The Twin

by Smokey Moment

  “George. How’s the family. Sorry I couldn’t make it to the funeral. I’m in Chicago right now. What’s going on?” he asked, his voice resonating through the speaker. “Need you to look into something,” George said. “Sure! What’s up.” George got up and shut his door. He spoke in a low tone in case anyone walked past his office. “Um. Listen…I’ve heard something and I need it verified. It’s possible that Noah was married. A woman named Bella Marie Bradley. I need you to look into it. Don’t make contact. Just let me know what you find out,” he said. “Wow. Ok. Sure. I’ll get right on it. Do you know if he had a prenup?” he asked. George sighed. “He’s not the type. The reason I suspect, that none of us knew about this. It looks like he did it spur of the moment. Just find out. She lives in either New York, Las Vegas or Manhattan where he died.”

  Niles laid in his old bedroom. He felt ill. Everything had crashed around him. Noah was dead. He had a hand in it. Their fight had his brother out of his element. They hadn’t had a physical fight since they were young teens. Niles looked at the huge, extravagant light fixture on the ceiling. His mother had changed his room, but it still felt familiar. He reminisced about the times shared. The many secrets discussed. The laughter and the tears. The many nights he and his twin talked. The nights Noah fell asleep at the foot of his bed when he feared the dark. Something that lasted until his pre-teen years.

  Niles closed his eyes. He could hear Noah’s last words. They cut deep. His brother loved him until the end. Niles was the oldest between them. He was Noah’s confidant and protector. He reflected on their lives. How Noah was the smarter and emotionally stronger one. And how Noah admired him for being the social whiz and the one who was popular with the ladies. He remembered the school days. How Noah would take tests for him. He made it through high school on the back of his twin. And when Noah came to him, asking for his help in getting a girl to go out with him, he didn’t hesitate. Niles smiled at thoughts of the past. Noah trusted him. Enough to bring him into his intimate situations. Bella wasn’t the first. But it was the first time he had fallen for the woman.

  Niles’ thoughts soon tuned to Bella. She was gone. He had drove to the condo the day before and gained entry. His heart dropped when he saw she had moved. There wasn’t a single item inside. As if she never lived there. In his panic, he drove to her boutique. A closed sign sat in the window. The shades drawn. He felt she had done it to throw him off. The boutique was everything to her. He didn’t see her just closing it. He planned on driving by every day. He had to see her. Explain what happened. Noah asked him to.

  It was one of his final requests. One of the last words to his brother before he died. He whispered to Niles as he lay in the ambulance. His voice growing weaker with each spoken word. A poignant moment so tender, the EMT was moved to tears. They were twins. Kindred spirits. It was not that surprising that they would love the same woman. A first true love for both. Niles reflected on the moment. The words and images. Graphic and painful. His eyes watered. He tried to fight the tears. But the weight of his sorrow won as his mind recaptured that last moment;

  Noah told his brother that it was okay for him to love Bella. That it was he who had her heart. He expressed sorrow at watching her slowly come apart, as she tried to make sense of it all. He confessed to watching her live in a state of confusion. And that he tried to provide what he thought she needed to compensate for his brother’s absence. Noah whispered his words as his body became weaker. Niles had to get closer to catch the last words he would ever hear his brother say. He listened intently. His eyes remaining closed. His heart pounding. He was losing his brother. And so, every word would mean something. Every feeling would be felt. Noah continued on, telling Niles how bad he felt for forcing him to end things. That he should have went home and left them in Vegas. He went on to tell him that he had a vision. That they would be together. And he saw children in their future. His last words were a request for his brother to pray for his soul. Niles shouted his name when the words stopped flowing. Unaware that Noah had slipped into a coma. He never spoke another word. And they would never see each other again.

  “Honey. Can I come in,” her mother asked, announcing herself. Bella had been sleeping at her parent’s home and hadn’t opened her shop in days. “Yeah mom,” she said. Connie opened the door and walked in. Their modest home, with its worn in furniture was a home filled with love. Bella needed their love in heavy doses. She was distraught but covering her feelings well. She decided not to tell them the sordid details of what had occurred. She wanted her parents to have good memories of Noah. He was a good man. And although she struggled to understand the details of what had transpired, it remained a fact that he had a good heart.

  “Oh. My back. Getting old is a bitch,” she said. Bella chuckled. She continued looking through merchandise to order for her online store. She had temporarily closed her boutique and was doing everything online. Connie wasn’t aware of the details of her daughters break up. Only that Noah had been killed in a car accident and Bella was strangely quiet about it all. “I made meat loaf. And your favorite garlic potatoes. Come eat,” she said. Bella continued scrolling. “Huh,” she said, missing her mother’s announcement. “I said I cooked meat loaf. You hungry?” she asked. “Oh no. Thanks mom. I have to get this order in if I want the fifteen percent discount.”

  Connie slowly got up holding her back. She looked good for a woman of a particular age. She was healthy except an occasional back ache and bad knees. “Ma. Can you close my door?” she asked. Connie smiled and closed the door behind her. Bella looked out the window. She didn’t want her mother to see her pain. Pain she was hiding. Her heart torn in half. Noah died the day of the fight. She blamed herself. He was fighting because he loved her and he was angry at her feelings for Niles. Bella thought back to the trip to Vegas. She believed she had pieced it together;

  It was Noah that approached me. I remember he was dressed casually. But then after the envelope incident, it was Niles that met me for dinner. That’s why he looked more polished. But then something happened. It was him I was with those first few weeks. But why? What I can’t figure is why he stayed with me so long. I’m sure Noah never came back in the picture until those last few weeks. When I first noticed the change. And I was already in love with Niles. That’s when I doubted myself. That when it felt different. And that’s when he proposed. It was Noah I married. It was never Niles again until recently. But why? Oh, it’s all so confusing. Where they sharing me? What the fuck!

  Bella looked at the clouds. The weather was perfect. She felt bad. She looked at the sky and said a quick prayer. She apologized for not opening the door. Not hearing him out. She wondered why the elaborate scheme. He had already met her. Maybe if Niles hadn’t come into her life, she would have fallen in love with him. The real him.

  But it was impossible to say. It was hard to picture loving him when her feelings were so intense for Niles. Bella wiped her tears. She sat up straight. Her feelings still too much to handle. She had gone to the funeral. Hid in the back amongst the hundreds of guests. She kept from Niles’ sight. And just before it ended, she left. Dark shades and a hat kept her safe from discovery. She couldn’t see Niles. It would hurt to look in his eyes. And she didn’t want to meet the family. The family that, according to Noah, would have given him such a hard time about marrying her.

  She saw them sitting in the front row. She stared at them. Imagined them to be loving, generous people. Their pain was difficult to watch. Niles never looked up. Bella watched the back of him. And as if he could feel her presence, he looked back several times in her direction. Bella believed Noah’s spirit was there. She felt it. And she found peace with her goodbye. She too had something to say. A final word. To say bye. To apologize for not being able to love him on the same level as she did his twin. And to let him know she forgave him for whatever happened that resulted in him stepping aside. She told him she regretted nothing. And she loved him in her own special way. Bella kept her eyes closed. Her h
ead down. Her hands interlocked. Niles being close made her calm. She was there to say her final words. It was an apology that had to be said. The words left her lips in a whisper soft voice as a tear fell from her eye. And after ending with the confirmation that she did in fact, love him, she walked out.

  Chapter ten

  Unapologetic

  “Is Mr. Langston in?” the distinguished gentleman asked. He stood before the receptionist in a navy pin stripped suit with a pink tie and matching handkerchief. He held an umbrella even though it had not rained. Only earlier reports of a possible storm had been reported. She imagined him to be a man who was always prepared for a storm.

  He was grayed throughout his beard and hair. His presence commanded respect. He looked like a man who started his day making decisions for the rest of the world. Faye smiled. “Which Mr. Langston. George or Niles?” she asked. “Oh. Sorry. I’m here to meet with George please,” he said, looking serious but managing to give a smile. Faye guessed him to be a lawyer. “One moment. Your name?” she asked. “Tell him its Milton.” Faye smiled. She remembered the name. He had been George’s lawyer for several years. This was his first time in their office. Faye wasn’t sure what type of lawyer he was. But it was obvious he wasn’t a corporate lawyer. She would have seen him sooner.

  Faye picked up the phone and called her boss. “Hi. A gentleman by the name of Milton is here to see you,” she said then hung up a few seconds later. “You can go right back. His office is at the end,” she pointed out. “Thank you.”

  “Milton,” George greeted, as he stood from his grand and stately desk and walked to him. He shook his hand and then closed the door. Niles walked by and saw his father’s door closed. He usually kept it open and so Niles immediately became curious. He walked to the front of the office. “Hey. Someone here meeting with my father?” he asked Faye. “Um yeah. A gentleman named Milton.” Niles was familiar with Milton. He was a family lawyer. He handled everything from money and property distribution, to divorces and custody rights. He was known for being the driving force behind a new law implemented giving a prenup more power in the city of New York. His tireless fighting made contesting one difficult.

  Milton had made headlines by helping a billionaire businessman keep most of his money after his divorce. False allegations and dirty tactics helped him win. The husband ended up paying his wife a small sum, keeping the majority of his wealth and properties. Soon Milton was in every rich, married man’s and woman’s contact list. Niles immediately wondered if something was amidst with his parents. George wasn’t always the happy faithful husbands he portrayed himself to be. He’d had an affair or two years prior when they were young. Niles remembered the fights that resulted. He would never forget the day Ingrid wiped her eyes when he entered the kitchen as a young boy. Her pain had him upset but Noah took it the hardest. He never forgave his father and it was the fuel that started the fire between father and son.

  Niles went to his father’s door. He stood there pretending to be interested in something on his phone while he listened to the men talk. If George was planning a divorce from his mother he wanted to know.

  “She’s not getting one dime of my money. This was her plan. To take my money. I’m not going to let her just run off into the sunset with millions of dollars and papers to my company,” George argued. “Calm down George. Let’s just talk to her. See where her head is at. Maybe get on good terms with her. Then you can state what you’re willing to give her. She will need some compensation. The courts will agree on that.” George paced. “I will not lose my company. She doesn’t exist. You hear me. I will not lose my assets.”

  Milton shook his head. “What would you like me to do? Right now, she’s laying low. But if you go after her it could piss her off. She’ll fight. And she’ll win George. You have to be ready to settle this. Before it gets messy.” George looked out to the traffic. He thought of his options. Unaware that Niles was listening to them. Unaware that Niles thought his father was talking about his mother.

  “Then draft something in case. One million. That’s it. Not a dime more. Otherwise she better be prepared to fight. And I fight dirty. That’s why I have you. Find out her weaknesses. I need to know what I’m up against.”

  Niles saw several of their employees approaching. He stepped from his father’s door and walked past them. “Hey Niles,” one of the men said. Niles nodded and went to his office. He shut his door then frantically tried to get his sister on the phone. “What the hell,” he said, as he tried to reach her. “Come on,” he said, as he grabbed his jacket. “Tell my father I had to make a run. I’m gone for the day. If he needs me, he can call.” Niles walked to valet and waited while they retrieved his car. A black Bentley he purchased for Noah just days before the Vegas trip. Noah drove it once and then stored it at the family home in the Hampton’s. Niles hit the freeway headed for the Upper East Side. Nicole was not picking up but he was sure she was there.

  “Nic. Damn. Can you answer just one call. Just one of them,” he said. “Look. I have one husband and his name is not Niles. Besides… I was resting. What is so urgent?” she said, as she shut her door. Nicole looked at him intensely. He had a look of terror. “What Niles. Why do you look like that? You’re scaring me. What,” she urged.

  “Pop is divorcing mom. He’s hired Milton to see if she’ll take one million dollars. One million. I swear if he gives my mother one million dollars of his hundred million fortune, I will never talk to him again. Never Nicole. Let me warn you now. I will disown him. One million! When he cheated. And its Milton Johnson. That shit ass attorney who fucks people over,” he fumed. “Wait Niles. Wait! Where did you get that from? He and mom were at dinner last night. They’re fine. They aren’t divorcing. Are you kidding me right now? Those two love birds. Get your head out your ass. Why would you say that?”

  Niles paced as he tried to remember pieces of the conversation. “Milton is at the office. I overheard him say not to piss her off. That she would win. That pop should settle before things get bad.” Nicole stared then looked down. Niles could see she was thinking. “Wait! No. No Niles. Oh my gosh,” she said, laughing at Niles’ absurd conclusion of what he overheard. “What?” he asked. Nicole wasn’t sure she should say anything. Her father wasn’t talking anymore. And if he hadn’t told Niles then it meant he didn’t want to. “They are fine Niles. You heard them wrong,” she said, as she turned and walked to her kitchen.

  “Why are you limping?” he said, after noticing Nicole moved strangely. Her body seemed to be moving slow and deliberate. “Nothing. I went to the gym. I’m achy,” she said. Hoping her brother wouldn’t pry. “Since when do you go to the gym Nicole. You weigh like a buck ten. Where is he?” he asked, storming away and walking through her house. “Niles!” she shouted. “Where is he Nicole. I swear. If he has hit you, I will break his jaw. Where is he?” he said, turning back around and walking past her up the stairs.

  “He’s not here. He left. We argued. It was me. Please Niles. It’s my fault. I hit him. I fell as I tried to fight him. I swear. It wasn’t him.” Niles got in his sister’s face. “How long has this been going on?” he asked. Nicole touched his hand then held it. “Please! He’s under a lot of stress. We’re ok now. He’s going through a lot but he’s getting better.” Niles paced then held his head and bent over as if he would throw up. He quickly raised back up.

  “Is that why he called off of work today. He wasn’t there. Is that why? Let me see your arm?” he said. Nicole teared up. She was black and blue. It was not for the faint at heart. Nicole had told part of the story. It was true when she said that she had hit him first. “Let me see Nic.”

  Nicole shook her head then rubbed her arm. She slowly pulled her sleeve down, revealing a battered and bruised arm. Her breast had a huge bruise on it. It was extensive looking. It appeared to be more than a fall, unless the fall was down a flight of stairs. But Nicole’s bruises were from a fall. A fall that resulted from Austin pushing her after she attacked him. She wa
s desperate not to get Niles involved. But he was involved. This was his sister and the only sibling he had left. Niles clenched his fist to control the fit of rage he felt at that moment. “I warned that muthafucka,” he said, as he walked quickly to the door.

  “Where are you going? Wait! Niles!” she shouted, as he left her house. Niles turned around and walked back on her porch and kissed her. “Don’t worry. I won’t hurt him. I promise.”

  N

  iles drove to two bars and a restaurant Austin was known to frequent, but was unable to find him. His phone rang. He saw it was Nicole calling him. “Yeah,” he answered. “Where are you? Are you looking for Austin?” she asked. Niles held the phone. “You promised. Go home,” she said. “Alright. I will leave it for now. But tell him I need to talk,” he said, as he drove on I86. “Talk. Just talk,” she said. “Yes,” he replied, still fuming.

  “Alright. But please control your anger. It’s not what you think. He didn’t hit me. He doesn’t just hit me. You know how I can get. I started it. But we’re in a better place now. He’s not the problem. He thinks he is but it’s me. I’m the problem.” Niles shook his head. It wasn’t over. He had plans to talk to Austin and get an understanding. He didn’t believe Nicole. She wasn’t violent. Something had her out of her element if she was. He still needed to talk to Austin. He was bringing out the worst in his sister. But Nicole was an adult and part of him wanted her to handle her own problems. “Ok. Love you. I expect a call from him Nic. By tomorrow.”