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Prologue
Jacob
Recap
After seeing Destiny and Ms. Clara onto their flight to Atlanta, I felt the need to do something that would take my mind off the shocking events that occurred at dinner. I dressed in a pair of shorts, tee and running shoes and went for a run on the trail surrounding my parents’ property. My feet hit the pavement in earnest as I thought about Mom inviting Justine to have dinner with us. It was a spit in the face to both me and the woman I loved. I had never felt so disrespected by my mother in all my life. All hope of the two most important women in my life having an amicable relationship was squashed after that stunt.
But as it turned out, being spiteful towards Destiny was the least of Mom’s worries. After Ms. Clara’s spirited slap to my father’s jaw and him rushing off behind her for a hug, we found out Ms. Clara had been the long, lost love of my father’s life. And their past relationship wasn’t nearly as potent as the way they peered into each other’s eyes upon reconnecting. Dad looked at her as if all the years they were apart simply vanished.
When Ms. Clara rounded the dining room table and stood in front of Dad, I could see him transport back to 1975. He looked like a young chap who’d just spotted his first love. It was remarkable to watch and a train wreck at the same time.
As I finished off my third mile and headed toward the house, I felt a little better, but I still had so much tension in my body. The last thing Destiny and I needed was another layer of stress added to our relationship. My father admitting to loving her mother all the years he was supposed to be loving my mother was definitely an added stress.
Everything I considered the norm for my family had been shattered in a matter of seconds. Don’t get me wrong, I always wanted more out of a relationship than what my parents shared. I desired a deeper connection with the woman I loved. As I thought back to when I was a young boy, I remembered that Mom and Dad never displayed a great level of passion for one another.
After observing my parent’s lackluster bond, I knew Justine and I would be passing lovers. She and I had met at a crossroad, when we both needed someone. However, the initial protective feelings soon passed for me and I was bound and determined not to spend my life tied to a woman I didn’t love. I had just hoped my parents, in their own way, had a stronger bond that couldn’t be broken.
I entered the kitchen and got a bottle of Aquadeco out the fridge. I tossed back the cool liquid as I thought about how passionately in love I was with Destiny. I smiled as I thought of how I was consumed with fire, whenever I was with her. We had the type of love I always wanted. The ember that ignited when I met her outside of Tazi’s eatery in Atlanta was now an all-consuming flame. No amount of water would ever be able to put it out. No weapons formed against us would ever be able to change my love for the woman my heart belonged to for all of eternity.
The big smile on my face was replaced with a frown as I looked at the stairwell leading to Mom’s bedroom. I had to address Mom sooner rather than later. It was past time we had yet another talk about the bullshit she kept pulling with Justine. I couldn’t understand why she kept pulling for Justine when that was not who I wanted. Either way, I needed to get her to understand this was her final chance to pick a side.
I tossed the empty bottle in the trash and took the winding stairs to Mom’s room. I creaked open her door and peeked in. Normally, at this hour, she would be up writing out her list of things to do the next day, but she was lying in the dark with her head buried underneath her covers when I entered the room.
“Mom, are you awake?”
She didn’t answer, but her quivers let me know she was awake. Her covers rose and fell in rapid motion showing her distress over the evening.
“Mom, we need to talk.” Upon hearing my voice, her cry filled the room with solemnness. “Mom, I’m pissed that you would invite Destiny to dinner and then have Justine there. I told Destiny you were ready to accept her and then you pull this? Were you trying to make me look like a fool this whole time?”
Again, she didn’t say anything. She just pulled the covers tighter and sobbed her pain. It was obvious she needed some time to sort out her feelings, but after the way she treated Destiny I didn’t care. It was mighty convenient for her to be in her feelings after causing my fiancé grief.
The only thing stopping me from digging in deeper was that she was dealing with Dad’s reunion with Ms. Clara. But she needed to spend an equal amount of time contemplating what she’d done to our relationship. We were on the verge of a very strained relationship as mother and son.
“It’s pretty damn convenient for you to lay here and act like a victim, Mom. What you put out in this world is what you get back,” I said as her sobs became louder. “You know what, fuck this! I’m going to drop it for tonight, but we are going to talk tomorrow,” I assured her, as I closed the door behind me. I hoped by morning the woman who was brave enough to stand by Justine’s side in the courtroom in Atlanta and was conniving enough to invite her to dinner last night would show up. I didn’t want to talk to the weak and feeble woman lying in that bed tonight.
Next, I headed to Dad’s study. When I entered, he too was sitting in darkness, except for a small lamp burning on his desk.
“Hi Son,” he said, as I sat in the plush burgundy chaise in front of his desk.
“Do you care to explain what just happened?” I asked.
There was weariness in his eyes as he looked up at me. He picked up a crystal glass filled with brown liquor and took a healthy gulp before replying to my question. “You’re a smart man, trusted to head a billion-dollar company. Do you really need an explanation of what happened, Jacob?”
“No, I understand what happened. The fact that you and Ms. Clara had a thing for each other is clear. I just want you to tell me where your mind is right now. I want to hear from the horse’s mouth why our family is about to go belly up.”
“How do you feel about Destiny?” he asked, dropping his pen on his desk.
“You’re answering my question with a question.”
“Yes.”
“Alright, I love her,” I answered.
“Is that all you can say about the woman you’re about to marry? ‘Alright, I love her?’” he asked.
