“If you don’t get mugged or raped on the way home .”
“I will take my chances .”
I ground my teeth together. It was a terrible habit that I had picked up in medical school. No matter how much money or status your family had in medical school you were still treated like dog crap until you were actually a surgeon or doctor. It was the only think that kept me from losing my temper, though Tabitha was doing her best to break me down. I knew that I was going to lose this round which was okay because I had a bigger plan in mind .
“At least let me get a car to take you home .”
She frowned, but nodded her head without saying another word. A ‘thank you’ would have been nice, but I had the strong feeling those didn’t come easily for her. I picked up the penthouse phone and called the front desk. A car would be waiting for her when she went downstairs and it would be charged to my room bill. It was a small price to pay to know more about her .
“Will you be coming into the office on Monday?” I asked as I walked her to the elevator .
“I don’t know, can I get the family discount?” she shot back .
I smiled. “I think we can work something out to make it more affordable .”
“Really?” she said with wide eyes .
Nodding my head, I wasn’t prepared for the warm embrace she gave me. I wrapped my arms around her and didn’t want to let go. How could one woman change my entire outlook on life with just one night together? I took in a deep breath, smelling the sweet honeysuckle and lilac of her perfume before she broke away from me again and stepped into the elevator .
“Thanks for breakfast,” she said as the doors closed. “This was fun !”
I wanted to stop her from going, but I knew I couldn’t. It took all of my self-control not to reach across and pull her back into my arms. As the doors closed and I watched the numbers go lower, I couldn’t look away. It wasn’t until they sat on the ground level for at least five minutes that I finally turned and walked away. I felt more depressed than I had in a long time. The sensation was foreign and uncomfortable. Picking up my phone I scrolled through the numbers until I landed on my father’s. I pressed the ‘call’ button and waited .
“Earl?” he said in surprise. “Is everything okay ?”
“Yeah Dad, why wouldn’t it be? I was just calling to see how you were doing .”
“Oh,” muttered my father before a long pause. “I’m doing okay, and you ?”
“Fine,” I said .
Silence fell. I didn’t know how to talk to him anymore. Hell, I didn’t even know what he did with his time since retiring from his position as chief of staff for NY Memorial. I’d picked up bits and pieces of his life in the papers, so I knew he was working part time as a volunteer doctor all over the country, but that was only a few days a month .
“So,” he said awkwardly .
“Right,” I stammered. “How is married life treating you? Opal giving you a run for your money ?”
“You can say that again. That woman spends money like it’s going out of style. I swear that daughter of hers spends more money in college than most graduates make in ten years. I never thought I’d have to foot the bill for dorm life again .”
I chuckled. “Yeah, Selina can be a bit of a handful, or so I hear. What do you know about Opal’s other daughter, Tabitha ?”
“Not much, just that there is a good bit of animosity between the two of them. Why do you ask ?”
“No reason,” I said .
“Hm,” he said. “Well, I’m sure that you will come across her sooner or later. To be honest I don’t even know what her last name is. For the longest time I thought Selina was Opal’s only daughter. She doesn’t ever talk about Tabitha. I think when her first husband, Tabitha’s father, died it left a bit of a rift between them .”
You could say that again, I thought to myself. How was I going to bring the two of them together if my own father, Opal’s husband didn’t even know anything about what had happened between the mother and daughter duo. It was starting to look like this whole mission was going to be more difficult than I originally thought. Tabitha did show me one thing while she was here. If I wanted her to try and work things out with her mother, I would first need to make the effort with my father .
“I was thinking that one day next week the two of us could go to lunch together. Maybe Opal can join us too. I feel like I haven’t really gotten a chance to know her .”
My dad laughed, there was something sarcastic about it, but he didn’t share and I didn’t push the issue. “I would love to have lunch with you .”
“And Opal? Do you think she would come too ?”
“To be honest, son, I have no idea. Everything seemed to be going perfectly until a few weeks ago. It’s nothing for you to worry about. I just wouldn’t count on her coming to any luncheons unless there’s a chance she’ll run into a socialite or woman from the garden club .”
“Wow, sounds like a pretty lame afternoon,” I told him honestly .
“You’re telling me. I can barely leave my house without wondering what I’m going to come home too .”
“That sounds terrible,” I said .
“Well, we have our holiday family dinner coming up soon, you know. I know that Selina is going to be there, but I wasn’t sure if it was something that you could make .”
“Of course I will!” I said enthusiastically .
“Really?” my father stammered. “Sorry, you just caught me off guard again. I’m not sure what’s getting into you recently, but I like it. Spending more time with my son sounds like the perfect distraction right now .”
“What am I supposed to be distracting you from again?” I pressed .
“Nothing that you need to worry about. How does lunch at noon tomorrow sound and dinner here at six next weekend? Then you can ask all these questions to Opal and Tabitha at the same time. Maybe they can offer some insight into your quest for knowledge. Hell, I don’t even know how old Opal’s other girl is. I guess there is always one in every family .”
“Always one what ?”
“One that wants to stir the pot,” he said .
“And in our family ?”
My father chuckled and sighed. A soft noise slipped out and I knew that he was thinking about my mother. I would bet my inheritance that there was a faint smile on his face right now .
“Your mother was the pot stirring type. She was always pushing for a better world, a better future for you and all the children of the world. I really loved that woman .”
“I know you did, Dad,” I said as my heart started to ache. “I loved her too. Say, do you mind if I bring a guest to dinner on Saturday night ?”
“Oh,” he said. “A special friend? I wouldn’t mind at all. Of course I will have to make sure it’s okay with Opal, but I don’t see why not. This one must be something great if you are bringing her home to meet the family .”
“She is certainly something else,” I told him. My phone was lighting up on the other end. It was Mary calling. “Hey Dad, I’m gonna have to go, but I will see you tomorrow afternoon. I’m really looking forward to it .”
“Me too, son,” he said lightheartedly .
It was the first time in months that I could hear a smile in his voice. It was a sound that I never wanted to forget. Tomorrow would be good for the both of us, though I was disappointed that Opal wouldn’t be joining us. I had to figure out what was going on between Tabitha and her mother .
Chapter Ten
Tabitha
“Y eah well, I am not a patient person,” I huffed as I flopped down on my small twin bed. “I met him last week and he still hasn’t called to set anything up. He said he would call me on Monday, its Wednesday .”
“Have you ever thought that maybe you should just call him instead? I never wait around for a man to call me,” Selina said with pride .
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not like you, and it’s not that kind of situation. Like I said, I am waiting to hear bac
k about something totally not concerning sex or relationships .”
“Both of which are great and both things that you have failed to talk with me about. I know that you met up with someone over the weekend, I could hear it in your voice on Monday. So spill and maybe karma will repay you and whoever you are waiting on will call you back .”
“Really?” I said with a laugh. “Karma is the best that you can do? What about telling me I’m going crazy and any guy would be a fool to not call me back .”
“Yeah, but you said that it wasn’t a romantic thing, all business. I don’t know how to handle those situations,” she said .
I groaned and rolled my eyes. It was no wonder the situation was driving me insane. I had no one to talk to about it. Selina was one of the few people that I trusted and I didn’t want to share the intimate details with her. Who knew how well she would react to me sleeping with our step-brother then him giving me a set of fake boobs. Even thinking about it made me feel dirty. Sure, the two weren’t connected, but there was no way to mentally process the two of them without them linking up .
“Girl, you are killing me. Do you think I should call him?” I asked her .
Now it was her turn to groan. “You have literally told me nothing about this guy. You won’t even tell me what its concerning. How can I offer any insight ?”
“I don’t know,” I grumbled. “I thought you would be able to give me something to work with .”
“Fine,” she said. “If it were me, I would call him and find out what the hell is going on. You are an attractive, smart, witty, and stubborn woman. Are you really going to tell me that you prefer to stay home and wait around your phone for a man to call? I don’t think so, that’s not the Tabitha I know and love .”
“I guess you are right,” I said, still unsure .
“I know for damn sure that I am right. We are not women to wait around for men. The Tabitha I know would be calling him for answers then shoving them down his throat if they aren’t the ones she likes. What happened to that Tabitha? When did ‘no’ become an acceptable first response ?”
“When I started getting it left and right to other women with bigger boobs,” I muttered .
“What?” she asked .
I sighed. “It’s a long story. I just don’t want to end up like Mom, using men to get where I want in life without any thought to the repercussions of what will happen to them .”
“You are nothing like her and you never will be. If anything, I’m the one who should be worried about that. They foot the bill for everything I do. How do you think that makes me feel? I wish that I was half the woman you are .”
“Don’t be silly. If you needed to you could go out and get a job to pay your own way right now. You have the looks and the brains .”
“And so do you,” she said, a note of finality in her voice .
“Thanks, sis,” I told her .
As usual, talking to my little sister had pulled me out of the slump I’d drifted back into. My interview on Monday went great. So great that I had a second interview lined up for tomorrow, but now I wasn’t so confident about it. Earl had seemed so in to me on Friday, but I hadn’t heard anything from him. Now I was concerned and doubting myself all over again. I knew that Selina was right. I was the whole package and any man would be lucky to have me .
Then why hadn’t he called ?
“Are you still there?” Selina asked .
“Yeah,” I said with a jump. “Sorry I was just thinking about what you were saying. You are right. I’m going to call him and find out just what the hell his problem is .”
“Good for you! I’m going to go out drinking! Another final, another one aced. I’m killing this last term .”
“That’s my girl. I love you, kiddo, be safe out there okay ?”
“You better believe it. I love you too, sis .”
“And remember, you are young. Don’t go falling in love with some dumbass .”
“Never! Freedom till the day I die,” she said with a manic laugh. “Or until I start to get gray hair. Whatever comes first .”
I laughed at her antics. “That’s the spirit. See you later, kid .”
I hung up and held my phone in my hand for a few seconds just looking at it. I was willing it to ring and to be Earl, but nothing happened. I felt the depression starting to come back. Maybe it was because my apartment was powerless or the job offer I had was barely enough to keep food on the table, but I was running on steam. The only hope that had kept me moving was that I would be getting a new set of breasts from my newfound step-brother. It seemed that I couldn’t even count on him though. With a heavy heart, I flopped down on the bed and closed my eyes. At least when I was asleep I could forget about the pile of shit that was my life .
* * *
T he buzzing wouldn’t stop as my heart raced. I tried to get away from it and protect myself, but in the darkness, it was moving closer. I couldn’t see it, but I could feel it. Never ending to the point that it would drive me slowly insane. I gasped, sitting up in bed as my phone lit up the darkness. Earl’s number kept popping up on the screen. My racing heart quickly turned into a flurry of butterflies .
I swallowed a dry breath as I quickly answered the phone. “Hello ?”
“Hey, Tabitha?” he asked .
Of course he wouldn’t recognize my voice. It had been so long since I’d talked to him. Something that I fully blamed him for. For a few seconds I left him hanging on the line .
“Are you there?” Earl asked again .
“Yes, what do you want?” I said sharply .
“Wow,” he stammered. “That wasn’t quite the response I thought I would get. Did I wake you up ?”
“No,” I lied .
“What’s wrong? You sound funny? Is everything okay ?”
“Did you call for a reason?” I asked him .
I wanted to be nice to him, but my heart wouldn’t let me. I knew that he felt the same way about me, how could he not? After the night we’d spent together I thought that he would be jumping to call me, but it was one in the morning on a Friday, a full week after he said he would call me almost .
“I didn’t mean to wake you up if I did. I just thought that you would be working tonight,” he said with a sad tone .
“Earl, it’s late. I need to get some sleep. If you called to tell me you won’t do the procedure then you are wasting your breath. I already figured that out when you didn’t call me back after a week .”
“Oh,” he said quickly. “Oh, I knew you were going to think that! I didn’t mean to not call you. To be honest, it was a bit of a fiasco .”
“I’m sure,” I muttered. I didn’t believe him. Men lied, that’s just how it was. People couldn’t be trusted .
“Do you want me to tell you everything that happened or do you want to hear my offer ?”
My heart started to race again. I could push him so far with my bad mood and sulky attitude. I could sense that he was reaching the end of my pouting person and to be honest, I was thrilled that he’d called me. I wanted to talk to him. Hell, I even wanted to see him, but I knew I had to play it cool. With a rather dramatic sigh, I told him to start talking .
“Well I couldn’t give them to you for free. Even if I wanted too, you wouldn’t accept it. So I have another offer for you .”
“Okay,” I muttered. “I’m not — ”
“Having sex with me or moving from your hole. I know, you already told me that,” he said quickly. “This is something else and you should know head of time that there are no other options. It’s either this or you pay full price .”
“Great, I like my odds already. So, what do I have to do? Walk on nails? Eat glass ?”
He laughed, “Of course not! Nothing like that. I want you to have dinner with me tomorrow night. And I won’t take ‘no’ for an answer .”
“Okay, that doesn’t sound too bad. When and where ?”
“The address is one-one-three, Lake Front Street, Merci, New York .”<
br />
I had started to write the address down, but halfway through I froze. My hand wrapped around the pencil I was holding and squeezed until it snapped in half. There was no need to write the address down. It was one that I knew all too well because I had seen it before. It had been on the wedding invitation my sister had for my mother’s ceremony .
“What are you playing at?” I hissed .
“I think that you are giving your mom a bad rap. I get that you two probably had some tough times growing up, but I want you to sit down and have one meal with her. After that, I will do the job and you never have to talk to her again if you don’t want .”
“Are you kidding me? I’d rather walk on the nails while eating glass! This is a terrible idea. Does she know that I am coming?” I stammered .
“Just let me take care of all the details. All you have to do is show up. So what do you think? Are a few hours with your mother worth a new set of breasts ?”
“Honestly?” I said. “I don’t think so .”
“Seriously.”
I clenched my jaw. I didn’t want to see that evil woman ever again, but for them, I had no choice. I was never going to get out of this pit if I didn’t change my look. If seeing her was the only way to get them then I would suffer through it .
“Fine, you win,” I said coldly. “I will have dinner with her, but when this plan of yours backfires, I expect an apology .”
“The same goes for you!” he added. “You better be thanking me left and right when you realize it was so long ago that your mother doesn’t care about it anymore .”
“I know she doesn’t care, because she never cared. The only think that woman loves more than herself is money. You are going to figure that out the hard way come tomorrow night .”
“We will see then,” he said confidently .
“Yeah,” I agreed. “I guess we will. What time do I need to be ready ?”
“I will be there to pick you up at five,” he said .
“Sounds like a date then,” I added casually. As soon as the words were out of my mouth I regretted them .
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