This Time Forever

by Williams, Adrienne

  Elliott awoke the following morning at 10:00. It was 7:00 a.m. in California so he decided to call his parents. "Son, are you sure about all of this?" Elliott's dad, Benny and Lena were absolutely astounded at the news that had just been given to them by their son. "But, I don't understand why Renee didn't tell you, Elliott. I mean you two were so in love and the last time you two were over here together you both seemed so happy. Did she say what happened? Are you sure these are your kids, honey?" Elliott took a deep breath before he responded. "Well, Kayla is just like Renee, but Matthew looks exactly like me. There's no denying the fact that they're my kids. As far as any explanation from Renee, I don't want to hear it. I mean, what could she possibly say that would make any of this okay? " Benny said "Well, we're booking the next flight out there. You need us to help you sort this all out and we've got grandkids to meet." When Ben said the part about meeting the grandkids, his voice filled with excitement. Lena said "Well, you know we always wanted you to find the right woman and have children. So, now you have children and we have our grandchildren. " They spoke a while longer and Ben told Elliott that he would call him with their flight information.

  In the meantime, while Renee and Liza were on their way to Kayla's apartment, Renee's cell phone rang. Aunt Sophie, her dad's sister, called to let her know that Dennis had called her and told her about what was going on. Sophie asked her if she and the kids were okay and Renee said that everyone was fine. "Well, I'm sure Leonard and I will see you all soon, but if you need us before we see you, just call, okay?" "Thank you, Auntie. I will." By the end of their conversation, Liza was pulling her silver Mercedes into the parking lot of Kayla's apartment building. Before either of them could get out of the car, Kayla was standing in the doorway waiting for them. "Matt just left a few minutes ago, but he'll be back. He wanted to go home and shower and change clothes." Kayla offered to make omelets, but Liza and Renee were still full from the breakfast that Liza had made earlier. They all went into the brightly-lit living room and sat down. Kayla said "Mom, Matt and I were talking and we really need to meet Elliott on a more official basis. Do you know how to get in contact with him?" Before Renee could answer, Matt was walking into the living room. Liza kissed his face and Matt gave his mother a tight hug. "Matt, I was just asking mom if she had a way to contact Elliott so that we can meet him for lunch or dinner." Renee said "I don't have any contact information for him, but I'm sure we'll figure something out." Matt said "Look, mom, I don't know what happened with you and Elliott, but what I do know is that I don't want him coming here and trying to change things." Renee stated that she understood. "I don't think he wants to change anything. He just wants to know you." She sighed and said "I don't quite know where to begin. I always knew that one day I would have to explain about your dad, but I just didn't want to deal with it. And that was not fair to you or him." She explained to them about how she and Elliott really did love each other all those years ago. They had made plans to attend school in California and eventually get married and raise a family there. She discovered that she was pregnant and was actually excited about it. She had taken one of those home pregnancy tests and had gone to the doctor, who confirmed her pregnancy. Her doctor's office called her house to schedule her next OB appointment. Renee's mother, Maggie, intercepted the call from the OB's office. When Renee got home later that evening, Maggie was in full-on pissed off bitch mode. "How dare you do this to me! Running around here with that white boy. He don’t love you and he is not going to want a half-breed baby! How dumb can you be, Renee? All he wanted was to get into some black girl’s pants and you were just the fool to let him do it." Renee remembered all too well how Maggie had screamed at her and told her how horrible she was for getting all hot, bothered, and pregnant by a white boy that would never amount to anything and who was only with her because she was screwing him. Dennis tried to intervene, but when Maggie got an idea in her head, there was no reasoning with her. "Well, if you intend to stay pregnant, you can't stay here," Maggie told Renee. She would not have a 17-year-old pregnant girl living in her house. Renee pleaded with her not to send her away, that she was in love with Elliott and that he would be a good dad. Maggie wouldn't hear it. "You'll have to go stay with your aunt.” "With Aunt Reva?" Renee asked. Absolutely not. Reva was one of those people who loved to beat others up with the Bible. Dennis put his foot down and told Maggie that she was dead wrong for making Renee out to be some harlot just because she fell in love with a boy. He did agree that Renee would have to get away from Maggie and decided that he was going to take her to live with his sister, Sophie and her husband Leonard in New York. That still was not good enough for Maggie. To further humiliate Renee, she had her to call Elliott and tell him that she was leaving, that she had changed her mind about them and that going away would be good for them both. Renee could tell by the sound of Elliott's voice how hurt he was. She was hurting, too. She loved him and the baby she was carrying. She should have been happy and hopeful, but instead her mother had made her feel like less than nothing and had made her leave the person that she was sure was the one and only true love of her life.

  They all sat silently for quite some time after Renee finished explaining what happened. "So, mom," Kayla said, "Elliott never even knew about us? He didn't know you were pregnant? " Renee swallowed hard and nodded her head. Matt asked, "Well, how come you didn't tell him afterward? " Renee stood up and walked to the window and said "I did try to locate him once, but his mother told me that he had needed to get away and that I had hurt him when I left. They thought it best for me to stay out of the picture. After that, I guess I just found it too hard to keep trying." Liza stood up and asked if anybody wanted anything to eat or drink and offered to take them all out to lunch. No one was really hungry, but they did opt to go out for some fresh air and change of scenery. They stopped at an outdoor café for iced teas and brainstormed on ways for Matt and Kayla to officially meet their dad.

  Chapter 8

  When Elliott's parents arrived at JFK they could barely contain their excitement over meeting their grandchildren. Lena said "Elliott, have you spoken to them since Tuesday?" He replied that he had not seen or spoken to them. He did not have a phone number or address for them. The only way he was going to be able to get back in contact with them was to call Renee's office. "You mean you haven't called her to get their information?" Ben was surprised that his son had not been more diligent in getting Matt and Kayla's information. "I really don't want to deal with Renee right now. I know you are going to tell me to get over myself, but this is just all so messed up." Lena looked at her son and said, "Okay, well, we can think of something on our way to your house." Elliott was really relieved to have his parents here with him. He had been feeling so overwhelmed that he didn't know what to do. Here he was this hot-shot attorney, and he could not make a simple phone call, albeit to a woman whom he felt had really screwed him over, without his mommy and daddy. When they pulled into the driveway of his house, Elliott's parents commented on the beautiful neighborhood. "Yeah, it's really nice here. The outside of this place doesn't look like much, but wait until you see the inside. They all got out of the car, Ben and Elliott carrying the luggage while Lena prompted Elliott to hurry and let them into the house so she could see. When he opened the door, Ben and Lena were totally surprised at the exquisite interior of the house – the hardwood floors, the cabinetry, the window treatments. "Elliott, this place is absolutely beautiful!" Lena was going from room to room without Ben and her son, who were moving way too slow for her taste. Ben said "Lena, you've got to come and see the courtyard." She was absolutely taken away by the beautiful greenery and luscious scent of the flowers. "Well, no one could blame you if you decided to stay here," Ben joked as they walked into the living room. As Ben was preparing to sit on one of the plush comfortable living room chairs, he looked at Elliott and said "You know you're going to have to see Renee again so that you can see Kayla and Matthew." Lena sat next to Elliott on the couch and said "Yes, dear. I know it's
going to be difficult, but you have to see her at least once so that you can find out where they live. After that, you can see them and talk to them as much as you want without having to involve her." Elliott looked at his parents, took a deep breath and said "Yeah, I know. I'm just trying to . . . Ben interrupted Elliott and said "There is not going to be a perfect time to do it. You'll just have to go to her office and get their information. That's it. If it will help, your mom and I will go with you." Elliott knew that his parents were right. He also knew that they were eager to meet their grandchildren. "Okay," Elliott sighed, "I will call her at her office tomorrow morning to see if she can have them to meet me there."

  Chapter 9

  Liza drove Renee back to her high rise. Before leaving Liza made sure that Renee was okay and told her to call if she needed anything. "I'm better now. I guess the shock of it all is wearing off and now I have to deal with some things." Liza said "Okay, but just remember, we're here if you need us." They hugged and said their good-byes. After Liza left, Renee decided to check her email. Her long-time friend and business partner, Genieve Masters, had sent her a message. Genie had been out-of-town the day that Elliott came to the office. When she returned, she was quickly brought up to speed about what happened. "Oh, girl, I just don't even know what to say right now," Genie said as she took a sip of her coffee. Renee said "Yeah, well, I'm sure everyone in the office can't stop talking about it." "Yes," Genie said, "it has been the hot topic." Renee explained to her that she had find a way to connect Kayla and Matt with Elliott, but that she would be back in the office on Monday. "Well, that's fine, but really, you should take as much time as you need to get this sorted out, Renee." Renee let out a deep sigh and said "There is not very much left to do. I really need to just try to make things as right as I can, and try to return to some sense of normal, whatever that means." They talked on a bit longer before ending their conversation.

  Later that evening, while Renee was preparing dinner, her phone rang. "Hey," said Genie "Elliott called the office today a little while after we talked. He was asking for your phone number, but Naomi wouldn't give it to him, so he left his number for you to call him. Renee was silent for a moment and Geneva asked was she still there. "Yeah, I'm here. Okay, I'm ready." Genie gave Renee Elliott's phone number. After Renee hung up the phone, she sat at her kitchen table for a long while looking at the phone number that she had just written down. She wondered if she should call him or not. She finally came to the conclusion that she would call Kayla and Matt and give the number to them and they could contact him and make plans to meet. She would not have to be involved at all. "Hi Kay," Renee said. "Mom, I was just about to call you to . . . " Before she could finish, Renee said, "I have Elliott's phone number so that you and Matt can call him. Kayla said "Oh, how did you get his number?" Renee explained to her about how she came to have Elliott's number. Kayla let out a deep sigh and Renee asked if she was okay. "Yeah, I'm good, Mom. So, are you going to call him?" Renee replied immediately "No, you and your brother can call him to set up a time to get together. You can do that yourselves." Kayla was insistent, "But Mom, what if he . . . " "I'm sure he will be very glad to hear from you." They sat in silence for a moment before Kayla sighed and said "Well, I'm sure I will have to be the one to call him. Matt won't do it. He's still mad at him for yelling at you." Renee sat in silence for a moment, thinking about how horrible she felt and knowing that there was nothing that she could do to remedy the situation. "You need to hang up the phone from me and call Elliott," Renee finally said. "Okay, I don't know what to say to him, but I will think of something."

  Later that evening, as they sat in the back yard, Elliott was explaining to E about everything that had happened since he last saw him. "Man, this is all so crazy. I just can't imagine anything like that happening. I mean, how do you handle that? Coming here for some R and R and finding out that you have twins. So, what are you going to do now?" Elliott took another sip from his beer bottle and said, "Well, I have got to call their mom so that I can set up a time to meet with them, get to know them." Before E could respond, Elliott's cell phone rang. It was a number that he did not recognize so he let it go over to voicemail. As the two of them sat on the lawn furniture strategizing about how to make this meeting come about, Elliott's voicemail chime sounded. He held the phone to his ear and heard Kayla's voice stating that if he could, please call her so that they could meet somewhere for lunch or dinner. When Elliott told E that the call was from his daughter, he could not help but to smile. The reality was starting to set in with him and he was absolutely relishing in the fact that he has kids. He could hardly contain his excitement when he said "I've got to let mom and dad know that their granddaughter called." E chuckled and said "By the way, where are your parents, they didn't go back to California already, did they?" Elliott replied, "No, they're next door having dinner with the Dolans." Elliott and E walked a few steps in the warm night air to Sam and Carol's house. Carol answered the door and ushered Elliott and his friend to the living room where Sam, Ben, and Lena were laughing at some story that Sam was telling. Ben walked over to E and shook his hand. "It has been a long time. How have you been?" "Dr. James, it has been too long. I'm doing great." "E," Lena said as she and Carol walked over to the men, "it's so good to see you again after all these years." E hugged Lena and said "Mrs. James, you are even more beautiful than before." When he was younger, E had such a crush on Lena. She was so beautiful with her thick, curly afro, mahogany skin tone, brown eyes with thick lashes, and slender physique. To top it all off, she had the most beautiful and sensual African accent. He could certainly see why Elliott's dad was so in love with her. Even after all these years, Lena was still beautiful. Her dark skin was smooth and supple. The only thing that was different was that her thick, curly afro was now streaked with gray. Elliott told his parents that his daughter had called. As he had expected, they were absolutely thrilled and started asking him a million questions, when was he going to see them, where were they going to meet, was their mother coming along? Elliott told them that he had missed her earlier call but he had left a message for her to call him again. Sam and Carol watched the interaction and Carol said "Elliott, I didn't realize you have a wife and kids." Lena said, "Oh, it is a really long story, Carol. I'm not quite sure that Ben and I know all the details." Carol nodded and said "Call or come over any time."

  After they said their goodbyes to E, Sam and Carol, Elliott and h is parents walked back over to his house in silence. Once inside, Elliott dialed Kayla's number. She answered on the second ring. "Hi," she said. "Hello, Kayla," Elliott replied. "Thanks for returning my call. I'm calling to set up a time for lunch or dinner," she said rather formally. Elliott smiled and said, "The sooner, the better. How about lunch tomorrow." Without hesitation, Kayla agreed to meet her father for lunch the following day. "Will Matthew join us?" Kayla told him that she would be calling him to let him know about lunch, but she did not make any promises for her brother. "I will do my best to bring him along," she said. Elliott took a deep breath after the call with Kayla ended. Ben and Lena were sitting on the couch looking expectantly at Elliott. "So, you are going to see them tomorrow? That's perfect!" Lena all but squealed. "Do you suppose we can come along, Elliott? We can hardly wait to meet them. I mean, we don't want to overwhelm them or anything, we're just anxious to see them." Elliott said to both of his parents, "Let me call Kayla and let her know that you will be joining us tomorrow." Elliott called Kayla and told her that their grandparents wanted to meet for lunch as well. She said that would be great. Elliott asked her if she'd had a chance to speak with Matt about coming to lunch. "He wasn't home so I had to leave a message. He will probably call me back later tonight or early in the morning. " Elliott confirmed with Kayla once again the address to the restaurant before they ended their conversation.

  Matt carefully rolled out of bed so that he would not wake Victoria. He went into the kitchen to get a glass of water. As he was reaching for a glass out of the cabinet, he noted the b
linking light on his answering machine. Whenever Victoria spent the night with him, he always turned off his cell phone and turned the ringer off on his home phone. They did not want to be interrupted. Elliott played the message that Kayla had left for him. He stood there thinking for a minute before he called her. "Hey, so where is lunch tomorrow?" Kayla gave him the information and told him that Elliott's parents would be coming along as well. Elliott replied "One big happy family, huh?" Kayla did not respond to that comment and asked if he would be there. "Yeah, of course I'll be there. I'll even come by and pick you up." As they hung up the phone, Kayla breathed a sigh of relief that her brother would be there with her. They were just like all other brothers and sisters, sometimes getting on each other's nerves, but when it was all said and done, they would always be there for each other. As he was finishing his glass of water, Victoria padded her way into the kitchen and slipped her arms around his slim, well-toned waist. She looked sleepy/sexy with her dark brown hair disheveled and wearing one of Matt's T shirts. "Are you in here making dates with other women?" she teased. He turned to face her and said "I'm going to meet with Elliott and his parents tomorrow." Victoria looked at Matthew with concern and asked if he was okay. "I'm fine. It's just a little weird, that's all. It's kinda hard to explain." Victoria squeezed him to her and said, "Okay, baby. Do you need to talk?" Matt kissed Victoria's soft, full lips and said "I'm fine. Let's get you back to bed." Before she could respond, Matt picked her up over his shoulder and carried her back to his bedroom.

  The following morning, Matt woke up at 6:30. He got out of bed slowly, so as not to disturb Victoria, and went into the bathroom. The warm spray of water from the shower was relaxing, and he felt that he would definitely need a relaxing start to this particular day. When he finished his shower, Matt stepped out of the shower and looked at himself in the mirror. He was struck at how much he looked like Elliott. For so many years he wondered whether or not he resembled his father at all. He bore some resemblance to Renee, but now he knew for sure that he and his father shared an uncanny appearance. The only difference in their appearance was that Elliott's skin was white and Elliott's skin was the same rich pecan brown tone as Renee's. Elliott and Matthew had the same brown eyes, thick curly hair, and slim muscular build. Matt had been told from the time he was about sixteen that he was devilishly handsome, but he never really gave his looks a second thought, that is, until he finally saw Elliott that day in Renee's office. "Good morning," Victoria said sleepily as she padded her way into the bathroom. "Hey, babe. I didn't mean to wake you up," Matt said. "It's okay. It'll give me some extra time to get ready for work this morning." Matt pulled her close to him and said "Mmmm, are you going to come over here again tonight?" Victoria giggled and said "You know I have to make a good impression at work, right? We're working late tonight on a case, so I'll probably just go home afterward, but I'll call you." Matt gave her a little boy pouty face complete with bottom lip stuck out. Victoria stood on her tiptoes and kissed Matt's bottom lip and said "Now get outta here and let a girl get herself together."