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A friend? That is how he sees me? I grip the handle of the fridge and close it with more force than necessary.
Hurt washes over me followed by regret. Regret for giving in to Kalum to easily. I slept with him after a night out. It wasn’t even a date. He asked for a kiss, and I begged him to fuck me. The back of my eyes sting. How could I have been so stupid to think I meant anything more to Kalum than any other woman he has been with. He’s a man, and like he said, he likes to fuck. I’m holding on to feelings of the past, interpreting them as something more in the heat of the moment. Last night didn’t mean anything to him.
44
KALUM
It has been two weeks since that night with Aura. I have been avoiding her because I don’t know what to say. She has been distant ever since that day Janine scolded me about what happened at the restaurant. Mike has backed off, but I’m more nervous about what I’m about to do. A step I’m about to take with my parents. Something monumental that needs to happen for my sanity, or everything I have sacrificed would have been for nothing.
The door to my office opens, and Janine strolls in. “Your parents are in the conference room with the…” She clears her throat. “Colorful bears and the TV is on with the rest of the board members on a Zoom call. I wanted to ask…”
I lean back in my office chair, watching her fidget.
“What, Janine?”
“Why would you have ten bears, one seated in every chair, and two envelopes?”
“You will understand at the meeting when I share the news.”
“What news?”
I get up from my chair and straighten my Tom Ford suit jacket. “You’ll see. Everything has a purpose, and they will all understand mine.”
We enter the boardroom, and my father is the first one to speak. “Kalum. What is the meaning of this meeting? And why do you still have these bears? If I have to look at these bears a second longe…”
I raise my hand to stop him from rambling. “Please,” I say calmly and wave to the other two vacant seats. “Have a seat, Father.” And turn to my mother. “Mother.”
Once they are seated, I unmute the screen.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I am ready to begin this meeting so we can make our announcement before the press release.”
“Yes,” they all say in unison.
I look at both of my parents while I hold both envelopes made out in their names.
“I have called this meeting because of an important decision that has been made by all board members regarding both of your futures with the company,” I announce. “You have been active members and founders of this organization, but as silent holders, we have come to the conclusion that you are no longer needed as active members.”
“What is the meaning of this, Kalum? Have you lost your mind?” my mother says, her face red with rage.
“Actually. I haven’t lost my mind,” I say carefully. “You see, I have sacrificed my life for this company, and the other board members agree. I have quadrupled what both of you have generated in profits as the current CEO, and apparently, I have the majority share. Based on the votes with the other board members, we outvote you. We have come to the decision that you will no longer be on the board of this company, and I am prepared to give you your remaining share, plus a bonus. You have more than enough put away for the rest of your lives, and this will not affect you financially.”
“What is the point of this, Kalum? You cannot take the company away from us. We built it!” my father roars, slamming his fist on the table.
“Like I said, I am freeing you of any obligation from the St. Claire conglomerate. Both of you are no longer needed.”
I slide the white envelopes across the table. They both open them, and my mother is the first to look like she will faint. She places her hand on her chest. “One hundred thousand dollars! she cries. “Are you out of your mind?”
I chuckle sarcastically. “You see these bears?” I point, and everyone looks at them. The board members on the screen, my parents, and Janine. “I am going to share a story with you all about the meaning of these bears and why they’re important to me. My senior year of high school, there was this girl I met in my own house, of all places. She had nowhere to go after her parents were killed in a car accident when she was seventeen. My parents took her in, wanted me to be nice and make sure she fit in because she would make a great housekeeper once she turned eighteen in three months. You know how rich people are, they take advantage of the less fortunate, but one thing that never crossed their minds was that their beloved son and heir to their company and fortune would fall in love with her. She was beautiful and had a heart made of gold. She was kind, and all she wanted was love and a normal opportunity, but the only option she was given was to be a housekeeper to a rich family and had no choice but to agree. She was top five in her class but had no money to go to college. Alone with no family.
“Once my parents found out how I really felt about her and what I planned on the day of her birthday, they decided to take matters into their own hands. Their son could not possibly be with the girl destined to be their housekeeper. In their eyes, that was not allowed. In their mind, she was good enough to clean toilets but not for their son. I tried to hide my feelings for her thebest I could so no one would notice because I had the gut feeling my parents would make her suffer. She met a friend at school, and then she met her brother. He was a good friend of mine. Graduated before I did but fell for her the same way I did. You would think the girl had a special spell with her smile, but that wasn’t the case. She was just genuine and beautiful. Wholesome. Fun to be around. I couldn’t help myself. She didn’t care what my last name was or if I had money…”
The room falls silent, listening, waiting for what I say next. I look at the bears, and the memory of that night comes back. The night that I lost the girl I was madly in love with, and she didn’t even know it. “I left for a football game the night before she turned eighteen. I had a surprise, you see. I rented a cabin for the whole weekend. The night of the fair, I spent hours winning her these bears you see seated in every chair in this boardroom. It wasn’t the bear she was happy to see when she woke that morning. It was the fact thatIhad won her the bears. I was the happiest guy alive that morning when I saw the happiness in her eyes. I was able to impress the girl I loved by getting her these stuffed bears. But when I came home the night of the football game, I didn’t want to wake her. I had no idea what my parents had done. I didn’t think anything of it.
“The next morning, I found a note with the bears on her bed. My parents offered her one hundred thousand dollars to leave and never come back. They lied to her and told her that rumors in the community caused them to make the decision.” My tone lowers, and I hear Janine’s intake of breath. “They told her I made plans with my friends for the weekend. They said it was a good offer. What they didn’t want to say was that they didn’t want the community to know that their son was in love with the housekeeper. She left that night with only a suitcase to her name walking on the sidewalk. Homeless and alone. She left the money and a note wishing me well. Saying that she was thankfulfor my parents’ hospitality and that all she wished was for me to be happy and find someone to love. Her best friend’s brother found her walking on the sidewalk near the strip mall where she would go to buy groceries for my parents every week. He took her in and gave her a place to stay. She finished her school online, and I never saw her again. She must have thought the worst of me. I tried calling her to explain. To tell her that my parents didn’t understand, but she never answered my calls.”
“What happened?” Janine asks from behind me.
I don’t tell them the time I spoke with Lane about Aura and what my plan was. I have never told a soul the conversation I had with him. Man to man. Friend to friend, about a girl we both loved.
