Not long after I make it home, my father and William arrive. William has a rough idea of what this is about, but he does not know how deep it all goes. My father, on the other hand, is clueless. He enters the house full of piss and vinegar.
“Son, what is this all about? What was so important that you had to call a family meeting, right now?”
“Pops, please sit down and listen.” I pour myself a drink and take a sip of the dark liquor.
“Well, give me a drink or something, would you? Somehow I think I’m going to need one.”
“Yeah, Pops.” William can’t help himself. He has to throw in a jab. “You are definitely going to need one when you hear this.”
“Thank you, William, thank you. I got it!” I say. “Just shut up a minute and let me explain everything.”
“Fine... fine... I’ll shut up.”
I pin him with a stare and take my father’s favorite whiskey out of the cabinet. We all sit down and sip on it while I tell them everything that has happened over the past few days. True to form, my father is upset at the compromising position I’ve put the company in. However, he appreciated the plan that I came up with to correct the problem.
I know my fuck-up is a colossal blow for my father, so I don’t bother snitching on William and his frolicking. I decide to give him time to smooth that problem out on his own, for now.
Neither is bothered I paid for Riley’s father’s surgery. We’re rich, so the loss of thirty-thousand dollars is of no concern to them.
“I have a suggestion, and it’s merely for the protection of both the company and Riley. But if word gets out to anyone about us paying her father’s medical bills, then we will call it an act of goodwill in the community, or a company donation to an employee in need. Something of that nature.”
“Great idea, Pops.”
I lay out my thoughts and plans. Surprisingly, not only does my father like the plan, but so does William. I plan to have Riley lead the new team at the recently acquired company and remove myself from that branch. Technically, the new company would not be Brooks Enterprises, which would mean I’ve not broken any policies by sleeping with any of our employees.
My father sips his whiskey and gives me a pleasing head nod. William keeps quiet and watches our interaction.
“Okay, son, I like it. I don’t like the position you put this family and the company in, but I like how you figured out a way to make things right.”
He looks over at William and says, “You could learn a lot from your brother.”
William rolls his eyes and takes a sip of his whiskey.
“Now, before I leave, is there anything else I need to know? Do either of you have anything else that you need to tell me?”
William and I answer him in the same manner when we say, “No.”
“Has either of you stuck your dicks into anyone else that works for this company? Tell me now, so I don’t end up having a heart attack if there is some breaking news later on.”
William and I dart a quick look at one another, and again shake our heads.
“No, Pop, nothing more.”
We are both lying through our teeth, and my father knows it. He lets us have our lie, most likely because he knows it will come back to bite us later. William holds on to his little secret, and I don’t rat him out. One, we’re brothers, and two, we aren’t kids. If he wants our father to know something, he’ll tell him when the time is right.
“Okay then, that’s it. Are we all clear on what needs to happen? You boys can take care of this, right?”
“Right,” William answers.
I have one more thing that I want to tell him about.
“Uh, well… Pop, there is one other thing.”
“What is it, Nicholas?”
“Well, Thomas came to see me, and…”
My father cuts me off before I can finish my sentence. “Thomas? Where is he? What does he want?”
“He came asking for a job. He says he is clean now and wants another chance.”
“Another chance, huh? How many will this be?”
“I think we should give him a chance. He seems to be on the up and up this time.”
My father looks over at William and asks, “Did you know about this, William?”
“Yeah, Pop. I talked to Thomas, and I think we should give him a chance too. I mean, you know, he is family after all. He’s our brother.”
He squints his eyes and glares at us. The moment feels like we are little boys again, waiting to receive a punishment.
“You boys were always good at sticking together. At least I got that right. If you believe in him, and feel he deserves another chance, then okay. Just remember, it’s on you if he fucks things up.”
We agree to take full responsibility and understand the consequences. He asks again, “Is there anything else?”
William and I assure him that there is nothing more going on that he needs to know. Satisfied with our answer, my father leaves, and not long after, so does William.
Now that we are all in agreement with the plan to have me step down from the project and have Riley lead the new group, all that is left to do is let her know.
Part of me wants to run to the hospital and tell her right now, but she has so much on her plate. I’ll tell her as soon as everything has calmed down.
Something in my gut tells me it’s not going to go as smoothly as I have planned.
17
Riley
My father’s surgery goes as planned and he’s released from the hospital a week later. Nicholas comes by a few times to check on us, but he never stays long. I try to talk to him about the hospital bill and how I’m going to pay him back, but he brushes me off like it’s not a big deal every time.
He hasn’t called or texted. Hasn’t even asked when I would return to work. It’s almost like he’s purposely ignoring me, and that idea gives me terrible anxiety.
Even while I was worrying about my dad, I couldn’t help worrying about work. Did Paula tell anyone about the office blow job? If she did, I’m already the talk of the company… and not in a good way.
Ugh, I groan as I open the fridge. It’s pretty much empty beside a half-eaten Chinese takeout box from the other day.
Suddenly, I feel an eruption of nausea overcome me. I run to the bathroom, making it just in time to vomit into the sink. It was closer than the toilet, and anyway, I didn’t have time to lift the toilet seat. I look into the mirror and see my pale face and watery eyes staring back at me. Wow, where the hell did that come from? I clean my face and grab the hand towel to soak it with cold water, and dab it over my face after rinsing the sink out.
Slowly, I make my way to the bedroom and change into a purple two-piece pajama set. I lie down on the bed and put the wash cloth over my eyes.
Just when I think I’m going to doze off for a bit, my phone rings. I grab it from the nightstand without looking and press the green answer key.
“Hello,” I croak.
“Hey, best friend. Just checking in on you. How is your dad?”
“Hey, Ross. He’s great, considering how close to death he was.”
“And what about you? Have you decided to go back to work?”