by Palessa
Despite her steely demeanor, Joan’s words hit her, not because they were true, but because a part of her felt the same. And it wasn’t going away. She wondered if it ever would.
***
Joan continued to be sullen about the whole situation and was worried about Grayson, who had fallen deeper into drugs. It was exactly twelve-thirteen in the morning when the phone rang. Julian was on his way to bed and picked it up.
“Hello, is this the Baxter residence?” It was a female voice on the line. She spoke with some authority.
“Yes, this is Julian Baxter.”
“Hello, sir.” Her voice sounded nervous now. “My name is Officer Carla Genny and I’m with Miami PD. I’m calling about Grayson Baxter.”
“Yes,” he stated, standing up straighter, bracing himself.
“Your son was found at a party inebriated, and the Chief wanted me to call you personally to let you know he is at the station.”
“Is he all right? Is he hurt?”
“Yes, sir, he is fine. He’s just talking, anxious about being released and going home.”
Julian loved his son despite his penchant for self-destruction. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
“Please tell the Chief thank you for the notification, but I think my son could use a night to think about his choices.”
Officer Genny was at a loss. She had expected demands and threats as many parents of rich brats thought themselves too good to breathe the same air as the rest of the world.
“Officer, Genny, isn’t it?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Please pass a message to my son.”
“Of course, sir.”
“Please tell him, ‘This ends now’.”
Julian told the young officer he would be by to personally pick up his son tomorrow afternoon. He hung up the phone. Before heading upstairs, he made one more call.
If there was ever a man who hated going to bed at night more than he did, he’d never met him. Julian had thought he had come to grips with his choices, but there were moments of reflection which caught him off guard. He opened the door and walked in. Hearing the door, Joan turned on the light.
“I thought I heard the phone,” she said.
“That was the police. Grayson is in jail,” Julian said, unbuttoning his shirt. “I told the police to keep him there until tomorrow afternoon.”
“Why would you do that—”
“Because he needs to learn, Joan.” Julian rarely raised his voice to anyone for any reason, but this time, he needed to make sure she got the point. “You coddle him. You make excuses for him when what he really needs is help.”
Turning his back to her, he sat heavily on the bed and took off his shoes.
“He needs to be at home.”
“He needs professional counseling. I’ve called Dr. Patterson. He’s going with me tomorrow to pick Grayson up and he’s going for treatment. There’s this clinic out west that’s doing some good work and has some promising results.”
Joan’s heart sank. She had lost both of her sons in less than one day. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Getting up from the bed, her eyes brimming with tears, she wailed. “Why are you doing this to me, Julian?”
Abruptly getting up, Julian turned to Joan. “You? Grayson is killing himself because of God knows what you did to him and all you can do is turn this into some pathetic attempt at martyrdom?”
“I didn’t do anything to Grayson, Julian. You’ve always favored Newton. He’s your chosen one, the heir, and Grayson, he’s not even good enough to be the spare.”
“Why? Because he’s not really my son?”
Joan froze and Julian smiled. “I’ve known ever since he was a child.”
“How did you—”Joan searched her brain, wondering what she had let slip.
“It doesn’t matter. He’s always been my son and will always be my son, Joan. My one mistake is I trusted you with him for too long. You corrupt whatever you touch and that’s why when Newton came along, I kept a closer eye on him.”
Joan was still silent, wracking her brain, wondering, trying to remember. Julian walked up to his wife and looked her straight in the eyes. Joan shook. She had seen that look many times.
“I made my deal with the devil when I married you, Joan. You are my curse. Tomorrow, Grayson is getting the help he needs to get better and far away from you. Newton has found what you made sure I would be denied all these years and you are not going to get in the way of that. And Quinn, with Cass and Virgilia around, she has a chance of being a better person than either of us.”
Julian turned and walked to his side of the bed. He gathered his pillows and looked at his beloved wife. If he knew her, Joan would be torturing herself all night, wondering what else he knew about. Good, he thought. It was her turn to suffer.
***
Cass decided to transfer his studies to the University of Miami, which was his second choice behind Cornell. Cass and Lila lived and loved blissfully night and day, despite the regular couple squabbles. People who once thought them an odd pairing got used to them. Even the old ladies near Lila’s house waved to him regularly.
Cass was the first to graduate, and he did so with honors. While everyone was throwing their caps in the air, he was kissing his love. Before Lila graduated, she got an offer from the firm where she was interning and gladly accepted. She loved the work and the firm was chosen to test a computer software program designed to create 2D and maybe even 3D renderings of buildings. It was cutting edge and only a few firms even knew about such technology, much less had someone trained in its use.
Even though she and Cass worked long hours, they made time to be together or with a small group of friends. The tension in the Baxter household was thick as Julian seemed cooler to Joan than usual. He was also sleeping in the guest room downstairs, claiming it was hurting his knees going up and down the stairs all the time. Grayson returned after a few months a changed man. He slowly cleaned up his life thanks to the rehab facility out west. He was finally finding his way, and Joan attempted to reconnect with her eldest, seizing on the glimmer of an opportunity to push him to become a part of the family business. As the first born, she thought it should be his birthright, not just Cass’. Cass was not worried as he had already proven himself to Julian and others. But over the course of a year, he had gotten to know his brother again. Gray was on a different path and made it clear he had no interest in joining Baxter Chemicals. After some prodding from Cass, he decided to make an official announcement to the clan.
Grayson tapped his fork on his glass of apple juice. “May I have your attention, please?” he asked. The table was quietly focused on him. “It’s been a tough few months, but today I got some great news. Thanks to some begging, pleading and testing, I’ve finally been accepted into the University’s Dual Psychology program.”
Cass got up and hugged his big brother and Virgilia gave Grayson a kiss and a hug. Everyone celebrated the happy news, except Joan, who threw her napkin on the table.
“Congratulations, Son,” Julian said, beaming with pride.
“Thanks, Dad,” Grayson said. “I think I finally found my calling. Going through addiction gives me a certain perspective I can use. It’s going to mean a lot of long nights, but it’s what I want to do.”
Joan excused herself from the table and Grayson looked on. He was about to go after her, but Julian stopped him.
“Don’t, Gray. It’s your life and you don’t owe her any explanations or apologies.”
“I know, Dad, but I guess I thought she’d be happy for me.”
The conversation quickly turned to Quinn and her new part as Lady MacBeth. She was becoming quite the ingénue. Julian looked at the table in quiet awe. He couldn’t ever remember the last time they had sat down and ate as a family. For that
, he took the lion’s share of the blame. He had been so focused on Baxter Chemicals, he had let his family slip away and let the love just disappear in the house. He looked at his children and vowed to make things right somehow.
With each passing day, Joan grew more bitter. She didn’t bother to hide her contempt for Virgilia, or her disappointment in Grayson. Julian let his wife know that her behavior was upsetting the family and for a while she was quiet, because despite her braggadocio, she was still afraid of Julian. She had always been able to keep him in the dark about a few things, but she was beginning to wonder what else he knew about. Julian had always been powerful and that was one of the reasons she staked her claim years ago, but now she couldn’t rein him in or find a way to beat him.
With all of the frustration and uncertainty she now faced, Joan blamed one person: Cass. He was the heir-apparent who could do no wrong. The longer she thought about it, the more she realized that Cass was not only Julian’s heart, but also his Achilles heel.
***
It was the day of their Caribbean cruise vacation. Cass and Lila had packed all they needed to and left for the Port of Miami, managing to get there extra early. They were excited as it was their first vacation together and they wanted to do something fun. Cass had contacted the travel agency his father used and they both arranged their schedules to accommodate the seven day voyage scheduled to hit Jamaica, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and a few other smaller islands.
“I gave you all the keys, right?” Virgilia asked.
“For the tenth time, yes,” Grayson said with a smile.
“This is the first time I’ve left this house with someone else and I just wanted to make sure.” Just as she was about to continue, she heard Cass lean on the horn.
He gave her a quick hug and opened the door.
“Thanks again for housesitting, Gray.”
“Thank you for helping me get away from my mother. She’s getting more toxic by the minute and I need some peace and quiet for study time.”
“You’re welcome.” Virgilia hugged him goodbye. Cass honked again and she practically sprinted to him. Quickly waving to his brother, he edged the car out of the spot and drove off.
Virgilia had given him full rein of the house and he intended to just eat, sleep and study for his mid-terms.
At the port, Virgilia stepped out of the car, grateful they made it in one piece. Cass helped her unload the suitcases at the check-in. “Okay, I’m going to park the car.” Giving Virgilia a quick kiss, he hopped back in the car and drove to the parking section.
Cass quickly found a spot and parked. He opened his door and did a quick check to make sure he didn’t forget anything. As he was about to get out of the car, there was a pinch at the back of his neck. He reached back and felt something slick and rubbery grab his shoulder. His head was heavy, his vision doubled, blurred, and the world went dark.
Virgilia looked at her watch. It had been twenty minutes and parking should have taken no more than ten. “What’s taking him so long?” she muttered, looking at her watch. Twenty-five minutes. The line to embark was moving and they needed to at least settle in before—
She looked farther down and saw a uniformed staff running toward the parking area.
“A car is in the water!” She heard a radioed voice scream. It’s a white Ford Sedan, license plate...”
Virgilia’s heart stopped. She ran like a mad woman. That was Cass’ car. She found one of the uniformed officers and gave them her information. They told her all they knew was that a car had plunged into the water; there was no word yet if there was anyone inside.
She stopped and calmed herself. It was all a mistake, she thought. Cass must have accidentally hit the gas. He was a good swimmer and this was...she left her bags and ran down to the area. A uniformed guard blocked her path and told her to stand back. She tried to explain to him, but he wouldn’t listen.
She needed to find a payphone to call Grayson.
“Hello.”
“Gray?”
“Hi, Virgilia,” he said. Her voice sounded different. “Is everything okay?”
“Cass went to park the car. I can’t find him. They said his car is in the water, but no one will tell me anything.”
Grayson could hear her breathe roughly into the phone as she spoke in hurried spurts.
“What? Wait, Virgilia, I’ll be right there.” Grayson slammed his books shut, grabbed his keys and ran to the door. He wondered if he should call his father, but decided against it. For now.
Grayson got to the Port in a flash and looked for Virgilia. He found her pacing next to a group of bags.
“Virgilia!” he cried, running up to her. She grabbed his shirt and he could feel her heart pound as he hugged her. “Talk to me. What happened?”
Virgilia tried to catch her breath. “They said a car is in the water. It matches Cass’ car, but it can’t be him. We’re supposed to be leaving soon. He just went to park the car. I don’t know where he is, but it can’t be him!”
The look on her face made his heart break. She was shaking uncontrollably. “Virgilia, I’ll go around and ask what’s going on. Just hang in there, hang in there.”
Grayson tried to find someone to speak to, and wasn’t having any luck until he saw a familiar face. The cop who busted him that last time, Officer Genny. “Excuse me, officer, do you remember me?”
She slowly nodded, looking him up and down. “Yes, Mr. Baxter. How can I help you?”
“My brother and his girlfriend were headed on a cruise, and then she heard about a car which plummeted into the water. We think it may have been my brother’s car.”
They walked over to Virgilia, who was pacing and getting more panicked by the second.
“Ma’am, I’m Officer Carla Genny. Do you know the license plate of your boyfriend’s car?
“Yes.” Virgilia spelled out the plate and the officer checked her book.
“Someone did report that car as the one which plummeted in the water.”
Virgilia’s knees buckled and Gray was there to help her.
“Was the car having any mechanical problems?”
Virgilia shook her head. “It was fine. We...we were getting ready to embark on the cruise. We had been planning this vacation for weeks. He went to park the car and said he’d be right back. Why is his car in the water? I don’t understand.”
“According to witnesses, the car was proceeding at a high rate of speed so there may have been a mechanical problem.”
“What about Cass? Was he hurt? Knocked out? Where is he?”
“We don’t know yet. We’re still trying to get the c—”
“...be advised that we have recovered the vehicle and it is vacant.” The monotone voice on the officer’s radio announced.
“It’s empty?! Where’s Cass? Gray, where’s Cass?”
Virgilia fell to her knees as Grayson knelt beside her. She looked at Grayson with raw pain in her face as she kept asking for Cass. Grayson held her and looked at Officer Genny. It didn’t make any sense. How could someone parking a car just disappear without a trace?
***
Cass opened his eyes, feeling a slight ache in the back of his neck. He was in the back of a van which was driving down the street and his hands were tied behind his back. There was a man speaking Spanish—he couldn’t make out the words—and there was a woman in the front seat who looked familiar. He tried to form words, but his brain wasn’t fully functional. There was another person in the back with him. When he realized Cass was awake, he spoke in rapid Spanish to the others. With all the might he could muster, he tried to fight the man off. The woman passenger turned to him and he caught his breath.
“What—”
The person with him in the back of the van blew some dust in his face and his mind was quickly c
losing off, disconnecting from this world. Cass tried to fight it, but when he realized he was losing, the last image he held was of his love, Lila.
***
Four years later
Michael Kent had just finished his last class for the week. He breathed a sigh of relief and opened the Atlanta newspaper, scanning the latest headlines. One caught his eye. It was a about a female architect who’d designed a building for Baxter Chemicals’ new office downtown. The structure was a three story building with a specially slanted roof design that some characterized as being ahead of its time. He looked at the building and stopped. He’d seen that design somewhere before. It seemed that the architect was going to be in town for a special award before heading back to her practice and diner opening.
Michael looked at the picture and stopped dead in his tracks. A sudden rush of images came at him and he dropped the paper.
“Professor, are you all right?” One of his students grabbed his arm.
“I think I had too much coffee this morning. My wife tends to make it extra strong sometimes.”
“Well, you might want to lay off just a tad. I have my report ready.”
“Good. Have a fun Spring Break and see you in a week.”
Glynda did tend to make the coffee a little too strong, but this wasn’t the case. For a while now, he’d been having these strange dreams. Images of this woman, feelings of heat. He’d sometimes wake up with his dick straight up in the air, harder than cement, much to his wife’s surprise and delight. There were times when they’d make love and his mind would wander onto someone else. He never saw her face, but he heard her voice, smelled her...he ached for her in a way he’d never ached for Glynda. Michael didn’t know what was going on. In the four years they’d been married, he’d never cheated or even wanted to. With three kids and a packed schedule, he didn’t even have the time to think about it.
