by MJ Summers
They rode up to the tenth floor together, with Tomas suddenly announcing, “Dad, I haf to poop.”
“I wondered about that. You’ve been tooting up a storm since we left the park.”
A smile crossed the stranger’s face, indicating his understanding of the exchange.
The three got off the elevator and walked down the hall in the same direction. When they reached the same suite, Trey turned to him. “Can I help you with something?”
“This boy is Tomas Ferreira?”
Trey shifted Tomas to the opposite side of his body, away from the man, and gave him a hard look. “May I ask who you are?”
“Of course. My apologies. I am Paulo Martins, the lawyer for Mr. and Mrs. Ferreira. May I come in?”
“Oh, sure. I’m Trey Johnson.” He unlocked the door and held his hand out for Mr. Martins to enter ahead of him.
“Nice to meet you. We have much to talk about.”
“Okay.” Trey gave him a wary look “Let me get him to the bathroom first.”
“Certainly.”
Trey carefully took off their dirty shoes then carried Tomas down the hall to the washroom. Once inside, he helped him onto the toilet and washed his own hands. “Listen, I need to talk to that man out there. Do you take care of this yourself or do you need some help?”
Tomas gave him a confused look.
Scrunching up his nose for a second, Trey then tried to look like it was all cool. “Right, I guess I’ll help you out until you can do it for yourself. You call me when you’re ready, okay?”
Trey quickly changed into some clean clothes before finding Mr. Martins sitting on the couch with a number of papers set out on the coffee table. “Can I get you a coffee or water or anything, Mr. Martins?”
“Please call me Paulo, and water would be very nice.”
“Sure. Sorry I’m a bit of a mess,” Trey called to him as he made his way to the kitchen. “Somehow Tomas found the only mud in the entire city.”
“Yes, I noticed.” His tone gave no hint as to his personal opinion on the matter.
As Trey filled two glasses, he imagined that Mr. Martins would make an excellent poker player. On his return to the living room, Trey’s hands shook a little, causing the water to slosh dangerously close to the rim. The irony wasn’t lost on Trey, a seasoned bartender who, at the moment, could barely manage to serve a glass of water. “So, how are Mr. and Mrs. Ferreira doing? I can’t even imagine what they’re going through.”
“It is very hard for them, of course. I saw Mr. Ferreira after the funeral. His wife was not ready to see anyone. They are both very much in shock. It’s a grief that I don’t think goes away.” He paused to sip his drink. “For now, Mr. and Mrs. Ferreira have decided that it would be too difficult, emotionally speaking, to be in close contact with Tomas. They are concerned that they would not be able to handle such meetings in a dignified fashion, which would very likely be confusing for Tomas. They have asked me to act on their behalf.”
“Seems kind of odd, but I guess they have to do what’s best for them, right?” Trey’s tone bordered on sarcasm, which he immediately regretted. He knew he needed to play nice.
“They are careful in their decisions, even at such a time.” Paulo answered evenly. “You must be also very . . . surprised by what is happening.”
“I am. I’m still trying to wrap my head around all of this. Every day I spend with Tomas, I feel worse for Gabriela, for what she’ll miss.” The sound of Tomas singing softly to himself in the other room made Trey smile sadly.
Paulo nodded. “Yes, it is certainly a tragedy. So, are you intending to take guardianship of Tomas?”
Trey could feel his heart in his throat. “Definitely. I’m his father. He belongs with me.”
“At the moment, my clients have no intention of trying to obtain custody of Tomas. At their current age and with the sudden loss of their daughter, they do not feel as though they would be able to give him all the attention that he’ll need.”
Relief crossed Trey’s face. “Good. Okay. I mean, I’ve been worried about that, of course.”
“However, they want what’s best for Tomas and will do whatever they have to in order to protect him. They will fight you for custody if they think you won’t be able to raise Tomas.”
Trey stared at the man, waiting for him to continue.
“They have some concerns about you, which I’m sure you can understand. One of the tasks they have given me is to ensure you have the means and support to look after him. You have no real bond with him, you are young and fatherhood is not always easy or fun. They want to know that you won’t decide, in a little while, that it isn’t for you.”
Trey set his jaw. “I would never do that. I know I haven’t been here for him, but I have done what I could back home to be worthy of being his father. As soon as I found out that he even existed, I took a DNA test and had documents drawn up that prove I am his father. Gabriela’s the one who wanted to bring him back here, so I went along with it. It’s not like I could have supported them as a university student. We decided it would be best for me to finish school so I could provide more for him over time. I worked my butt off to get my degree a year early. And, as you know, I flew here as soon as I found out that Gabriela was gone. I’m serious about raising my son.”
“While this is all good, I still need to ask you some questions. I’m not trying to insult you, only to decide what will be best for Tomas.”
“I understand. You have a job to do, so go ahead.”
“You have never been to Brazil until this trip.”
“That’s right.”
“You have just completed your degree at the University of San Diego?”
“Yes.”
Paulo glanced down at the pad of paper on his lap. “How much debt do you have?”
“None.”
“None? Most American students are tens of thousands in debt by the time they complete their first degree.”
“True, but I’m not. I kept my grades high, so I was able to get some scholarship money each year. Plus, I worked part-time and lived as cheaply as I could.”
“Yes. You had a job as a bartender?”
Trey gave him a hard stare before answering. “It sounds like you already know the answers to all of your questions.”
“I do. Like you, I make sure to do my homework,” Paulo said.
“Why ask the questions, then?”
“To see how you would answer them.”
“I see. So, did my answers meet your approval?” Trey asked.
“So far.”
The sound of Tomas talking to himself in the bathroom took a little tension out of the moment, reminding Trey why keeping his patience was vital right now.
Paulo smiled at the sound. “Tell me about your job at the bar. Sometimes it’s easy to end up with some . . . bad habits in a place like that.”
“Well, I didn’t. I worked, I collected my tips and I went home sober every night.”
“Yes, that is what we have been told as well. My clients were glad to hear it.”
“That’s comforting,” Trey said, an edge to his voice that opposed his words. “How about next time you have a question about me, ask me.”
“I’m sure this is awkward for you, but my job is not to protect your feelings, it is to look out for Tomas.”
“I can assure you I’ll look out for him, so if you don’t mind, please tell Mr. and Mrs. Ferreira to call off their dogs.” Trey gave him a hard look. “Are we about done here? I should really get him into the bath.” Trey stood and crossed his arms.
“Yes, of course,” Paulo replied as he clicked his pen to close it. “Mr. Johnson, I am impressed with your determination, I want you to know that. I also want you to know that to properly represent my clients, I will speak with the prosecutor and request that he ask the judge to ensure you can provide for Tomas before you would be allowed to take him out of Brazil.”
“How exactly do I do that?”
Pau
lo finished putting his things into his briefcase before standing. “The judge will decide. You will either need to demonstrate through affidavits that you have family and potential job connections, or you will have to go back to the United States without your son in order to find a job and set up a home.”
“So, they might force me to leave my son here just to prove he won’t grow up poor?”
“It is a possibility. The judge will make the determination.”
Trey sighed out of frustration. “I’m sure you can understand how badly I don’t want to leave him here alone. He only has one parent left. Don’t you think he should be able to stay with me?”
“What I think is of no consequence. I’m sure it seems harsh, but it really is Mr. Ferreira’s way of protecting Tomas. You need to know Mr. Ferreira is a very powerful man and he won’t allow Tomas to end up destitute. But at the same time, he is trying to be reasonable. For now, he has said that you are allowed to live here in their condo while the court case proceeds. He also is going to set up a large trust fund for Tomas to access when he turns twenty-one. You will see he is being very fair when it comes to the child.”
“I’m sorry if I seem rude. This is just a lot to take in.” Trey raked a hand through his hair. “Can you please pass along my condolences to the Ferreiras. And thank them for allowing us to stay here.”
Their conversation was interrupted by Tomas’s voice calling for Trey.
Paulo opened the front door and gave him a sympathetic look. “Good luck. It was a pleasure to meet you.”
Closing the door, Trey mumbled to himself, “I wish I could say the same.”
* * *
That evening, Alessandra and Trey worked together to clean up the dishes while Trey told her about the visit from the Ferreira’s lawyer. When he was finished, he gave Alessandra a concerned look. “So, I guess I have to be grateful that they aren’t planning to fight me for custody of Tomas, but they’re not exactly planning to make it easy on me either.”
“Okay, well, at least we know where you are starting from now.” Alessandra said while she wrung out the dish cloth. “I had a talk with that professor I was telling you about. She said she thinks I can handle most of the paperwork for you to petition the court for permission to take Tomas home.”
“Really? You serious? That would save me a lot of money I don’t have.” Trey looked at her with a smile that soon faded. “Oh, but I don’t want to put you out, Alessandra. You’ve got enough to take care of with your studies.”
“It won’t be that much work. I don’t have class tomorrow morning, so we can go to the courthouse to hand in the forms. We’ll also need to get any of your existing legal documents pertaining to Tomas translated into Portuguese. That may take a few weeks, but my professor gave me the name of a man at the university who does that sort of thing.”
Trey shook his head. “Wow. Thank you so much. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”
“De nada. Can you show me the documents you have?”
Trey retrieved his file from his bedroom, then sat next to Alessandra at the table while she looked through the pages. Her brow furrowed. “Your name isn’t listed on the birth certificate,” she observed.
“I imagine that will make things more difficult?”
“My professor asked me about this. She said it would mean things will take longer. We can ask for an emergency hearing but it may not be granted. Because Gabriela isn’t alive to add you to the birth certificate or otherwise verify that you are the father, it will mean the court needs to first validate the documents you’ve got. They may even ask for another paternity test to be performed here. Maybe not. It depends on the judge, and from what you’ve said, it will also depend on how much the Ferreiras’ lawyer interferes. Even if he doesn’t interfere, the entire process will take several months to even a year.”
Trey’s face wore a shocked expression. “A year? Wow.” He blew out a puff of air. “I thought . . . Well, I guess I didn’t know what to think.”
“I know. The Brazilian government is very protective of any children born here. They do not let anyone remove them easily, even a biological parent.”
Trey raked a hand through his hair. “I really had no idea it would be this hard. God, I hope they don’t force me to leave him behind. I mean, who would I even leave him with?”
“I would be happy to take care of Tomas if you have to leave him here. But the judge might not even insist on this. Let’s take it one step at a time, okay?”
Trey nodded in agreement. “Okay.”
Alessandra put her hand over Trey’s. “Tomorrow we will file the first set of papers to request that you be named as father and to request that you be allowed to leave the country with Tomas. Then I will take the paperwork you brought to the translator. Don’t worry about it, okay? You’ve got the right nanny on your side.”
Trey chuckled at her joke, seeming relieved. “I sure do.”
* * *
Trey lay in bed that night tossing and turning. Staring at the clock, he realized it was almost 3 a.m. Tomas would be up in less than four hours. He needed to get to sleep, but the thought of going to the courthouse the next day kept him wide awake. He scrubbed his hand over his face in frustration. He felt powerless here. His fate and that of his son were in the hands of strangers, one of whom had come here to put him on notice of the hoops he would have to jump through. He wished he’d pushed Gabriela to add his name to Tomas’s birth certificate when he had the chance. And how the hell was he going to pay for all of this? How would he pay for food while he was here? He didn’t want to live off the Ferreiras for months on end, but he didn’t even have a work visa.
His thoughts turned to Alessandra and how she was going out of her way to help him. Then he could feel her hand over his, the warm look on her face as she smiled at him. The thought calmed him. She had that effect on him, as she did on his son. There was something so soothing about being around her, it was as though she could make everything alright. His heart swelled when he thought of her. He had so badly wanted to kiss her. He’d had to fight that urge, to swallow it down. This was not the time or the place for him to be thinking things like that. There was no way that would help anything, no matter how good it would feel. It would only complicate things in a way that he couldn’t afford right now. And if he’d learned anything from his night with Gabriela, it was that giving in to the wrong moment could have a lifetime of consequences.
Ten
The next morning, Alessandra woke to the quiet sounds of Trey and Tomas having breakfast. Glancing at the time, she realized she’d slept in. She made her way to the kitchen and found French toast and fruit waiting for her. Tomas ran over and took her hand to show her the surprise. “We maked breakfast!”
“You did? Wow!” Alessandra sat at the table and gave him a big kiss on his forehead. “Thank you so much.”
She smiled at Trey, who was standing in front of the sink. “Thank you, Trey. What a treat to sleep in and now have such a nice breakfast to eat.”
“No problem. I figured you were probably up late studying,” he said. “Coffee?”
“I can get it,” she answered.
“I’m already here. How do you take it?”
“Just with a little milk. But you really don’t have to.”
“Let me anyway,” he answered in a light tone. He carried the coffee over to her, along with his own, and sat across the table from her.
Tomas crawled up onto her lap as she ate, opening his mouth in case she wanted to share.
“Here, rapazinho,” Alessa said, popping a piece of the soft bread into his mouth.
“You’re having more? You must be growing, buddy.” Trey smiled at his son, then looked at Alessandra. “What’s the name you call him? Rapazinho?”
“It means young man, which I think suits someone as dignified as Tomas.”
Tomas smiled at her, then opened his mouth for another bite of her breakfast.
Alessandra ate quickly and excused her
self to get ready to go to the courthouse. Twenty minutes later, she walked out of her bedroom dressed in a black pencil skirt, a matching short jacket and an ivory camisole with just a bit of lace visible. Her hair was swept up in a twist with a few pieces framing her face. Trey, who was crouched down helping Tomas put his shoes on, glanced up at her, then did a very obvious double take. “Wow,” he blurted out. “You look . . . very professional.”
Alessa felt her face flaming. She looked down at her outfit. “Is it okay? I was worried the skirt might be a little short.”
“No, not at all. You look perfect.” He whispered something in Tomas’s ear, causing the little boy to grin up at her.
“You look pretty, Lessa!” Tomas called.
“You boys look very handsome too.” She looked at Trey, who was wearing a black golf shirt and khaki pants.
“I’m afraid I don’t have any dress clothes,” he said. “This is all I could come up with.”
“You’re just fine. I’m only dressed up in case I see anyone who might one day be my boss.”
Two hours later, after a long bus ride followed by a much longer lineup, the three finally left the courthouse. Alessandra was surprised how easily Trey had managed to keep Tomas from getting bored. He always seemed to have some way to entertain him, whether with a magic trick or by pointing out something to look at or finding some way to tease him. Something about seeing them together tugged at her heart. She had never known her own father and she wondered if this is what it would have been like.
As they walked back to the bus stop, Trey picked up the now sleepy little boy and carried him while Tomas rested his head on Trey’s broad shoulder. They looked very much like a young, happy family from the outside, and part of Alessandra couldn’t help wishing they were one. If they were a real family, she wouldn’t have to face the loneliness of saying goodbye to Tomas. The thought of that felt like too much and she brushed it aside.
