by Cherry Kay
“Isn’t there. If this is the product of some fling--” Charlotte got cut-off.
David shook his head. “She wasn’t a fling. We were getting serious about it but,” He stopped and shook his head. “It doesn’t matter now. What matters is the baby.”
“Does she have a name?” Daphne asked.
“I need pictures,” Charlotte demanded.
They passed around his phone, all waiting impatiently to look at that single photo he had of the baby.
“She looks like you,” Daphne murmured.
“Just because it looks like him, doesn’t mean it is,” Charlotte said. “I say you continue with the DNA test, just to make sure.”
“And while he isn’t sure, does David just give away his money?” Daphne said with a frown.
“Money’s not an issue,” Warren finally said, “It’s more of what happens if the baby isn’t yours? It’s bound to affect you in more ways than one.”
“I know Emilia’s mine.”
“Who is she?” Charlotte asked, “Who is the mother?”
David shook his head. “I’ll tell you soon enough.”
“This needs quick action, David,” Charlotte told him, her legal instincts kicking in. “She could be suing you soon, for all we know.”
“She isn’t like that,” David said.
“We have to meet her, David,” Jane told him softly.
David took a deep breath. “I’ll set up an appointment.”
Daphne rolled her eyes. “This isn’t a business meeting, dear brother.”
*
Two days later, Caryn nervously held onto the handkerchief in her palm. Emilia was asleep in her stroller, content after finishing her milk. She was seated in the corner of an upscale café, waiting for the inevitable. This had only crossed her mind briefly, that he just might introduce her to his family. It was finally happening now, wasn’t it?
She had taken a leave of absence from work for half a day, just to accommodate this. They had all flown to New York just to see Emilia, and it was only right that she let them meet their newest relation. She felt too nervous to order. How was this going to turn out? What if David was far nicer than his family?
She couldn’t give any judgements, until she had met them all. David had met up with her the previous day, intent on getting the paternity test for peace of mind, and she was more than glad to have that test, just so all doubts would shut up.
“Caryn,” a voice called out. She spun around and saw David walk in, wearing a navy colored suit without a tie.
Then he was followed by the rest of his family. There was a large man with a thick beard wearing a suit as well, followed by a beautiful woman with regal bearing, whom she assumed to be his mother, and then these must’ve been his siblings, three younger ones, two ladies and what looked like a freshman in college, or maybe a senior in high school.
She stood up, standing in place, not knowing what else to do. David introduced them one by one.
“You must be Caryn,” Mrs. Pierce said, “Pleasure to meet you.”
Caryn shook her hand, knowing all eyes were on her. “Nice to meet all of you,” she finally said, as the nervousness wracked through her. Everyone was dressed impeccably, as if they were going to some fancy tea party. She eyed David, who was staring at the stroller where Emilia lay.
“I’d like to hold her,” Jane announced.
Caryn stepped back and took Emilia out. As soon as she did, there was a cacophony of sounds from his family.
“Is this her? She’s so cute!”
“David, she has your eyes.”
“How old is she again?”
“Let me hold her.”
“Ma, shouldn’t it be my turn?”
“David, what took you so long?” his father joked.
Caryn watched them in rapture. She had never seen a family so excited to meet a baby. Her mother had told her once, in all honesty, that her grandmother had wanted nothing to do with her, and yet, here they were, welcoming Emilia with open arms. She felt strangely happy that her childhood had been redeemed through her daughter. Where she had been unwanted, Emilia was more than welcome. Couldn’t all families be like this?
She realized David was a lucky man, to have been adopted by them, a loving, well rounded couple, with siblings whose dynamics matched David’s. Caryn felt a bittersweet emotion well up in her as they all insisted on carrying Emilia, taking photos with her, making her baby laugh…
Caryn watched as David stared at his family, with a smile on his lips. He was quiet, observing the whole thing as well. He saw Caryn stare at him and he smiled at her and nodded. Fifteen minutes later, as soon as they were settled down, and everyone took a seat (although Emilia was still in Jane’s arms), Caryn found herself being gently interrogated.
Where do you work? What do you do? How long have you been with that company? When was Emilia’s birthday? Where are you staying now?
Caryn patiently answered everything, and she dreaded answering who her parents were, but they didn’t ask about her past, much to her surprise. She had agreed wholeheartedly for the DNA test that was about to happen. Results out in less than a month, she was told.
David’s family wasn’t condescending, but they were kind, far kinder than most of the rich people she had met. They were warm, a warm bunch during a cold New York Winter. She had thought she would be ostracized, but they did the opposite. They made her feel welcome, even if they barely knew anything about her.
Emilia gurgled as she sat Charlotte’s arms. Caryn grabbed the bottle from the baby bag and gave this to Charlotte, who happily fed Emilia.
“So, what are your plans?” Warren suddenly asked, breaking apart the small talk.
Caryn looked at David. “We- we have no concrete plans…”
“Come now, David?” Warren looked at his son.
“Financial support for starters,” David quickly said. “I plan to fly in New York once a week.”
“Shouldn’t you move closer to us?” Daphne said, cocking her head sideways.
“I- I have work and--”
“We can help you find work in California,” Jane chimed in. “That is, if you’d like our help with the whole moving and adjustment and all,” she added, looking at Emilia holding onto the baby bottle.
There was no mention of the DNA test. It was as if they were all banking on it to be the truth, just so they could call Emilia theirs.
“We’ll see how things go,” she replied quietly. Despite the happiness she had felt looking at them with Emilia in their midst, she felt a pang of regret. What if this was only going to be temporary? What if abandonment was in the cards? It all seemed too good to be true, and her instincts momentarily told her to pack her bag and stroller, along with Emilia, to run.
Their conversation ended an hour later, with Jane hugging her. She saw they didn’t want to let go of Emilia, but they had to. David told them he would be out in a few, as he needed to talk to her first. She sat down again as soon as his family left.
David held onto Emilia’s foot that was dangling beyond the stroller. She had slid out of her belt, and it made him chuckle.
“I hope they didn’t make you feel awkward,” he began.
She shook her head. “Your family’s nice. You’re so lucky to have them.”
“I know,” he said with a sigh. “I’d like the same level of warmth for Emilia as she grows up.”
“I can’t move to California just to be close to you,” Caryn breathed out. “My career is here, no matter how small it is.”
“I’m not forcing you to, but closer to us, to me- Emilia will be-“
“I’m content with the idea of you seeing her, although not every week. That takes up too much time and-“
“And emotion?” David interrupted her. “Isn’t that why you told me I was the father? This is my time to invest emotionally, to bond with her.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I want my name in that birth certificate, I want parental rights.”<
br />
“I’m already giving you what I can,” Caryn said, through gritted teeth. “And your name on that certificate is out of the question. She’s carrying my name-“
“I’m already providing you with-“
“Funds?” she snapped at him. “I knew there was some ugly exchange to this. What is $50,000 worth? My career? My pride?”
“It’s for Emilia,” he said, “you’re just secondary.”
That stung her more than she expected. Of course, she was secondary, the baby came first, but to hear that from him… she was nothing more to him than some baby carrier now.
It seemed like he knew what she was thinking about, though. “It’s not like that, that’s not what I meant. Listen, I’m as new to this as you are.”
“You weren’t there, when I went through morning sickness, when I was scared stupid, what to do, how to become a better parent than most, where to get a decent job that didn’t fall into stereotyping, where to live, how to live--”
“That’s why I’m here. I’m here now…” his voice trailed off. “Give it few days of thinking, yeah? Then you can call me anytime, anytime, alright?”
He looked tired, as stressed out as she was. About what? His family was fine- at least they seemed like they were, unless she didn’t see the subtlest display of contempt…
She found she couldn’t say anything. She couldn’t even nod. Here she was, pushing away someone who wanted to be with her daughter. Here she was, pushing away someone, who made old feelings resurface, old feelings that had been supposedly snuffed out the moment she stepped out of the island.
Caryn watched as David held Emilia in his arms, allowing her little hands to roam about his face, and she smiled as she giggled, and for a moment, she thought she was going to come running towards them, to join their tender moment…
There was a terse nod from him, after he put her back in her stroller.
“I’ll be expecting a call from you,” he told her. “Take care.”
And she watched him as he left, watched him as he walked away from the room. Caryn sank back into the chair, exhausted with the emotions running inside her. She almost felt faint. Emilia cried a little, and Caryn took a deep breath and picked her baby up.
Chapter12
They liked her. David knew they liked Emilia the moment they met her. What wasn’t to like about Emilia? She was far more adorable than all babies combined, not that he was being biased about it… and the strange thing was, he knew they liked Caryn as well.
He couldn’t even remember liking Caryn the first time he met her, but his family did, apparently. In fact, the moment they got inside their vehicle, they began chatting animatedly about the whole ordeal. Of course, he had thought it was an ordeal. He was thoroughly convinced that Emilia was his, and he wasn’t sure if his family would even remotely appreciate the little human’s presence- but they did. It wasn’t all that mattered. Deep inside, he had wanted them to like the mother as well. He had almost loved Caryn back then, in the month that they had consummated whatever relationship was growing between them, if there was any.
He had wanted it to develop into something more, only she hadn’t given him the chance. Here she was again, with the same stubbornness she had shown him before, only this time, his irritation was sprinkled with fear. What if Caryn took Emilia away? And he could never see her again. The DNA test was done, and he would have the results in as little as two weeks.
His mother and siblings “ooh’d” and “ahh’d” over what pictures they had taken with Emilia in it, teasing him eventually, that the baby had his eyes, and his hair.
“She seems healthy,” Jane remarked an hour later, as soon as his siblings slept in their seats while inside his private jet.
“Who seems healthy?” he asked, his trail of thought disturbed momentarily.
“Emilia,” Jane said, “she seems like she’s well taken cared for. Although Caryn is a bit too thin at the moment. It seems like she never gained baby weight.”
“Must be all the work,” David said.
“How many jobs does she have?” Jane said, surprised.
“I think she has two, from what I remember.”
“Isn’t that too much?”
David shrugged. “It’s her choice. Besides, I already transferred a bit of money into her account, for Emilia.”
Jane nodded, seeing the conflict in his eyes. No matter how he tried to hide it, his mother had the eyes of a hawk, or a doctor and a mother with years of experience under her belt.
“Why did you adopt me?” he suddenly asked, knowing how lucky he was that they took him in as a week-old baby.
“You smiled at me,” Jane said simply. “I was fresh out of med school, wanted to become a sports doctor, which was where I met your father,” she gave a wistful smile. “I was making my rounds at the hospital, and you came in the emergency room, all tiny and too thin, even for a newborn.”
“Yeah, my mother was high on crack,” he said, knowing that part of his childhood.
“She was, and she couldn’t keep you. The state took you away from her, for your sake and hers. So, I was in the neonatal unit, and I saw this little thing, squirming, wanting to live, ventilator, tubes and all- and yet, when I held that baby’s hand, even if I knew he was having a hard time breathing, he smiled at me. You smiled at me.”
“I barely smile now,” he said, looking out the window.
“Yes, but you smiled the moment you saw her. Isn’t that something?”
“Smiled at whom?”
“Caryn,” his mother responded. “You smiled at Caryn.”
He frowned. “I know it was for Emilia.”
“Emilia yes, but you saw Caryn first.”
“You’re a cardiologist, not a psychologist,” he told his mother.
She laughed. “So it seems. I’m still a mother first.”
“Did you love her at all?”
“I didn’t know her that well enough to love her,” he responded. “Things just happened.”
“It happened for a reason.”
“What? So I could give you a grandkid?”
“Emilia does look like you…” Jane’s voice trailed off.
“I know you want those results now, as much as I do,” David said. “Beyond pragmatism and positivity, I know Emilia’s mine. Caryn just isn’t the type to lie.”
“And there’s the irony in saying you didn’t know her well enough,” Jane said with a smile. “Not everything has to be set in stone or CSS, not everything’s binary or whatever- “
David laughed a bit. “Do you even know what those terms mean?”
“I know they’re techie,” Jane said with a laugh. “Sorry, I’m trying to relate here. You millennials have a way with things that my generation can’t fathom- not that I’m old or anything. But yes, it seems like you did assume something about her.”
“Assume means making an ass;;”“Out of U and ME, I know,” his mother interrupted him. “I’m glad this whole thing’s kicked in your empathy for kids. You never seemed to like kids in the first place.”
“I once was a kid, but I thought I couldn’t tolerate them, until now. Emilia is just…”
“Too adorable?”
“For lack of a better word?” David said. “I want Emilia to have our family name.”
“It sounds honorable and all, but what does the mother want?”
“She doesn’t want me to be part of her life, except maybe for visitation and whatnot. Financial support?”
“She doesn’t strike me as the gold digger type, even if you did mention she’s the abandoned daughter of a New York tycoon. It’s more of pride, Dave. There are certain things she must’ve fought for as a child, and she feels like she still has to prove it until now.”
“I’m already offering her help,” David said irritably. “What else is there to prove?”
His mother shook his head. “What else do you have to prove? Why are you doing this?”
“I know I can be a good parent- no, I can
be a great father.”
“She’s trying to prove the same.”
“She can’t juggle two jobs a day and still expect the same amount of care for the kid,” David said, peeved once more.
“She’s doing more than her fair share of work as a single parent. Now that you’re in the picture, you expect to unburden her of her duties?”
“Of course,” David replied. “It’s only right. I mean, I wasn’t there when she was pregnant, or when she gave birth in some public facility,” “A noble and admirable thing, Dave,” his mother told him, “but have you ever considered how she truly feels about this whole thing now?”
“Of course, you know how I work.”
“This isn’t work.”
“I know it isn’t, but I need to find something relatable to it,” David sighed. “I’m new to this, and I don’t know what else to expect, I can’t even be a good father because she isn’t giving me the chance.”
“Have you tried listening to her?”
“What kind of question is that?” He felt offended. “Of course, I have.”
“Apparently not enough,” his mother sighed.
David took a deep breath, contemplating what his mother had told him. He didn’t listen enough. Didn’t he? He catered to her whims, her not so obvious ones, even. At least, that was how he understood her. Am I too concentrated on the fact that I have to prove myself as a good father? What about Caryn? What does she think about me? What does she feel for me? There has to be something, even hatred. He suddenly couldn’t bear to think of Caryn hating him. How could she? He was the one who saved her when she needed it. Just because she didn’t need saving now…
He took a breath, and the conversation between him and his mother fell silent. He knew his mother was concerned. He didn’t know Caryn well enough back then, but it was still as clear as day in his mind. He wanted things to move up back then. What made it any different now?
I don’t feel the same way, he told himself again and again. Maybe it was because of Emilia, maybe it was because he realized Caryn’s little quirks annoyed him. He was definite that it wasn’t because of Amanda showing up once more.
