Chapter 2
1513 Words
Ben
Her call came out of the blue.
I had thought myself free of her. She hadn’t plagued my dreams in a record period of 3 weeks. I hadn’t even thought about her. I thought I was finally moving on.
I was in my penthouse having a celebratory drink alone when her call came in.
I never pick up calls from strange number, but I had been in a good mood because I’d spoken to Clyde just five minutes ago and he told me the Melort deal we’d been pursuing for about eight months had finally been signed. A deal worth over 50 billion dollars. In my world, That is akin to a finding a diamond and who wouldn’t be happy after striking such treasure. So when the call came in I’d picked on the first ring.
"Benjamin Carter.” I’d said. No sign that I’d been drinking.
"Hey, it’s me. Let’s meet up” My heartbeat ramps up as I recognized the voice immediately. It’s the same voice that has hunt my dream for years now. The same voice I long for every day.
"Who-, May. Wow, how long has it been?” I stuttered.
"Four years. It’s been four years. I’ll come by your office on Friday. Is 10 o’clock okay?”
"I don’t understand. I haven’t heard from you in about five years and all of a sudden you wanna meet up tomorrow?,” All of a sudden she wants to meet after everything she did to me.
"And whose fault is that, uhm?, you ended things.” comes through the phone
"Because of what you did.” I said. She has to remember everything she did. It’s not something that’s easily forgotten. Believe me I tried.
"Listen Benjamin, I can’t do this on the phone. Your office, tomorrow by 10 o’clock.”
"I can’t do tomorrow. I’m busy.I’ll let you know when I’ll be available.” She can’t barge in after all those years ordering a meeting.
"I’m sure you can reschedule whatever it is. This is more important.”
"Give me one good reason why I should let you get pass security. Tell me, why should I let you into my building after everything you did?.” I say with anger.
"I’m just going to say it, I don’t care about how you are going to feel about it, I don’t care about doing the right thing. I want you to meet our kids.”
My mind flops. I remove the phone from my ear. I stare at the number trying to comprehend what I just heard. My mind refuses to.
"I don’t think I heard that right.”
A sigh from the phone, "I didn’t stutter Benjamin. You heard me right. Our kids. You and I. We have two kids. Two beautiful Angels. We will be there tomorrow by 10 o’clock.” She hangs up.
That hang up beep explodes my brain. My kids? I have kids? No way. She can’t drop that bomb and just hang up on me.
"WHOSE KIDS?” I shout down the line.
"Our kids.” She calmly reply.
"OUR KIDS!. May, we haven’t seen or heard from each other in about five years.” She must be joking. Though I’m not appreciating the joke.
"I know. They are four years old.”
"Four years old....” My voice cracks. She wouldn’t. "That can’t be right. No. You wouldn’t.” She didn’t. May wouldn’t do something as erroneously huge as this.
"Same way I thought you wouldn’t do what you did five years ago?” She replies .
"No. It’s not the same. It’s not the same and we both damn well know it.” I never wronged her. She broke me.
"Are you sure?”
"f**k YOU MAY!” I shouts and continue with a long string of curses as I try to wrap my head around the possibility that I have kids. Kids I had no idea about. Kids... wait, not kid. Kids. Fucck!
"May! Listen to me!” I shouts after noticing the humming.
"Oh, you done already?.” Came her reply.
I need to calm down, shouting at her isn’t going to work. She’d always been too stubborn to be bullied into something. I need to act smart about this. "Where are you?”
"Don’t take that tone with me Benjamin. I know what you’re trying to do. It’s not going to work on me. I’m in charge here. I hold all the cards here, I make the terms in this arrangement.” She states quite firmly
I sigh as I restrain my anger. She’s right. I need more information and she’s my only source right now. "Okay, let’s assume I believe you. That you had my children. Why now?, why are you just letting me know about them?”
"Because I knew they were better off without you in their lives.”
Her statement hurts me. "May. How could you do this to me?, you let me loose out on four years of their lives. You know how I felt about children. Hell. I don’t even know if they are girls or boys. I don’t even know if they are indeed mine as you say. I know nothing.”
"Doesn’t feel good, does it?, being kept in the dark.” A pause "They are twins. A girl and Boy. Amanda and Alistair. Don’t bother asking Clyde to dig for more information, he won’t find any. They have no trails, I made sure of that.”
"Four years. Four damn long years and this is all the information I get?. You have to do better than this. I want more important.” I demand. I need more.
"That’s the thing here, I do not have to do anything. You are in no position to make demands.”
"Damn May, what happened to you?” She wasn’t like this. The May I knew was the Nicest person, "You weren’t as callous as this five years ago.”
"You happened. You did this to me, you made me this was way. Don’t tell me you’re surprised Benjamin. After everything?”
"I- you-“ I’m shocked. That’s not right. She ruined me. I gave her my all and she threw it back in my face.
"Save it. Friday. 10 o’clock. And don’t call me.” She hangs up again.
And I know she’s serious, I won’t call her. I call the only person in this world that I can be hundred percent honest with, without judgement. He picks on the second ring.
"What’s up?, I wasn’t expecting to hear from you till Monday.” He says.
"Hey man. I need your help. I’m in shit.”
"Hey, you okay?, Did the Melort deal get canceled?”
"Not that. May called me. She said we have kids. Kids Clyde.Twins. Amanda and Alistair.”
"You’re kidding me.” He gives a tense laugh.
I sigh pouring myself a drink. "I’m dead serious. She wants to meet tomorrow, ten o’clock. My office.”
"Wait, what! She called you. After how many years. And you have kids?. No. May is not like that.”
At least he also finds it hard to believe. "She did. She was so different on the phone.”
"What else did she say?”
I swallow the whole thing in the cup. "She didn’t say much. Just ordered a meeting for tomorrow.”
"Man. This is inconceivable. Let me know the meeting goes.”
"You think I should meet her?” I’m not sure I can survive seeing her again.
"Man, you have to. She said she had your kids.”
"I know but I usually let my lawyers handle such meetings.”
"Yes, but this is May we are talking about. Not some random one night stand. It’d be better you meet her yourself. I don’t think she’s lying, you know her she never lied.”
"Aside that one time she did and ruined my heart.”
"Yeah. That. Give me the information she gave you, I’ll run a check on it.”
”Don’t bother” I refuse, knowing May, it’s as she said, we wouldn’t find anything about the kids.
”Okay. I got to go. I have a conference call in a minute. Let me know how the meeting goes.”
"Sure.” I hang up as I pour myself another drink and swallow it immediately. I repeat the same actions three more times. I abandon the drink as I move to the soft sofa I paid thousands for and let it envelope me as I wallow in thoughts.
I am reluctant about tomorrow’s meeting with May. It took me so long to forget her after the whole issue five years ago, I know deep down that the kids are one as she said but I hope for her sake that they are not mine. Because if they are, then it’s decided I’m not letting her escape this time around. I refuse to. She will be mine just as it was to be five years ago.
- Writer
