Michael

by Kirby Elaine

  On the empty beach, against the background of the rising sun, I made love to my best friend and it was a struggle not to come immediately from the havoc she a wreaked on my heart.

  Krishna

  The phone rang three times on the other end before his voice clicked on with a mellow “Hello.”

  “Come back to Toronto with me.” I said cheerfully hoping that Charlie would put his life on hold for me again and hightail it out of the country.

  “Mrs. Scott, you can’t keep doing this to me. I can’t push pause every time you need a sidekick.” He laughed.

  “Please, Charlie.” I begged. “Don’t you want to know how this all plays out?”

  “Yes I do, Krishna. But I have work and a life.”

  “Fine. It’s okay. It’s last minute and I don’t know how long it’ll take. You’re right. But tell me I can call you as soon as I have answers.”

  “Always. Listen, I have a meeting to get to. When are you leaving?”

  “Actually, in a couple of hours. My flight’s tonight.” I said feeling the sting of leaving my family behind.

  “Okay. I’ll try to touch base with you before then. Be safe.”

  “I will. And Charlie, thanks for all of this, thanks for finding my brother.” I said solemnly.

  “Nothing I wouldn’t do for you. Safe travels.” He ended the call.

  By the time six o’clock had rolled around I was sure that I was going to change my mind. I had hugged the kids a million times and Michael and I had been inseparable since the morning we had on the beach. I tried my hardest to rein in my emotions and convince myself that I was going to Canada for all the right reasons. And I was. The years I had gone without even knowing my true heritage was reason enough to meet Amita.

  I was in no way trying to replace my parents, they were great parents. My dad was African and my mother was French Canadian and yet, I fit as their child. My mother was my best friend and we connected on a level most mothers and daughters didn’t.

  I pulled my hair back into a ponytail before zippering my suitcase and double checking my purse for my passport, credit cards and cash. I threw in my phone charger and Kindle and zippered it before hauling that and my suitcase downstairs. Everyone was in the yard including Abhishek, so I joined them for a brief round of good-byes. Michael’s eyes landed on me the second I stepped onto the deck and my heart broke immediately. I wanted to change my mind, I wanted to go to him and curl up on his lap and ask him to come with me but I reminded myself that this trip was for me. Instead I walked towards my husband and he stood raking his hair back and smiling. I couldn’t stand how undeniably gorgeous he was in nothing but his swim trunks and sunglasses. I immediately embraced him and he didn’t hesitate to pull me tightly against him.

  “This is going to be hard.” He whispered.

  “Which part, the diaper changing or the missing me?” I asked looking up at the man who easily exceeded six feet.

  “Both. But mostly the being without you part. I thought that I was coming home to you and you leave two days after I come in. I don’t know how to do this.”

  “Well, you’re going to have to figure this out. You have a company to run and children to rear. You’ll hardly realize that I’m gone. I promise.” I smiled and pecked his lips.

  “Call me every night?” He pecked me back.

  “I’ll try.”

  “Send me pictures?” He poked his bottom lip out.

  “Yes.”

  “Are you sure you two don’t want the plane?”

  “Yes Michael. I can survive first class.” I laughed.

  “Okay. I love you, Krishna Scott.”

  “I love you, Michael Scott.” He pinched my bottom before enveloping me in a kiss. I was glad that my bags were packed else I would have been persuaded to stay in that very second. I pulled away from him to see we had an audience and I was sure that I was blushing from head to toe as Michael grabbed my hand and walked me to the car with Abi.

  “Take care of her.” He said to Abi who was standing outside the open driver’s side door looking over the roof of his rented Audi.

  “She’s my sister. I’ll have a constant eye on her. I’m staying in Canada for as long as she needs to be there. Business can wait.” Abi smiled.

  “See.” I whispered to Michael as I embraced him a final time. “I’ll be fine.”

  “I know.” He mumbled back and pulled away. “Be safe, call me when you land.”

  I ducked into the car and fastened my belt watching Michael stand there hands in pocket. He gave Abi a nod and then we were off towards the airport.

  “He’s a little overprotective of you, isn’t he?” Abi asked with a laugh.

  “He’s like that with all the women in his life. He was the only child of a single mother; it’s just how he was raised.”

  “Only child? I thought he was Liam’s brother.”

  “You’re obviously blind if you can’t see the genetic differences.” I laughed.

  “Michael seriously looks like a tanner darker haired version of Liam. They look identical otherwise.” He rebutted.

  “Really?” I tried to picture the two side by side but I couldn’t see the similarities outside of their crooked smiles.

  “Really! You might know them too well to see it. So what’s their story?”

  “Michael and Liam and Leah, who are twins by the way, have the same father. Michael went to live with them when he was a teenager, his mother died and he wanted to know Michael Scott Sr. so he made that decision on his own to go there and become a part of that family. It’s a crazy hectic story. But long story short, they’re best of friends. And both are very protective.”

  “They all seem like a great bunch.”

  “They are. They have been great to me. I love having a big family.” I smiled thinking about how far we’ve come.

  “And your kids are beautiful. That little Lincoln is quite a handful.”

  “She really took to you. Which is great, I hope you’ll get to spend more time with them.”

  “Uncle Abi. Never thought I’d see the day.” He smiled, almost to himself.

  “What was it like for you growing up?” I wanted to know what I had missed and a part of me felt like I was betraying my parents for feeling that way.

  “Well, my father was pretty affluent. I had his expectations to meet left and right. My parents were very strict and pushed me to excel in school. I didn’t have much of a childhood.”

  “That sucks.”

  “Yeah, it did. But looking back, I’m grateful for it. I get to play a lot now because my father worked so hard and pushed me to work hard too.” He glanced at me but quickly took his eyes back to the road. “What about you? What do you do? I mean I assume that with a husband with that name that you don’t have to work.”

  “That’s an accurate assumption. I was a teacher before I met Michael. My mother was a teacher and I wanted to be one too. I loved it but with three young children, I don’t know where I would even find the energy to work a full time job. I do help organize a lot of charity events for our company but other than that, not much.” I thought about how easy life had been being able to be a full time mother. It wasn’t an option afforded to most women.

  “That’s pretty cool. I mean, I’d hope to find a woman willing to make that sacrifice for the sake of our kids. She wouldn’t have to but it’d be pretty nice.”

  “So who is the woman you bought to dinner last night? Not a girlfriend?”

  “No, no. no. She’s just a friend who lives in the city. We try to get together whenever I’m in town, which isn’t too often.”

  “She’s pretty.” I commented.

  “Gorgeous. But I doubt she’d ever let me cross that line.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She’s the forever single, business type of woman. Strong willed, no children ever type of woman. I love her to death and think she’s amazing and brilliant but it’d never happen. We both know what we want and it isn’t each other.
” He let out a cackle as if he tried to picture himself with her.

  “To each their own, I guess.” I laughed with him. We made brief eye contact.

  “I’m glad we found each other, sis.” He smiled. “It’s been a lonely life I’ve been living.”

  “I’m glad too, Abi.” I looked his way and watched a tear roll down his cheek. I knew there was more to him but I didn’t feel like now was the time to ask. So instead I patted his hand and watched the buildings pass by as we hit the halfway mark on our way to the airport.

  ***

  I settled into my seat and watched people file down the aisles and into their seats.

  “Mam,” a voice spoke from behind. Is that seat next to you occupied? I asked for a window seat and they were sold out last minute.” He said.

  “It is, maybe you should have—” I turned in my seat. “Maybe you should have told me to snag one for you.”

  Charlie stood, as did I. I wrapped my arms around him. It was a unique feeling being connected to another man, a man other than Michael. Even in the platonic sense, it was weird. There were clear boundaries to the relationship I had with Charlie but I couldn’t help but to feel comforted by his presence. Comforted to have a friend I knew wasn’t going to disappear.

  “Happy to see me?” He asked sliding back into his seat.

  “Absolutely!” I looked around the cabin for Abi. “I’m surprised, but happy.”

  “I felt guilty for saying no. I know what all of this has meant to you I knew it was important for me to be with you to see it through.” He smiled. The look in his eyes always put me on edge. I knew that having a friendship with a straight single man was a touchy idea. And I knew that it was possible that Charlie had feelings for me that I would never be able to reciprocate.

  Charlie and I met at a fundraiser for a youth community center a month after Michael had entered rehab. He had garnered so much support and funds for the center and had impressed me further when I found out he was the contractor that had won the bid for the project. After a few conversations and hiring him to remodel the kitchen I found myself asking him out for coffee. Coffee led to dinner and dinner led to movies on the couch and talking about life. And then he told me he could help me find Amita and he did.

  Abi strolled into the first class cabin with a glass of wine in his hand. He locked eyes with me before letting his gaze wander to Charlie. Charlie stood stretching out his hand to Abi.

  “Charlie Jenner, you must be Abi.”

  “Abhishek Roshan, it’s nice to meet you.” Abi took his hand briefly.

  “Likewise and I hope you don’t mind me tagging along.”

  “The more the merrier.” Abi slid into his window seat and glanced up at me.

  I ignored the brotherly glare as I settled into my seat. I knew what he was thinking.

  Michael

  “We’ve landed. Heading to Abi’s now. I’ll call you tonight when I settle in.” Krishna spoke loudly into my ear.

  “I’ll grab your bag, Krish, go ahead.” An unfamiliar voice said in the background.

  “Who was that?” I questioned my wife.

  “Umm, that was Charlie.”

  “Who the hell is Charlie?” I asked in the calmest voice I could muster.

  “A friend.”

  “A friend? Why the hell is he in Toronto with you?”

  “He found Abi for me, he has been with me this entire journey to find my family. He wanted to see it through, I wanted him to be here.”

  “Okay, Krishna. Whatever. I’ll talk to you later.” I said still managing to keep calm.

  “I hear the attitude in your voice, Michael. I promise Charlie is just a friend.” She attempted to console me.

  “Yeah, I get it.” I remarked.

  “There’s really nothing to get. I’ll talk to you tonight, I love you.” I could hear her frustration through the phone.

  “Okay, sounds good. Love you.” I ended the call.

  Who the hell was Charlie and why was he so invested in my wife that he left the country with her to search for her family. I wasn’t sure but I couldn’t think about it at the moment. I was white in the face as I ended the call and finished packing our things. Everyone in the house was stricken with fear. Thirty minutes had passed since my stepmother, Patricia, had called with the news; my father had a stroke. The plane was booked and we were all headed to Texas to be with them. Though the diagnosis was grim, we were all pulling for our father and hated that all of his children were 1,700 miles away.

  I packed the last of the kid’s things before I finally felt the gravity of the situation taking over me. My father was dying. I blinked back tears as I slid down the wall in the hall clutching Torrin’s stuffed rabbit. I hated my father so much sometimes but in the moment, knowing I may never get to talk to him again. I felt nothing but an unwavering love for the cheating bastard.

  “Michael?” Alex saw me as she came up the stairs. I didn’t look up or respond. I was numb and Alex was the last person I wanted to be around. “Are you alright?” She knelt placing her hand on my knee. I looked at her hand and she quickly removed it and apologized.

  “I’m fine.” I wiped the tears from my face and stood straightening my pants and shirt. “I’m good.” I grabbed her hand and helped her from the floor. “You guys should stay and enjoy the rest of the week.”

  “No, it’s fine. We’re going to head home. That way we’ll be there to keep an eye on the company and the houses. I already let you’re security know that you may be extending vacation and to keep a tight eye on everything. I talked to Lisa and let her know that you would check in later in the week. She said that she can hold things down, go take care of your father and get back to her when you can.”

  “Thanks. I really appreciate it.” I wanted to hug the Alex that was my friend, the Alex that knew my father and enjoyed vacations with him and I eons ago. But instead I gave her a warm smile and picked up my kid’s bags and headed to load the car.

  I wanted to call Krishna and tell her to meet me in Texas. I needed her but at the same time what she was doing, meeting her birth mother for the first time was so important to her. I promised myself I wouldn’t call her until I saw my father and could assess the situation myself. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust my stepmother, I just wanted to see with my own eyes.

  Michael Joseph Scott Sr. was as healthy as an ox. He wasn’t retired but he also didn’t run the day to day operations of any of the family companies. He made a living traveling the world with Patricia. Yet despite what I believed about my father’s health, I didn’t really know. He was as close to me emotionally as he was physically, 1,700 miles. And I never thought much of the fact that our relationship was less than perfect because he wasn’t close to either I or Liam and we hadn’t loss sleep over the fact.

  I went back inside to find Liam comforting our sister in the living room. Of the three of us, it was fair to say that Dad and Leah had the closest relationship. She was the only one to return home after college and for many years she had a hand in the family businesses. For a long time, Liam and I refused to get involved with it. And she was the girl, his “princess”, she always had been.

  “Mackenzie is getting the kids ready. The plane will be ready by the time we hit the airport. We’re going to have to take separate cars, I’ll make sure they’re brought back and make sure the house is secured. We have to get out of here.” My brother said before standing, leaving our sister clinging to a pillow. He pulled me aside.

  “She’s breaking, Michael. If he doesn’t pull through, and God I pray he does, she won’t know what to do.” Liam said, his arm around my shoulder.

  “Well we’re moving as fast as humanly possible. Why don’t you, Jayda and Eric take her ahead. Between Nathan, Mack and I, we can get the kids and be right behind you.”

  “No way, that’s nine kids. Jayda and I will take the Navigator and take our kids, Leah and Eric. You guys handle the rest.” He went back to his twin’s side and I could hear him comforting h
er as I left the room and headed back up the stairs.

  My phone buzzed in my pocket as I scanned our bedroom for anything I may have left behind. Krishna.

  “Hey, what’s up?” I tried to sound nonchalant.

  “Michael. Jayda called me. Are you okay?”

  “She can never keep her mouth closed about anything, I swear. I’m fine. We’re just packing up and about to head down there.” I sat on the edge of the bed catching my reflection in the mirror. The dark rings under my eyes were the least of it. My hair was frazzled and my face was still void of any color.

  “I’m catching the first flight out. I have a layover in Chicago but I should make it there late tonight.”

  “I don’t want to ruin your trip, Krish.”

  “Are you insane? Amita will be here when I get back. I have to make sure that you are okay first. Nothing else matters but your father and the family right now. Abi said the door is always open here. It’ll be a few days at the most.” Her end of the line went silent and I checked my screen to be sure she was there.

  “Thanks Krish, I love you.”

  “I love you too, Michael. Next time something like this is happening, I don’t want to find out from my sister-in-law. I have to go. But I’ll see you soon.” She ended the call and I sat on the bed, my hands were shaking. It was really starting to hit me that my father could be dying. But instead of thinking about the what ifs, I unplugged my phone charger and headed back to the car.

  Krishna

  The trip was meant to be the chance I had been waiting on for years. But my father-in-law was sick and I knew that Michael was handling the situation as best he could. His substance abuse issues didn’t come to mind until the woman across from me on the flight spilled two pills into her hand and swallowed them with her wine.

  I knew that Michael had the will power to get through this but I didn’t know how his father was doing. If it were bad then Jayda and I would be picking up the pieces of two very broken men. Michael and Liam both dealt with the loss of their mothers as young teens and even as grown men I assumed that they’d handle the loss of their father much the same. Except now, addiction could creep in the first time Michael had trouble sleeping. And for Liam, his depression could rear its ugly head. I prayed neither would arise.