26

AIDEN

 

 

Jude showed at the laser place and brought my phone back, charged up and cleaned out. He said there was spyware software installed and there was a program used to make it look like that text came from him.

He assures me that no one can fuck with my phone settings now unless they get physical access to my phone. I’m changing my number anyway. I’ll call my provider in the morning. And, I’ve never bothered with password protecting my phone. That’s about to change. 

I saw Austin and told him I’d missed the bank.

He asked if I want to go Saturday. I said I did. An employee in his department approached, so the conversation ended there. I didn’t get a chance to say anything to Austin about our mother getting arrested. I’d do that Saturday.

I spoke to my Dad as soon as I got to the laser place and asked if his wife looked good in stripes.

“Stripes?”

“You know, prison stripes?”

He looked at me with surprise.

“How’d you know?”

“I have my sources,” I replied in hushed tones.

“She’s home now. She spent the night in jail. She is not a happy woman right now,” he replied in barely more than a whisper.

“I bet.”

“Aiden, we have to talk. Can we do that?” he asked. “I’d like us to sit down. Figure some stuff out about the direction of the company and our direction. Mine and yours.”

I nodded. “Fine.”

His eyes brightened. “Fine?”

He knows I’m all about the company but looked pleased I’m willing to talk about the other stuff.

“Yep,” I said and took a sip of my beer.

A girl with the logo of the place we’re at approached then and my father excused himself. “Excuse me. We’ll talk later. I’ve got to get things rolling. Let’s make some time this weekend.”

 

***

 

And now I’m home. It’s after laser tag and that kiss, that fuckin’ kiss…

I’ve just pulled in to the parking spot in the garage and I’m heading upstairs to wait for my roommate, my employee, the girl I kissed tonight and felt hunger for like I’d never felt hunger for anyone. Not ever.

I’m fuckin’ starving for her. And tonight, I’ll be doing my damndest to have her.

She responded. She might’ve thrown sass. She might’ve pushed me off and threatened to call the cops on me, but she kissed me back. And when she whimpered and bit my lip, then squirmed against my erection, it sealed it for me. She sounded better than I’d imagined she’d sound, whimpering into my mouth while I was kissing her, hands on that perfect ass.

I’ve had her mouth and I want more. I will find out what the rest of Carly Adler tastes like. Hopefully tonight.

***

Only, she doesn’t show up.

At all.

I crash on the couch after two glasses of bourbon, in case she comes home. Look at me, living with a girl. Living with a girl I’d like to fuck. And waiting up for her to come home like a lovesick puppy dog.

Fuck me.

I text Ally at ten thirty Saturday morning.

“Hey Pinky. Carly stay with you last night?”

She answers

Yes. Why?

Figured as much. I get a stab of relief. I reply.

Good. She didn’t come home and I wanted to make sure she was alright. Have a good weekend. Give me her number.

She responds with the number and says

“Don’t say I gave this to you. She’s a bit miffed at you. She won’t say why yet but I’m about to ply her with chocolate chips and maple syrup until she spills. I saw you 2 going at one another in the laser tag hall so guessing it’s to do with that. The girl is a hard nut to crack. Me? I’m rooting for you to win the girl. The girl is awesome and I can’t share what she’s said about her story, but she’s been hurt a lot so handle her with care. AKA don’t be a douche.

I roll my eyes.

I bet she is miffed with me. And I shouldn’t give a shit about it, but I still feel her against me. I still have the taste of her in my mouth. And I’m gonna get more of it.

Once I’m up, showered, and dressed, I text my brother to say I’m hitting the bank and then coming by.

I’m psyching myself up for this. The moment of truth. Time to get this monkey off my back now. Whatever will be will be. Whether I’m Quentin Carmichael’s son or Mitchell Carmichael’s son.

 

***

 

It’s in my pocket. I’m at my brother’s house, knocking on his door.

Austin lives in a ridiculous McMansion in a gated community about three blocks from Adele. Adele talked him into buying it earlier this year. Can’t imagine myself in a place like this. I get a shock when my father answers the door, wearing a Nirvana t-shirt and a pair of what looks like Austin’s Adidas jogging pants.

I’m unable to hide my shock. Dad waves me in.

“What’re you here for?” I ask.

“I slept in your brother’s spare room last night.”

“Huh?

“We had a fight after I bailed her out of jail. I got home last night after the company event and she was three sheets to the wind and wanted to pick another fight. I tried to sleep in one of the guest rooms and she got belligerent and wouldn’t leave me alone so I left. Don’t tell your sister. They put her on bed rest and we don’t wanna stress her out.”

I glance at Austin, who’s on the couch, Xbox controller in hand. He waves.

“You read your text?” I ask.

“Phone’s probably dead,” my brother replies, pushing buttons, eyes on the screen.

“Auz,” I say, and he glances my way and then pauses his game and I’ve got my eyes on my Dad. Auz straightens up.

“Oh,” Austin turns the game off and winces. “Dad, me ‘n Aid’re gonna take a walk.”

I look at my Dad. I look back at my brother. “Let’s do it here. With Dad.”

I’ve just surprised myself.  My brother’s eyebrows jut up. My Dad looks at me, curiously.

“So, uh…” I scratch my head, “I wanna get some shit on the table here. Now. No sense waiting any longer. Been long enough. You’re in a fight with your wife, I get it, but shit’s about to be real here. As real as it gets. You interested in real, Dad?”

My father swallows hard and sits down. He sits down slowly and shakily.

I pull the folded envelope out of my back jeans pocket and drop it on the coffee table.

“What’s this?” He eyes it.

“DNA test results,” I answer.

“D---”

“Yeah. Mine.”

He frowns.

“About two years ago, I walked in on your wife having sex with two men. Two. At once. In the garden shed behind our home.”

I can’t get a read on his face. He is expressionless.

“I already had a bad taste in my mouth about the kind of person she was. That? That was not good. I don’t even wanna…” I stop and shudder. “She threatened me against telling you. I tried to tell you anyway. You---”

“Wouldn’t allow you to tell me,” he answers.

“Right.”

“And then?” he asks, eyes on the envelope.

“And then I hired someone to investigate her. All sorts of ugly shit got unearthed, including evidence calling my and Auz’s paternity into question.”

Dad looks to Austin.

“Opened my envelope Thursday, Dad. No questions about me.”

Dad’s face is still unreadable for a second and then his eyes, his brown eyes that are like mine and like Uncle Mitch’s look at me. “You don’t even need to open that envelope, Aiden. I can tell you the answer.”

“I’ve been hanging onto this envelope and Austin’s for over a year.”

“A year?” Dad’s face changes. The color drains as he tries to make sense of why I’d do such a thing.

I’m tryin’ to make sense of it myself.

“Austin opened his not sixty seconds after I showed it to him. He wanted to be there for me when I opened mine. That’s why I’m here.”

“You’re my son.”

“Even if I’m not?

“You’re my son.”

“Even if I’m your nephew?”

“You’re not my fucking nephew!” He roars. And I can see by the emotion on his face he knows I suspect it’s Uncle Mitch.

“Open it,” Dad demands.

I stare at the thing. The fucking thing that feels like a poisonous snake, that’s felt like poison all this time.

“Should I open it?” Dad asks.

I stare at him.

“You’re my son,” he says with absolutely no doubt on his face.

“Because you raised me or because your seed made me?”

“Both.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’m sure. I’d love you even if you weren’t my son. But you are. Fuckin’ open it,” Dad barks.

“I’ll fuckin’ open it,” Austin says. He leans over and takes the envelope, but his eyes are on me.

“Give it,” I say. I ordered a comprehensive test and told the lab the paternity in question was between identical twins. My uncle had left his body to science, so his DNA results were accessible on file. He was a big believer in philanthropy and his death resulted in six lives being saved or enhanced.

They assured me the results will be accurate. They told me they had three labs test comprehensively and results are based on all results. If anyone comes up as in doubt, they’d let me know. The tests came back to me with an invoice that told me conclusively there were no questions about the results.

I open it and unfold the paper and I don’t want to look.

If this came from nowhere, like it did for my brother, maybe I’d have just opened it fast. But this has been fuckin’ with me for a long fucking time. My whole life I wanted to make him proud. Get his attention. Get his attention away from his fucking work for five minutes, so I excelled. I excelled at everything. But I failed at being a decent human being because he looks at me like he’s sorely disappointed in the man that I am. And then I find out I might not even be his. Of course it’s been fucking with my head.

They’re waiting.

I look down at the paper.

My knees go a little weak.

“Quinten Carmichael, you are the father.” I say.

Austin snickers and goes to a drawer in a table beside his television and pulls out three cigars.

“Cubans,” he says and grabs a box of matches.

Dad’s eyes are on me.

“I’m sorry, Aiden. I’m sorry I didn’t let you speak when I knew what you were going to say. If I had, maybe you wouldn’t have been in pain all this time. Carrying that weight on your shoulders. I… I was weak.”

“Talk to us,” I say, lighting my Cuban.

He lights up and takes a few puffs and then shrugs.

“I was married to my job. Driven. It drove her into my twin brother’s arms. She begged and pleaded for more from me and I was just… emotionally unavailable to her. She grew bitter. She started screwing around to try to get my attention. I buried my head in the sand and ignored it while I tried to build my empire. I ignored it until I found out she fucked my brother, because he not only looked like me but was everything she wanted that I wasn’t.”

Austin lets out an angry gust of breath.

Dad continues, looking like he’s seeing it all happen before his eyes again. Recounting it aloud is taking him back. “When I found out, I confronted them. He was always the sensitive one. My mother used to joke that he got the double dose in the womb and there was none left for me. I think it was the truth. He was always extreme in his emotions. Elated, then depressed. I think your mother latched onto trying to make him happy when no one could. When he killed himself, three days after I confronted him about his affair with my wife, it launched your mother on the road that led her to where she is today. Bitter. Angry. Drinks too much. Screws men half her age trying to find some happiness, numb her guilt.” He takes a haul off the stoagie and shrugs.  “I created that monster.”

“You aren’t responsible for what she does, Dad. She’s an adult,” I say.

“Why didn’t you two just divorce?” Austin asks. “I mean, c’mon. It’s not the dark ages. You’re miserable with somebody, you don’t stay. You don’t waste your life being stuck in misery.”

Dad shrugs. “Mitch’s death bonded us in a different way. I needed to pay my penance. She needed to wallow. And punish me.  I felt guilt, lost my sex drive completely. Haven’t been with her in well over a decade.  Now, she meddles in your lives and plays social hierarchy games at the country club and in our circle, and she drinks and spends money. She won’t divorce me. That’d be admitting failure at something. Your mother won’t do that. And if I tried to do it? She’d…”

“Eviscerate you,” I say, using the words she threatened with.

He nods.

“And she’s meddling in my life, too, looks like,” I tell him.

Dad tilts his head curiously, looking at me.

“She hired a bitch I used to bang to try to get information. She was in my briefcase rooting around. I don’t know if she’s responsible, but yesterday my phone was cloned, and I got a fake text that caused other problems.”

“I’ve seen your mother pull some ridiculous stunts, but why would she do that?”

I shrug and flick the ash off the cigar into an ashtray.

“Don’t know it was her for sure yet, but it’s what I suspect.”

“Why does she want to know what’s in your briefcase?” Dad asks.

“She knows I’m having her followed and investigated. She’s spending your money faster than fast and she just took out two life insurance policies on you, Dad. Maybe she figures my briefcase has the full report on her, wants to know what I know.”

Dad winces. He doesn’t look surprised, though.

“What?” Austin asks, seeing what I see. Dad’s hiding something.

“What is it, Dad?” Austin pushes. “You don’t look surprised.”

“Was having some symptoms. Found out I…uh…” He stops talking and takes another breath. “I have Cancer. Prostate. It’s early stage and highly treatable. But, she knows and she’s not a glass half full sort of person.”

Austin and I are both stunned.

“It’s been a day for news,” Dad says and sips from his coffee mug. “Is it too early to drink?”