Chapter 26
Kendall
I was excited to be going to Elijah’s house, and I made up an overnight bag for Bo and for me. I had just thrown the bags in the car and returned to the house for Bo when the phone rang.
“Hello,” I said.
“Hi Kendall, it’s Mom.”
“I was just, I… it’s alright, what do you want?” I asked.
“I was just calling to see if you were coming to the house over the weekend?” It has been a while, and you did promise you were going to visit,” she added.
“I was going to, but something cropped up last minute. I have to go to Elijah. He needs me,” I explained.
“Kendall, what did I tell you? I thought you were well over this. You know he isn’t good for you,” she commented in a rough tone.
I hated to upset my mother, but she didn’t know how I felt about Elijah and how he felt about me, and it had gone past just a caring personal assistant who was helping a boss in need. We had clicked, and I could see there was chemistry between us, and not just when we had sex.
“Yes, I know what we discussed, but he’s different now, he’s good to me, the situation is totally different than it was before,” I replied trying to explain.
“Well, it may seem like that to you, but you know how he was, so there must still be part of that man inside of him somewhere,” Mom added, blind to my words.
“It’s just that we have, well we have gotten close, and it’s not forced, it all has happened naturally, it’s a great feeling. I have experienced anything like this before,” I said as I sat on the couch and hugged my big cushion.
“Kendall, Kendall, Kendall, I thought you were a lot smarter than this, relationships are not all fairy tales and unicorns, you know that. You have to think with your head and not just your heart,” Mom explained as I became more annoyed by her words.
Mom was right, but Elijah had not just whisked me off my feet and dated me in a normal way, the relationship had started from compassion and a caring attitude and from his side. And it had all stemmed from being grateful to me. This was different and not something you see in a movie or read in a book. Our relationship wasn’t a fairy tale, it was true, and it meant something to both of us.
I listened to what Mom had to say, but I started to get defensive because no matter what she said, I was fighting the notion that she was correct. I wanted the relationship to progress, and she wouldn’t change my mind. She had always told me to live by my choices. No matter what, either right or wrong and if the relationship did go belly up, I had to accept that I had been wrong.
“Mom, I should be going, I have packed all my bags, and the car is ready. I told Elijah I would be there soon and I have been over an hour now, he will be worried as it’s getting dark and I have to drive through the trees,” I commented.
“Okay, dear, do what you think is right, but just watch out for yourself, and don’t forget to think with your head,” she said.
“Okay, Mom will do,” I said.
“Bye Dear.”
“Bye Mom, love you,” I said as I hung up the phone.
“Well Bo, it’s just you and me. Mom was a little pissed about it, but you will see, it’s not all bad,” I said to Bo.
I texted Elijah and told him I was on my way, and that my mom had delayed me on the phone. Bo and I jumped in the car and slowly headed to Elijah’s house.
We arrived at Elijah’s house and pulled up in the driveway, Bo immediately set off around the garden and sniffed everything that he could find. He busied himself with cocking his leg and scented everything to show that it was his domain now.
“Good conversation I take it,” Elijah said from the kitchen door.
“You know, she went through the whole mother speech and how she was right and I would be wrong,” I explained. “Mothers know best, huh?”
“I can’t answer that, and at least you have a better relationship with your mother than I do with mine,” Elijah said as he leaned on the door to the kitchen, and shrugged his shoulders.
“She’s a great mom, and I know she only wants the best for me, she’s just being protective.” Bo walked around the lawn.
I walked toward Elijah, and he placed his arms around my shoulders. We stood and watched in silence as Bo continued to explore the garden, and after a while, Elijah pulled on my shoulder.
“Come on, lets get inside, it’s getting a bit warm out here,” he said as he retreated into the kitchen.
I called Bo and wiped his feet before he entered the house, the last thing I wanted was his huge paw prints all over the floor.
“Have you eaten?” Elijah asked.
“Yep, I had dinner earlier, I wasn’t sure and time was running away, so I grabbed something quick,” I replied.
“Well, I’m happy you and Bo decided to come, it’s an exciting experience for me, and probably for you two as well. Something new. You want a drink?” he asked as he turned his to me in his sexy jeans and t-shirt.
“Gin and tonic please, heavy on the tonic,” I replied.
“You’re not a lightweight, are you?” Elijah asked with a smile on his handsome face.
“No, not at all. I just have a few things on my mind, and I don’t want the gin to get in the way of them,” I replied.
“Ah, I see, you don’t want to numb the pain,” he said laughing as he passed me my drink.
“So, apart from enjoying my fantastic company, why did you ask me over tonight?” I quizzed.
“I just wanted to let you know about my conversation with Peter, it would help me to assimilate all of the new information I have learned today,” he explained.
“So, you just wanted a good pair of ears then?” I asked in a cheeky tone.
“Sort of, but you are much more than just a good listener, you can respond to the information and give me an unbiased opinion,” Elijah said as he sipped on his bourbon.
“So, how was the conversation with Peter?”
“Well, in a way it was shocking, but also enlightening,” he answered.
“Come on. Tell me all about it… right from the start,” I requested.
“To sum it all up, Dad was a raging alcoholic, who used to be quite abusive to all of us,” he said as his eyes filled with horror.
“My God, that is terrible!” I listened intently.
“Apart from being physically abusive, he used to lock me and Peter in the shed, but this was only a minor part, the beatings apparently were much worse,” Elijah said in a low voice.
“So, what about the flashbacks with your dad when you were happy with him?” I asked.
“This is the strange part. Peter said I always saw the good in Dad, regardless of the beatings. For some reason, and I always looked for his approval, and maybe that was why I spent so much time with him at the office?”
“I had read that kids actually cling closer to the one who beats them, rather than the parent that doesn’t,” I responded in confusion.
“Yes, it’s strange, but the situation gets worse.”
“How can it get worse than being beaten?” I asked feeling for him.
“Well, because I was always with Dad, I was right in his firing line and was always the first to receive his beatings. But Peter could see it and tried to protect me, but Dad was huge…”
“So, what did he do?” I asked with a concerned look on my face.
“He used to try and protect me by provoking Dad if he started to beat me, and then he would turn his attention to Peter, and that was what that flashback was about. Peter took his own beating plus mine,” Elijah had tears in his eyes.
I could see by the look on his face that what he told me disturbed him, he tried hard to understand it all, and it had been difficult to cope, the more he learned.
“So, why did you receive nearly everything? When Peter and your mother only received a little,” I asked.
“Well in Peter’s case, he became so detached from Dad. He tried to see as little as possible of him, apart from when he started beating me, and Mom. I’m not sure. Maybe this was the reason he became an alcoholic in the first place. Then he just disowned her completely,” he explained.
“It sounds feasible and possible, but it doesn’t really explain why you and your Mom had lost each other, you would have thought the three of you would actually be drawn together more in a united front against your father,” I said.
“Well you would think that, but obviously, there is some other reason behind it. I’ll find out one day, I’m sure of it,” Elijah said.
“So, to simplify everything, you and your Mom had a falling out, your Dad became a raging alcoholic and Peter, God bless his soul, took beatings on your behalf,” I said. “As a result, you tried to be close to your Dad, because, as you saw he was actually a good person. Or maybe you knew the reason why he became an alcoholic. Right?”
I puzzled it all as I placed my hand on Elijah’s shoulder.
“Exactly,” Elijah replied. “And as a result, he looked at me as the only one who supported him through his drinking, even though I was trying to gain his acceptance. Then I received the bulk of his fortune.”
We continued to chat more about his conversation with Peter, and then we decided it was time to go to bed. I thought about our conversation and could understand why Elijah had become the way he had been, he had been influenced by his father in his attitude, and the relationship with his mother had led him not to trust women. Or at the very least, not let a woman get close to him get to a level where he could get totally attached to her.
We headed to the bedroom and laid together just cuddling, and I thought about the conversation I had with my mother previously. I knew if she knew the history of Elijah she would say that he had turned into, or was at least turning into his father the older he became.
Elijah also had a tendency to drink which could at any time, become a reliance, and he too would become an alcoholic. Before the accident… and with this would bring the temper and I had already seen the extent of his temper at work. If this had been fueled by alcohol, it would be quite easy for him to lash out for no reason and he would become out of control.
If this happened again, Mom would be correct, and I would be in a situation which was unhealthy for me, and it could be dangerous. Mom's words rang in my mind as I laid close to Elijah. I had to do something with the information I had learned. I had to stop Elijah from following this pattern, and I had to do something to stop him becoming his father. My mind was set on it, now.