by Jamie Knight
She stood up and walked towards the metal desk that separated the two of us. She leaned in and nodded, staring me straight in the eyes.
“I appreciate you manning up to help my daughter,” she said. “I began to have a feeling that you cared about her more than I may have realized at first.”
“That feeling of yours was correct,” I confirmed.
She walked silently towards the door, opened it and looked back.
“For old times’ sake, Alexander, thank you. I know you were always a good friend to my husband, and now you can be a good friend to me by getting my daughter back, even if that means…”
She trailed off, but the unspoken words hung heavy in my office.
Even if that means Valeria and I are together.
My heart leapt at the thought.
She left, closing the door behind her.
I hurriedly switched on my intercom and buzzed at Nancy.
“Why did you let that woman through to my office without my consent?”
“She had an appointment, Sir. I left a note at your desk earlier this week about it. You said you did not want to be disturbed…”
She was lying.
“Fine… fine. Next time call me — no matter what. Understood?” I confirmed.
“Yes, Sir.”
I clicked the intercom off and cursed myself.
That woman is a sea of problems I am not taking my boat out on.
I had more pressing things to think about and do.
Now I had to find Valeria.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Valeria
Living with Stella was the best thing I had decided to do in the spur of the moment. She kept to her word, day after day, and offered me a place to stay while I licked my wounds, both physically and mentally.
It was the first day that was the hardest. I tried to wake up, nay, shift onto my side on the large, square bed, but the pain seared right through me. I was a mess, a torrent of tears all day, and even the best of hugs and hot chocolate from my best friend could not ease that pain.
Suicidal thoughts came in on the second day. I could now move both my arms painfully, and every time I found myself in the shower, I would eye the razor on the counter longingly, dreaming how fast this pain would end if I took my opportunity to end it on my own.
Stella caught me one afternoon. She made me promise to stop. I couldn’t say no to her.
A hot day after I had been with her for over a month changed everything. She had gone out for groceries. I was in the kitchen all morning blending some fruits for their juice; the noise from the blender kept my mind at ease. It was pleasing to watch how the pieces of fruit shredded in a matter of seconds and became pure Zen once the process was done.
Same thing Alexander did to my heart, it seems. Time can only tell.
It was my first heartbreak with a man I had been in love with. Perhaps one thing that would come out of it would be that our flim-flam relationship must have a record for being the shortest one in existence.
Ha-ha. At least I didn’t stay too long to get dumped after it went on for years.
After sitting down on the couch and playing some music on my phone, dread and a void collapsed in my chest. A string of dark emotions rotated round and round inside of me from head to toe. Misery and desolation kept me company, and the playlist was not doing me any better.
Suddenly I felt sick to my stomach. The smoothie I had downed just moments earlier threatened to come up.
I grabbed my stomach and lurched off the couch. I felt dizzy. The room spun, but I made my way to the stairs, practically on my hands and knees.
The bathroom was upstairs, and I took my time getting there, swaying the whole way. The door was easy to shut, and the floor was cool.
After I was done being sick, I rested my head against the side of the tub, enjoying the cool texture.
Stella was there before I could get up. She rushed upstairs to see where I was, and when I failed to answer, she immediately came to the bathroom. She knew there was something wrong, and even when she patched me up and forced electrolytes on me, her eyes never once judged me.
When I was feeling a little better, she insisted that I go to urgent care. It was a long wait, but we finally saw a nurse. What she said changed my life. I was pregnant with Alexander’s child. I was going to be a mother and have a little baby of my own.
I was overjoyed and sad all at once. I wanted this baby with all my heat, but the baby’s father would never be part of our lives. Alexander had used me. I doubted he cared about the consequences. He wouldn’t accept any child that came from our union.
Stella never left me alone in the house after that. She always ordered groceries online and called her parents for money, never wanting to leave me to be sick on my own again. I did not deserve such a caring friend.
Time passed; my body changed and grew. I was back on my feet, feeling better about the situation at hand. The thought of my baby brought me great joy. I decided never to go back home, despite members of the church asking around for me. Stella was Catholic, but she made a point of passing by my church to see the goings-on and fill me in.
“Remember old man Williams? He was actually asking around for you at the church doors,” she laughed out loud, spilling a bit of her chocolate on the floor.
“Eeeew, that’s disgusting, Stella. That guy has just about had enough in his lifetime, know what I mean?” I winked, passing over a napkin to wipe the mess.
“Ha-ha, yeah I do… which reminds me… you’re about to become a mother. Have you given any thought as to what you are going to do for a job?” she asked with concern in her eyes, mired by a twinkle of upcoming joy.
Smiling, I reviewed the thoughts in my mind of how I had loved animals from the earliest of ages. Being a young girl, I had always wanted a pet to take care of and nurture, but my parents stood in the way of it all.
Droning on and on about ‘responsibility’ and ‘they’re too expensive’ kept me from truly achieving my goals of becoming a veterinary doctor. The passion for helping the kindest and most dangerous animals on the planet enticed me, even though my mom wanted me to become a teacher.
“I know, it might seem far-fetched with my personality and all, but I really do want to get to college and practice veterinary services. How awesome would it be if you had a pet gerbil or Labrador and you wanted them fixed up? You’d always visit for evening tea,” I winked.
She laughed out, relishing the thought.
“We would live across from each other’s houses, Valeria, and keep the fun up and I’d help you with babysitting,” she replied, shifting on the couch.
A question seemed to nag her, and seeing her twitch unevenly prolonged the uncomfortable nature of it all.
“Go on, Stella. I cannot stop you from asking, anyway.”
“Okay, I just have to know. Will you really not go to him and hear what he has to say about this? I mean, come on… you can’t trust anything your parents say now, can you? Maybe Alexander didn’t really fire you.”
I rolled my eyes and planned a speech, but she went on.
“I mean, we’re practically sisters, and I know how much you pretend not to have emotions on most days, but Valeria, I know you still love that man from the heavens to the earth. Every time Alexander pops up on the TV or in the paper or even on a blog online, you squirm a little. Even now! Alexander, Alexander, Alexander…”
She was right.
“Plus,” she sighed, “you have to tell him about the baby. You just have to, Valeria. He’s the father.”
My stomach tightened and my heart raced. The mere mention of him just brought a quiver to my body, and hormones flowed all the way through me top to bottom, settling at the center.
I put my cocoa mug down on the table and swept a look at her. She was smirking, enjoying the look on my reddening face — I was blushing.
I had always pondered the words my dad had spoken to me that day, milling through the half-truths and whole lie that they could have been.
They were, after all, protecting their own daughter from the troubles of the world. In a blurred line sort of way, they were on the right path.
But my dad had let mom beat me to a pulp. I could never, ever let that slide. I had emotional scars that could not easily be forgotten, however sweet I seemed to be. For any day I had not dared to think of my family a few blocks away; only dark thoughts would come over me.
I still needed to know if it was truth; had Alexander abandoned me?
Had he disowned what we, what I, had thought we had?
My thoughts were a case of push and pull, and it made me too restless to bear.
“Stella, I need a favor…”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Alexander
The ride home was slow and silent. I had given the controls to Truman to allow me time to dwell in my thoughts.
Is she alright? I hope she is. Maybe she moved on…
Miserable thoughts crippled my vision, and I was frustrated that there was no traffic for me to take my anger out on. Banging the horn always made everyone feel better, and in that particular moment, I wanted to get to my ranch and fly off in my helicopter and never come back.
But the moment we shared in that suite… I can’t go there.
So, home it was where Jonathan was surely awaiting me. Truman drove by the thick forest to my right. The month had been too long without someone to talk to that wasn’t a white balding man in a suit and a thick Southern accent.
Work had been on my nerves, and I had had a visit from one of the board members to discuss my employee relations.
He came in unannounced and strode to my desk, with Nancy following in tow.
“Sir, I tried to stop him, but…”
I waved her off.
“It’s okay, Nancy, you can get back to your station,” I firmly reassured.
She straightened her skirt and nodded, leaving my office with a silent tread.
At the threshold of my doors, I ushered the middle-aged, blue-suited, clean-shaven, square-jawed, thick-set, cologne-tanged, and bear of a man in front of me to his seat.
“What can I do for you today, Mr. Simons?
He took his chair and frowned at me.
“It has come to our attention that you had been in an inappropriate relationship with an employee, a very young employee. Now we accepted all of your traveling and damaging your reputation and all your ridiculous parties when you were younger. But this is too much. Do you realize the damage this has caused to our reputation as a company? An entity you began all those years ago and now you want to damage it?”
He breathed heavily, taking out a handkerchief and wiping his brow. I could only stare at him, and not utter a word. He was clearly not finished. I straightened my tie and sat up in my chair, giving him time to finish.
“Is it a mid-life crisis you’re going through? Why pick someone so young? And now, your behavior at work has changed too. Some of your staff has left several complaints anonymously, citing your rudeness and calling them out during work hours. You have a penchant for swarming the media around you, and I thank God there hasn’t been any videos of the sex scandal with…”
“Let me stop you right there, Bill,” I cut in. “I am in no way liable for what happens in my travels. What happened in Athens was clearly a clerical error, and…”
“Alexander, a lawyer got a tube of absinthe up his nose! By your hands! This cannot go on any further, Alexander. You have a week to get your shit together or we as the board will vote you out and get another CEO.”
Fucking hell!
I stood up, breathing flames and ready to chop his head off with my words.
“The fuck did you just say to me? Was that a threat, Bill?”
I was ready for a throw down.
It was a long time coming, anyway.
He stood up as well and edged away from my desk, straightening his suit and smirking like he was the boss of me. He was a fucking dick, and he was not afraid to show it.
“Take it how you will, Alexander. One week to make a statement to the press and apologize to your staff, or you’re out.”
Strutting like he had a staff up his crack, he took leave and shut the door with a bang.
That afternoon I had a glass of whisky, and asked Nancy to call off all my meetings. It was too overwhelming to consider doing much work, and the air conditioner was not as satisfactory as it used to be.
I could not, for the life of me, find a way to get to Valeria without making her hate me. I had to fix that.
The lonely ride past the forest meant I was close to home, and I was expecting a long talk with Jon regarding him finally letting me find and talk to Valeria. For a long time now he had deliberately restricted my access to Truman, and I could only wait for him to change his thoughts on the matter.
Truman pulled into my driveway and parked between the fountain and the front steps to the manor. He beeped and opened my door automatically. Getting out, I thanked him.
“You’re welcome, sir,” the program droned, before shutting the car door and driving away to the underground parking bay.
I was left at the fountain, enjoying the small sprays of water that jetted out into the air all around, shaking hands with the breeze that soothed the hot afternoon air that mellowed the ensuing month.
Walking towards the front door, I noticed a blue bike that sat perfectly against the wall, emphasizing the discrete manner in which it had been placed. If I had not been keen with my surroundings, I would have let it pass me by.
Has Jon taking up cycling? It must be the new thing for a man his age.
It was an unspoken rule to place the hand at the handle of the door, and it would scan DNA to let you in. There would be no need for keys in my house, and the efficiency of it all confirmed the security of the place. Only two people had access to my house, unless I had a guest.
“Welcome. You have one guest,” buzzed Truman.
One guest… I wasn’t expecting anyone. That could only mean Jon had a friend with him. I was cheering for him in my heart as I swung the door and let it shut behind me.
You still got game, old man.
I walked towards the desk at the middle of the twin stairs that led to the other wings of my house and stopped in my tracks when a cough directed me towards the kitchen.
I did not want to disrupt Jon’s personal activities — it had been such a long time since he got some attention, and this was one thing I would not mess up for him despite the cold war we had going on in the house.
“Master Alex… the kitchen, if you will,” he echoed.
That stopped me by the second stair.
He wants me to watch? This is getting weird, Jon.
“You’ll want to hear this, sir. In the kitchen, please.”
I dropped my suit jacket on the leather upholstered couch and walked through the doorway that led to the spacious kitchen. My eyes fell on Jonathan, who had his face turned towards me, and his guest, who was a fuzzy-haired, freckled and bespectacled young woman sipping juice from my favorite cup. She sat on one of the stools facing the counter.
Her face lit up when I entered and she sipped some more of her juice, side-eyeing Jon. He stood in a military stance, emphasizing his role as man of the house when I was not around.
She seemed to be around her early twenties, and I could assume the bike outside was hers, and that she was definitely not here on any pleasurable business with Jon. On the other hand, I wanted to know how and why a young girl such as her had been able to gain access and trust with Jonathan.
“Quite right, sir. This is Miss Stella Woods and she is the best friend to Miss Valeria Silva. She says she has a message for you.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Alexander
“So… will you do this?” Valeria’s best friend asked.
Stella’s story had been one of intrigue and mystery. She had shrouded most of what had occurred in the past few weeks for the obvious protection of Valeria and had gone an extra mile to tell me
what I had been craving to hear all month long.
Valeria wanted to see me, alone.
She would choose the place and time and I would go to her to talk. We both needed it, and all parties involved knew that. I looked to Jon, who had his face set in stone.
He had said nothing the entire time the three of us were in the kitchen. Stella was in a really good mood, and it soothed me to know that through her, Valeria was alright.
“Tell her I shall see her when it’s alright with her,” I finally agreed. “And thank you for taking such good care of her in my absence.”
The side glance that Jon directed at me before he stifled it was evident, and I knew he would not stop lecturing on about it after Stella left. He still thought me seeing Valeria was a bad idea, and he didn’t even know about the threat that had been made against me at work.
The young woman stood up and took her bag, swinging it over her shoulder. I could see why Valeria had her as her best friend; she reminded me of a younger Jon, with more oomph in her walk and tons more hair.
“I’ll pass that along. And Mr. Foster,” she called, swinging past the stairs heading for the main door under the crystal chandeliers.
Jon was way ahead of her and opened the door. She beamed. I looked her way.
“Don’t hurt her again. She does love you as much as I adore your house design, which is saying something.”
I couldn’t help but curve my lips in a smile and waved goodbye at her.
“I won’t hurt her,” I reassured her.
Jonathan hinted at a smile, but it was brief. I could not tell his mood as he closed the door.
Before he could say anything, I left and went up to my bedroom. The silence was all I was looking for, and I did not see the need to switch Truman to life for a while.
She still wants to talk to me. After everything I have done to her life.
I didn’t deserve Valeria. I had made our time together a journey of deceit and lies and yet, here I was, still losing the thing I sacrificed my heat for. I was sure the depth of my feelings was true, as was the meaning behind them.
