Until the End of Time

by Schuster, Melanie

  “I don’t think you’ve ever made a stupid move in your life, Renee and now isn’t the time to start. I think we understand each other perfectly,” he smirked and he showed himself the door. He turned and looked around once more before leaving.

  “Oh, and this really is a nice place you’ve got here,” he added with a wink.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “So it’s settled, then. No contract was signed; therefore he has no contractual basis for a lawsuit. We just tell the bastard he’s out and move forward.” Donnie leaned back in his big leather armchair and surveyed the men assembled around the table in the conference room of WWCC. Present were his brothers Alan and Andre, who were attorneys in charge of all legal affairs pertaining to Cochran Communications; Andrew, who was as tired as he looked, and surprisingly, the next to youngest Cochran son, Adam.

  Adam was an architect and land developer and not strictly involved with the business of Cochran Communications. But like his brothers, he had a vested interest in Renee and this was a business decision that could ultimately affect the whole family. He felt that he had a right and an obligation to be there, which he did.

  Alan spoke next, in the measured tones that attorneys use when looking at all aspects of a situation. “Not completely. True enough, nothing has been finalized and no contracts have been signed. But Bailey could make a case for misrepresentation on our part. This deal has been in the works for some time and he has every reason to expect that he will get the position for which he had been considered at the salary which had been quoted. For us to pull out now could constitute a breach of an implied contract and he could sue, successfully, I might add,” he informed the table.

  Andrew’s immediate reaction was explosive. “I don’t give a happy damn what he thinks was implied and what he tries to do in court. The bottom line is that the deal has to be off. That’s it, period, no questions asked or answered.”

  Andre held up a conciliatory hand. “Hold on, Bunchy. Alan is just looking at all the angles. He might threaten a suit and he might even attempt one. But I doubt seriously that it will get that far. You realize that Clay is completely correct in saying that his behavior with Renee is in all probability not an isolated incident. There’re all kinds of ways to find out all kinds of things about him, things which he would not like to see in the morning paper. Which is exactly where that kind of information will inevitably end up,’ he advised.

  Andrew ran his hand over his once perfectly styled hair. “And that’s exactly what can’t happen. I’ve told you over and over that this is exactly what Renee has been trying to avoid. She’s not going to be the toast of the tabloids over this. Hell, I’ll buy out his damned non-existent contract to prevent that! There has got to be another way to go on this.

  Adam, who had been silent all morning, offered a solution. “I’ve got a big ol’ truck that can make him into a speed bump in no time flat. Range Rovers can handle road kill way bigger than that sack of shit.” Adam was the wildest and most unorthodox of the Cochran men. Like all of them he was well over six feet and broad shouldered, but there was an almost feral quality that set him apart from his brothers. He was daring, iconoclastic and intensely loyal to anyone he gave his allegiance to, and that included his future sister-in-law.

  Andrew looked at him bleakly. “I told Pop to quit sending you to those damn wilderness camps. If I didn’t know you were serious, I’d almost think that was funny.”

  Andre and Alan forestalled further comment by getting back to the legalities of the situation. They were identical twins, exactly alike in appearance, manner and voice, so much so that you had to be looking at them to determine which one was speaking.

  “What you have to remember is this: No matter how rotten a human being he is and he is a bona fide critter, that does not mean that he is not qualified to do the job he was courted to do. This is what a court of law may very well decide; the fact that he is a rapist does not mean that he won’t be a fine executive for a cable network. Hell, it might even qualify him,” Alan said glumly.

  Before gloom could descend, Andre pointed something else out. “On the other hand, if he is a criminal, and he is, there is the matter of several felonies. If he’s doing time in the big house, he’s not going to be available to take up any new duties of any kind except laundry detail and running from Big Bubba in the shower room. Like it or not, we’re going to have to do some digging into his background.”

  Now it was Donnie’s turn to burst out in sheer frustration. “What the hell are you saying? Can we go forward or not? Are you saying we’re stuck with this raping bottom feeder or what?”

  Alan and Andre exchanged a look of satisfaction. “Oh, we’ll get out of it, alright. Without Renee’s past coming to light, without Grizzly Adam making road stew of him and without a court case. We not only went to Harvard Law, we went to class. But,” Alan paused dramatically, “I don’t think we’ll get through it without Pop finding out about it, and you know what that will mean.”

  Just then the conference room door crashed open and there in all his septuagenarian splendor stood the patriarch of the Cochran clan, Andrew Bernard Cochran, Sr. And he was not happy.

  “What the hell are you boys up to, and what is it that you’re trying to keep from me?” he demanded.

  Total silence was his only response.

  ***

  Once again, Renee found herself taking solace from Yolanda. This time, though, she was more able to speak freely about what had been happening to her. After apprising Yolanda of the events of the past few days, she concluded, “You were right, though, he has power over me and I want it back. I want every single bit of it back. I don’t want that evil, twisted, night crawling, scum sucking meriney bastard to be able to control one iota of anything that has to do with me and anyone that I care about. But, Yolanda, I don’t know what to do. I just don’t, short of blowing his head off.”

  She took a deep, quivering breath to calm down and Yolanda was able to get a word in edgewise.

  “Renee, from what you told me today, it would seem that you’ve taken a huge step in making that happen. Not the shooting part, certainly, but you faced him down, you confronted him and you spoke your mind. That’s a far cry from hiding in the ladies room and going into a mild state of shock,” she reminded Renee.

  Renee slumped down into the pillows of Yolanda’s familiar, comfortable couch and stared up at the ceiling for a moment.

  “Yes, but Yolanda he could ruin Andrew’s family. He could destroy them financially. They’ve put out massive sums of money to make this talk radio and cable network thing happen. And he could sue them for the rest if anything happens to make it not go through, or to put him out of the executive spot. You see? This is what they mean by a rock and a hard place. Even if I could say, “Yes, Andrew, tell your brother that his newest executive is a rapist” it wouldn’t ultimately make any difference because if they try to pull out, he can sue them. How could I possibly let that happen?” she asked frantically.

  Yolanda spoke quietly to Renee, urging her to keep things in perspective. “Renee, you’re making a lot of assumptions. Number one, they can counter-sue. If he has grossly misrepresented some aspect of his background, any contract can be nullified. Number two, I don’t know a lot about the media, certainly, but it seems to me that any English-speaking human trained in that kind of work can do that job; I doubt seriously that the whole project hinges on one night crawling scum sucker,” she said, enunciating each epithet carefully.

  Renee surprised herself with a teary snort that was almost a laugh. Encouraged by her response, Yolanda continued.

  “Always remember what everybody’s granny always told them when they got too big for their britches—‘one monkey don’t stop no show’. I’ll bet you they have more resumes than they know what to do with. They can replace him, so they’re not going to lose those dollars they have shelled out. And number three…” she paused dramatically to make sure she had Renee’s full attention.

  “
Number three, what makes you think this man is telling the truth? He’s a liar, a cad, a rapist and a bounder, so why would he suddenly turn to the truth as his holy beacon?”

  Renee sat up straight on the sofa and stared at Yolanda in awe. Yolanda took that to mean that she had gotten through to Renee at last, when Renee didn’t confirm or deny. “Yolanda, I think I know what I need to do now. Something I should have done a long time ago.”

  ***

  As soon as Big Benny Cochran entered the conference room, there was no doubt about who was who. Despite the fact that he had just turned 70, Big Benny was still the undisputed king of WWCC. It was easy to see where his sons got their looks; he, too was over six feet tall, but his wavy head of hair was silvery white, as was his moustache and goatee. He still dressed like a million bucks, even though he no longer worked every day. He had retired completely from the day to day activities of the station and other business concerns, but he still knew everything that went on within the walls of the building and certainly within his family. To try to get something past Big Benny’s eagle eye was tantamount to nailing Jell-O to a tree; it could not be accomplished by mere mortals. He surveyed the group with little pleasure, gesturing with his unlit stogie to Donnie.

  “Get up from there, boy. And somebody better tell me what the hell is going on around here,” he grunted as he usurped the big leather chair and the head of the table.

  “Look, Pop, we were just discussing the possibility of re-structuring the merger with The Deveraux Group, that’s all,” Alan began, or maybe it was Andre. One look at Benny said that would not wash. He leaned back and looked at each son in turn.

  “I’m not going to ask you all again. What has arisen to occasion all five of my sons, two of whom have no connection whatsoever with the operations of Cochran Communications, to meet in this particular boardroom on a Monday afternoon? This is by no means a normal procedure for this family and don’t insult my intelligence by pretending that it is,” he said, his voice rising with every sentence. “Now. Must I repeat myself or has someone’s memory come back?”

  Andrew, now that he could get a word in, braced himself to explain the events leading up to the council of war that his father had invaded. In truth, it was out of consideration for his health and his love for Renee that none of them wanted him to know what was going on. He had already had a couple of heart attacks which made them want to protect him from stress; that plus the fact that Big Benny was not a man known for patience or prudence. Back in the day, Benny had learned to dispense his brand of justice from some of the highest men about town there were; some were even legitimate businessmen.

  “Listen, guys, leave me and Pop alone for a few, okay?” Andrew rose and his brothers quietly left the room so that Andrew could talk to his father in private.

  Andrew moved to the head of the conference table and brought his chair around to face his father. Big Benny, sensing the gravity of the situation, leaned forward to meet his oldest son. Speaking is a low, tight voice, Andrew told Benny that the woman he loved like a daughter, the woman that would be his daughter-in-law, had been violated some years before by a man who was ironically about to become a part of the family business.

  Big Benny’s head dropped for a moment and Andrew braced himself for the worst. He was shocked but somehow not surprised to see tears in his father’s eyes. His fondness for Renee went back as far as her friendship with Andrew’s twin sister. He had always thought she was a hell of a woman and was proud as could be that she would be a Cochran. “God damn it to hell. God damn it to hell,” Benny muttered. “So what the hell are you doing about it, Andrew? How do you plan to take care of this situation?” he demanded.

  “Pop, I told you; we’re severing all ties with the man. He won’t work one day for Cochran/Deveraux and he will not see a penny of money…”

  Andrew stopped speaking when his father slammed his big hand down on the conference table. “Don’t give me that shit! I don’t give a good God damn about all of that. What I want to know is how are you going to take care of him? This man hurt your woman, he almost destroyed her and you’re talkin’ about severing ties?” Big Benny’s face was vermilion with rage and he began loosening his collar. “What kind of man have I raised, here? If a man had put a hand on my Lillian, we wouldn’t be talkin’ about nothin’ except what time to be at the funeral home, you can damn well believe that!” Benny roared.

  “Pop, Pop, calm down. You think I don’t want him dead? You think that there isn’t an hour that goes by that I don’t want to see him beaten bloody because of what he did? I can’t go there because I’ll go crazy if I do,” Andrew admitted. He stood up abruptly and walked over to the window that displayed the fading sky over the Detroit skyline.

  “I have to think about Renee. She kept all of this bottled up for so long because she was afraid and ashamed and it wrecked her life for a long time. The last thing she needs is a lot of turmoil about it. I want him to pay, all right; I want him to suffer just the way she did, I want him to bleed, I want him to feel every bit of her pain,” he said slowly.

  “But Pop, it’s her pain. I can’t make it better for her; I can only be there for her. I can’t take a magic wand and make it like it never happened, and I can’t fix the bastard that did it without going to jail. And I won’t be much good to her there. If she even knew I had told you and the boys she would…damn, she’d raise hell and put a chunk in it. And then she would kick my livin’ ass and I’d have to take it because I know that this isn’t what she wanted. But it had to be done, Pop.”

  At the end of this speech, Big Benny stared at Andrew for a long time. “Son, the only thing I agree with is that you have to protect Renee. The rest of that hogwash…I guess I’ve just lived too long. When the time has come that a man can’t take care of his own, I guess that’s something I just don’t know how to deal with,” he said quietly. He looked at Andrew again and he had to honestly ask himself what he would do in these circumstances. “Get me a ginger ale, would you? My throat is dry from all that damned yelling,” Benny said ruefully.

  “Sure, Pop. Be right back,” Andrew said as he left the room to get the Vernor’s that was always in the small refrigerator in Big Benny’s old office. No sooner than the door closed than Big Benny grabbed the telephone and punched in a number he had long ago committed to memory. “It’s me. Meet me at the usual place at seven. I got some work for you.”

  ***

  By that evening, Renee’s plans had been finalized. Valerie could take care of Urban Oasis for a couple of days while she took care of some long overdue business. She was going home to Cleveland in the morning to have a talk with her mother than should have taken place years before. She was surprised at the mild reaction that she got from Andrew when she told him that she was going home for a couple of days, but she was equally relieved that he didn’t press her for details. Her confrontation with Donovan Bailey had given her the knowledge that she could indeed wipe the slate clean. All it took was guts and she seemed to have found hers. The drive to Cleveland took about four hours, during which time she thought about nothing in particular. She forced herself to think only about the upcoming holidays and the mammoth amount of shopping she would be doing during the next few weeks, things like that. By the time she turned onto Chateau Avenue, the street where she had grown up, she felt almost lighthearted. Of course, one wrong look from her mother could change all of that. But Pearlie Mae was effusively glad to see her.

  “Look at my baby, looking just like a China doll! Ooh, it’s so good to see you!” she exclaimed as she hugged Renee tightly. The two women went into the kitchen for tea and some of her mother’s special teacakes. In short order, Rene was basking in the glow of being at home with just her mother for company. With four sisters, it was hard to find a moment alone with either parent, so times like these were always special. And for that reason, Pearlie Mae was always so much more mellow in a one on one situation. After laughing at an anecdote about one of her mother’s church groups,
Renee felt bold enough to say that very thing.

  “You know, Mama, I always loved it when it was just the two of us. We always seem to have better times when we’re all alone. Why is that, I wonder?”

  Luckily, her mother didn’t take offense. “Honey, all you girls tell me the same thing. I guess my nerves were so shot from having 5 of you mares that when there’s not a bunch of you underfoot, things just flow better. It is nice like this, isn’t it?”

  They chatted and caught up on family gossip and Renee prepared dinner for her mother. And this time, unlike most meals that came from hands other than her own, Pearlie Mae did not find anything amiss with the food. Renee had braced herself for one of her mother’s usual stunts, like taking a deep sniff of the contents of her fork, eyeing it closely and then tasting it like it contained known carcinogens. A raised eyebrow and squinted eye would follow with a comment like “Was that turmeric you put in there? Tastes kinda off, is all.”

  But not tonight; everything was superb, the kind of evening Renee had often wished she could have with her mother. Pearlie Mae even asked about Andrew.

  “You know, he really is a lovely man. He’s just right for you. I have to say that all my daughters married well,” she said with satisfaction. Renee could feel her mouth opening and closing like a tropical fish, but she couldn’t seem to formulate a proper response. Pearlie Mae made a sound of annoyance at Renee’s expression.

  “Oh, stop gaping like a guppy! It’s true, although I know I never said it before. All of those men, despite their flaws, are very good men. Nice men and they love your sisters very much. They’re good husbands,” she said with every appearance of sincerity.

  “Okay, Mama, what kind of drugs are you on? Are you taking those blood thinners again?” Renee said concernedly. “Because this is the most surprising thing I’ve ever heard you say. Since when have you become a fan of your sons-in-law and a proponent of marriage? This is…not you, I must say.”