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“Exactly!” I agreed.
We sat, drank coffee and reminisced until it was time for him to head to the airport.
Standing from the booth in preparation to leave, he pulled me in for a hug. He held on tight and rubbed my back. I held on too. It felt good to catch up with my friend.
“Don’t forget about me,” he said.
“I won’t. I promise.”
“Alright, Kiki,” he said then kissed me on my forehead.
Kerem
It would be great if you would at least reply to let me know you are alive.
Alive. – The Wife
I’d been texting and calling Keeva every day trying to get a conversation started. I knew we needed to discuss everything that had happened. I didn’t know what I could say to make her feel better, but I wanted to at least try. I sent flowers to the salon to let her know that I was thinking about her. She never acknowledged them, but I knew she’d received them.
She was not the type of person to get angered easily. Nor was she the type to hold grudges, but when she put her mind to it, she could do anything. She’d obviously put her mind to ignoring me. Although, it felt like a small victory when she finally sent the one-word response. I’d take it.
I’d been driving past the house every night. I would scan the block until I saw her car. I wanted to make sure she was home and safe. I’d still taken care of my responsibilities with the childcare center even though we hadn’t talked. I made all the weekly financial transactions and emailed her when they were done. She’d started sending her assistant to my bank to pick up the checks and sent all her money questions and instructions through email.
“Kerem, Mr. Collins is here for his appointment,” Debbie the receptionist announced.
“Thanks, Debbie. Send him in.”
Richard Collins was a millionaire whose fortune was passed down from his great-great-grandfather who was into oil and real estate. Richard made his living in real estate as well, but if he never worked another day in his life, his great-great grandchildren would still be well taken care of.
Clients of Richard’s caliber received special attention when they were at the bank to make transactions. It was my job as a bank manager, to make sure we kept them satisfied which in turn kept them as clients.
“Richard, good morning. Come in and have a seat.”
We shook hands then he chose a seat in front of my desk. I sat down and pulled his information up on the computer before we got started.
“I was surprised to see your name on my schedule. I usually hear from Betty when it’s time to move some money around.
“My wife won’t be privy to this information. I need to make that very clear before we begin this conversation,” Richard said.
“Okay…so we are not talking about the joint accounts that both you and Betty are listed on?”
I glanced at the account balances, each totaling millions of dollars.
“No. I want to open another account in my name only. I need to move money from my personal investments into this account,” Richard explained.
Conversations like this set off all sorts of red flags. I had to make sure the client wasn’t doing anything illegal or something that would have adverse tax implications in the future.
“Why are you opening a separate account, Richard?”
“I’m just going to give it to you straight because it is what it is. I have a mistress. She and I have been together for some time now. She is pregnant, and I want to make sure my child is secure and taken care of.”
A wave of disgust washed over me. It took all of my professional training for it not to show on my face.
“I can’t leave Betty because there is no prenup. She will take me to the cleaners. I won’t let her do that so I will have to care for my family on the side. I want Bridgette to have full access to the account because she will need to pay the rent on the condo she’s moving into and cover the hospital bills for the baby. Is this something that we can work on together and keep to ourselves?”
If I didn’t know he was a slimeball at first, I was sure of it now. How cocky could you be to just broadcast your affair and illegitimate child?
I took a deep breath and started typing on my computer like I was doing something. I wasn’t. I was irritated to my core and needed a brief break. I had a lot of respect for his wife, Betty. She had always been very kind and gracious. She was never pretentious or rude like some of my wealthy clients were. She’d coached me on some real estate moves that Keeva and I used.
