Destiny and a Bottle of Merlot

by Bria Marche

By noon, everyone had the stomach to finally eat. Afterward, the guys went outside and shoveled snow. The end of the driveway had been buried by the snowplow and was three feet deep. The entire process would start over when they got home. Everyone had their own driveway to contend with.

  Chapter Thirty

  As she stepped out of the shower and began drying off with a new, luxurious bath sheet, Sasha’s cell phone rang on the night table. With wet feet, she carefully ran into the bedroom, trying not to slip on the newly polished maple floors.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, babe, can I come over? I need to talk to you about the phone call I just got.”

  “Of course. I’ll start the coffee. I’ll see you in a few.”

  It was the third week of January. Sasha assumed the phone call was about the paternity test. By the serious tone of Josh’s voice, it didn’t sound like the results were what he wanted. Her mind raced. Now that Josh is a father, we’ll have to put up with Candy for the rest of our lives. Sasha nervously got dressed, just throwing on a pair of sweats and a long sleeved tee. She wasn’t in the right frame of mind to dress in something nicer. With her head upside down, she towel dried her short hair, adding a dab of styling crème to make it spiky. She popped her head up and looked in the mirror. With a few pulls and twists of her fingertips, she got it to look right. No makeup? I guess that isn’t important right now.

  She sat on the edge of the bed and put on her slippers, then ran downstairs to the kitchen and started the coffee. Little Kismet was curled up and snoring under the kitchen table. Sasha smiled at her precious pup. Thank God I took you out earlier, no time now.

  The door knocker sounded. Sasha already had two cups and a trivet waiting on the table along with the cream and sugar. She glanced at the coffee pot before leaving the kitchen. Good, it’s almost full.

  She opened the door to Josh’s furrowed face. He’s got a million things on his mind right now. “Hi sweetheart, come in. Let me take your coat. There’s a fresh pot of coffee waiting in the kitchen. Let’s sit and talk.”

  Josh pulled off his boots and followed Sasha to the kitchen. “I got a call this morning from my attorney. The paternity results are in.”

  Sasha braced herself for his words. “I figured that’s what this was about. What did he say?”

  “The results confirmed I’m not Josh’s biological father.” He buried his face in his hands and groaned.

  “You aren’t? Are they sure? Now I’m confused, are you relieved, or sad?”

  “I’m not sure. I was getting used to the idea. That means Candy was messing around with someone while we were still married. Josh could be her second husband’s son after all, but that guy has been out of the picture for ages. Why did she name Josh after me if he was someone else’s child? The poor kid has no father figure in his life at all now. Candy doesn’t seem like the best role model for him. She manipulative and cunning, and she’s definitely up to something. She’ll show up again, I can feel it.”

  “Were you hoping Josh was yours?” Sasha asked, as she poured the second cup of coffee for each of them. She set four pieces of warm, sliced banana bread on the table with two plates and a handful of napkins.

  “Deep down, I guess so. I never told you, but when Jake and I were seven, our parents split up for two years. Eventually, they got back together, but it was hard on us. Little Josh has it much worse. He doesn’t even know who his real dad is.”

  “Do you think Candy would consider using a Big Brother as a role model for him? There must be someone that can act as an adult male figure for the boy. Big Brothers/Big Sisters has to have a branch in Omaha, as big as the city is.”

  “That’s a good idea, but I’m sure she’s looking for a certain amount of financial support. If that’s the case, she’ll marry again just to have a meal ticket. That can really screw a kid up. Doesn’t it seem like a coincidence she showed up right after her third husband bailed on her?”

  “Yes, but didn’t she realize you would get a paternity test done?”

  “Honey, I’m not even the one who suggested it, my attorney did. I’ll admit, she had me believing Josh was mine. I guess it’s because we share a name. She was manipulative enough to have little Josh hand me his birth certificate to look at. Of course, with it reading Joshua Mark Redmond as the name of the father and baby, I believed it, hook, line and sinker.”

  “You could have been her backup plan all along,” Sasha said. “If that’s true, she’s going to keep pushing.”

  “Well, since I’m not legally responsible, I have more leverage than she does. What’s your opinion, honey? What would you think if I tried to adopt Josh? I mean, it’s something we would need to discuss in length, but his life would be more stable with us. There’s kids here he could play with instead of being glued to that stupid tablet all day. Kids don’t play anymore like when I was growing up. These days, all they do is use electronics as entertainment. They don’t get exercise anymore either. My intention would be to help raise the boy, but I wouldn’t be under any legal, or financial obligation to her. Anything I did for Josh, would be done on my own, and wouldn’t go through her. My attorney could set up the right legal verbiage. She would have to agree to move here, but she couldn’t interfere with our life in any way, shape or form.”

  “Is that legally possible?”

  “We’ll find out. I’m going to call my attorney back today. I’m sure Candy’s already heard the news. Before I call him, I want your honest opinion.”

  “I love you, and I’d support you whether little Josh is your biological son, or not. If you were raising him, he would be your son.”

  “What about him being our son? I’m not sure if you’re aware of this or not, Martha Destiny, but I intend to be with you forever.”

  “Oh really?” she said, smiling. “If that’s the case, then I say go for it.”

  Josh wrapped his arms around Sasha and hugged her. He kissed her forehead, cheeks and lips. “We’ll make this right, honey. We’re going to have a wonderful life. It might be a rocky few months, but we’ll get through it, I promise.”

  ***

  It was Valentine’s Day when she showed up on his doorstep, again. Her timing was impeccable, as usual. They had a number of phone conversations up to this point. Candy insisted the paternity test results were wrong. They had to be. Josh was little Josh’s father, she hadn’t been with anyone else. Josh had the test taken again, and here she was once more, ringing his doorbell.

  He answered it. “Candy, I’m not doing this dance with you. If you plan to stay in Tarrytown until the second set of results are back, you’re going to stay at a hotel, not here. You aren’t going to guilt me, or my family into anything.”

  “Josh, say hi to your dad.”

  “Hi, Dad.”

  “Hi, Josh. How are you?”

  “Okay. Mom says you don’t want us around.”

  Josh shot the shit eye at Candy. She smiled.

  “Come inside. Where’s your bag, Josh?”

  “It’s in the car. I need the keys, Mom. I have to get my tablet too.”

  “Make sure you lock it up. Can you carry both bags, honey?”

  “Your bag is staying in the car. Josh, grab your stuff and bring it in. Leave your mom’s things there. Like I said, Candy, we aren’t doing this. As soon as the second set of results re-confirm what I already know, we’re done. You’ll get one offer from me and that’s it.”

  “What would that be, Josh?” she asked, raising her right eyebrow.

  “You’ll find out soon enough. Josh can stay here for now. I’d like to get better acquainted with him anyway, alone.”

  “I’ll be checking on him every day.”

  “Only through phone calls. I don’t want you banging on my door. Take it, or leave it. Josh, put your bag in the spare room and say goodbye to your mom. You can talk to her on the phone tomorrow.”

  “Cool. I get to stay with you, Dad?”

  “Yes, for now. We’re going to hang out, okay?”<
br />
  “Yeah… sure. Bye, Mom, talk to you tomorrow.”

  “It’s Valentine’s Day, Josh. You should buy your son a gift.”

  “I’m well aware of what day it is. I’ll make sure Josh calls you tomorrow.” The door slammed in her face while she was in mid-sentence.

  Josh called Sasha to see what she was up to. The three of them could spend the day together if she was available. He planned to take Sasha out for a romantic dinner since it was Valentine’s Day, but now, a family restaurant might be in order. Josh stepped into his bedroom to talk privately. “Hi, honey. I have little Josh with me. No, I sent Candy away. Oh yeah, she intended to stay here, but I set her straight. It sounds like she’s going to stick around until the second set of test results are in. Sure, lunch sounds good. We’ll be there in a half hour. After that, we can decide what to do with the day. I love you. See you in a bit.”

  Little Josh met Sasha before, but had never been to her house. He was awe-struck at the size of the Victorian and how different it was than the apartment he and his mom lived in. The staircase amazed him. With his energy, it took four times running up and down it before he was out of steam.

  “Okay, kiddo. That’s enough monkeying around. It’s time for lunch.”

  Sasha was intuitive enough to prepare a kid friendly lunch of hot dogs, mac and cheese, and pork and beans. Josh appreciated her thoughtfulness.

  “So, Josh, what kind of things do you enjoy doing?” Sasha asked.

  “Playing games on my tablet,” he responded.

  Josh rolled his eyes at Sasha. “Well, that’s going to be limited from now on. How about the Bronx Zoo?”

  “It’s winter, Dad. People don’t go to the zoo in winter.”

  “Oh yes they do. Animals live in all kinds of climates. Some will be outside and others will be in the indoor enclosures. Besides that, there’s other things to do at the zoo like the train ride and special exhibits. It isn’t very cold out today. You have a hat and mittens don’t you?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay, then. We’re off to the zoo and the tablet stays here. After the zoo we can go out for pizza.”

  “Doesn’t that sound like fun, Josh?” Sasha asked, trying to encourage the child.

  “Sort of. Mom and I don’t ever do anything. She just watches TV on weekends. Can I pick what goes on the pizza?”

  “Sure, within reason,” Josh said, laughing. “Alright, let’s go have fun.”

  The half hour ride to the zoo went fast, thanks to Sasha. Josh Jr. didn’t have his tablet to occupy him during the ride, so Sasha made up games to play along the route. The boy seemed to enjoy himself, and forgot about the tablet in the process.

  “I like you, Sasha. You’re fun and pretty,” he said.

  “Thank you, Josh. I like you too. We’re going to have a great day, that’s if you can actually handle all the fun we’ll have. I don’t know if you’re up to it though,” she said.

  “I can handle it,” he answered, excitedly.

  “I don’t know. Having fun is a lot of work,” Sasha teased.

  “You’re funny, Sasha. Isn’t she Dad?”

  “She sure is,” Josh said, as he held Sasha’s hand across the console.

  She smiled at Josh. He gave her a relieved wink.

  They spent three hours at the zoo seeing all the exhibits and every animal in the facility. Josh ran ahead many times from sheer excitement. Josh and Sasha walked hand in hand laughing at his antics.

  “So it looks like today is turning out to be a success. What do you think, honey?”

  “I think Josh is going to come around. He needs guidance and discipline. He might buck the rules for a while, but deep down all kids want boundaries. They need them.”

  “Not only are you beautiful, you’re pretty smart too, Ms. Destiny.”

  “My parents taught me well. I was a good kid. It’s when I grew up that I turned into a self-indulgent brat,” she said, laughing.

  “Well, thankfully that was short lived. You’ll be a great mom someday, Sasha. It seems to come naturally for you. Should we head out and find a pizza joint for dinner?”

  “That sounds good. I am getting tired.”

  “Okay, babe, you got it. Hey Josh, let’s go. It’s time for pizza.”

  Dinner didn’t set well with Sasha. They returned to her house, and she said good night.

  “Are you okay, honey? Do you want me to get you something from the pharmacy?”

  “No, I’ll be fine. Nothing a good night’s sleep won’t fix. I could be coming down with the flu or something. I didn’t get a flu shot this year. Go ahead, you two, and have a fun night. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  “Well, no matter what, I had a great Valentine’s Day. I hope you did too, even though it was more of a family outing.”

  “It was nice. I hope you had fun today, Josh,” Sasha said, with a tired expression written across her face.

  “I did. Thanks Dad. Thanks Sasha.”

  “Okay, I’ll call you in the morning. Good night, honey.”

  “Good night, guys.”

  Chapter Thirty One

  The call from Josh’s attorney came in the third week of February. It wasn’t a surprised to hear the results were the same as before. Little Josh’s biological father was unknown.

  “The documents are drawn up and ready to present to Candy, right?” Josh asked. Today was a hot mess. He had four showings scattered throughout the day and his mind was going in a million directions. Little Josh was spending the day with Sasha and Kismet.

  “That’s right. When do you want to come in?”

  “As soon as possible, Stuart. To be honest, I’ve grown fond of the boy. I’ve talked this over with Sasha, and she’s on board too. I want to adopt Josh as long as Candy agrees that I’m not her meal ticket. Anything I save, spend, or give to Josh is between him and me. She has no say in it. She either moves to Tarrytown and I’ll help raise the boy, or she leaves me alone and goes back to Omaha.”

  “Yep. That’s pretty much how the papers are drawn up. I can fit you in on Wednesday at ten a.m. Give Candy a call. She has to sign the papers too, or it’s going to be null and void.”

  “I’ll make sure she’s there,” Josh said. He hung up from the call with his attorney, relieved again. She agrees to my plan, or she hits the road. It wouldn’t be a good life for Josh to go back to Omaha, but I’m not his dad. I can’t call the shots unless she lets me adopt him.

  Sasha’s bouts with nausea came and went. Every time she thought about making a doctor’s appointment, she would gradually feel better throughout the day. She blew it off as a late winter cold or flu bug. Sasha was determined to finish the library, but the paint smell made her sick. The woodwork needed to be sanded and varnished too.

  I’ll do the sanding. Josh can paint and varnish. Mia can lend a hand if she has time. The library has already taken way too long with the holidays. Now Candy has inserted herself in the mix again. “Hey Joshie, can you help me with some of this sanding? We can work for an hour, then take a long lunch break. We can even take Kismet for a little walk.”

  “Okay, but you have to show me how.”

  “No problem, honey, just watch what I do.”

  Josh’s phone call to Candy was tense, to say the least. He hated the drama, and the vibe she put out there, was toxic. She wasn’t looking for what was in little Josh’s best interest, only her own.

  “Well?” she asked, with a snippy attitude. The hotel room TV blared Judge Judy in the background.

  “Meet me at my attorney’s office Wednesday morning at ten o’clock. Don’t be late.”

  “What did he tell you?”

  “You’ll find out everything on Wednesday. Do you want to take little Josh out for lunch or dinner today?”

  “Are you coming along?”

  “No, I’m swamped. You haven’t seen him in three days. Do you want him today, or not?”

  “I’m good. I’ll take him Wednesday after the meeting with your attorney. W
here’s Joshie now?

  “He’s at Sasha’s house. They enjoy each other’s company.”

  “Oh, isn’t that nice? I think you should pick me up on Wednesday.”

  “Fine, I’ll be at your hotel by nine forty-five. Goodbye.” Josh knew the only way to be absolutely sure Candy would show up was to take her there himself.

  It was eight o’clock by the time Josh arrived at Sasha’s house. He found the three of them curled up, lying on the couch together, Kismet nestled beneath Josh’s chin. A new episode of Planet Earth played on TV. Two glasses of apple juice and a half eaten bowl of popcorn sat on the coffee table in front of them.

  Josh stood beneath the carved, maple archway that led to the living room and watched how peaceful they were. This is how life should be. They’re relaxed and happy. No drama, no stupid tablets, or Judge Judy. “Hey guys, it looks like you’re enjoying yourselves.”

  “Hi, Dad. We had the best day. Sasha and I worked on the house together. This place is so cool. It’s like a mansion, and Sasha even showed me the basement. I pretended it was a dungeon. It was neat, but scary. Now we’re watching Planet Earth. This one is about the Rocky Mountains and the animals that live there.”

  Sasha and Josh burst out laughing. Kismet yawned and walked to the end of the couch. She spun a few times, pawed at the cushion, and found a new spot to snooze on.

  “Sounds like you had quite a day helping Sasha.” Josh looked at her with a grin.

  “We had a wonderful day together. Josh even picked out his own bedroom for the nights he stays over. He helped me sand the woodwork in the library and we walked Kismet together. We had a lot of fun, didn’t we, Josh?”

  “For sure. Can I spend the night, Dad?”

  “Only if it’s okay with Sasha.”

  “Hmmm… you can on one condition. You have to bring me a glass of milk.”

  Josh bolted for the kitchen and carefully filled a glass of milk for Sasha.

  “Thank you, Josh.”

  “Does that mean I can stay?”

  “Yes, you can. Bedtime is nine o’clock though.”

  “Thanks, Sasha. Can I have a cookie? I saw some in the kitchen.”