by Tina Martin
And then came the loud slam that made people in the hallway of the corporate office building look at him.
Dilvan could care less. He had a plan and he would stick to it no matter what Dr. Nash or anybody else had to say. He jumped in the driver seat of his silver Maserati and sped off like he was doing laps at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. He had no fear, no concern for the law or anything a measly doctor had to say. He would do whatever he wanted and whoever had a problem with it, well, that was their problem. Not his.
Chapter 7
Beatrice was busy in the kitchen cooking when she head Dilvan come in the front door.
“Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes, Dilvan,” she shouted from the kitchen loud enough for him to hear her.
Dilvan sauntered to the kitchen with his hands in his pockets and said, “Thanks, Beatrice. I’m going to run upstairs and change clothes.”
“Yeah...you have to get good and comfortable for a meal like this.”
Dilvan shot her a half smile then walked away. He jogged upstairs to his bedroom, hearing his cell phone beep shortly thereafter. It was his mother.
He sighed. What did she want? This was the second time she’d called today, so it must’ve been important. Well important for her at least.
“Hello, Mother,” he answered in a banausic tone.
“Hi, son. How are you?”
“Well as can be. I trust you are the same.”
“I am. Listen...I need to speak with you.”
He smirked. “We’re doing that now. Are we not, Mother?”
“In person, Dilvan. Face-to-face.”
“Why can’t we talk about whatever it is you want to discuss right now?”
“Because this is not something to discuss over the phone.”
Dilvan sighed and loosened his necktie. “So when do you want to meet?”
“Well, we’re busy planning Gabrielle’s baby shower this weekend, so—”
“Yeah. Thanks for rubbing that in my face.”
“Dilvan, I’m not rubbing anything in your face. I simply mentioned—”
“I don’t care, okay!” he snapped. “Now when do you want to meet before I hang up this phone?”
Tears formed in Padma’s eyes. What had she done to Dilvan for him to turn out this way? She inhaled a deep breath and said, “Sunday evening. Will that work?”
“As long as it works for you, Mother,” he said acrimoniously.
“Alright. I’ll stop by around six.”
“Yeah. Six.” He hung up the phone and finished changing out of his suit.
* * *
At dinner, Dilvan and Beatrice sat at the massive twelve-chair dinette that took up the greater portion of his dining room. An exquisite chandelier hung from the ceiling, centered with the table, but still the room felt dark. Gloomy. Empty. Cold.
Dilvan forced himself to eat. He hadn’t had much of an appetite these days and as he raked around rice and curried chicken, shrimp and veggies in his plate, he thought about the therapy session with Dr. Nash. During therapy, all he could talk about was the baby. Gabrielle’s baby.
Dr. Nash strongly advised him against doing such, calling his behavior selfish and irrational, adjectives that didn’t sit well with him. He stayed even after that, though, still telling her of his plan, but then she called him a loose cannon...said he needed some pills to calm himself down and Dilvan had heard enough. He picked up a vase from the table and threw it across the room. Since she’d called him a loose cannon, he figured he’d behave like one.
Beatrice observed Dilvan as he sat still, seemingly daydreaming and in a trance. She knew he was going through it. In some way, everyone was fighting a battle. Some battles turned into wars. Others, reverted into small, resolvable conflicts. Dilvan’s battle, however, seemed to have been getting the best of him. That was too bad, because Beatrice had seen changes in him, seen his struggle to improve his life, his behavior and treatment of others, but when it came to Gabrielle, he couldn’t let go.
“Dilvan, are you okay?” she finally decided to ask.
He met her gaze. “I’m good, Beatrice.” He took a sip of water. “I take it you’ve received an invite to the baby shower,” he decided to ask.
“Yes, I have.”
“Are you going?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’m happy for Gabrielle and Tyson.”
Dilvan grimaced. Gabrielle and Tyson. He didn’t like the sound of their name together as much as he didn’t like Tyson. He was seriously considering crashing the baby shower and announcing to all the guests present that Gabrielle was carrying his baby instead of Tyson’s. That was sure to ruffle Tyson’s feathers and throw a wrench in their seemingly perfect marriage. If he could plant some doubt in Tyson’s mind, then maybe that would open up the door for him to get back with Gabrielle. The thought of it made an evil smile touch his lips.
“I bought the baby the cutest lil’ outfit,” Beatrice said.
Dilvan hadn’t heard a word Beatrice had said. Dilvan’s evil thoughts had him envisioning Tyson and Gabrielle sitting in front of their friends and family, opening gifts, looking like the perfect, happy couple.
“Your mind is gone, Dilvan.”
He flashed a fake smile and laughed. “Beatrice, I have so much on my mind these days...it’s a wonder my head doesn’t explode.”
“Life gets us like that sometimes, now don’t it?”
“Yes, ma’am. Sometimes, though, I think it’s much more than I can handle.”
“You can handle it. You just have to stop causing unnecessary burdens for yourself, Dilvan.”
“Meaning?”
Beatrice took out a white handkerchief and dabbed her forehead. “Now, Dilvan, I know you been working hard to become a better person. Even if no one else knows it, I know. But guess what I also know?”
“What’s that, Beatrice?”
“I know that you’re still infatuated with Gabrielle.”
Dilvan frowned, then as fast as he’d frowned, he replaced it with a wide smile. “I’m not infatuated with her. Why would you think that? It’s not like I talk about Gabrielle with you.”
“You don’t have to. Remember when you threw that party over here...the same party where Tyson announced that he and Gabrielle were expecting?”
“Yeah. How can I forget that?”
“Well, while everyone was looking at them, I was looking at you. You had the weirdest look on your face...like you knew it was over for good...you knew you had no chance of getting her back. You knew the baby would hold them together forever and you’d never get the opportunity to get Gabrielle back.”
Dilvan erupted in laughter. “That’s not the look I had at all.”
“It was. I saw it, Dilvan.”
“Then you saw wrong, Beatrice.”
“So are you telling me you won’t jealous of them at all?”
“Yep. That’s what I’m telling you. The look I had on my face was one of intrigue.”
“How so?”
“Well, while you guys were celebrating, I was wondering if the baby was really Tyson’s.
Beatrice frowned. “I beg your pardon?”
“I said I was wondering if the baby is Tyson’s, especially since there is a possibility that it could be mine.”
Beatrice’s frown intensified. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying? That you and Gabrielle—”
A wicked smile touched his lips. “How else could she be pregnant with my baby if we didn’t sleep together?”
Chapter 8
Padma emerged from her car in tears. She walked up to the front door of her house and once she entered, she headed straight for the bedroom, sobbing. Dilvan was in trouble. He needed help. She knew that and accepted it now. If only she had accepted it before.
When Dilvan was sixteen, he was getting in all kinds of fights in high school. It seemed every week, he was involved in an altercation of some sort. The school guidance counselor had recommended to Padma that Dilvan see a do
ctor, but Padma refused. There was nothing wrong with her son, she had told the counselor. As the old saying went...boys will be boys and if she couldn’t pin his behavior on that adage, she easily found someone else to blame. There was always a reason why Dilvan had reacted the way he did and no one could fully hold him accountable for anything.
The truth that she tried her hardest to avoid was that Dilvan had a problem, a condition, a disorder, the same disorder that she had – bipolar disorder.
She was in her twenties when she’d been diagnosed with the condition. But thanks to early detection, she was able to get medication for it – medication that she took daily. Medicine that stabilized her enough so that she could still live a happy, fulfilling life. She never told anyone she had it. Her husband didn’t even know she was bipolar. She’d been hiding it from him, ashamed of what he would think of her. The last thing she wanted was to be labeled as crazy. That’s precisely how everyone was viewing Dilvan right about now. Crazy.
She dabbed her eyes. What had she done? In hindsight, she knew she should’ve taken Dilvan to the doctor, got him the proper treatment, but she figured if he lived a charmed life, if she gave him everything he wanted, if she made his life pleasant so that he had no worries, he would not be affected by the disorder. He’d be happy that life for him was easy. That he had money and privilege. Her plan, however had backfired. She made him worse.
She shook her head. How had she passed this illness down to Dilvan. Heshan didn’t have it. Prasad didn’t have it. So why did Dilvan have it? And to make matters worse, it was her fault because he’d inherited it directly from her.
Padma dialed her husband’s number. It was time to come clean with a secret that she’d kept from him for decades. Dilvan needed help, and since he listened to his father more than he’d ever listened to anyone else, maybe if Colin told him to go see a doctor, he would actually take the advice. If Colin couldn’t help him, then it was too late for anyone to help him.
“Hey, honey,” Colin answered. “How’s baby shower planning going?”
Padma sniffled. “Colin, I need you to come home.”
“Dear, are you crying?” Colin asked, concerned. He’d been in New York for the last two weeks.
Padma whimpered and sniffled. “Dilvan needs your help. He’s losing it, Colin and if we don’t help him, we’re going to lose our son.”
“Sweetie, wait,” Colin said. He stood up and shut to the door to his office. “Okay, now tell me what’s going on.”
Padma dabbed her red nose with a Kleenex and said, “First, I have to tell you something about myself...something I’ve been hiding from you.”
“What is it, sweetheart?”
“I have a condition,” she confessed.
“A condition?”
“Yes. I have bipolar disorder.”
“That’s what has you so upset?”
“Yes, because I know Dilvan has it too. That’s why he’s been behaving the way that he does and—”
“Dear, let me stop you right here for a moment. Now, I knew you had bipolar disorder already.”
“You did?”
“Of course I did. We’ve been married far too long to have secrets. I saw you medicine bottle a long time ago when you had me get something from your purse. Years ago.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I figured you didn’t want me to know, so I pretended I didn’t know. Either way it goes, I still love you and will always love you. No matter what, you’ll always be my lovely, sweet Padma...the women I vowed to love forever and I will love you forever.”
“Oh, Colin,” Padma said, dabbing her eyes. “I love you, too.” She sighed in relief and said, “Now, we have to help Dilvan. I’ve suspected he’s had bipolar for some time now but I never said anything.”
“Tell me what’s going on with Dilvan.”
“I just got off the phone with him. He was so rude and short with me.”
“Oh, I’ll take care of that right now,” Colin said.
“No, honey. The last thing he needs is a scolding from you. He needs help...mental health. He needs proper medication. He’s fixated on Gabrielle and—”
“Gosh...Gabrielle again? I had the Gabrielle-talk with him. I told him to leave her alone.”
“Well, it didn’t work. Now, he seems to be upset about the baby shower, and then there’s another matter...”
“What’s that?”
“I think he may have...” Padma’s lips trembled. More tears fell from her eyes. “I think he may have drugged her and...oh my gosh,” she cried.
“You think Dilvan would do something like that? Our Dilvan?”
“Yes. I know Dilvan would do something like that. When he was with Gabrielle, he did the same thing. Why do you think I removed Gabrielle from that situation? Dilvan was horrible to her and now, he’s obsessed with her. He won’t leave her alone. And to think that Gabrielle might be pregnant with his baby instead of Tyson’s...Tyson has no idea any of this is going on. It’s a mess, Colin.”
Colin sighed. “I don’t believe this,” he said. “Who else knows about this?”
“Well, Lalita knows. She’s the one who brought it to me.”
“No one else knows?”
“No, not that I’m aware of. I’m not sure what Dilvan is telling Beatrice these days. She may know something. What are we going to do, Colin?”
“Well, let’s just keep this thing at bay for now. Wait until the family leaves then we can address it after the baby shower.”
“I agree. I had already told Dilvan that I was coming over to his house Sunday evening to talk. I didn’t tell him what it was about, though.”
“Okay. I’ll try my best to be there. If I can’t get there in time, I don’t want you to go, okay? We need to take care of this together.”
“Okay, honey.”
“Now listen...I don’t want you stressed out, so please just relax, darling. As far as we know, Dilvan could be making up this stuff about being the baby’s father just to get back at Tyson, you know, especially if he’s as obsessed with Gabrielle as you think he is?”
“Yeah, that could be.”
“Still, we need to get the boy some help and we’ll do that promptly after the baby shower, okay. We don’t need to drag the family into this.”
Padma nodded. “I agree. Well, I’m going to get back to planning.”
“Okay, dear. Talk to you soon.”
Chapter 9
“Hey, ladies,” Tyson said when he arrived home. He saw Gabrielle and Tamera sitting on the couch.
“Hey, Tyson,” Tamera said, standing to give her brother a hug. “You always have a smell that makes me want some dessert.”
He smirked. “Comes with the profession, baby sis.”
Tyson was happy to see his sister, but he was even more elated to lay eyes on his woman. She looked well-rested today. Her face was glowing and beautiful. She wore brown lipstick on her lips, her hair was silky straight like she’d just left the salon and it was hanging long and flowy, settling around her breasts. She wore a long, black maternity dress and glancing down at her feet, he saw that her toenails were done in the French-pedicure style.
“How’s my baby?” he asked, leaning over Gabrielle and pressing his lips against hers.
“I’m okay,” Gabrielle said.
“Good. I like it when you’re okay.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Mmm, hmm,” he said, kissing her again.
“Hello...I’m sitting right here,” Tamera quipped.
Tyson and Gabrielle laughed together.
Gabrielle wiped her lipstick from Tyson’s lips with her thumb.
“So I know you’re beyond excited about the baby,” Tamera told him. “Earlier, I was telling Gabrielle that you’ve wanted this for a long time now.”
“Yeah. Gabrielle knows how excited I am for our son to arrive.”
“I certainly do,” Gabrielle chimed in. “I bet if you could deliver him today, you would.”
“You better know it,” Tyson responded.
“Then go get some rubber gloves and a pair of scissors so you can cut the cord. I’m so ready to get this baby out of me.”
Tamera chuckled.
Tyson grinned, then he kissed Gabrielle on the cheek. “Anyway, thanks Tamera, for looking after my babies while I was working,” he said but never took his eyes off of Gabrielle. “It’s been a long day, but daddy’s home now.”
Gabrielle blushed.
Tamera made gag gestures like she was going to vomit. “Okay, I can’t take any more of this lovey-dovey stuff. I’m going upstairs. Goodnight, lovebirds.”
“Goodnight, Tamera,” Gabrielle and Tyson said with blended voices.
Tyson helped Gabrielle off of the couch.
“Where are we going, baby?” she asked.
“To the bedroom where we can have some privacy, sweetie.”
“Okay,” she said taking hold of his hand.
Once in the bedroom, Tyson helped her sit on the bed, then on his knees in front of her, he began massaging her toes, then her ankles after squeezing lotion in his hands. “How does that feel?”
“It feels good, Tyson,” she whispered, sitting on the bed so he could rub her shoulders next.
He smiled. “Your hair looks beautiful. And your fingernails. And your toes.”
“Thanks. Tamera took me out for a day of pampering.”
“That was nice of her.”
“Yes, it was. I so needed it.”
“What did you eat for dinner?”
“A turkey and cheese sub.”
“And you feel okay after eating it?”
“Yes. I’m fine. I could use some water, though.”
“Okay. I’ll be right back, baby.”
He eased off the bed. In the kitchen, he took two bottles of water from the fridge and came back in the bedroom. He sat there, opened her bottle first, handing it to her.
Gabrielle sat up, drunk the water quickly, quenching her thirst.
Gabrielle placed the empty water bottle on the nightstand and laid down again, with her back toward Tyson. He rubbed a glob of lotion in between his hands for a moment to warm it, then spread it all over her back, enjoying the smoothness of it. Enjoying pleasing her. Everything he did was for her satisfaction. Since the day he met her, he realized he’d stopped living for himself because he finally had someone to live for, to love for the rest of his life. And she was giving him a son.
