Trey

Mom insists that I arrive at the wake with her, because she feels uncomfortable bringing Charles. Since Dad’s fiancé is in charge of the whole event, I’m not sure why she would feel uncomfortable introducing him to the relatives. Maybe she’s just embarrassed by his age and the fact that he comes from very humble means. He needed a sugar momma and she needed someone to dote on her. I think it’s a match made in heaven.

“You better bring him to the funeral tomorrow,” I insist as we catch a ride to the funeral home.

“And you better bring Olivia.” She tilts her head, giving me the raised eyebrow.

“Actually, I’m bringing two women,” I mention just to see her reaction. “You probably remember the other one.”

“Two? Who?” she asks, sounding like something out of a Dr. Seuss book.

“Liv brought a friend named Mandy along on the trip to Geneva and it turned out to be Amanda Grayson.”

“Amanda Grayson!” she barks. “How in the hell did they meet? The last I heard they had moved to Kentucky or somewhere like that,” she exclaims, seeming to not know exactly where they had ended up.

“She grew up in Tennessee, but she went to college at Berkeley. She and Liv met in a Pilates class,” I explain, even though I now know it wasn’t a coincidence.

“Oh, out of all the people in this world that just doesn’t seem possible. Please tell me she is an engineer or maybe a psychologist,” she says with a glare. I don’t reply immediately. “What does she do Trey?” she presses.

“You aren’t going to believe it, even if I tell you.” I stall, wondering if I should even mention it.

“Oh God… what does she do?” Her eyes suddenly flare with anger.

“She’s an attorney,” I mumble. “Best of all, she works for the SEC.” I place my hand on the door handle just in case I need to jump.

Surprisingly, she just sighs, sit’s back and crosses her arms. “Let me guess. She went to work for Harris Rockwell.” She taps her index finger against her arm, anticipating my reply.

“Yes. She works in Harris’ office. It freaked me out at first, but honestly, we get along really well,” I quickly explain, trying to temper her rage. “We went to dinner at the Old Homestead Steakhouse last night. I told her that I want to make things up to her and her family.”

“You make sure she attends the funeral tomorrow,” she seethes. “She and I will have a little talk afterwards.”

I still tend to think of Mom as the gentle soul who raised and nurtured us as kids. Each time I see her, however, it seems that she’s grown a bit more calloused and flawed. It’s a feeling that is being confirmed by the steely look in her eyes.

“You’re going to like Mandy. She’s really pretty cool,” I try to reassure her.

“She’s good looking, in other words,” she surmises, giving me a snide smirk. “I know how young men think. It’s usually with the wrong head.”

“Well, yeah… she’s good looking, but you know what they say; hold your friends close and your enemies closer.”

The smirk remains as she shakes her head slowly from side to side. She’s giving me the look that says, “You stupid, stupid child.” It’s been a long time, but I still recognize it. I guess it was foolish to think that she might actually enjoy meeting Mandy after all these years.

“Have you already forgotten the lesson you learned in college?” she asks, breaking the tension silence filling the car. “You can’t trust people Trey, they will take advantage of you. You and Tyler are about to become the two youngest billionaires in the country. That makes you big, juicy targets for all kinds of conniving women.”

“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ve learned not to trust anyone,” I assure her. “I do think you are going to like Mandy though. Also, I guarantee that you’re not going to like Liv.”

“Okay…” she sighs. “I should’ve sent you to that relationship counselor years ago.”

“Yeah, she did so much for you and Dad,” I scoff, returning a bit of her attitude. Much to my relief, the car comes to a stop in front of the funeral home.

Exiting the car, we are immediately met by several of Dad’s relatives. My aunt Margaret and her son Chester share their shock and condolences with Mom and then with me. Who names their kid Chester? Maybe someone named Margaret, I guess. We have never been very close, since Dad bought out her share of the company back when she was getting married. I think she has always felt that he took advantage of her, since she had no idea regarding the future growth plans. In Dad’s mind, he was the one doing all of the work, so he should be the one to reap the rewards. She did receive additional stock after Papa died, so it’s not like she has been completely left out in the cold.

“Any idea what happened?” Chester asks as soon as the women are out of earshot.

“I was in Geneva, so all I know is what I’ve been told. I heard the scene was pretty gruesome,” I reply making small talk with him.

“Yes. It definitely was.” He pauses for a moment. “We had just met that afternoon to make some changes to the restructuring plan. I almost fell over when I saw it come across the TV.” Chester is an attorney, so Dad frequently ran ideas past him.

“You were working with Dad on that?” I ask a bit surprised, since no one is more biased than your own family members.

“Yeah, he had me draw up the preliminary documents,” he says, giving me a suspicious glance and then adds, “You boys were about to lose a fortune apiece.”

“I know, but I just couldn’t come back to New York. Working with him and Tyler would have been pure torture,” I explain, not realizing that Tyler is standing right behind me.

“And you say I’m the one with the attitude.” I hear his voice over my left shoulder.

“No offense, but you know how Dad and I were always butting heads.” I reach out and give him a hug. “Hi Vanessa.”

“Hi Trey. It’s good to see you.” She smiles, reaching out to me. The sweet smell of her perfume instantly transports me back through the years. I have always loved the way she smells.

“I really do miss you guys.” I look her square in the eyes, before glancing over to include my brother.

“I’ll catch up with you later,” Chester says, handing me his business card. “Give me a call sometime.”

“What did that piece of shit want?” Tyler hisses after Chester walks into the funeral home.

“I don’t know,” I tell him, still shocked myself by his admission. “Apparently Dad was working with him on restructuring everything.”

“Yeah. Dad really had lots of balls in the air.” Tyler scoffs, wrapping his arm around Vanessa. “We better go inside, too.”

Looking down at Dad’s coffin, I find it hard to believe that it’s actually him. I think back to the early years when he and Papa used to take Tyler and me fishing. I still remember catching my first fish and almost being pulled over the side of the boat. It’s the biggest fish I ever caught, not that I’ve done much fishing ever since. It’s so strange to think that he is gone.

It’s obvious that they had to use a ton of makeup to cover his wounds. I honestly wouldn’t have recognized him. There should be tears running down my face right now, but instead, all I feel is numbness. The tears don’t come until I see Nana’s face. She comes completely unglued as she approaches the casket.

“I’m so sorry,” I whisper, slipping my arm around her as she gazes down upon him.

“He was in his prime,” she sobs. Her entire body is convulsing as she breaks down and cries with the hurt that only a mother can feel. I turn toward her and wrap both arms around her. She’s so frail and unsteady. She shouldn’t have to go through this.

“It’s okay Mom,” Margaret comes up behind her and pulls her from me. “He’s in a better place.”

“He was way too young. It should have been me,” she cries. “It should have been me.”

I step back and wipe the tears from my eyes. No, it was meant to be him. He wasn’t nearly as good of a person as you or Papa. I am very sad for her loss, but it is hard to even pretend that I am hurt by the fact that he is no longer with us. An empty hollowness resides where the sadness should be found.

I wander from person to person greeting them and sharing condolences. Everyone looks so much older than I remember. I suppose I haven’t seen most of them since my high school graduation. Everyone is somber, but other than Grandma, I haven’t seen a single tear. Not even from his fiancé. She is over in the corner on her cell phone, apparently making final arrangements for the funeral. The whole scene is rather sad. Everyone is commenting on Tyler’s recent engagement to Vanessa and wondering where my girlfriend is. I joke that I will be bringing both of them to the funeral.

After a short prayer service, the small crowd is asked to share their memories of my father. Everyone sits in silence, waiting for someone else to speak. I think back to the fishing trip once again. If someone doesn’t say something soon, I decide that I will talk about that. My mother finally stands up and starts out by telling everyone what a great father he was to Tyler and me. Her voice cracks a bit as she talks about how he always provided for all of our needs and was there for us whenever we needed him. I glance at Tyler and we both nod our heads in agreement. This is the mother I remember from my youth; she was always the thoughtful, softhearted one.

* * *

“Where are you guys?” I ask Liv after slipping out a side door.

“We are at the Rose bar in Gramercy,” she replies.

“That was one of my three guesses. I’m on my way.” I slide into the limo and ask the driver to drop me off before coming back for my mother. He doesn’t see a problem with my plan. I feel a little bad about bailing without saying goodbye to anyone, but I’ll see most of them again tomorrow. I just didn’t feel good in there. I’ll be glad when this whole ordeal is over.

Creeping through traffic, my mind flashes back to having my arms wrapped around Vanessa. God, she still looks good. She seems to be one of those women who continue to improve with age. Tyler, on the other hand, appears to still be high on painkillers with that hazy look in his eyes. Mom doesn’t seem to think there is an issue, but I know he was completely stoned today. I plan on talking to Vanessa about it before I head back to California.

Part of me wants to head back as soon as possible, but I know that won’t be possible. Tyler and I will now be the two largest shareholders in the company, so we will most likely have some level of responsibility. It’s amazing to think that it all would’ve gone away on Monday. Apparently I do have a little positive karma working for me. There is no other explanation for how things ultimately worked out.

“Holy shit!” A barrage of photographers swarms our limo as we pull up to the Gramercy Park Hotel. They must think I’m a celebrity or something, since it’s one of the hotspots for the rich and famous.

“I’ll do my best to clear a path for you,” the driver says before attempting to open his door. He’s at least six foot four and outweighs me by fifty or more pounds, so I’ll let him blaze the trail through this crowd.

Stepping out of the car, I’m immediately greeted with the sound of snapping shutters and people yelling at me. One reporter has the balls to ask whether my brother or me had anything to do with my father’s death. Another asks whether or not we’ve been called in for questioning. What the fuck is wrong with these people? I put my head down and follow my driver into the hotel.

“I’m sorry you had to deal with that, sir,” the driver says after we make it through the revolving doorway and into the hotel lobby.

“Hey, I’m just glad you’re a big guy!” I glance at his nametag. “Thanks, Tony. Is there any chance you can pick us up in a few hours?”

“Just give me a call when you are ready, Mr. Addison.” He hands me a card.

“Great… call me Trey.” I shake his hand before he turns and heads back outside.

“Welcome to Gramercy Park, Mr. Addison,” a young woman immediately greets me. “I’ll take you to your guests. They are expecting you at the Rose Bar.”

“You have obviously met Liv and Mandy,” I comment as the elevator ushers us to the rooftop. “Is that why the paparazzi attacked me?”

“Ah yes. The blonde has told everyone who would listen that she is your guest and we have all been flashed by your Black Card.” She giggles. “Unfortunately, I failed to memorize the last few digits.”

“That sounds like Liv.” I close my eyes and shake my head wondering when and where to do the deed. “At least if I notice any strange charges I’ll know who to blame.” She smiles and giggles. I notice her name tag and add, “Sumiko… you seem like a very smart girl.”

“You know Japanese?” She gives me a shocked look.

“No, why?” I simply read her name as it was spelled on her name tag.

“That’s the meaning of my name. Smart girl.”

“That’s just sheer luck,” I assure her. “At least you are living up to your name.”

The elevator doors open to a roomful of self-important, well-dressed strangers who glance to see if anyone of prominence has arrived. It’s a far different greeting than the one I received from the paparazzi; no one seems to care. “Thank God,” I mutter to myself.

“Follow me, Sir,” Sumiko says. “If you need anything during your stay, just call the front desk and ask for me.”

“I will. Thank you!” What a nice girl.