bradley

 

 

Bradley tapped his pen on the dining room table as he pored over his physiology textbook. He did his best to understand the words across the page, but he found it hard to focus. He looked at his phone again. No calls or texts from Victoria. He frowned, but turned back to his textbook.

He had called her during the day but she could only talk briefly because she had to prepare for a client meeting, and she had promised to call him back at some point.

It was already 8pm on Monday evening – surely, she would have finished work, Bradley thought. He was also worried because she sounded preoccupied, and not her normal cheerful and sweet self. At the time, he had chalked it up to work stress, but now he wasn’t so sure about that. His jaw flexed as he contemplated the possible reasons for her foul mood.

A knock at the door interrupted his train of thought. No, not a knock; more like a pounding at the door. Who the fuck was that? He pushed himself back from the table and stood up.

There it was again, louder this time. His brows furrowed and he strode to the door, trying to keep his cool. His eyes flashed as he opened the door.

The tall man facing him looked familiar, but Bradley found it hard to place him or put a name to the face. He had salt and pepper hair, and had that distinguished look that well-off men above a certain age possess.

Bradley gave him a questioning look. “May I help you? Is there a particular reason you’re trying to break down my door?”

The older man’s severe expression didn’t change, but he finally spoke.

“I’m Victoria’s father, Mr. Connor.”

Bradley sucked in a breath of air and he looked at the older man in surprise. He stood aside to let Victoria’s father in. His curiosity was palpable – what possible reason could he have for paying him a visit? How did he even find out where he lived?

“Welcome. Can I get you something? A tea? Coffee?”

“No, it’s too late for that.”

“How about a beer?”

“I’m not here to socialize, Bradley.”

Bradley poured himself a tea and led Victoria’s father to the dining table, where they both took a seat.

“So, what brings you here, Mr. Connor?” Bradley took a sip of his hot tea, letting it burn his lips. He had a pretty good idea of why he was there, but wanted to hear it directly from him.

Victoria’s father was still wearing his poker face, and his lips hardly moved as he spoke. He stared directly into Bradley’s eyes and began speaking.

“I have a few things to say, Bradley. I’ll start off by telling you that I know you’re seeing my daughter.” He was counting his points on his fingers. “And I also know how it is that you earn your living.”

Bradley gulped but didn’t look away. No one would ever make him ashamed of how he chose to support himself and his family.

“Now, I’m a fair guy. I don’t judge. As long as you’re not hurting anybody and you’re paying your taxes, I don’t care how you make your living. But,” he said, raising his eyebrows for emphasis, “it is my business when my daughter is involved. As you can imagine, she’s worked very, very hard to get to where she is now. She’s a star associate at one of the best firms in the state. She has a bright future ahead of her; a future that she shouldn’t be risking by associating with – excuse me here – individuals whose lifestyles may reflect badly upon her.”

Bradley felt his blood pressure rise, and he couldn’t stay quiet any longer.

“Excuse me?” He gave her father a perplexed look, because he could hardly believe his ears. He didn’t exactly shout his occupation from the rooftops, but he’d never dream of reducing someone down to their job. “If you don’t mind me saying so, you have a funny way of not judging.”

Victoria’s father shrugged his shoulders as if to admit guilt. “Mea culpa. This is my daughter we’re talking about. I’ll cut to the chase, Bradley. You need to forget about her. I’m sure there are more than enough girls down at the club whose company you can enjoy. Leave my daughter alone.” He emphasized his point by putting his hand down on the table with a thud.

“Well, Mr. Connor, I appreciate your concern, but I think you’ve got things wrong here.”

“Oh, do I?”

“Yes. I don’t see Victoria as just another fling. I care – I mean, we care about each other. I haven’t looked at another woman since I started spending time with her. So, if you’re worried about that side of things, you shouldn’t.”

“That’s very sweet, Bradley,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, “but that’s not all. We don’t live in Lalaland. This is the real world, and people do judge. She’s a lawyer, and she has an image to maintain. You think the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company will take her seriously once it’s out that she hangs out at Wicked Boys or whatever these clubs may be called? Of course, not. If this gets out, it’ll limit her potential. It’s an issue socially, too. Listen, I’m sure you’re a fine young man. Probably. But it doesn’t really matter, because what matters is what people see and what they assume, because people act on their assumptions and stereotypes. As much as I wish that wasn’t the case, it most certainly is.”

“You want me to break up with her? How could I do that? It’ll break her heart. I can’t do without her, it’s impossible.” His own words surprised him. He didn’t quite realize how much she meant to him until he contemplated losing her. “No, I can’t do that. I’m not ashamed of what I do, but if it makes you feel better, I’m very quiet about my work. Nobody outside the club even knows. I’m sure she told you I’m about to finish medical school, and I plan to quit as soon as I get my residency.”

“I already know all that. And good for you, I wish you the best. However, what I said still stands. End it. She’ll get over it in a few days, or maybe weeks, and she’ll be fine.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t. There’s no way.”

Victoria’s father sighed and he gave Bradley an exasperated look.

“Bradley, I’m losing my patience. I really wish it didn’t come to this. Listen, it would be a real shame if my good friend, the Chairman of the board of your children’s charity, found out about your little side job, wouldn’t it? Or my friends at the local hospitals. You know, I have connections pretty much everywhere. You may find that getting a residency is harder than you thought.”

Bradley’s face paled as he realized what Victoria’s father was saying.

“Are you blackmailing me? Is this for real?” He kept his clenched fists under the table; he was worried that he might lose control any minute. “You’re willing to ruin my future over this?”

“Well, I’d rather have yours ruined than Victoria’s.” He stood up from the table. “I’m sorry this is the way our talk had to go, I really am.”

Although he was standing, he didn’t make a move towards the door. Instead, he reached into his trench coat’s inside pocket and took out an envelope. He fixed Bradley with a steely gaze as he held the envelope out towards him, motioning towards it with a raise of his eyebrows, indicating to Bradley that he should take it from him.

“Is this for real? Do you think you can buy me off, Mr. Connor? You think I care about money that much?” He gritted his teeth and his eyes were on fire as he ripped the cheque into tiny little pieces and threw them up in the air with disgust.

Victoria’s father made a move towards the door, and Bradley stood up to follow him. He didn’t want to let him go just like that. He had so much to say – about himself, about why he did what he did – but all of that seemed to pale in comparison to the reality that he might be losing Victoria.

“By the way, how did you know where I live?”

“I’ve got friends, Bradley. It’s really not that hard,” he said, still walking towards the door.

Damn, it must have been Richard Laskey or someone at his firm, Bradley thought.

“This is nothing personal, Bradley. I really hope you take my advice; it’s well intentioned,” he said before walking out.

Bradley slammed the door behind him and sauntered over to the couch. He sank into it and buried his head in his shaking hands, thinking about what the future will hold.