Broken (Endurance)

by Thomas, April

  Cressida jumped and turned to him, her red eyes wide with surprise. “Maxwell.” Relief softened her eyes and she leaned into him. "I'm so sorry. I know I’m late. I got wrapped up in this case." She swiped her hands across her cheeks, wiping away her tears.

  "You're upset and that’s understandable. It’s a wonder you made it here at all. He tilted her chin up so she would look him in the face. “How did the interview go?"

  "Oh, Maxwell, I can't do this. I can’t," Cressida cried. "This man is evil. Everything about him is just nasty and vile. I feel filthy just having been around him."

  Maxwell held her close. "I know this is hard for you."

  "No, you don't even know the half." Cressida pushed him away and started pacing before her fireplace.

  "What did you learn?" Maxwell said.

  Cressida stopped and rested her hand on the mantle. "My father lied to me. Blake requested me. He wanted me to be his lawyer and my father agreed."

  "What the hell are you telling me?" Maxwell said, walking towards her.

  "That's not all." Cressida took a deep breath and folded her arms across her chest. "The results of the DNA tests haven’t come back yet. Blake seems certain that it’s not his. He claims they are trying to pin cold cases on him."

  "Cressida, I can't believe..."

  "How do you think I feel? If those tests come back saying it's not his DNA, he is going to walk."

  Maxwell was speechless. Something just wasn't adding up. He could sense that Blake had a lot more tricks up his sleeves. It was times like this that he really missed his brother. Tamarius would be able to psychically see beyond the normal circumstances and relate back to him what was really going on. Well, he is only a phone call away, he thought as he pulled out his cell phone.

  Charleston Dash suddenly entered the room and Maxwell slipped his phone back into his pocket. He glanced at Cressida and could see the rage building. Her eyes were hard and her cheeks flamed with anger.

  Charleston looked over at Maxwell and smiled. "I'm sorry, I see you have a client." He turned to walk out of the door.

  "Why did you do it, Dad?" Cressida yelled.

  He stopped. His shoulders rose and fell on a heavy breath as he turned and re-entered the office. With a calm, deliberate motion he closed the door behind him.

  Maxwell suddenly felt out of place. "Do you want me to come back later?"

  "No, I'm going to need a friend." Cressida’s eyes remained on her father.

  "What are you talking about?" Charleston asked cautiously. "You are making a scene in front of your client."

  "I will be right outside when you need me." Maxwell walked out of the room, but stayed close.

  Cressida glared at her father with more hatred than she would have thought possible. Seeing the calm, serenity in his hypocritical eyes only enraged her more. "You knew I wouldn't take that case."

  "Is this the whole Blake Carter thing again? It's not a big deal."

  "Blake told me he’d requested me as his lawyer."

  "Are you going to listen to a crazy man?"

  "I know crazy when I see it, and he ain't crazy."

  "Look, we are lawyers and sometimes we have to defend the trash that no one else will. It's our job. If you can't handle that, then you’re not fit to be in this field!"

  "I have won more cases than I have lost. I know I'm a damn good lawyer and what makes me good at what I do is my instincts. That man is guilty. You know it. I know it. Everyone involved in this case knows it!"

  "So what!" Charleston yelled, his face growing crimson.

  "I want to know why my father lied to me," Cressida yelled back.

  "I refuse to be interrogated by my own daughter!" Charleston stormed out of her office and slammed the door behind him.

  Cressida grabbed a book off the mantle and sent it flying through the air where it slammed into the door behind her father. She stomped up and down the length of her office before breaking down again. Her knees crumbled and no longer held her weight as she slowly slid to the floor, crying. A few moments later Maxwell came back in. He helped her to her feet, grabbed her briefcase and purse, and walked her out of the office and brought her to his car.

  Offering no argument, Cressida sat and stared while he drove her to his home. On leaden legs, she dragged herself out of his car, Maxwell’s guiding hand barely enough to support her. A thick cloud of lethargy weighted on her as she followed him inside.

  Greeted by Mei’s grandmother, Lin Li, Cressida forced a smile. When dinner was served, Cressida leaned back in the dining room chair facing Maxwell and Lin Li. She was distracted and found it impossible to keep up with the conversation. Tidbits of information made it through her muddled thoughts. Lin had heard from Mei who was settling in nicely at college.

  Maxwell laughed to himself. He could feel the tension in his son’s voice.

  Winston came in to collect the empty dinner plates and paused over Cressida's plate. Realizing she’d barely touched her dinner, she smiled and nodded. The altercation with her father had all but extinguished her appetite. Over and over again, she sought other secrets her father may long have kept from her.

  "Come with me." Maxwell touched the back of her chair. Cressida slowly stood up as he pulled the chair from under her. “Excuse us, Lin.” He led her away from the table.

  Though unaware of the young woman’s problems, Lin felt the depth of sorrow Cressida carried, and empathized. One so young shouldn’t yet be burdened with such pain.

  Anna, one of the servants, walked into the dining room smiling at Lin. "Hello, darling. Your daughter and granddaughter are here to see you," she said. "Are you ready to see them? I can take you to the family room."

  "Yes." Lin Li nodded and set her napkin on the table. With her hands gingerly set within the confines of her wheelchair, she gestured to Anna she was ready to leave the table.

  Anna unlocked her wheelchair and rolled her away.

  Maxwell guided Cressida outside. He’d grabbed a blanket from the hall closet and now led her out to the nearby lake. “Here looks like a nice spot.” He spread the blanket out and gestured for her to sit down.

  "What is this all about?" Cressida struggled awkwardly as she tried to rid herself of her shoes.

  "Now, come here before you kill yourself, woman." Maxwell laughed. He reached for her hand, taking it with gentle authority as he helped her sit on the blanket.

  "Maxwell, you don't have to be so nice to me." Cressida looked at him with tired eyes and smiled.

  "No, but I want to." He leaned in to kiss her. He glided his hands along her thigh and down over her calf, slipping off one shoe, then the other. "When I’ve had a really bad day, I come out here and look at the stars. I can lay back and relax, let my mind clear so that I can figure out what's really going on."

  "It's beautiful out here." Cressida’s eyes narrowed as she looked over the smooth surface of the lake then settle back on her elbows.

  Maxwell stretched out beside her.

  "I just don't know how I’m going to make it through this case. It’s impossible. My God, if he goes free, how will I ever live with myself? There’s no winning this. Either way, I’m screwed. I can allow a guilty monster to walk the streets again and die of shame, or I can lose the case and say goodbye to my career. "

  Maxwell wanted to argue her last point, but kept quiet. She was too good a lawyer to lose her career over one lost case. Instead, he silently slipped his hand over hers and listened as she vented her frustrations. She was talking instead of just staring blankly into space. If nothing else, he’d helped her out of her stupor.

  "What kind of father does that to his daughter?” she was asking. “What kind of man can look at his little girl and so blatantly lie right there to her face? What else do you think he’s hiding from me?" She stopped for a moment and caught her breath.

  "What do you feel?"

  Cressida allowed her muscles to relax and she lay completely back on the blanket. "Maxwell, do you think my father made a deal
with Blake Carter?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "I don’t know exactly. I just don’t understand why he lied to me. There has to be more to it that just getting me to take this case. The only thing I can come up with is that he made a deal with this guy.” She stared at the stars, her gaze heavy and pensive. “My mom might know something."

  "Your brain is going a mile a minute." Maxwell chuckled and gave her hand a squeeze. "But you could be on to something. Someone made a deal with somebody."

  "Maxwell, I want to thank you for being so supportive. I really needed a friend today." She propped herself back up on her elbows.

  Maxwell turned to face her, his arm stiff as it held him just inches above her up turned face. "I don't want to be your friend." His voice was thicker and huskier than he’d intended.

  "What?" Her soft coo of surprise played with the curve of her lips.

  "You’re killing me with the 'F' word. One day I hope to be more than your friend."

  "You really feel... well… you know… this way for me?" she asked.

  "I’ve always liked you. I just didn't think that I was your type." Maxwell thought back to the first night he said these same words to her, remembering she had been drunk and unlikely to remember the entire night.

  "Why would you say that?"

  "I've seen the way you look at my brother," Maxwell confessed, hiding the jealous sarcasm that threatened to glide into his voice.

  "That was a long time ago and I'm passed that now. Look, I know when a guy is interested. Your brother wasn't into me. He liked me, but not in that way." Cressida smiled at Maxwell. "Did you ever think that maybe you were meant for someone else?"

  "Yeah, I have."

  "Look, we’ve both had some pretty crappy lovers in the past. We don't know where this may lead. So let’s just take one day at a time," Cressida said.

  "One day at a time, uh?" Maxwell said, pulling her close to kiss her. "I know what I want. Do you?"

  Parenting

  Max slept fitfully in his bed. He had been sleeping peacefully for the pass four hours, when he began to hear his son calling out to him. He opened his eyes and lay awake just staring up at the ceiling.

  He looked at his watch; it was after ten p.m. He sat up and swung his feet off the bed just as his roommate walked in.

  "Hey, you are?" his roommate asked, offering out his hand..

  "Oh, hey, I'm Max, Max Martinez." He shook his roommate’s hand.

  "My name is Samuel Peters."

  "Is this your first year here?" Max asked.

  "No, second. I love this school. We got many beautiful girls and they are all on our level, know what I mean?"

  Max just smiled as he stood up and stretched. "Do they have a gym around here?"

  "Yeah, right downstairs. I'll walk you there," Samuel offered.

  "Great, I'm in no mood to get lost," Max replied. "Let me just get cleaned up right quick." Max grabbed a shirt and walked into the bathroom to brush his teeth. A few minutes later he walked out, ready to go.

  "So you work out a lot?" Samuel asked, feeling intimidated by Max's height and build.

  "Yeah, everyone in my family works out a lot. I guess it's like a contagious disease. I got my wife into it, too." Max chuckled as they walked down the stairs and headed to the gym.

  "You’re married?" Samuel asked with feigned surprise.

  "Yep," Max replied with pride.

  "Wow. Wow. How, old are you?"

  "Twenty. Twenty-one by October."

  "Twenty. And how old is your wife?"

  "Twenty. We’re a few months apart"

  "Are you guys sure about what... Ah, I don't want to get all in your business." Samuel cut himself off realizing it was probably best not to ask too many questions so soon.

  "We know what we got ourselves into and getting married young, having a child young; it's rough, but worth it."

  "She sounds beautiful."

  "She is."

  "So, does she go here?"

  "Yeah." Max followed him around the corner and down the hall.

  "She sounds like a great catch."

  "She is beautiful inside and out."

  "What does she look like?" Despite his decision to curb the questions, he couldn’t resist.

  "She is exotic and all mine," Max warned.

  Samuel picked up on the possessive note that hung on Max’s statement. "Oh, I wouldn't want to cross you, man. I just want to make sure I don't hit in her." Samuel played it cool.

  "Fair enough," Max said with a wary smile.

  "Okay, so this is it," Samuel announced pushing a heavy door back.

  "Cool, thanks," Max said. With a cool and confident stride, he walked past him and set his headphones on as he headed straight to the treadmill.

  Samuel stood at the door a moment, wanting to talk some more. His hunger for Mei grew and his desire to know more about her was intense, almost desperate. He could force himself to work out, but wasn’t really into that kind of thing. "I’ll see you back at the dorm," he called out, waving at Max.

  Max waved back then concentrated on his work out. Samuel looked at his watch. It was late, but Samuel figured he would stay up and wait for Max to return. He was anxious to become friends with his new roommate. The more he knew about Max's exotic wife, the easier it would be to trap her. Samuel still didn't know her name and didn't want to ask, fearing Max would become too suspicious. He’d already become defensive quickly enough and it probably wouldn’t take much to send him on high alert. Samuel decided to play it safe. He had time after all. He went back to his dorm room and relaxed on his bed having no clue when he dosed off.

  ***

  Mei paced her dorm room, trying to console her son who was crying for his father. It broke her heart to see him so upset. She kissed his neck and rubbed his back as he cried. Soon she was crying along with him.

  "Baby, you are making Mommy sad," she whispered. She was tempted to go find Max, but she wanted to prove to herself she could handle the situation. Uriel was just used to being around both parents all the time. "This must be so weird for you, baby," she cooed.

  She sat down on the couch in the small living room of her dorm. She didn't want to disturb her roommate, but couldn't stop Uriel from crying and whining. She remembered something her grandmother had told her when Uriel was fussy one night. ”"If you don't relax, he won't relax.”

  Mei leaned back with Uriel lying on her chest. He looked exhausted. He cried and yawned at the same time. Mei smiled, took deep breaths and relaxed her mind. She began to see images of Max sitting beside them. He was rubbing Uriel's back and whispering soothing words. Before Mei realized what had happened, Uriel was fast asleep. Too afraid to wake him, she decided to remain where she was until he fell into a deep sleep.

  Morning came quickly. Mei was awakened by her roommate, Sandra Hall. She was a sophomore and loved the exotic college life at King Solomon.

  "Hey, Mei, you fell asleep on the couch with your baby."

  "Oh no," Mei said, slowly cradling his head and back as she sat up and lay Uriel down on the couch. Mei stood and stretched, rotating her neck and groaning at every pop and crack her neck made.

  "I can watch him if you want. My class won't start for another hour and a half. Go take a shower. I got him." Sandra was already seated on the couch next to Uriel.

  "Thank you so much," Mei ran off to the shower.

  Sandra watched Uriel sleep with utter amazement. He was adorable and she couldn’t help but wonder about the children in her future. Twenty minutes later when a knock sounded at the door, Sandra rushed to open it. She didn't want whoever it was to wake the baby. Watching a sleeping baby was easy, but she wasn't sure she could keep up with him when he was up and active. She opened the door and had to catch her breath as she faced a tall and incredibly handsome man with a Carmel complexion. He looked strong and powerful, in a tight t-shirt and snug fitting jeans. His eyes sparkled with intelligence and charm while his smile melted her heart in an instant.<
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  "Hello. Is Mei up?" Max asked.

  Figures, she thought, resisting the urge to glare up at the ceiling. "Actually she’s in the shower."

  "Daddy," Uriel said as he groggily made his way to the door.

  Max barged in and quickly apologized to Sandra who just had enough time to step out of the way. Smiling at the happy reunion, she closed the door.