Immortals- The Complete Real Illusions Series

by Tanya R. Taylor

  Trent stopped in the doorway. "Amina, I'm leaving now. I need you to remember what we discussed earlier," he said. "If there's anything out of the ordinary — anything at all — call me right away."

  "Yes, sir. I remember everything you said… and you mustn't worry. I have everything under control," she replied. "Now you go to work and have a good day. Everything will be fine."

  Trent headed out the door. He waved to Ronnie, the gardener, on his way to the car.

  * * *

  "Young lady, may I have another cup of coffee?" An elderly gentleman hollered across the room.

  Solange, who was standing near the kitchen, immediately waved to the customer. She went and got a fresh pot of coffee and headed over to him.

  "Your coffee, sir."

  "Thank you very much," the tall, lanky man answered, his eyes burning into Solange's slightly exposed cleavage.

  "You're welcome, sir. Enjoy!" Solange replied, noticing the direction of his stare. The thought of a man his age, supposedly well into his seventies, drooling over a woman who was young enough to be his daughter, repulsed her. Nevertheless, her exceptional professionalism concealed her true feelings.

  "I certainly will," the man said, eyes now glued to Solange's derriere as she walked off.

  Sonia caught up to her. "Gave anymore thought to what we discussed?" She asked.

  "Solange glanced at her. "Yes, I have. I'm going very soon."

  "Great!" Sonia said, entering the kitchen first.

  * * *

  Clara Eaves was sitting at the reception booth when Trent walked in. "Mister Matheson, you're back!" She was thrilled to see him.

  "Hello, Clara. How are you?" He asked.

  "Just wonderful, sir. How's Tina and the baby?"

  "They're both doing well," Trent affirmed. "Thanks for asking."

  "Children are such bundles of joy, sir, but tending to a newborn is not easy." She waved her finger. "I know… I raised five of 'em."

  "Don't worry, Clara. Tina has all the help she needs." Trent patted her on the arm.

  "Give her my love!" She waved as he headed to the elevator.

  "I certainly will." Trent waved back. He was relieved to be back at work particularly since the last couple of weeks had not been easy for him. Now he could exhale — he was finally back in the game. Hails were coming from all directions as he walked to the office.

  "Great to have you back, boss!" cried Tom Lancy, a nineteen-year-old computer department trainee.

  Tom was new on the job. He had only been at First Provincial for four months, but his magnetic personality had caused everyone to warm up to him quickly. The young man was daring, confident, zealous — just the type of employee Trent wasted no time pushing up the corporate ladder. Tom reminded him a lot of Will Salstrom. He figured that if the teenager was even half the man Will was, his future at the company was very bright.

  The hours were passing quickly that day. Trent didn't bargain for a stressful first day back and did everything he could to avoid it. Around mid-morning, he had called and checked on Tina and the baby. They were fine and knowing that — so was he. At lunch-time, he snatched his cell from the desk, pushed it into his pocket, and walked out of the office.

  "I'm going over to Fung's," he said to the temp who was sitting in for Tina.

  "Yes, sir," the young lady answered as Trent proceeded to the elevator.

  The atmosphere outside seemed stale and stagnant. Dozens of people were parading the sidewalk, traveling on in their own little world. As Trent passed some of them, he wondered what their life was like: Was it simple, complicated, depressing, happy? Was it normal, peculiar — similar to how his had been basically the whole time he had known himself. Other than Tina's recent issues, the last six months had been the most normal his life had ever been: No dreams, no apparitions, no Tarrow threatening to destroy him. He liked normal and wanted more than anything for life to stay that way.

  With the seemingly meaningless thoughts subsiding, Trent walked into the restaurant. He chose a cozy spot at the far left side of the room. Further over to the right, he spotted her clearing a table — the lady with the knock-out features who had practically scurried away from his office months earlier. She didn't see him sitting there, but his eyes never strayed far away from her.

  Sonia couldn't get to Solange fast enough. "Guess who's here!" She exclaimed.

  "Who?" Solange asked, scanning the room — her eyes locking to his moments later. She quickly looked away.

  "Go over there and speak with him!" Sonia pressed.

  "Here? Now?" Solange was suddenly feeling overwhelmed.

  "Absolutely! Now's as good a time as any. You always avoid him whenever he comes in here. Now be a big girl and make conversation with the man, then you can really get into talking even if it's outside."

  "I'm not doing this here, Sonia," Solange contended. "What you're saying makes no sense; the place is crowded. When I'm ready, I'll go and see him at his office like I said I would."

  At that moment, she looked up again and to her dread, he was gesturing for her to come over.

  Sonia nudged her. "Well, go on! You can't ignore a customer when he's clearly trying to get your attention. Leave this stuff here. I'll take them to the back."

  Solange dropped the towel and as she started over to him, she felt her knees weakening with every step. It reminded her of how nervous she was when she went to see him at his office months earlier.

  "Hi," she said sheepishly, hands crossed in front of her like a little girl.

  "Hi. Remember me?" Trent asked, looking up at her. He knew it was a stupid question, but thought it was a good start.

  "Yes, I do."

  "Look, I've been meaning to ask you…"

  Solange nodded her head, confirming her knowledge of where he was coming from.

  "I just didn't want to make you uncomfortable and decided to just leave it up to you if you ever wanted to finish what you started a while back," he continued.

  "So why didn't you?"

  "Why didn't I what?" Her question took him by surprise.

  "Leave it up to me…" The nervousness had started to wear off somewhat - just as it did at one point during their first meeting.

  Trent shrugged. "I'm not sure. I don't know why I chose today of all days to bring it up."

  Solange glanced at the kitchen and then behind her. Sam was nowhere in sight. She quickly pulled out a chair and sat across from him. With one hand stretched across the table, she leaned in and quietly said, "I think I've finally realized, perhaps at this very moment, that there is no 'right' way to say this, but I think it's time that I let you know…"

  She had his full attention. His gaze was piercing.

  "…that I am your sister. Your mother, Grace Matheson, is also my mother," Solange finally divulged.

  Trent's stare lingered. He could not believe his ears.

  "I've done all of my research, so there is no doubt about what I am telling you," Solange went on. "If you don’t believe me, you can go to the State adoption agency and check for yourself." Solange suddenly felt a huge weight lift off her shoulders, but the look on Trent's face was one of perplexity and uncertainty.

  "Who are you? What's your name again?" He finally found his voice.

  "My name is Solange Deneuve."

  "Deneuve?"

  "It's French. I was raised in France by wonderful adoptive parents. I just recently found out though that I had a brother." As she said the last word, there was a subtle adoration in her tone.

  "I don’t know what to say…" Trent was obviously in shock.

  Glancing behind again, Solange saw Sam walking onto the main floor. She reverted her attention back to Trent. "Don't take my word for it. Go to the adoption agency and speak to a Miss Clementine. She'll be able to confirm what I've said about the adoption. Just know that I don't want anything from you. I just wanted to let you know who I am and if you don't mind, I would really like to get to know you." She then got up from the table and le
ft.

  Trent sat there in a daze.

  "Mister Matheson, are you ready to order?" Dolly asked him moments later.

  "Ah… yes. I'll have the usual to go, Dolly," he replied, wanting to get out of there and collect his thoughts. Food was now the last thing on his mind.

  9

  Unveil

  Trent stood outside on the front porch watching Amina leave. Her rickety, '94 Corolla trotted down the driveway. Tina was standing at the window when Trent walked back inside.

  "How long has he been asleep?" He asked, reaching for her waist.

  "About a half hour now," Tina answered.

  "How did Amina work out today?"

  Tina sat down on the sofa. "I'll be honest with you. She seems like a lovely lady, but she's a royal pain in the butt too! Every minute… 'Miss Tina, can I get you this? 'Can I help you with anything?' Ooh… it's so frustrating!" She sighed.

  "Then she worked out beautifully," Trent replied, sitting across from her.

  "I called the caterer and spoke with Father Thomas at the parish today. I finally feel like we're making some headway," Tina indicated.

  "That's good," Trent replied rather weakly. "That's really good."

  "So how was work today?" Tina asked, sensing that something wasn't quite right with him.

  "Work was fine."

  "Settling in?"

  "Yeah." Trent looked at her, his face clearly revealed the ponderosity of his thoughts. "Tina…"

  "Yes, honey?"

  He slumped back in the chair. "Today, I found out that I have a sister."

  "What?" Tina was surprised. "A sister?"

  "She's a waitress at Fung's restaurant." He leaned forward. "Do you remember several months back a tall, thin lady with long, black hair made an appointment to see me about doing some business with the bank?"

  Tina thought for a moment. "I think so. Yeah. You mean the woman who hurried out shortly afterwards?"

  "Yes… her." Trent affirmed.

  "Really? She's your sister?"

  Trent nodded.

  "How do you know for sure?"

  "I went to Fung's today for lunch and she just came right out and told me. Apparently, that's what she was really at the office to tell me before, but I guess she got frightened or something."

  "But how do you really know if what she said is true?" Tina probed.

  "After she broke the news to me, I went to the adoption agency like she suggested and everything checked out — just like she said. I even saw the birth certificate." He sighed heavily. "I never knew that my mother had been raped."

  "Raped? You mean your sister was a product of rape?"

  Trent nodded again. "That's why my mother gave her up for adoption. I guess she couldn't handle it."

  "Honey, you do know that as terrible as that act of violence was against your mother it's not your sister's fault that she's here, right?"

  "Oh, no. I don't have any ill or negative feelings towards her at all," Trent returned. "She's totally innocent in this. The thing is… I don't know what to feel towards her. I don't know what to say. I'm just kind of like in a daze here."

  There was an intermission of silence.

  "It's strange though because the whole while growing up, I wished I had a brother or sister, but knew it was impossible since my mother was dead and — for all I knew — so was my father."

  Tina got up and sat next to him. "Invite her here to the house. Get to know her. After all, she's your flesh and blood — a dream come true."

  Trent was quiet and deep in thought. Life, all of a sudden, had turned a new page by ushering his son into the world and now, on the heels of that amazing gift — his sister. He was beginning to feel overwhelmed as a series of emotions flooded in. Tina noticed the tears building in his eyes and somehow knew they were tears of joy. She reached up and kissed him above the eyelids and wiped a tear with her finger that had streamed down his cheek.

  "I love you, Trent Matheson… and I'm so happy for you," she said with tears in her eyes as well. "You are the one that deserves the best of everything. You are a truly wonderful man and I'm sure that anyone who shares your DNA is so very special too."

  "Thank you," he said softly before his lips met hers.

  * * *

  One week later…

  Solange sat in her living room, fingers clenched together on her lap. She wished she had a shot of whisky — anything to relax her nerves. She had slipped into a pink, sleeveless summer dress and closed-in light brown slippers with three-inch heels. Her hair was neatly pulled back with her long ponytail dangling on her back. Dolly had agreed to work the evening shift for her that day and she was so grateful.

  Solange heard the doorbell ring and almost fell from the chair. The anticipation had been building for days and she now felt slightly dazed as if in a dream-like state. She positioned her hand on the knob and slowly opened the door. Just as expected, he was standing on the other side.

  "Hi," Trent Matheson said to her — her small frame weakly blocking his view of the interior.

  "Hi," Solange replied. "I'm all ready."

  The drive to his house was rather awkward for both of them.

  "Thanks for agreeing to do the DNA test the other day, but I just had to be sure…" Trent said.

  "I totally understand. I was happy to do it," Solange responded. "I hope the results were not disappointing."

  "Disappointing? No way! I couldn’t be happier," Trent returned. "Tina is so anxious to officially meet you."

  "How long have you two been engaged?" Solange asked.

  "For several months now. We decided to wait until after the baby was born to tie the knot."

  "I see," Solange responded. "Your first?"

  Trent glanced at her. "Baby… you mean?"

  "Yes."

  "Uh huh. It's my first child. His name's Foster. We named him after my grandfather." He cleared his throat. "Our grandfather."

  Solange smiled.

  "We have a lot to talk about," Trent said.

  Solange concurred, but apprehension was simultaneously building as she knew what she would verbally contribute would be very limited. Although he was her brother, she knew her life could not be an open book.

  Tina and Amina were outside with the baby when Trent's car pulled up on the driveway. Tina was clearly excited and could hardly wait for them to step out of the vehicle. Trent walked around the car to his sister and accompanied her up the walkway toward the front door where the others were waiting.

  "Are you okay?" He asked Solange, sensing her nervousness.

  "Yes. Yes, I'm fine," she answered, almost choking.

  Tina started to meet them while Amina sat on the porch with the baby.

  "It's so great to meet you!" Tina hugged Solange.

  "It's nice meeting you too," Solange replied.

  "Come meet your nephew!" Tina eagerly led her over to the baby.

  "Hello," Solange hailed Amina who graciously hailed back. "My goodness! He is truly the most beautiful baby I have ever seen!" Solange commented, gazing at the child. "His hair is so thick and full." She was almost tempted to touch it. "How many months is he?"

  Tina glanced at Trent. "He's actually almost three weeks old — seventeen days to be exact," Tina told her.

  "Wow! Just seventeen days? That's incredible!" Solange kept staring at him.

  "He's growing rather quickly. Even I'm amazed," Tina commented.

  "Let's all go inside," Trent said at the door. He waited for each of the ladies to enter first.

  Amina handed Little Foster over to Tina, then went and got her purse. "I'll be leaving now," she told them. "It was indeed a pleasure meeting you, Miss," she said to Solange.

  "Thank you," Solange smiled.

  After Amina left, Trent said, "That's Amina, our new housekeeper and assistant to the lovely Tina. Please pardon our manners."

  "Solange… what a beautiful name," Tina remarked.

  "Thank you. My friends call me Liza."

  "Reall
y?" Trent interjected. "What should we call you?"

  "Whatever you wish," Solange shrugged. Up to that point, she had only disclosed her real name whenever her passport was required for identification purposes. However, this was different — this was her brother and his family. How could they not know her real name?

  "Can I get you something to drink?" Trent offered. "I have white and red wine, beer…"

  "I wouldn't mind a little red wine," Solange replied. "It's good for the heart."

  "Indeed it is." Trent stood up right away. "Honey?" He looked at Tina.

  "No thanks. I'm fine," Tina responded. "No water or juice right now." She looked at Solange. "That's all I get to drink these days."

  They chatted for a long while before Tina went upstairs with the baby who had gotten a bit cranky. Besides, she felt that Trent and Solange needed 'alone time' in order to get better acquainted with each other.

  "Don't you think it's rather odd that we both were raised without any brothers or sisters?" Trent asked.

  Solange had just taken another sip of her wine and was resting the glass down. "I guess it is."

  "I never would've thought in a million years after all that time growing up and wishing I had a sibling that all these years later I would find out that I actually have one," Trent added. "I can't tell you how happy I am that you finally came out and told me. For the past few days, I've done a great deal of reflecting. Life for me, for the first time, feels… complete."

  "It does for me too." Solange felt the same overwhelming sense of gratitude he expressed. "When my parents died, I felt such loneliness beyond what I can adequately describe. I had no one else to lean on other than my uncle who passed away some months ago. He wasn't my real uncle, but to me, he was."

  "I'm sorry for your loss," Trent said. He took a deep breath and leaned in." Look… I know what you said in Fung's about not wanting anything from me, but the truth is that you are my sister and as far as I'm concerned, you deserve a fair share of our mother's estate."

  Solange started shaking her head in protest.

  "Just hear me out… please," Trent raised his hand. "I know I'm not under any legal obligation to do this due to the circumstances surrounding the adoption, but I have a conscience and that has been the one thing that has always guided me." He paused for a moment, then resumed. "All throughout my life, I had everything I ever wanted that money could buy. I don't know what it's like to not have what I need; to not be able to pay my bills; to not have more than enough food in my refrigerator to eat; to not be able to keep a decent roof over my head; to slave at a job making minimum wage or taking in a salary that was gone the moment I received it due to obligations. Nevertheless, I always had a heart for people who struggled from day to day and every opportunity I get to help others — as my conscience guides me — I do so." His eyes were fixated on hers. "Solange, you are the sister I've always wanted. I don’t know you the way I wish I could have had we been raised together, but in spite of that, I already feel connected to you and I do have love in my heart for you. I also know you're having a tough time right now."