A Promise of Forever

by M. E. Brady

  “I think it’s better if I tell you this in person. I’ll get all the information from Dana and I’ll meet you there.” He knew Jake was going to be disappointed in him when he found out that he was the one who fathered Jenny. He also knew his friend would understand why he was upset about Katelyn’s decision to keep their child a secret from him.

  “You didn’t give away the ring did you?” Jake teased. It took a minute for Gianfranco to register what his friend had asked and what he was referring to but he left the question unanswered.

  After hanging up the phone, Gianfranco closed his eyes to try to ward off some of the pain and tension he was feeling in his head. It came as a shock to him to feel tears trickling down his face. Tears were foreign to him. He had never let himself get emotionally involved with anyone except Katelyn, and he hadn’t since that time.

  He had a daughter with the only woman he had ever loved in his life and she let him down by keeping that child a secret from him. Gianfranco sat quietly for awhile and thought about another time. Jake had reminded him of it; the time he and Kevin joined Jake at the Indian Reservation. While there, an elder tribeswoman gave each of them a small block of teakwood and taught them to carve wooden eternity bands from the piece of wood. She told them about an old Indian prophecy regarding the handling of the rings once they completed them.

  The elderly woman warned that they should wear them around their necks until they met someone worthy to accept the ring, as long as the offer came from their hearts. “For the bearer of your ring will also be the bearer of your heart and soul.” She warned that their lives would forever be entwined with the woman who held each of their rings.

  Gianfranco remembered the day he gave the ring to Katelyn. He thought she would laugh at him but she found the gesture romantic and endearing. He hadn’t thought about that ring until now. He had long ago forgotten about it. Perhaps the old lady was right. He pulled himself together again and asked Dana to contact a private detective that he often used for business. “Dana, call Tom Parker and tell him I need to speak to him as soon as possible. Tell him I have an urgent job for him.”

  He paced the floor waiting for Tom to arrive. Rarely was Gianfranco kept waiting. When Tom arrived, he almost bit his head off for taking so long. Tom was the best private detective money could buy and, though Gianfranco hated the thought of spying on Katelyn, it was the only way he’d know for sure if Jenny was his child without asking her directly. Besides, he thought she gave up her right to privacy the day she decided to lie to him about their child. Gianfranco gave Tom all the information he could supply and what he couldn’t; he told him where to find the information that would lead to Jenny’s parentage. He knew Katelyn better than anyone and he had all the information he needed about that summer. Unless Jenny was born very prematurely, she was his child.

  “The only thing I want you to find out is if Katelyn Donavan could have had another lover during the time her child was conceived.” Gianfranco didn’t like the look on Tom’s face so he set him straight right away. “Look Tom, let me be clear about this. I’m sure this child is mine. I want you to bring me the proof I need to legally acknowledge the fact.”

  Tom understood his meaning and was shocked that he was trying to prove paternity, rather than disprove it. These rich clients he served were usually on the other side of the fence. He wondered if the mother of this child had any idea who she was dealing with. He almost felt sorry for the woman. Gianfranco Broccolini was a fair man but you didn’t cross him because, if you did, you were surely going to pay a high price for doing it.

  Katelyn sat at the end of the bar waiting patiently for Adam to arrive. He had never kept her waiting like this before and she was a little uncomfortable sitting at a bar alone. At this moment, her red dress she wore wasn’t helping her feel very confident. She wondered if she had made a mistake listening to Rosa in the first place. The dress would have felt empowering under different circumstances but she felt a little awkward, as if she were at the bar looking to pick up a man; judging by the looks she was getting, she could have succeeded. If that had that been the mission.

  Finally, the waiter came over to her and said a table had opened up in the corner she had requested. It was a quiet corner where they could talk but Katelyn realized, after sitting down, that it was impossible to see whoever walked through the entrance from that angle. The waiter assured her that he would look out for Adam and show him to her table as soon as he arrived.

  Adam finally arrived but not before Katelyn had regrettably added two drinks to the ones she shared earlier that day with Rosa at lunch to calm her nerves. She was not a drinker and the alcohol was beginning to take effect. “Thank you, for showing up,” she said to Adam slurring her words. “You were the one who asked for this meeting; the least you could have done was to arrive on time.” She knew she sounded annoyed and angry. He had kept her waiting too long.

  “Now, don’t go getting yourself all worked up,” he said dismissively. “I asked for this meeting with you because I think your decision about us was made in haste. I don’t understand why you can’t take the time that you’re spending with Kevin to rethink our situation. Given a chance, Katelyn, we could make it work. I’m asking you to reconsider; don’t let my father come between us.”

  “It’s not about your father.” She tried to reason with him but he wasn’t hearing her. She saw his face suddenly transform in front of her, filling with the same rage she had witnessed back at the apartment. Why haven’t I ever seen this part of his personality before? As she started to speak again, she noticed a weird expression come over his face. She was tempted to turn around to see what sparked the unkind recognition in his eyes but opted against it. And then, just as quickly, his demeanor changed back and he focused his attention on her again. Perhaps, he had seen an old girlfriend and didn’t want to make a scene. She didn’t understand anything that was going on with him.

  “My father told me what transpired between you both. I didn’t want to believe him but I see the way you’re dressed tonight and the amount of drinking you’re doing. So there must be some merit to his claim. Tell me Katelyn, did Broccolini offer you more than I could offer you?” To her astonishment, he became physical and grabbed her arm and pulled her into his embrace. “Let me have something to remember you by sweetie,” he said, as his wet foul mouth came crushing down on hers.

  “What the hell has gotten into you?” She tried to wipe his kiss away and was appalled at his behavior. She couldn’t help but wonder why she had never seen this side of him before and she fought to free herself from his wicked embrace. If she hadn’t been kept waiting and didn’t have those added two drinks she would have seen this situation coming and been better prepared to handle it. His kiss was wet, sloppy and uninvited, not at all like the man who could make love to her with his eyes.

  Adam lingered for a few minutes before his final bit of payback. “I think you’ll have a little difficulty explaining that kiss to lover boy over there. By the look on his face, I’d say he was ready to kill us both, which is my cue to leave. Good luck, you’re going to need it,” Adam snarled as he let her go and retreated. He escaped out the side door; Katelyn looked toward the direction Adam had indicated and saw Gianfranco standing there.

  She might not be able to explain that kiss to him but he had to know that there was a reasonable explanation for what he had just witnessed. She felt that he should, at the very least, be willing to listen. Katelyn stood up abruptly and thought he had no right to be angry, not after what he did, interfering in her career. He was trying to control her life from behind the scenes. She knew she might be naïve as far as men were concerned but she was well in control of her own life. She would tell him that just because he thought his word was law, didn’t make it so. She was walking in his direction when she heard a female voice approach nearby.

  “Gianfranco, darling, I wasn’t aware that you were back in the States. Why didn’t you tell me? How could you sneak back into the country, and no
t call me?” the tall voluptuous red-haired woman, who appeared out of the blue, said for all to hear. Katelyn watched as the woman embraced Gianfranco and kissed him in a way only a woman familiar to him would have kissed. He’d seen her, she was sure of it and yet he allowed this woman to continue to stroke him. She stood there reluctantly, almost in a trance before getting up the courage to run.

  When their eyes finally connected, Katelyn thought she saw hate and resentment flare up. He must have regretted the act she had witnessed between him and his lady friend because she thought she saw him try to distance himself from the woman. As she was running out the door, with tears stinging her eyes, she thought she heard Jake call out to her but she couldn’t get away fast enough and didn’t care to search for his voice. It had hurt her too much to witness the exchange and, lucky for her, there was a taxi at the curb outside dropping off patrons. She was able to escape with what little dignity she had left still intact.

  Jake ran out of the tavern after her but Katelyn was nowhere to be seen. He was sure he had just passed her on his way in as she was leaving. He was sure it was her on the other side of the crowd of people who had just walked in. She looked as if she were spooked by something, running from the tavern as fast as she could. He decided to try her on her cell phone as soon as he let Gianfranco know he was there. He would check on that situation with him and call Katelyn. He turned back toward the tavern, strode in toward the bar and spotted Gianfranco pushing a persistent red-head away from him. Jake heard the woman ranting as he got closer; she was saying that Gianfranco went from being hot one minute to cold as ice the next. What is wrong with everybody today?

  He approached Gianfranco, put an arm around him and noticed that his friend was sucking down shots of whiskey as if he was on a mission; he hadn’t seen him do that in years. “Want to tell me what’s going on because I’m really getting confused. First, I see Katelyn run out of this place with tears in her eyes and a wounded look on her face, as if someone had just killed her dog, and then I come in here and you’re lip-locked with a red-head you obviously could care less about. What’s going on, my friend? What am I missing? And whatever you do please tell me, that the two incidents are not related?” Jake asked.

  Gianfranco was shocked by his own behavior but Katelyn deserved it. He hadn’t meant to push Rita away like that; he only meant to hurt Katelyn the same way she had hurt him. Now that he had time to think about it, it was immature and foolish. He lashed out to get back at her. It wasn’t enough that he had to deal with her lies but there she was wearing a dress that cried out ‘take me to bed’ and she wore it for Adam. The only consolation was that he knew Katelyn didn’t enjoy the kiss Adam had planted on her lips. Under any other circumstances, he would have walked over and punched Adam in his face; but he was still hurting from the whirlwind of lies that were kept from him.

  Jake was right, though he’d never lost control before, there was something seriously amiss. He’d kept his reserve in any given situation; no matter under pressure to do otherwise. It was Katelyn; he couldn’t control the feelings he had for her or what he felt because of her. He was never in control of his feelings while around her, good, bad, or indifferent. She was his Achilles heel, more or less.

  “Jake, you have no idea what kind of day I’ve just had.” He paused briefly as he turned to the bartender who was vying for his attention. He was signaling to him that a table had just opened, but before he could reply, his phone began to ring. “Jake, I have to take this. I’ll meet you at the table. I have something to tell you privately,” he said before moving out to the corridor to answer his call.

  It took another five minutes before Gianfranco got back to the table. Jake was busy flirting with the waitress. “I gather the news wasn’t good?” Jake inquired, as he hit redial on his phone for the sixth time. “I’ve been trying to reach Katelyn on her cell but she’s not picking up. It keeps going to her voice mail. I’m worried about her. Did you happen to talk to her before she walked out of here?”

  Gianfranco nodded in agreement. “She’s the reason we’re here. I was waiting for that phone call to confirm what I already knew in my heart. Do you remember Kevin’s wedding?” he asked before continuing. “There’s something I never told you or Kevin. Katelyn and I started an affair that night.” After Jake nodded in affirmation, he listened, as Gianfranco continued; suddenly everything began to make sense to Jake and became clearer. “I know you and Kevin warned me off and, believe it or not, I really tried; but I couldn’t help myself. God help me, Jake, I fell in love with her.”

  Jake was astonished, to say the least. Kevin is going to be destroyed by this news, as he cracked his knuckles. “I remember Kevin calling me and telling me that Katelyn was pregnant by a guy she met at school,” Jake said.

  Then Gianfranco remembered the call from Jake that had followed a few months later, as if it were yesterday. He had relived that call in his head almost every day since. Gianfranco had never suspected anything at the time because Jake was totally convincing about her rich boyfriend from California.

  Jake interrupted his own thoughts; they were taking him in a direction he didn’t want to go. He hoped, with all his heart, that his friend was not about to tell him what he was imagining to be true. “Please, don’t tell me that you are Jenny’s father?” he asked hoping his friend would deny what Jake knew in his heart to be so.

  “I am. But before you punch me in my face, or lecture me about doing the right thing, let me tell you that I never knew that Jenny was mine, until today. When you called with news that Katelyn was pregnant, I assumed, like you that it was someone she met at school. I could ring her neck, Jake. She kept my child from me for seven years. I loved her. I would have done anything for her. I can’t tell you how it tore me apart when Kevin told me she had met someone at school.” The waitress brought their drinks over and both of them gulped them down so fast that she ran back to the bar to bring the bottle to refill them.

  “Are you sure that Jenny is your child? I mean, it’s not like Katelyn to keep a secret like that, not from us. She had to know that, even if things between you didn’t work out, you would still want Jenny in your life,” Jake said as he leaned back in the chair and let out a sigh. This whole situation was perplexing. “I don’t need to tell you what this news is going to do to Kevin. He wanted to kill the guy back then. What’s going to happen when he finds out the guy he wanted to kill is his best friend?” Jake hesitated but only momentarily. “I wonder why Katelyn never told you the truth. I have no answers, my friend; but I think you should give her a chance to explain herself,” Jake reflected as he tried to understand Katelyn.

  “There’s no acceptable excuse for keeping my kid from me. Think of all the times Katelyn wouldn’t accept help from any of us and how my child went without because of it. Jake, I don’t need to tell you that my child could have had, and should have had, everything her little heart desired. I would have been there for her; all those years wasted. You know I would have been there.” Gianfranco wanted to throw something, anything that could release some of the anger building up inside him.

  Jake looked around the bar as the waitress filled their drinks again; he held up his glass to Gianfranco and saluted his fatherhood, hoping to diffuse the situation. “On a lighter note, ‘Congratulations, Dad,’” he said before drinking from his glass. “Give Katelyn a chance, go and talk to her. She’s the only one who can answer the questions you have.”

  Jake spotted the woman who had been in a lip-lock with his friend and wondered why he hadn’t seen it before. It all made perfect sense now. That show his friend had put on with the woman; it was for Katelyn’s benefit. Gianfranco had no interest in the woman at all; he set out to deliberately hurt Katelyn. He had never put it together before but he should have.

  Jake tried to remember everything about the wedding and after. He did and didn’t know why he hadn’t put it all together before now. The way Gianfranco’s ears perked up whenever they talked about Katelyn. The wedding,
he remembered that night. Both he and Kevin saw that look in Gianfranco’s eyes when he spotted Katelyn for the first time. Gianfranco’s whole demeanor had been different; he seemed happier and somewhat giddy. But he had always believed the Gianfranco’s interest in Katelyn had ended right after the wedding. Yet, he should have put it all together when he announced Katelyn’s pregnancy to him. Gianfranco’s reaction was a little off for someone who didn’t care.

  “Let’s order a round of coffee. I think we need to get you sobered up completely before you go and see Katelyn. I don’t want you regretting anything you say in the morning. If we hang around here and we keep drinking, the two of us are going to have to release some of that built up anger and I’m getting too old to pick fights, like the old days.” Jake smiled and then asked the waitress for a round of coffee and the check.

  “Do you believe what Katelyn did was wrong?” Gianfranco asked, as he stretched out his legs and sipped his newly arrived coffee. The bar was emptying and, though there were a few strays left, most of the patrons who frequented this place during the day were from the surrounding offices and had probably left for the day. “It’s still early enough; I can stop in and talk to Katelyn. Jake is right; I’ll give her a chance to explain. I owe her that much.”

  “I don’t want to play judge and jury. You might just talk to her tonight and make sense of all this. I’m going to give her the benefit of the doubt and I hope you’ll do the same.” Jake said.

  The music on the juke box was getting mellower and the tavern suddenly getting darker, which meant the crowd, would be starting to change. Gianfranco wondered where Katelyn had run off to after she left the tavern and if she’d be home when he got there. “Jake, will you try to her phone again. She must be home by now.” Both men were beginning to worry. It was evident that Katelyn was upset when she left.