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Watchingthe perfectly poised individuals turn against him solidified toJoethat he had screwed up monumentally. “I-I,Ididn’t mean to say that,” he stammered.
MomleveledJoe, refusing to falter at her debasement in front of her in-laws. “Mr.Maxwell,Ihave to conclude this meeting now,” she said icily. “Myhusband would never work with someone who insulted our daughter.Youwould have known that had you bothered doing your homework.Goodbye.”Withher back ramrod straight and head held high,Momexited the conference room with as much class as the situation allowed.
JoefollowedMomin a last-ditch effort to salvage the situation. “Wait,Mrs.Ambani, please.Ididn’t mean it.”
Henryhad the good sense to stop him.Theboard was rattled and followedMomout of the room.
“Angela!”Devshouted. “Callsecurity.”
Itwasn’t untilMomwas almost out of sight thatInoticed the subtle way she touched her right ear before taking off on quick feet.
Shit.PapaoverheardJoe’svile accusations.
Oneperson stayed behind in the conference room.Oureyes locked asDamonwatched me with apprehension, pity, or both.Perhapshe expected me to react more dramatically and didn’t know what to make of it whenIdidn’t.Thejuxtaposition of his calm clashed with his father’s recklessness.
“Listen, kid,” he started asIrushed out of the room.
Securityarrived by the timeIexited the conference room.Chaosensued becauseJoerefused to leave, demanding another audience withMom.Gettingpast the crowd was impossible.WhenImade it through and returned toPapa’sroom, he was propped against the headboard.Hefell asleep watchingFriendsin a seated position, head leaning back on a pillow.Iwas relieved to findMomnext to him.Itseemed she came to check on him and dozed off with her head pressed against his shoulder in a similarly seated position.Bythe looks of it, they were fine, andPapadidn’t believeJoe’slies aboutMom’saffair.
AsifPapa’shealth wasn’t bad enough, there was now the added stress of his wife being humiliated in front of everyone.Iwanted to comfort him, but this was an areaIseverely lacked.Inthe end,Iwent with a small gesture.Iclimbed onto the bed to sit beside him and rested my head against his other shoulder.
WhenIwoke next,Papahad passed away in his sleep, and there was only one thingIremembered from the worst day of my life.Papaclaimed his greatest achievement was his two favorite girls, his wife and daughter.Thelast words my father heard before passing away were theMaxwellsredacting the credibility of both.
ChapterThree
DAMON
“Leaveit alone,Dad.Haven’twe done enough?”
“Leaveit alone?Thisis our opportunity to make things right,”Dadrefuted, his tone firm and resolute.
Iscoffed. “Theycan’t stand us, andIdon’t exactly blame them.”
Itwas ironic how quickly life could change.Afew weeks ago,JayAmbaniwas on my shit list for being an elitist snob who couldn’t be bothered with a measly meeting.Ifelt nothing but remorse since the news broke about his untimely death.Thelatest gossip suggested he organized a family trip after receiving a fatal diagnosis.Notonly did we interrupt their precious time with the demand of a meeting, but we also ruined it by hurling insults at his wife and questioning his daughter's parentage.Talkabout pouring salt on a wound.
Dadsent flowers and fruit baskets to the family members as if that would salvage the blow we delivered.Tohis dismay, the goods were returned.TheAmbanissent a clear message: they weren’t interested in mending this rift.Dadshould put this to bed, except he wasn’t dissuadable.
“They’llcome around after we pay our respects.”Dadfiddled with his tie in front of the mirror, perfecting theWindsorknot.Hestood determined in his funeral attire, a black suit with a crisp white shirt, adamant he could fix things by being proactive with fruit baskets.Theexpectation couldn’t be further from reality.
JayAmbaniwas recently cremated, butIwas unsure if his ashes were scattered.Everythinguntil this point had been kept private.Thefamily felt obliged to organize a public wake inChicago, allowing their vast network to pay their respects.Despitethe open-door policy, it was safe to say they didn't want my father in attendance.Unfortunately,Daddidn’t know how to take a hint.Givenhow we left things with them,DadattendingJayAmbani’sfuneral was cringeworthy.Ipractically followed him toChicago, hoping he’d give up this pursuit.Asthe clock ticked forward, it became painfully apparent he had no such intention.Dadwas incapable of following social norms or leaving things alone.Hewas adamant about showing up with more gift baskets and flowers.
Killme, kill me now.
Fallingflat on my back onDad’sking-size bed,Iexasperatedly stared at the hotel room ceiling. “Don’tdo this,Dad.Theydon’t want you there.”
Dadgrunted dismissively. "It’sall about timing,Son.JayAmbaniwasn’t the only way to get your foot in the door with these folks.It'llstart a new era when they see we are willing to put aside our pride to help them through this difficult time.Whoknows?Theymight let go of this silly feud and consider the previous proposition we discussed."
Iwanted to scream, 'No, they won’t,' butIalready knew arguing withJoeMaxwellwas futile.Instead,Ipushed myself off the bed and followedDadas he opened the door to the hallway.Therewas no wayIwas letting him go to the funeral alone.Afterwhat happened at that meeting,Ididn't plan on stepping foot inside theAmbanihome, butIcould at least stay by the car ifDadpulled any stupid stunts.
Iclicked the fob for the rental car and unlocked the vibrant redLamborghiniparked outside the hotel.AccordingtoDad, the sleek model was the perfect rental for our two-day visit toChicago.Inreality, he liked it because it was flashy, even though the flashiest thing we had done thus far was drive to the store for more fruit baskets.
Istarted the ignition asDadsettled into the passenger seat.Icouldn’t help muttering, “Rememberto keep your cool.Repeatwhat you’ll say if someone asks why you’re there.”
“I’llsayI’mhere to drop these off.”Hepointed a thumb at the back of the car.Earlier,IwatchedDadplayTetristo fit all the flowers and baskets in the back seat.
“And?”Ipressed.
Dadrolled his eyes and spouted the rehearsed response. “Andto pay my respects.”
