The Twin

by Smokey Moment

  Niles stood up and bent down to kiss Noah on his forehead. His clammy, cold skin a reminder that he had moved on from this life. Niles didn’t care. He needed to touch him. Noah appeared asleep. He looked remarkable for a man who had been pulled from a wreck. Niles stared at him. Noah was at peace. His last breath was intertwined with words of concern for his twin. Words of love and encouragement. Of sorrow and regret. Niles could recite every syllable. The warmth of his breath. A stark contrast to the coldness he now felt. He was thankful to have the precious time. He would have hated for Noah to have died alone. Weeping. Scared. Looking in the face of strangers. But Niles was there. They were always there for each other. He would never forget their last moment.

  “Sorry for your loss Mr. Langston,” the nurse said. They looked at each other. He waved then continued walking. He reached down in the brown bag the hospital handed George. He pulled out the watch. A leather and gold Breitling that was a gift from George. Niles pulled out the ring. He looked at it. He stopped at the elevator and pushed the button to go down as he stared at the ring. He slid it on his hand. He took the wallet out and put it in his back pocket. A tear rolled down his cheek. These were important belongings of his brothers’. Items that meant something to him.

  He didn’t care about cars. Or clothes. He wasn’t into houses and boats. He owned a boat that he had been on only four times. There were only a few things Noah held dearly. And although there was tension between him and George, the Breitling watch his father bought, was special. Purchased after George noticed him admiring it in a magazine. Niles chuckled at the thought. As much as Noah complained and pretended George was the bane of his existence, he wore the watch every day after receiving it. And the ring that symbolized his union to a woman he admired from day one. The tattered wallet that he refused to replace. All sentimental. Items Niles would cherish.

  T

  he phone rang again and again, it went unanswered. Niles tried calling Bella several more times as he walked out the hospital. He had been calling her since the accident happened. She refused to answer. Soon she texted him. A message that took what little piece of his heart he still had and ripped it to shreds. It read;

  Cops came by here to tell me. I know what happened. This hurts so bad. I don’t want to ignore your calls but I can’t talk. I can’t see you. Not after all of this. I know you’re hurting. I am too. This hurts bad. I pray that you will be ok. It doesn’t matter what happened. Whatever games you two were playing doesn’t matter. I just need to find the strength to move on. I wish you the best. Take care.

  The words were crushing. A mixture of sincerity, love sorrow and pain. The tone seemed distant. Not at all Bella. Niles sat with his hands in a tight fist. His pain rising to the surface. There were no breaks from the struggles of his soul. Niles wished he knew where she was. There was no game. Only the fact that she had stolen both he and his brother’s heart in one moment. He regretted nothing. It couldn’t end this way.

  He drove through rain. The weather seemed perfect for the weight of his heart. He tried more than a dozen times and sent text messages begging to see her. He wanted to tell her Noah’s last words. Bella never responded. It was over.

  T

  he drive to Westwood Estates was a sober one. The family had just come from making funeral arrangements. No one spoke. Nicole looked at her husband Austin. He kissed her forehead then looked out the window. He loved his wife. And he was grateful for his in-laws. He knew they initially didn’t care for the marriage. But they had taken him in. Loved him like a son and he felt bad for his cheating ways. Nicole deserved better. And he promised to be there. He was trying to win her trust. She appreciated the effort. She needed him now more than ever.

  She felt more than grief. She felt guilt. Noah was vocal in his feelings about how she told their father everything. Things he told her in secret. Things she promised not to divulge. Nicole had tremendous weight on her. Noah had died before she got a chance to tell him she had grown in more ways than one. That she no longer sought their father’s approval by outing what she knew of her brother’s. But it was too late. Nicole was an emotional wreck. She promised herself that she would do in his death what she had been unable to do while he was alive. Be there. And if there was any truth to him marrying, she would try to protect his wife from their father’s intrusion. But first she had to find out if there was any truth to it. “Dad. Austin and I want to stay at the house. Help out. Just until the funeral,” she said. “Sure baby.”

  “Mom. I’ll put on a pot of tea,” Nicole suggested as Ingrid stopped at the foyer and looked at herself in the mirror. “Thanks baby.” Ingrid was tired. There was a lot that went into planning a funeral. She would have to find the strength to make the arrangements. And she would need to do it alone. Nicole was a wreck. And she didn’t dare ask Niles. He was answering her calls but not answering her questions. He didn’t speak much, only to say he had made it back home.

  Nicole walked from the kitchen to the study. George sat in his chair looking over some accounts. “Hey dad,” she said, as she entered slowly. “Hey sweetheart,” he replied. Nicole walked over to some shelves. She smiled then teared up as she looked at several pictures of Noah. She picked up one. It was a photo of them as kids. She stared at him. His front tooth missing but otherwise a perfect smile. She reflected on his life. His constant strives for individuality. She wondered if he felt the need to set himself apart because he was a twin. He seemed to love it but at the same time, he always fought for his independence.

  “Feels like yesterday. I actually remember this,” she said. George smiled. Nicole sat it down and picked up another. After staring at several pictures, she walked over to George’s desk. “Pop. Why did you ask about a marriage? What made you say that? Did someone mention he had a wife?” she asked. George sat back in his chair and closed his laptop. “No. I just wondered because I saw a ring in the bag of personal items handed to me by the hospital. There’s a gold band in the bag. I wondered what you knew,” he said.

  “Nothing. He was private dad. Especially in his personal life.” George agreed. “It wouldn’t surprise me if he was. He felt things deeply. I can see him marrying someone. But if he did, then I need to find out. I had just sent a lot of money to his account. We’ll you know…You got one too. And it would be a shame if someone ran off with that money. Someone he had just met. He’s not married to Melanie. Or Gemma. I already inquired. So this would be someone new.”

  George looked off. “I want you to do some digging. See what you can find. He never owned a ring like that. I’ve never seen him in any jewelry except a watch. Use all our resources. If someone has married him and will be coming for money, I want to know before it hits,” he said. “Ok dad. Don’t worry. I’m resourceful. I can find a needle in a large haystack. I will turn over every rock,” she replied. “That’s my girl.”

  Nicole stood up and left to make her mother’s tea. She had her laptop. She was ready to dig. To search. Her father wanted to know specifically if his son had married and if so to who and when it happened. A short marriage could be fought. Especially if there were no children. Nicole hoped to find the answers. She knew her father well. He would want to pay her off and get rid of her. Anything to protect the family assets. Noah had his trust but he also had shares in his fathers’ company. All the Langston children did. And a wife would be entitled to them. She would have a huge twenty five percent stake. George was worried. And so was Nicole.

  But she wanted to find the woman first. See what type of person she was. And try to negotiate something to make all parties happy. Noah would want her too. Nicole thought if the wife would agree to hand over the shares in exchange for the money, then George would be happy. She didn’t see the woman walking away empty handed and Noah wouldn’t want her too. Nicole had it all planned and she hoped her father would let her handle it.

  “Hi honey. You ok. I know this is especially hard. But I’m here for you. You stick close to me. Everything will be ok,” Ingrid said,
as her son entered the house. She hadn’t seen her son in days. She assumed her was keeping his distance in order to heal from the tragedy. “Niles,” Nicole said, as she walked up and hugged her brother. “Hey,” Austin greeted, as he shook his brother in-laws hand. “Where’s pop?” he asked. “In his office,” Nicole replied. Niles walked alongside his mother as she tried to get him to express how he felt. They made small talk as they both headed to George’s home office. The funeral was in three hours and they were preparing themselves. “I need to talk to pop in private,” he said to Ingrid. Nicole and Austin walked back towards the family room. “Ok honey. Did you eat. You want something before we go?” she asked. “No mom. I’m good.”

  “Son,” George greeted. He stood up and hugged him. “It’s good to see you. Why haven’t you called me? Or your mother? She was worried sick,” he said. It had been four days. Niles spent the time buried in his sorrows. Something he needed to do alone. “Yeah. I know. I needed time to myself,” he replied, as he walked over to the couch and plopped down. George sat next to him. “You’re going to be ok. Time heals all. He was your twin. You two had a bond that not even we were part of. You’ll always have that,” he assured.

  Niles nodded. It was difficult to hear. To process. “Dad. I um…I can’t go to Dallas. I can’t even work. I need a few months,” he said, looking at his father. George had forgotten about the trip planned a month prior. One that involved them both going to the new location. George shook his head. “Of course son. Take your time. I knew you would need time off. I was going to suggest it. Take all the time you need.”

  George sat back. Niles could tell something else was on his mind. George cleared his throat. He thought there was a chance Niles knew. “Did your brother mention a woman he was involved with? A fiancé? A wife? He was wearing a wedding band,” he asked. Niles sat forward. “Um…wife? No? He didn’t mention anything,” he replied, as he rubbed his hands together.

  “I was wondering. But then again, after the breakup with Gemma, he vowed to your mother that he would never get so involved with a female again. I tried to get him hitched to the Hawthorne’s daughter but he wasn’t interested. I feel bad now. That’s when he pulled away from me. Your mother blame’s me. I know she does. It’s not my fault. I just wanted the best for him. For all my children. I try… Maybe too hard. I’m pushy,” he confessed, staring off as he gathered his thoughts. “But I can’t take it back. And I can’t tell him how sorry I am for trying to control his life,” he said. Niles hugged him.

  “He loved you pop. He looked up to you. Respected you. He just wanted to do his own thing. But I know he loved you. He just wanted to prove a point. He loved you so much that he never took off that watch you got him. Probably as a way of keeping you close to him. He found it hard to live by your rules. But that meant nothing to how he felt. He loved you. He told me he did. In the ambulance…He told me to tell you that,” he revealed. George wiped his tears. He smiled and looked off. He remembered the watch well. The only gift he ever gave his son that elicited a smile. “We should go. We need to get there early and greet the people coming to see him. I had no idea he knew so many people. Dave said we needed to have seating for three hundred guests. Niles smiled. “Yeah. At least that many.”

  “I’m so sorry for your loss,” the man said, as he walked past the family. He shook each Langston family members hand. Ingrid plastered on a smile as she greeted family and friends. This was the hardest day she ever experienced. She had lived a charmed life for many years. Nothing ever happened that she couldn’t deal with. But now her heart was broken.

  She looked at Niles. He was more broken. She looked at her daughter Nicole. She seemed to be coping better. She was emotionally strong when needed. Able to deal with devastation. She had seen more than her share. Her marriages and subsequent divorces had molded her into a woman who knew how to manage pain. And George was good at keeping busy. His way of coping with his loss. He went to his office the day after they returned from the hospital. He worked the entire eight hour shift and returned home with a bottle of Scotch. He had done that every day since. He wasn’t a drinker. She wondered how he would cope. She hadn’t seen him cry since that first day at the hospital. But he had cried. More than she knew.

  “Mr. Langston,” Dave greeted as he and Noah’s other friends stood together. “Hey Dave. Good to see you. Pete. Jason,” George said, shaking their hands as they walked past. Steven soon approached. By his side was his fiancé. They had met on the same trip Noah met Bella on. And she was the woman present, when Noah proposed. Dave and Niles walked away to talk old times and greet other people they knew. Steve smiled and extended his hand. “Hey Mr. Langston,” he said. “Steve. Long time. I thought you moved to California?” George inquired.

  “No. I decided not to. I moved to Las Vegas. Met my future wife and decided to stay there. This is Kelly. Kelly this is Noah’s father George Langston,” he introduced. “Hi. Nice to meet you,” Kelly replied. “So. You two are newlyweds. When? Noah never said anything about it,” George said. “Yes. We married right after he and Bella married. Where is she by the way. I was hoping to see her again,” Kelly chimed in.

  George looked as if he’d seen a ghost. Nicole stood with her mouth slightly open, unable to process what she had just heard the woman say. She found nothing on her search of her own brother. And yet a complete stranger, knew something that they should have been aware of, as a family. “Excuse me,” George said. Kelly’s smile turned to a blank stare. Steve sighed.

  “Oh. I’m sorry. You don’t know Bella?” she asked. “No. Should I?” he asked, as he checked to see if Ingrid heard them. Ingrid was busy shaking hands and greeting people. And Niles was talking with Noah’s college buddies. George stepped away the news to himself. His family was in enough shock. Nicole had already heard but she saw her father wanted to speak to them alone and so she stayed back as they walked a few feet away.

  “You want to tell me what’s going on?” George asked Steve. Kelly was upset and decided to keep quiet. This was her husband’s friends. She had revealed something that was obviously a well-kept secret. They had been married for months.

  “Mr. Langston. I thought he would have told you by now. Yes. He had gotten married. Around his birthday. The trip we went on. He’d met a woman and fell hard for her. They married a month later. I’m sorry this is your first time hearing about this.” George grit his teeth. His intuition was right all along. The band he saw was no casual band. It symbolized a union.

  “Did our lawyer attend? Please tell me he protected his assets? My assets?” he asked. Steve felt in the middle. He was uncomfortable. He was aware of the tension between father and son. And he was sure Noah would not want him to reveal anything. He had said enough. But this question was crossing the line. And he didn’t know the answer.

  “I don’t know Mr. Langston. I’m sorry. I hate to rush off but I have somewhere to be. I wish I knew more. He was busy. I hadn’t seen him as much. I’ll stop by. We can talk then.” Steve tried to walk away. He had said as much as he was prepared to. His friend was living a double life. The walls were closing in. And he was aware of Noah’s need to stay private. Steve turned to walk away and George touched his arm.

  “One more thing Steve. What’s her name? Her full name?” he asked. Steve hesitated. He remembered her name. Noah got down on one knee and said it when he proposed. But he wondered if he should reveal it. The damage was done. His new wife Kelly had no idea when she blurted it out. And neither did he. He never imagined that the family still had no idea of the marriage. But Noah was gone. And the family would need closure. They would want to meet her.

  “Her name is Bella Marie Bradley.” George looked at his family. “Does anyone in my family know this? Does Niles know?” he asked. George knew Ingrid had no idea and Nicole had already tried to verify it. She had come up empty. Niles was the wild card. It was his twin. George wondered how much he was hiding. And why. If he knew, he had a reason not divulging it. “I’m not sure
sir,” Steven replied.

  The family returned home and Niles immediately went to his old bedroom. George wondered what he knew. He watched him jog up the spiral staircase. Ingrid approached from behind. “You ok hun. How about some coffee?” she asked. “Sure.”

  George went into his office. He doubted Niles knew. He was sure his son would have said something. Niles was not secretive. He talked to him about things. The aroma of dark roast made its way into his office. He could hear Ingrid shut the cabinet. He needed coffee. He was tired and he needed help maintaining his focus. A pressing matter consumed him. George picked up the phone and called his lawyer. He sat down and waited for his attorney to pick up. He was nervous. He tapped his finger on the desk. He took in a deep breath and exhaled. Milton Johnson Esq. wasn’t picking up and this was important. George listened to the voice mail recording and left a message. “Hey Milton. This is George Langston. Call me back when you get this message.”

  George smiled as his wife entered carrying a cup of coffee on a saucer. She placed it in front of him. He touched her hand. “You ok. You’ve been constantly trying to stay busy. Why don’t you relax?” he said. Ingrid nodded. “Yes. It helps to stay busy. But I’m tired. I’ll relax.” George’s phone rang. He perked up when he saw it was Milton returning his call. “I’m sorry sweetheart. I have to take this,” he said, as he answered. Ingrid walked out and went back to the kitchen. Nicole stood on the outside of her father’s office. She was on heightened alert. She worried that her father would stress himself into an early grave. She wanted to handle things. He had already had a medical scare the previous year. And doctors tied it to stress. This was the last thing he needed. To be worried about some woman trying to cash in on shares of his company. Or suing them in court. Twenty five percent plus whatever Noah had saved, was a pretty penny. Enough to stress her aging father out. But she had a promise to Noah as well. One said in prayer since she never got a chance to speak to him.