Chapter 4
1322 Words
I stare at him with unwavering attention. There is a sudden feel of tautness in the air. I point at the oversized table in the middle of the office. "Have a seat, Benjamin.” My tone leaves no room for discussion. I want to cement my control over this arrangement. Like a angry teen. He follows my command immediately. I pull out the large leather office chair and take a seat. He does the same. I settle my bag on the the glass oversized table.
"Let’s make this short.” I slide the papers from my bag and slide them to him."Here.”
"Where are they?” He says not making any attempt to pick up the papers. "Where are my kids?”
"Ludicrous. You didn’t really think I was going to bring them here?. Here, where your word is law. Give me some credit Benjamin, I know better than that.” I scoff.
"f**k you.” he spits. For a second,there’s anger in his eyes. He picks up the papers, and opens the file, immediately he sets his eyes on the front page all the anger and tension drains out him. I know exactly how he feels looking at it. Pure unadulterated love. Just the angle I was going for when I’d used a picture of the twins as the front cover of the file. I took the picture of them from the birthday party we’d attended last month. Amanda had insisted on wearing a matching sundress as mine, it had a flower print design of a daisy on everywhere. While Alistair had been okay in a causal white shirt and cargo pants. The picture captures the exact moment of the twins laughing with their hands doused in cake. The birthday boy Zack a friend of their from school had smashed a slice of cake on Alistair’s shirt. And instead of Alistair to cry, he and his sister had laughed and started eating the shirt cake. I’d watched the whole thing and couldn’t resist taking a picture of the beautiful moment.
"They’re so beautiful.” His hands tracing the picture. He looks up at me, "They look just like me.”
I smile, "Especially Alistair. He got everything from you. Amanda too but she has my eyes.”
He peers closer at the picture, "Yeah, she does.” He stars back at me, "Amanda. My Mom. You remembered.”
Of course I did, I knew how loosing his mom had affected him, even with his step mom being a good mother figure to him, he still missed his mom. He had told me once that when he has a daughter he’d name her after his Mom. His grief over her had been one of the major reasons we’d gotten close in the past. A tragic connection.
"Remember what?” I deny.
"My Mom, her name was Amanda. I told you about her.”
"Oh. I just named her Amanda because she looked like an Amanda.”
He tilts his head, "There is an Amanda look?”
"Of course there is. They always looks so beautiful, happy, positive vibes and all. From the moment I laid my eyes on her I knew immediately she was an Amanda.”
"Why?, why didn’t you tell me about them?”
I knew this question was coming. I had years to prepare for.
"I wasn’t sure how you’d react after everything that happened. You wouldn’t have believed me. And I wasn’t ready to forgive you. I told myself I would tell you after some time but it got easier to not tell you. Trust me I wouldn’t have gotten in contact if it wasn’t urgent.”
"I can’t believe you think so low of me, you know me May, I would never abandon my kid.”
"Yeah, I thought so too but I wasn’t ready to risk it then.” I give a rueful smile.
"Why now?” He asks looking into my eyes.
I look away. "I need your help.”
"With?, Money?. This is all because of money.
"Money?, you think I am here because need money from you?”
He glares, "Of course you do. Why else would you suddenly tell me about the kids? After four years, and now when I was listed in the list of the top 20 richest man worldwide.”
I didn’t even know he was listed amongst the top 20 richest man worldwide.
My finger grip the oversized table as I try to control my anger "Seriously Benjamin?, i see your ego is now through the roof. Let me set you straight there. I might not be half as rich as you are but I am more than capable of taking care of my kids. I have done myself so for four good years now.”
"Okay. I’ll believe you. I have spoken to my lawyers, I want a paternity test.”
I smirk "You still doubt they are yours?, after seeing the striking resemblance?”
"I did. Now I don’t. But it’s a standard precaution.” He states.
I roll my eyes, "You sound so conceited. As if you have hordes of women claiming to have had your children.”
He smirks, "You’d be surprised by how many claims I have had just this past week. Yours should be number 9. Though yours is more plausible.”
I gap in shock. "That many. For them to make such claims you must have at least slept with them.”
"You’d think so right, but I have never met seventy percent of the women who claim to be pregnant with my child or is my baby mama.” He smiles.
I burst out laughing.
He does too. "Immediately I bring up a paternity test they suddenly have a change of mind and suddenly recall it’s not mine.” He says amid laughter.
The tense atmosphere disperse. I stop laughing. This isn’t what I came here to do. My plan didn’t involve me laughing.
I make that throat clearing sound that is used in movies to initiate seriousness. "You can conduct a paternity test.”
He also becomes serious. "Sure. I want it done as soon as possible. I won’t accept them as mine until I get the results of the paternity test.”
"I’ll send a sample of their blood by tonight.”
He brows scrunch in confusion, "send?, no I’ll bring a doctor along with me to come draw the sample himself.”
"With you?, No. you are not seeing the kids tonight.”
"What do you mean I’m not seeing the kids tonight? Stop messing with me May.” He growls.
"You heard me right. You don’t believe they are yours. You’ll see them when you are a hundred percent sure.” I stand .
"You b***h. How dare you. You still won’t let me see my kids.”
I snag my bag of the table with anger. ”Now they are your kids? You didn’t believe me remember?, you said so yourself. Until the paternity test is done you won’t accept them as yours.”
Ben shakes his head at me as he also stand. I watch mesmerized as the movement shakes one of this perfectly gelled locks of hair out of place. One strand rebels and hangs in front of his eyes until he pushes it out of the way in anger. "You can’t do this to me. I am their father.”
”You don’t believe you are. “
He sighs. ”I believe you. I do. But I have to do the paternity test. My lawyers have to be sure.”
I shrug. ”Then wait till they are sure. You can send someone to my place later this evening to come draw the blood but I don’t want you around my kids for now. My address is in that file. Have a shitty day, Benjamin.”
And Que, my dramatic exist.
- Writer
