A Husband by New Year's

by Sean D. Young

  Patrick didn’t care about the hate he saw in his brother’s eyes. Robert Dunlap needed to own up to his misdeeds.

  Robert pointed to himself. “I’m the one who built this company into what it is today.”

  “I wouldn’t be proud of that if I were you. Why don’t you just come clean and tell me the truth?”

  “Fuck you,” Robert spat. “I don’t care what you think or what kind of evidence you think you’ve got.” He walked back to his desk.

  “Rob, are you doing drugs?” Patrick understood that his question was cold, unfeeling, and came out of the blue, but he needed to know. He knew that when you dealt with addicts, they brought trouble not only to themselves but everybody around them. If Robert was doing or dealing drugs, Patrick didn’t want to put anyone else in jeopardy.

  “What the?” Robert yelled, hitting the desk with his fist. “You arrogant mother—”

  Patrick remained unmoved and continued to state the facts. “Strange people coming around here looking for you? You disappearing for days on end and not contacting the office? What kind of CEO are you?” Patrick spat. “You are putting all the employees of this company in jeopardy.”

  “Who told you that bullshit?”

  “If all of this is so innocent, then there’s no need for you to use profanity,” Patrick said.

  Robert jumped up from his seat and grabbed Patrick by his collar, pulling him forward, almost strangling him. Their eyes met and Patrick didn’t look away, he wanted his brother to see that he wasn’t going to back down.

  Finally, Robert pushed him away. “You’re a fool,” he growled.

  “No, I think you’ve already taken that position,” Patrick said, straightening his tie and pressing the wrinkles from his suit jacket. “I’m not scared of you, Rob. You’ve always tried to be a bully, but I’m not going for it today.”

  “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll back off,” Robert warned.

  “Tell me why you took two-hundred-and-fifty thousand dollars from your own father. Why are you trying to bleed him dry?”

  Before Patrick could react, Robert swung, hitting him in his jaw. At first, he couldn’t hear anything but the roaring in his ears. Then adrenaline quickly surged, so he balled his right hand into a fist and threw a blow that hit Robert square in the eye. Both men started swinging and neither of them saw that their father had entered the room.

  Patrick finally saw his father when he tried to get in between them only to be shoved by Robert. Their father stumbled and hit the wall opposite where the men had been standing. Kathy’s hysterical scream stopped them immediately.

  Patrick caught a glimpse of his father just as James grabbed his chest, crumpling to the floor, Kathy running to his side.

  Patrick hurried to him. “Call an ambulance, Kathy. Pop!” Patrick called out to his father. He didn’t want to lose him, not now. But as he looked down at his father’s ashen face, he seemed so weak and vulnerable. Why did he try to break up the fight? He should have known his heart was too weak to interfere.

  It wasn’t his fault. The only people to blame for this disaster were he and Robert. If he hadn’t been so caught up in his brother’s nonsense, he would have seen his father sooner. He had told him before he’d left home that he was coming by the office to pick up Kathy.

  By the time the paramedics arrived, his father’s mouth had dropped open, and his eyes were closed. His body looked so lifeless and still. Helpless and overwhelmed, Patrick moved out of their way so they could save his father. Working as rapidly as they could, the team tried everything to stabilize him so they could get him to the hospital. But it was too late. James Dunlap’s heart had stopped beating and he had no pulse. He’d died from an apparent massive heart attack.

  The paramedics stood up. “I’m sorry, Mr. Dunlap,” one of the men said.

  Oh God, please don’t let this be true, Patrick thought to himself as he moved back to his father’s side.

  Patrick had a flashback of how his father used to carry him around on his shoulders as a young boy. How he spent his Sunday afternoons with the family, throwing the football in the park, taking him and his brother ice skating, bowling, or just playing basketball in the driveway.

  Tears spilled from his eyes as he saw the peaceful look on James’s face as the paramedics prepared the gurney.

  “We still need to take him to the hospital,” one of the men said.

  Patrick felt like he’d been punched in the stomach with a tire iron, the pain was so intense. Grief was strangling him and all he wanted to do was scream. That had to wait, because they needed to get his father’s body out of the office.

  The entire scene seemed to go in fast forward. First his father was there, now he was gone. At that moment, it hit him that his brother hadn’t come over. Patrick turned in the direction of the desk and Robert wasn’t even in the room.

  Coward.

  Patrick wondered how he’d got out without being seen, but Robert’s actions just proved that he was a heartless bastard.

  Patrick noticed the tears streaming down Kathy’s face. He had been excited at the potential of the blooming relationship between her and his father, something that would never happen.

  Patrick went to soothe her as the paramedics put his father on the stretcher. He held Kathy as they followed them to the ambulance.

  Standing in the parking lot, Patrick turned to face her, bracing her with his hands. “Listen. I need you to go inside and ask one of the assistants to bring you to the hospital. I’m going to ride with Pop in the ambulance.”

  Kathy didn’t move. She stood still, staring at James until they covered him with the sheet. Patrick saw the woman in a trance, so he shook her gently to get her attention. “Kathy, did you hear me?”

  When she finally turned her eyes in his direction, they appeared bewildered and glazed over.

  “I need you to hear me, because we’ve got to go to the hospital.”

  Kathy ran over to the stretcher after they’d strapped his father down. She grabbed his hand, squeezing it. She looked up at Patrick and without another word, she ran back into the building.

  Patrick walked with his father to the ambulance and watched as they loaded his body. He climbed in with him and they were off to the hospital. Patrick couldn’t believe he’d lost the two greatest loves of his life in just a week—his father and his woman.

  On the way to the hospital, he called his Aunt Bernice and told her to come to the hospital. He wanted her to visit with her brother while he was still warm, before they took him away. This would devastate her, but he would never forgive himself if he didn’t give her this opportunity.

  Patrick didn’t know how he was going to let him go. He wasn’t ready. But he had to take care of his father’s business. He owed it to James.

  * * * * *

  Two hours later, Patrick held his Aunt Bernice against him as they walked out of the hospital room that held his father’s body. His aunt dabbed her eyes with an embroidered handkerchief. They had to sign some papers and give the hospital instructions on their choice of funeral homes. In all the time they’d been at the hospital, Robert still hadn’t shown his face.

  “Patrick, baby, there are lot of things we’ve got to do,” Bernice said, patting his arm. “Let’s go back to your house and get a good night’s rest so we can get up in the morning and take care of everything,” she said as Patrick escorted her to her car.

  “Auntie, I’ve got to ride to the house with you. My car is at the office because I rode in the ambulance with Pop.”

  Bernice removed her keys from her purse and handed them to Patrick. “Then you drive us to the office so you can get your car first.”

  Patrick waited until his aunt was seated before closing her door. He took his time walking around to the driver’s side, his gaze continuing to go toward the hospital. His heart dropped at the thought of lea
ving his father behind. For several seconds, he sat staring at the hospital entrance. This would be his last time visiting there for his father. That hurt him to his core. He was now officially an orphan.

  It took them only ten minutes to get to the office, and Patrick still didn’t see Robert’s car, so he got out of his aunt’s vehicle and into his own. She followed him to the house.

  Word of James’s passing spread so quickly among the employees of It’s A Stretch that by the time Patrick and his aunt got back to the Dunlap house from the hospital, there were several cars in the circular driveway. Kathy’s car was one of them. He’d wondered why she hadn’t shown up at the hospital. Their housekeeper had let the people in, showing them to the den. Kathy was assisting Mrs. West with offering food to the staff, neighbors, and others who dropped by to pay their condolences.

  By nightfall, the house was filled with people; some Patrick knew, but a lot of them he did not. Thankfully, his Aunt Bernice was familiar with most of them, as they were people from their old Southside Chicago neighborhood. Patrick tried to be cordial, accepting condolences from everyone who came through, but he was still in a daze. He just couldn’t believe that his father was gone, leaving him forever. What made him even sadder was that it was Christmas time, and instead of it bringing peace, joy, and happiness, there was chaos, confusion, and death. Not to mention, there was still no sign of Robert.

  Patrick was grateful for Bernice, his father’s baby sister. She was his only aunt, and a favorite for a lot of reasons. He wasn’t surprised when she suggested she stay with him at the house during what she called a mourning period. Everything had happened so fast, Patrick felt as if his world was spinning. When he closed his eyes to get a grip on his emotions, he saw his father lying on the floor in Robert’s office. How could it be that his father was really dead?

  The next morning, Patrick searched for his father’s important papers. He hoped that his father still kept them in his home office. He went into the room and sifted through the desk drawers, but came up empty. He’d already looked in the bedroom, and the lockbox in the back of his father’s closet only had a few old photos in it. One in particular, of his father standing in front of his first limousine, Patrick took it, thinking it would be perfect for the funeral program.

  Patrick wished his father had prepared him better for this, but it shouldn’t have been all on him anyway. He and Robert should be taking care of the arrangements together. Robert hadn’t shown his sorry face since the incident happened. So there was no one Patrick could turn to except his Aunt Bernice.

  Patrick wondered if Robert would even come and pay respects to their father. He hoped his brother wasn’t so lowdown that he’d skip his own father’s funeral. At this point, Patrick could only speculate, because no one really knew what Robert would do. Even though he didn’t want to see the man’s face, Patrick wouldn’t deny him this last opportunity to see their father before he was laid to rest next to their mother.

  In the top drawer of the massive desk, Patrick pulled out papers, sorting them in order of importance. There was a knock on the door before it opened, and he looked up to see his aunt standing in the doorway.

  “You’re not going to find what you’re looking for there, son,” she said, walking over to the desk. “Here. This is where we should start,” she said, handing him a small silver key.

  Patrick stared at the key, then at his aunt, waiting for her to explain.

  “As soon as I can get dressed, take me down to the bank.”

  Patrick nodded, still staring at the key, one he’d never seen before. He wondered when his father gave it to his aunt, and more importantly, did Robert have one?

  “Auntie, does anyone else have a key like this?” Patrick wanted to know.

  “As far as I know, only your father and I have a key,” Bernice replied. She rounded the desk and stood next to Patrick. Putting her arm around him, she bent close to his ear. “You need to find your brother, sweetheart.”

  Patrick ducked away from her. “No, I don’t.”

  “Yes, baby, you do. I’m sure he’s hurting just as badly as you are.”

  Patrick pushed the chair back and stood. “It’s all his fault. He was running Pop’s business into the ground!” he yelled, moving away from the desk and his aunt.

  “Patrick, now you listen to me—”

  “I’m sorry, Auntie, but Rob broke our dad’s heart.”

  “That’s why you need to find him, sweetheart. I’m sure he’s feeling guilty and is probably alone. He needs to be with family.”

  “To hell with him. He wasn’t trying to listen to me when I tried to work with him. I don’t give a damn what he does or how bad he’s hurting.”

  Bernice rushed over to Patrick, grabbing his arm. Patrick’s eyes collided with hers and he couldn’t stand to look into them. “Pat, baby, what we’re about to do for your father will be the last thing we’ll ever do. I want both of my brother’s sons there. Do you understand me?”

  Patrick squeezed his aunt’s hand. He didn’t want to cause her any more pain, but he didn’t know if he was ready to be in the same room with his brother. “Robert’s selfish actions caused problems with the entire family. He wasn’t thinking about Pop when he was spending his money recklessly.”

  After his rant, he continued. “But I’ll leave him a message, and if he shows up fine; if not, to hell with him.” Patrick released his aunt’s hand and walked to the door.

  “Patrick,” Bernice called out to him.

  Patrick heard her calling him, but was tired of talking about Robert, so he kept walking. Halfway down the hall, he heard her call again; he knew what she wanted, so he turned around. “I know, Auntie. I’m going to try to find him.”

  “Thank you, baby,” she said, turning to go back into the office.

  As Patrick walked down the hall he reflected on the last conversation he’d had with his father concerning his Uncle John. The fact that the brothers were estranged was sad. He knew James didn’t want him and his brother’s relationship to repeat history.

  Out of nowhere, the thought that his uncle might have influenced Robert’s behavior popped up. Patrick had to catch himself, there was no use trying to pin the blame on John when no one was responsible for his brother’s behavior except Robert.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  With each passing day, Renee had become more and more miserable without Patrick. She’d listened to his messages over and over again, just so that she could hear his voice. She started to reach out to him, but she never got past dialing his number. She could never hit send to complete the call.

  Sorting through her email, she saw an urgent notification for a meeting that would start in an hour. By the title she figured it has something to do with the soda campaign, which meant Julia probably had something to do with it. Renee accepted the meeting invitation and moved on with her work.

  There was a knock on the door. “Yes?” Renee said, shifting around the papers on her desk.

  Cara stuck her head inside the door. “Busy?”

  Renee beckoned her in. “What do you have for me?”

  Cara came over to the desk and handed Renee several sheets of paper stapled together. “I just wanted to show you the list for the silent auction.”

  Renee glanced at it and then looked back up at Cara. “Let’s make sure it’s all set up in a convenient location so it’s easily accessible.”

  “Will do. I think I know the perfect spot,” Cara said, pulling out her diagram of the floor space in the room.

  “We want the tables in the main area to be aesthetically pleasing and out of the way of the performers,” Renee said.

  “That means that the floral centerpieces all need to be short instead of tall and short,” Cara added.

  “Right! Good catch,” Renee said. Although floral centerpieces could add ambiance to a room, depending on how the room was suppose
d to function, they could also be a nuisance. Renee sighed.

  “What’s going on with you, Renee?” Cara asked.

  She had a feeling that Cara was going to ask that question, because they hadn’t spoken in a while. She just didn’t want to talk about her situation with Patrick. She’d rather leave things alone. Renee had a feeling that Julia had already told her version of the story to Cara.

  “I’ve just got a lot on my mind,” Renee responded.

  “Are you still worrying about the bet you made with Julia?”

  It had been ages since Renee had given any thought to that juvenile bet she’d made with her so-called friend. She’d already lost to Julia and was just waiting for the New Year, so the woman could gloat. “No, actually, I’m past all of that. I still don’t agree with her, but I’m going to concede.”

  “Why? The year isn’t over yet, so there’s still hope,” Cara responded, scooting to the end of her chair.

  “You told me not to worry about the bet a few months ago, Cara,” Renee reminded her.

  “I know, but I’ve never seen you like this before either,” Cara said in response.

  “Did Julia tell you about how she came into my office, accusing me of throwing her under the bus last week?”

  Cara’s eyes widened. “No, she didn’t say anything about it.”

  “I’m surprised, because she always blames me when things go wrong in her life.”

  “What happened?” Cara asked.

  “She accused me of going to Priscilla, saying negative things about her.”

  “That doesn’t make sense. Why would you do that?”

  “Something happened that day, but I didn’t get all the details from her. Then she turned around and told me that the guy I was dating used to date a friend of hers.”

  Cara threw her hand to her mouth. “She said this in front of the guy?”

  “Now you know she did.”

  “Oh my goodness. Is this the same guy you told me about?”

  “Yes. Come to find out he and his family own the transportation service, so he wasn’t just a driver.”