by M T Stone
“I don’t think Trey is weak. He just needs to find a good mentor.” I tell him, thinking about what an impact the right person could have on him. “He really misses his grand dad.”
“Now he was a good man, both him and Dad. Those two were best friends for most of their lives.” His expression suddenly sours and he drops the subject. “Well, we’re almost home,” he says fearing that any silence might bring on a follow up question.
I snicker to myself, wanting to ask him about Silvia. It would be fun to see how personal I could get before he figured out that Trey told me about the affair. But, that would be childish.
My mood dampens upon entering the house, as it is so deathly quiet and dark. “She’s resting,” Dad whispers, giving me a subdued smile. “I’ll get her up; you go put your stuff in your bedroom.”
I walk down the hallway and into my room, which hasn’t changed a bit since the last time I visited. In fact, it looks exactly the same as it did in high school. It’s a waste of space, but it is sort of comforting to know that I still have the room where I grew up. It’s a place to go if the worst-case scenario ever comes to pass. I wince at the thought of it.
“Amanda?” I hear Mom’s weak, raspy voice coming down the hallway.
“Hi, Mom!” I go out to greet her and lean down to give her a hug. “You look good,” I comment, relieved that she looks better than she sounds on the phone.
“Looks can be deceiving,” she grumbles, fidgeting in her wheel chair. “But I’m better than I was yesterday, I guess.”
“She’s had a lot of pain the past few weeks,” Dad adds, helping her to get comfortable. “Are you two hungry? I have a couple of steaks ready to go on the grill.”
“You two can have steak, I’ll just have one of my shakes,” Mom says, scrunching up her face.
“She can’t handle heavy meals,” Dad says, turning her chair toward the kitchen. “Do you still like steak, Amanda?”
“I still love steak. I don’t think that will ever change.” I sit down at the kitchen table excited that Mom and I will have a chance to talk while Dad grills the steaks.
“I never liked steak until your father started grilling,” Mom says with a sad, reflective look in her eyes. “He really is a good man, Amanda.”
Seeing the sincerity on her face, I nearly burst into tears. My tongue is tied and I have absolutely no response to that. Why did she have to open up with a line like that? I have been wrestling with my feelings ever since Dad picked me up. So far I’ve managed to remain cordial, but I’m not going to sit here and pretend that he has been a wonderful husband. My mind begins to churn as Mom leans forward, studying my expression.
“You know, don’t you?” she asks with a sad smile creeping across her lips.
“Know what?” I can’t understand how I am so transparent; I really need to work on my poker face.
“You get that from Ray. I can always tell what he is thinking before he says a word,” she says, setting her empty can on the table and moving her chair closer to me. “I’m sure you have noticed that I’m not the most loving person in the world.”
I can feel my mood lighten a bit as I nod my head in agreement. I have always loved Mom, especially after moving out here but I had often wondered if she actually loved Darla and me or simply tolerated us. It’s not that she was mean, but she just wasn’t very motherly.
“Well it’s been even worse for Ray,” she continues. “I honestly don’t have a romantic bone in my body and he has always been a man who has pretty strong needs, if you know what I mean.”
I can feel my cheeks getting warm listening to her discreetly talk about Dad’s sex drive. “You don’t have to explain anything to me, Mom.”
“Yes, I do. I want you to know the whole story.” She glances out the window to make sure that Dad is still occupied before continuing, “We used to have dinner with Victor and Silvia quite often when we lived in the city. But one evening I noticed the looks that your father was giving Silvia. I knew right then that he was in love, because it was written all over his face. I remember praying that Victor wouldn’t notice and he didn’t, but I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that something was going on between the two of them.”
“What did you do?” Now my cheeks are really getting warm! “Did you call him out on it?”
“No,” she smiles and shakes her head. “No, I was honestly a bit relieved. Victor was all business all of the time and Silvia was never one for spending time alone. I on the other hand loved my alone time, so I didn’t mind if he didn’t come home until after I had gone to bed.” She smiles again. “When we were first married I even tried to read some of those cheesy romance novels to figure out what I was missing.” She continues to shake her head from side to side. “I would cringe and roll my eyes until I finally decided that romance just wasn’t in my DNA. It happens I guess.” She shrugs her shoulders and looks out the window.
“So you never confronted him about it?”
“No. Everyone was happy, so I didn’t say a word,” she replies, looking down at her fingers which are busy doing circles around one another. “When the twins were born, Ray was a nervous wreck. He was probably worried that one of them would have that big old nose of his or his hazel eyes. That’s why he called you the other day. No one ever did a paternity test of any kind.”
“Well, he doesn’t have to worry anymore. Trey and I sent in DNA samples and we are not related. So that was a huge relief.”
“Good. He’s been nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof ever since you told him that you kinda liked the boy. I asked him several times what was wrong and he would simply say, I don’t like Amanda hanging around that Addison boy.” She giggles. “I would ask him why not and he would simply change the subject or give me a lame excuse.”
“So when did the affair end?”
“When Victor found out about it,” she says with a reflective look on her face. “He was rummaging through an old cedar chest one day and found a series of cards and letters from Ray. That was the day the whole world changed for all of us.”
“How long had they been seeing each other?” I ask, amazed to be having this conversation with Mom.
“For years.” She sighs. “I think that’s what hurt Victor so bad. Some of the cards and letters were from well before the boys were born, which made it all the worse. Silvia wanted to prove that the boys were his, but he didn’t allow them be tested. I don’t think he wanted to take that chance.”
“I can’t believe you all stayed married through something so traumatic,” I reply in amazement. “I don’t think I could’ve done it.”
“We all focused on you kids,” she says with a faint smile. “I hope you never have to make that kind of a choice.”
“Me too.” I rise up from my chair, lean over and give her a firm hug. “Thank you for being so selfless.”
Her eyes flutter as if there could possibly be a tear trapped somewhere inside. “I told him he could leave when you went off to school. Silvia was already divorced and I knew he would be happier back in New York.”
“Really? And he didn’t go?” I sit back down and pull my chair right up next to hers.
“No. He knew I wasn’t feeling well, so he wanted to stay and make sure I was okay,” she says with just a slight crackle in her voice. “A couple months later, I was diagnosed.”
“I see.” I place my hand on top of hers, stroking it gently. “I’m glad he stayed for you. I would have been so worried if you were here alone.”
“I told him that I could go live with my sister and brother in-law. They have a spare bedroom on the main floor.” She glances out the window after seeing some movement. “Okay, straighten up. He’s coming back in.”
I stand up and pull my chair back to the other side of the table, before excusing myself to the bathroom. I need a moment to myself before seeing him. I’m so glad she told me those things; otherwise I probably would’ve hated him forever. Maybe he is a decent man after all.
“Come and eat Am
anda, it’s getting cold,” he yells from the kitchen after a couple minutes have past.
I have to laugh when I walk back into the room to find a steak on a plate, along with a fork and a sharp knife. It’s definitely a man’s idea of a meal. Seeing my reaction, Mom teases him. “She probably would’ve liked a vegetable or at least a potato with it.” She narrows her eyes at Dad.
“I’m sorry, I’m still not the best cook. How about a slice of bread and some pickles,” he says with a laugh. “Pickles are packed with vitamins.”
“That will be fine.” I have to smile as he makes his way to the fridge and searches for the pickles.
“They are right in front of you, Ray,” Mom scoffs. “Right there on the left.”
“Damn guy vision.” Dad shakes his head and sets the pickles on the table. “It’s tough to get old.”
“You did the same damn thing when you were twenty-five,” Mom chides, giving him a crossways grin. “It seems to me that testosterone must be horrible for your eyesight.”
A smile creeps across my face as I listen to the banter between two of them. I can hear Trey and myself having a conversation like this someday. I wonder how things are going for him? I hope Tyler is doing better.
Trey
Walking into Tyler’s room, I am greeted by the rhythmic sound of a ventilator as well as the beeping and chirping of a machine that is monitoring all of his vitals in real-time. A blood pressure cuff begins to inflate and the machine does another series of beeps before his current blood pressure is displayed. Ninety-six over fifty eight displays on the screen. Wow, that seems pretty low.
I glance over at Vanessa who is sitting back in a chair with her eyes closed. I’m sure she hasn’t slept a wink all night, but she still looks good. I take a chair on the other side of Tyler’s bed and close my eyes as well. We have nothing but time to kill, so there is no reason to wake her.
“When did you get here?” she asks shortly after I nod off.
“Just a few minutes ago, I didn’t want to wake you.” I stand up to give her a hug.
“Your cologne drifted over and did that for you,” she teases. “Do you believe this shit?” she asks turning back toward Tyler.
“I don’t actually. What was the deal with the suicide note?”
“The police gave me a copy, if you want to read it,” she says, going over to retrieve it from her purse. “He basically admits to killing your dad.”
She hands me the note and I look down at what definitely does appear to be a suicide note written by him.
Vanessa, Mom and Trey,
I’m so sorry for what I have done.
At the time it seemed like the right thing to do.
But now that he’s gone I just can’t live with myself.
I’m sorry I won’t be there for you Vanessa.
Trey, I’m hoping you will be there for her.
Mom, I’m sorry for everything.
Love you all,
Tyler
As I read the short note, I try to picture Tyler saying these words but I honestly can’t make them fit. Nothing about it sounds like him. The handwriting looks similar to his, but the message seems completely off. I think back to the day of the funeral and his wild accusations. At the time I had a feeling that he was somehow deflecting the attention toward me, but I honestly don’t believe he could’ve done it.
“He didn’t do it.” Mom’s voice reappears from behind me. “Neither of my boys could be responsible for doing something so atrocious.” She pulls the note from my hand and studies it as if she was seeing it for the first time. “I told them to have an expert analyze this note. I’m sure they will find it’s a fake. There is no way my boy killed his father and then tried to take his own life. He had way too much to live for.” She burst into tears as she moves toward his bed. She takes his hand and lifts it to her heart. “I know you are still in there, baby. You pull through and I promise we will get all of this straightened out.”
I wrap my arm around Mom’s shoulders and give her a hug of support. “I agree with you, Mom. Something just isn’t right with all of this. I know he’s been unhappy and has been struggling with pain killers, but there is no way all of this can be true.”
Vanessa shifts her eyes toward me and nods her head, signaling for me to join her in the hallway. I give Mom a pat on the back and step back joining Vanessa outside the door.
“This is honestly the first thing that has made sense in the past month,” she whispers, her eyes pleading for someone to listen.
“I know you said he had been acting weird lately, but I guess I don’t really know what has been going on between you two,” I reply, searching her face for clues.
“He has been so angry and seemed as if he couldn’t stand to be in the same room with me. I tried to talk to him about it, but he would never come out and say what was bothering him. You know how he was, Trey.” She pulls me further down the corridor, away from Tyler’s doorway.
“I know, he never learned how to deal with his emotions. He has never let go of getting hurt and not being able to play college ball,” I say agreeably, wanting to see where the conversation was headed.
“He was livid with Victor for even considering Tommy as CEO of the company. He claimed to have some kind of proof that he was a fraud and that his companies were not as successful as he portrayed on his TV show.” She bites her top lip and suddenly looking as if she regrets sharing that with me. “I don’t know if that has anything to do with any of this, but he was really upset a couple days ago.”
“Yeah, Tommy tracked me down in Monaco to gloat about the fact that he will be the replacement CEO and that he will be controlling the voting rights on our company shares. I could see why that would send Tyler through the roof. He never liked Tommy much.”
“I know. I had a feeling when he left that something bad was going to happen. Somebody called his phone and within minutes they were having a vicious argument about Tommy. I tried to calm him down, but he pushed me aside and took it out into the hallway,” she explains slowly shaking her head from side to side and looking a bit dazed. “When it got quiet I went out to talk to him, but he was gone.”
“We need to find out who called him. Did you tell the police about the phone call?” I ask, eager to get their investigation headed in a new direction.
“No. I was still in shock when they were here, but I’ll call them in the morning.”
“Do you have their card? It’s still early enough to call now.” I glance at my watch to confirm the time. “For all we know, the guy could be packing up to leave the city.”
“I’ll get you their card,” she murmurs, turning back toward Tyler’s room.
“Wait, there is one other thing that’s been bugging me.” I move back in front of her and lower my voice. “On the voicemail he left me he said, that fucking Tommy, first Vanessa and now this. Right after that I heard him and his phone hit the floor. What did he mean by first Vanessa?”
Her eyes immediately dilate and the color drains from her face. “I… have no idea. Maybe because we dated in high school? I don’t know, Trey. He just hates Tommy,” she states coldly, turning back toward Tyler’s room.
Following her back to his room, I begin to realize that she is no longer the girl who I fell in love with years ago. Something has changed. I know she has had a tough time dealing with Tyler’s mood swings and addiction, but she hasn’t shed a single tear since I arrived. Mom on the other hand is a complete basket case. I need to send these two home to get some rest.
CHAPTER 8
T rey
After twenty minutes of sitting and listening to the life support system, I’m already regretting that I sent Mom and Vanessa home. Since hospitals make me uneasy, it’s not likely that I’ll get any sleep tonight. It’s a welcome distraction when a nurse comes through the door to check on him.
“Hi, I’m his twin brother, Trey,” I tell her while rising from the chair.
“Okay, you freaked me out for a second there. Yo
u two really look identical.” She giggles.
“How is he doing?” I ask, concerned that he hasn’t shown any signs of life.
“Well, they got him on Narcan as soon as they could, but it’s just a matter of how much damage had already been done. The neurologist said his EEG looked pretty good,” she replies while checking all of his stats. “His blood pressure is still creeping back toward normal.”
“Do people usually recover from something like this?” I ask, looking for a little reassurance. The fact that he hasn’t so much as flinched since I’ve arrived is giving me a sickening feeling.
“Well, considering he has brain function and his vitals are improving; I think he has a pretty good shot. The doctor should be in shortly; he can give you a better idea of what to expect.” She smiles politely and proceeds to write several things on his chart. “Is there anything I can get you?” she asks prior to leaving the room.
“No, I’m fine.”
“Well, there is a family lounge down at the end of the hall if you would like a cup of coffee or a snack,” she adds, before closing the door.
“Thanks.”
I turn to the bed and simply stare down at Tyler. Even though we have had our ups and downs, only someone who is a twin can understand the bond we share. I take his hand and lift it off the bed. It’s so freaky that his arm is completely lifeless.
“You and I still have a special connection, brother,” I tell him despite the fact that he undoubtedly can’t hear me. “When I saw those messages from you, I could feel that something was wrong. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to them right away. I just didn’t want to deal with any more bad news.”
My phone buzzes, so I pull it out and see it’s a text message from Mandy.
Mandy: How is everything?
Trey: Tyler is still unconscious, but they are hopeful.
Mandy: How about your Mom and Vanessa?
Trey: Mom was a basket case. I sent them both home for some sleep.
Mandy: So you are there alone?
