wife and child would come to his office, so they could wait where it was warm.

  “Fine. I’ll meet you in the lobby by the elevators.” Most people took the elevator down directly to the parking lot. He hoped no one would see them.

  “Elise,” Marshall looked at his daughter. She looked awful. Her hair was up in a bun, and her clothes looked like something a maid would wear. She didn’t look fetching, and she had dark rings under her eyes. “How are things between you and Derrick?”

  “They’re fine.”

  “You look tired,” he stated.

  Finally, she thought, someone was noticing her. “I’m doing great, Daddy. You don’t have to worry about me.”

  He’d heard that before. It hadn’t been true back then either. “If you need anything, you can come to me. I won’t turn you away.”

  “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. Is there anything I can help you with while I’m here?”

  “No, darling. You can walk around and show off Patrick a little. Everyone is dying to see him.”

  “He really is beautiful, isn’t he?” Elise beamed at her father.

  He was glad to see she still could smile. Marshall had to wonder if it wouldn’t have been better for Elise if he hadn’t told Derrick the truth.

  Derrick clearly hadn’t forgiven her.

  “I want you to come by more often. I haven’t seen you since the wedding.” Marshall feared that she wasn’t allowed out.

  How strict was Derrick being with Elise?

  “I’ll try to come by more often.”

  Marshall felt that she’d said that to make him happy and not because she would actually come.

  Chapter 26 – He Forgot Us

  Elise waited in the lobby for Derrick. Patrick was starting to get fussy. He needed to eat. That meant she would have to feed him as soon as they got home.

  She also needed to cook, so Derrick wouldn’t get mad at her.

  Her only hope was that Patrick would fall asleep on the way home. If she could cook and get Derrick’s food on the table, then she would have an excuse not to eat with him.

  It had killed her the way he looked at Ashton.

  Why did he like Ashton and hate her so much?
/>   That was a stupid question. She’d given him every reason to hate her. He was right they were both damned to be miserable because of what she did. She would never tell another lie again.

  Derrick dreaded going down to collect Elise. He wished he’d noticed the difference between the sisters back then. She’d been so conniving.

  What eighteen-year-old had it in her to pull something like that off?

  He reread the file Ashton had sent him. It was iffy. He didn’t want to say no. It looked like it meant something to her.

  He grabbed the file and went to her office. “Convince me this is a good idea. Otherwise, I have to veto it.” Their relationship had changed completely when Ashton thought he loved Elise.

  “The problem is you don’t have any vision. You can’t see what it could be. You’re so stuck in here and now. What is good now may be wrong in a couple of years.” She was looking off into the distance, smiling like she could see exactly what it would be like in a few years. “I think this is a product people will want a few years down the road. There will be a demand, and we’ll be the supplier. That fruit has been linked to weight loss. We could dry it and mix it with whole grain healthy breakfast cereal.”

  They spoke back and forth for over half an hour. In the end, Derrick gave in. He hoped Ashton would be right.

  He walked her to the elevator while she told him that people were being more health conscious nowadays.

  They got into the elevator together while he spoke of sinking his teeth into a juicy steak. He called it man food and told her that men will always want their grill meat. They shouldn’t ignore half of the population on the planet.

  Ashton agreed to look for man-friendly projects.

  Derrick walked her to her car and opened the door for her.

  They’d had a nice business talk without fighting. He liked that they were getting along.

  He got into his own car and drove home.

  Elise knew he didn’t want her to go to his office. She knew he hadn’t told anyone about what had happened, and he didn’t want anyone to find out he was the father of her baby, but she needed to know if he planned on staying here even longer.

  Patrick had to be fed now.

  Patrick was crying and demanding something to eat. She got into an elevator and went up to Derrick’s floor with her screaming baby in her arms.

  Everyone looked at her when she got off of the elevator. She quickly walked to her husband’s office. It was empty, and his briefcase was still next to his desk.

  Elise asked a woman who was still here where he was. It was one she didn't know. “Excuse me. Is Mr. Davis still here – somewhere?”

  “I don’t think so. He’s been gone for over an hour. Should I give him a message?”

  “No, that’s okay.”

  Elise went back to the lobby. This time she didn’t stop and wait, although, she did look around for him just in case.

  He wasn’t there. He’d forgotten her. The question was had he done in on purpose.

  Elise went outside and walked to the bus stop.

  She had to wait twenty more minutes before the bus came along. She got in and paid. The last of her money for the month was gone.

  Thankfully, it was already the twenty-ninth of November, and she still had food in the fridge.

  She’d learned how to live on a budget.

  Derrick arrived at home only to be greeted by perfect quietness.

  “Elise?” he called out. He looked into the living room to see if she was feeding the baby. There was nothing on the stove, and the table wasn’t set for him.

  He looked into the living room and saw she wasn’t there either. “Elise,” he called out again louder, getting a little angry.

  Then it dawned on him. She was in the lobby, waiting for him.

  He grabbed his keys and ran back down the hall to the elevators. He pressed the button. “Come on,” he said impatiently.

  The elevator was slowly climbing upwards. He looked at his watch. It was two hours later than the time he told her to be there. He’d even scolded her to be on time.

  He forgot about the elevator and raced down the stairs.

  Elise saw that the apartment was empty. That meant he was still at work. He was going to be mad at her for not waiting for him. She fed Patrick by holding him in one arm and cooking with her free hand.

  Elise knew Derrick was going to be mad. She would end up getting another one of his spankings for this.

  Elise wiped tears away from her eyes with the back of her hand.

  Why did she love him so much when he hated her?

  Why hadn’t God made her heart pound faster for a man who would like her back? Now her heart beat faster when she thought the man she loved would punish her.

  She set the table for one. There was no way she wanted to sit down and eat with him tonight.

  It wasn’t good for her to be with him.

  In fact, she was so messed up that she enjoyed the pain of a spanking because he was close to her. If they had enough money, she would get one of those self-help books about women loving men who were bad for them.

  The door opened, and Derrick walked in, calling out her name.

  He was glad to see her at the stove. He’d started to think of terrible things that could have happened to her and Patrick.

  “I’m sorry,” he said.

  Elise wiped her eyes clean and turned to him and smiled. “That’s okay. I took the bus home. It wasn’t a big deal.”

  Her eyes were red from crying. He could plainly see that it had been a big deal.

  “I had a surprise meeting that went later than I figured.”

  “That happens.” She still had a fake smile on her face. She figured he didn’t know her well enough to know how fake it was. “Your food is almost finished. You have time to wash your hands before you eat.”

  She turned back to the stove, first then realizing he’d seen her breast hanging out of her blouse. Patrick had a firm hold on the nipple; still, she knew Derrick didn’t want to see her that way.

  She needed to pour the water away from the broccoli. Two hands would be better for that.

  With her finger she reached into the corner of Patty-Cake’s mouth to release her breast. He screamed in protest immediately.

  She laid him down in his bed and finished fixing her husband’s supper as quickly as she could. Her heart was pounding while she chopped up the ham.

  Patty stopped crying.

  Was he dead? Had he choked on something?

  Elise looked around the corner and saw that Derrick had picked him up. “Hush. It’s okay pal.”

  Elise didn’t know what to think. She went back to work, making Derrick’s food. When it was finished, she went into the living room and held her hands out to take Patrick. “Your food is on the table. I can take him now.”

  “Aren’t you going to eat?” Derrick asked her, noticing that she hadn’t buttoned up her blouse. He could see the roundness of her breasts through the open blouse.

  “It’s been awhile since we sat down at the table together.”

  “I have to feed him now. He waited so long. I can eat later.” She couldn't meet his eye. Why did she feel ashamed when he had been the one who had forgotten them.

  Derrick handed her the baby and watched her sit down, so she was facing away from the kitchen table. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

  “It wasn’t a problem. We took the bus home. Patrick liked that,” she lied. He hadn’t liked the bus ride. In fact, he’d cried the whole way home. Everyone had given her mean looks, like they thought she was somehow abusing him.

  “Still, I need to make it up to you. I saw on the calendar that Patty has a doctor’s appointment next week. I’ll drive you back and forth.”

  Elise looked over her shoulder at him. “Oh, no thank you.”

  “You don’t want me to go along?” The rejection was hurting him. Patrick was his son too.

  “I wouldn’t mind if it was only Patrick who had an a
ppointment, but I have to go to my gynecologist afterwards. They’re in the same building. It’s going to be an all day thing.”

  “I’ll take you both. Your father will understand that I need the day off for personal reasons.”

  “It’s in the morning. You don’t have to come along. I’m really not mad.” The last thing she wanted was for him to come along to her appointment.

  “My decision stands.”

  Elise looked back at Patrick. Tears were filling her eyes again. He said he wanted to make up for forgetting them, but this felt like another punishment. This marriage wasn’t working out.

  Would her father be disappointed in her if she threw in the towel?

  Was this even healthy for Patrick? Probably not. Derrick hadn’t only forgotten her; he’d also forgotten his son.

  Chapter 27 – Giving Up Everything

  Elise stood next to Derrick in the cramped doctor’s office. The doctor was moving Patrick this way and that, testing him. The way he moved Patrick, made Elise fear he would drop him. She was much more careful with him.

  Derrick was holding his breath as he watched the doctor grab on to Patrick’s ankle and turn him upside down and turn him around. He would be glad when it was over.

  The doctor said everything was right on track and laid Patrick down. He continued to look at him, and then he told Elise she could get him dressed again.

  She was quick to get him dressed warmly.

  The doctor gave Patrick a shot and told them when they would need Patrick’s next check-up.

  Elise was surprised how quickly the check-up had gone.

  They went up to her gynecologist’s office. After Elise told the nurse that she was here, they sat down in the next waiting room.

  “You don’t have to come in with me. It would be really helpful if you stayed here and held Patty-cake.”

  Derrick agreed. He had no idea what to expect. He would feel more comfortable in here than in a room with Elise naked.