The Twin

by Smokey Moment

  Niles switched gears. Something Nicole said before he became distracted. “Hey. So what were you going to say about dad?” he asked. “Oh. Um…” she hesitated. Their family was rocked by tragedy. And Niles was a level headed, strong man. Nicole decided to tell her brother. It couldn’t make things worse. And their father could stress to the point of needing intervention. So, she took a long deep breath.

  “Noah was…um, married. Did you know?” she asked. Niles nearly hit a car when she revealed it. He slowed down and looked back. The driver blew and he waved hoping that would serve as an apology. He had hoped to keep them from finding out. “Married?” he said, stalling. It was too late to hide it. He sighed. So much had occurred and it was silly to keep quiet on it. “Yeah. I knew. He wasn’t ready to tell you, mom or pop. And then he and pop were going through some things so he still wasn’t ready. You know how he is. Was…,” he said, becoming emotional about having to talk about his brother in a past tense. Nicole shook her head. Noah was private to a fault. Mostly because of their father’s need to control them.

  “Well. Dad knows. He is not happy to say the least. He wants to pay her off. It seems she may be entitled to Noah’s money and shares in the company. Dad is really worried about this woman. No one knows anything about her. He plans to drive to her business and make her an offer. Him and Milton. The two of them. Together! That poor woman. They are intimidating enough by themselves. But anyway, I hope she accepts it. The truth is we don’t need the headache. And if she fights and wins, we’ll have to buy her out. I don’t know. You know I never cared about money like that. I’ve had to pay off several husbands. But dad is losing it. He thinks Noah gave her his shares of the company. Dad said he told him once to give his shares to you and I. So, he believes he may have given them to her.”

  Niles wondered when they planned to see her. He hoped he had time to stop his father. With Milton at the office, it was possible that the meet was for that day. “Did he say when?” he asked. “He isn’t sure where she is. I don’t think they found her. I looked her up but I didn’t tell dad what I found. She has a store. But if I found it, so can Milton. It won’t be a secret for long. He’s not involving me anymore. I was surprised he told me what he has. Probably because I overheard when Steve told him at the funeral. He probably felt obligated to tell me something. Especially when I kept asking. I was afraid to tell you because you were still so upset. I was trying to handle it and let you grieve in peace. I’m not sure you should get involved Niles. I can talk to dad. Get him to take it easy on the woman. I mean, what do you want? Do you feel like dad does? Do you want her to end up with nothing? Have you met her?” Niles wasn’t ready to tell the story. He kept it a closely guarded secret. It was a scandalous tale that no one, not even his third times a charm married sister, would understand.

  “No. But I know about her. And yes, I think she should have whatever he gave her. And I have no problem telling pop that. So, let me handle it. You stay out of it.”

  A

  nother evening approached. The activity of the city streets had slowed. Niles walked through the door of his condominium. He had been gone so frequently that it didn’t feel like home anymore. He had just returned from the cemetery, placing fresh flowers at Noah’s grave. His large blue couch looked inviting. He looked around then sat on the edge. His once plush and comfortable surroundings now a lifeless, bottomless pit. His desires had shifted. He remembered when a woman didn’t hold so much value. When he dated for the sake of dating. All the while, convincing himself he was too good for anyone. Too special to get tied down. He wanted his options open. But more importantly, he wanted his freedom.

  His truth had changed. What he wanted, and what he felt were important, had shifted. Love was special. A woman was to be loved. Cherished. Protected. Allowed to be herself and be loved for who she was. Niles wondered what childish thoughts dwelled in his mind beforehand. He didn’t understand how he could have lived without it. He wanted to be tied down. He wanted the warmth and substance that came from a bond meant to be. But a lot had happened. Love shouldn’t result from the death of someone else you loved. Part of him wanted to move on. Remember what he shared with his brother. He wanted to keep Noah alive and well in his mind. And reflect on Bella for the sake of his heart. With her gone, he believed the powers had spoken. If it was meant, it would be.

  Niles went to his parent’s house. He needed to speak with his father. He was prepared to tell him everything. He was prepared to protect Bella. Noah had given him access to his accounts and named him beneficiary, long before the accident. And long before his marriage. But he had since closed the account and moved the funds into another account. A move designed to get the money in Bella’s hands. Niles walked into the estate. It was quiet. He walked room to room then ran up the staircase to the bedrooms. “Mom! Pop!” he shouted, as he walked down the hall. “Damn,” he blurted, as he went down the stairs and out the door.

  He was thinking of Bella non-stop and now he worried about her. Her presence in his life brought him value he would have overlooked. He was a man but now he was a better man. What was originally important, now not so much. And she was worth protecting. She wasn’t safe. George was nice, intelligent and personable. That is, until there was a looming threat. Niles believed his father capable of anything. His father would be seeking her out and that was not a good thing. She would be harassed. Intimidated. Stressed beyond her limits. His father had enough money to make her life miserable. Maybe even remove her permanently. He was sure his father was capable.

  But Niles believed Bella was still mourning his brother and had not gotten over what happened. As desperately as he wanted to see her, he feared her reaction. She had been through enough. And now his father wanted to make contact. And not in a good way. Niles was stressed all over again. Bella needed to be located. If his father had Milton on the case it was a matter of time before they would have everything down to her social security number. They probably knew where to find her. The problem was how would he get the information.

  His father had her wrong. She wasn’t about money and material things. Niles was aware that Noah down played their wealth. She had no idea. Niles thought of what he’d say if he saw her. His mind raced as he tried to think of a way to win her back. He hoped the time that passed had healed her enough to talk. Because there was a lot to say. He needed to reach her. George would not be satisfied unless he knew the future of his business was intact. And he was not exactly soft in his delivery.

  T

  he aroma of coffee greeted Nicole as she walked into her parent’s vast estate. The family German Shepard named Vida, came running. “Vida,” Nicole said, as she rubbed the dogs head. She bent down for a kiss then walked towards the back door. “Come on girl.” Vida wagged her tail in anticipation. Nicole let her out in their gated backyard and went looking for George. She was hoping to get an update. She stood in the doorway. She didn’t want to disturb him. He glanced up and smiled.

  “You can come in,” George said. “Hey dad,” she said, as she walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek. She sat on the couch next to him and watched as he turned his attention back towards the novel he was reading. She felt like a school girl getting ready to be given her monthly assignments. George looked over the rim of his eyeglasses as they sat perched low on the bridge of his nose. His daughter worried about him. And it showed.

  “How’s home life?” George asked. Her and Austin seemed to be doing good but he wanted to hear it from her. “Um…Good. You know me. As soon as I stop lashing out violently, we’ll be great,” she said nervously, looking up at her dad for his reaction. “Sweetheart, it will never be right if you resort to hitting him. He can’t erase what happened. he can only work to regain your loyalty. Give it the chance or leave. Fighting begets more fighting. Right?” he said.

  Nicole shook her head. Her father’s words sometimes made things clearer. “Yeah. We’re better. Niles wanted to kill him the other day. But they’ve talked. Niles was h
arsh. Poor Austin. He can’t catch a break. But he will. I’m over it. Anyway, what are you reading?” she asked. “The Song of the Sea.” Nicole smiled then continued petting Vida. George could tell she wanted something.

  “Something on your mind sweetheart?” he asked. “No. Well…Yes. It was just a bad day for me. Nothing went right. But I’m good now. What about you? Anything new?” she asked. George glanced in his book then closed it. He was on chapter five of The Songs of The Sea. The story about a man who loses his son to sharks after their boat capsized in the ocean far from land. The man wants to give up. He wants to die and ease the pain of his loss. But a vision keeps him strong. Memories and the imagined sound of his son’s voice, keeps him fighting.

  “I love that book. It’s about courage. Sacrifice. Honor. And second chances. I remember when you used to read it to me, Niles and Noah. You would tell us the importance behind the meaning of the book,” Nicole said. “Yes, I remember. The main point of the book is survival. That you have to press on and be ready for anything. You must know the enemy and outsmart him. Life is a fight. This book puts it in the worst-case scenario. A man on a boat. Who loses his son, then must outwit a shark. He lives to talk about his journey,” George said, his attention still on the book. Nicole was there against Niles advice. She ignored his request to stay out of talks about Bella. Nicole sensed he was fond of Bella. And she was aware of some of the past antics of her brothers when they were younger. If they were still switching roles, she wouldn’t be surprised.

  “Dad. I want to say something. Please hear me out. I know you are sending your lawyer to talk to Noah’s wife. I know Milton is prepared to instill fear and intimidation. Have you ever considered how he would feel? He married her for a reason. He wouldn’t want you to hurt her. If he was here, he would probably fight to protect her. There was a reason he didn’t tell any of us. Why can’t you let this go? Let her be? She has not surfaced. Not one peep. She is probably in pain. And she probably could care less about money. Don’t you think she deserves our respect. We should be reaching out to her. Showing her kindness. Showing her love. Not worried about money and anything owed to her.”

  George closed his book and sat it on the table beside him. He cleared his throat. He was a teacher of life. He always had a story. A solution. A plan. Nicole didn’t think she would be able to change his mind. But she promised Noah in prayer, that she would try.

  “I want to tell you a story,” he said, as he removed his eye glasses and looked at his daughter. Nicole looked her father in the eyes. She knew his stories well. She wondered what he would say. What story would he tell that would embody a plan to emotionally or physically annihilate an innocent woman. “Ok,” she said, as she turned her body slightly to face him.

  “There was once a man who had twenty apples. The world had less. Apples were scarce for a majority of the world. He cleaned and polished them, ready to turn a profit. He ate only a few, saving the majority for trade or to sell. He traded them for other types of food. For clothing. For shelter. For water. No one knew where he was getting the apples from. He had become quite the businessman, and had become quite wealthy. What no one knew was he had found an old apple and planted the seeds. The ground in which he planted them was ripe. The tree grew and was plentiful with fruit. It was his only tree. The only tree for hundreds of miles. One day a man found the tree and picked the fruit. He picked twenty one apples and ran away. The man found the gentleman and scolded him. He took the apples back but left him with one. Why did you leave me with one? asked the man. And he replied; because you can take the seeds and plant your own tree.

  “You see Nic. Life is about preserving what’s yours. And if you wish to be generous, you give one, and teach them how to produce more. I am not going to allow her to have twenty million dollars after being married to my son for a few months. What I will do, is give her one million and teach her how to make more. Do you understand?” he asked. Nicole looked away and sighed. “No dad, I don’t. But I guess you know what’s best. I have to go. Tell mom I stopped by.”

  G

  eorge sipped on tea as he watched the rain come down. He wondered why Nicole seemed so concerned about a woman she’d never met. She had her own problems to deal with. He planned to talk to her again later in the day after he had a conversation with Ingrid. He looked at his watch and took another sip then sat his cup down. He had an hour before his meeting with a new athletic wear company.

  They were looking to expand their portfolio with a struggling, smaller athletic company. George had an idea. He had found two up and coming foot wear companies whose last few quarters were weak. Reaching out to them and asking if they wanted to partner up to expand, may be successful. The owner of one of the companies was a twenty nine years old online marketing whiz and his college roommate. George expected them to be hungry for the opportunity to merge with a large successful competitor with similar styles and deeper pockets.

  Nicole sat in her car waiting on George to exit. She watched as her father left the home. She was parked down the street. “You owe me big time Niles. I feel horrible. I have never done such a thing. Why can’t you come here and do this yourself,” she complained to Niles over the phone. She watched George drive down the long driveway and turn onto their street. “Because I am in the office preparing for the same meeting he is coming here for. Just do it Nic. You know it’s the right thing to do. If I knew where she lived, I wouldn’t ask. How do you think I feel? But I have to find her. I have to keep her from their wrath,” he replied. ‘You know Niles…You never told me why this is so important to you. Please tell me you weren’t involved with her?” she asked.

  Niles paced his office. He held the phone. Nicole touched the corner of her eyes as she could feel a headache coming on. The silence was her answer. “Are you kidding me right now. She was married to him,” she shouted. “I can’t explain it. Yes, it shouldn’t have happened. But I don’t regret it. And Noah knew. I dated her first. But he saw her first and he wouldn’t move on. He had to have her. After I had been with her. Something we both just accepted. I tried to move on until he came to me. She wanted kids,” he said. Nicole thought she didn’t hear him correctly. Noah couldn’t have kids. “What do you mean. She didn’t know? And so, what? You were supposed to…No Niles…No! So what? Did she agree to get pregnant by you?” she asked. “No. Look, its complicated. But that’s why she’s gone now. She found out. Caught us arguing over it. The day he…,” he said before stopping. Nicole shed a tear. She was numb. Speechless. Noah had died out of anger at Niles and his wife.

  “Don’t ever tell ma or dad this. It would kill them. I’ll do this. Only because I believe he would want her to have his things. He wouldn’t want dad stressing her. And I tried to stop dad. He wouldn’t listen to me. He needs an intervention. Can you believe that when I tried to tell him he was wrong, he told me a story about apples. Apples! I can’t.”

  *****

  Vida barked as Nicole approached. “Damn dog. Shut up Vida!” she said, as she used her key to open the front door. Vida wagged her tail in anticipation of Nicole. She could never get enough of her. Nicole used to sleep with the dog in her bed before she got married and moved off the estate. But she was always running back. The huge ten thousand square foot home complete with a guest house was Nicole favorite place to run and mend her broken heart. A lot of her lovers criticized her for relying so much on her parents. But Nicole had a huge trust fund. She didn’t have to work. She had started receiving her five million a year and was earning money on it before the huge payout. Her father taught her well.

  She too was successful and invested some of it with the help of Noah. Their relationship had become strained due to squabbles over their parents ignored request for talks and what she viewed as disrespect from him. But eventually their tight bond won out and they had reconciled. But Noah still kept his personal life from everyone except Niles.

  Nicole walked through the foyer and down the hall. Vida ran in front of her, trying to engage
her in a game of chase or playful wrestling. “Vee. Calm down,” she said, as she walked towards George’s home office. Nicole walked in and immediately looked out the window to ensure her father did not turn back around. She felt like a spy from a James Bond movie, as she looked over writing scribbled on paper all over his desk.

  She sighed at the monumental task of deciphering the writing. George’s handwriting was not easily discernible. “What?” she said, as she tried to make out some of his notes. She continued to scan the desk calendar, trying to locate Bella’s name and address. She was sure he had it by now. He was talking like a man who had a winning hand. The whole apple story was dramatic. But it signified he was stacking chips. Nicole went left to right, reading notes until she stumbled across an address with the word boutique and a question mark. Nicole wondered if that was it. She called Niles.

  “Hey,” he anxiously answered. “Hey. There is an address here. Seven, zero, one, seven, Clairmont in Manhattan. No name,” she noted. Niles wasn’t sure. He was glad there was something. But there was no guarantee. That could be the address of a financial company. “Alright. I’ll check it out. I have no choice. It’s probably some company he plans to take over,” he said. “No. It’s a boutique,” she replied. “What! How do you know?” he asked. “Cause it says boutique underneath,” she replied. “Nic! Next time lead with that. That’s important. She owned a boutique.”

  Niles smiled. That was it. Had to be. Bella’s dream was to make her boutique successful. If she closed the other, surely, she opened another. “Thanks Nic. I owe you,” he said. “Yep. You do. Love you. Talk to you later.”