Diamonds & Hearts

by Rosetta Bloom

“Just cleared part of my debt, and gave me six months interest free to get the rest of the money together.”

  My father stroked the hair above his ear, gently. “I think you’ve made a reasonable proposal,” he started to say.

  My mother cleared her throat and my father stopped speaking. “Ryan,” she said, her voice softer. “I want what’s best for you,” she said. “But so often you have been wasteful, and then claimed to have found the way, if only we’ll help with financial support. What about this time will be different?”

  “You don’t have any guarantees. Nothing but my word. And I’m giving it to you. I will pay back the loan, and find a job.”

  She put a hand to her chin, and stared at me. “Who have you contacted about a job?”

  I told her the names of the people. A couple of them she’d know. They, too, were children of high society. Even if she didn’t know them exactly, she’d know of their parents.

  She seemed surprised. “That’s a good list,” she said, a small smile forming. “I’m not as kind as your mobster. We’ll do a loan against your trust fund. But you’ll repay it with interest. Not too high. Four percent.”

  I nodded. I couldn’t complain about that.

  “It’s good that you’re taking responsibility,” she said. “I hope it holds.”

  I suppose that was the best I was going to get from her. I nodded, and said thank you. Then I turned to my father. “Can I talk to you alone for a second?”

  He nodded, stood, and waved me to follow him. He walked to his study, a place that was more his taste than my mother’s. Not sleek modernism, but old school man’s study. Thick, wooden furniture oiled and polished. Dark and, were this another era, it would be filled with cigar smoke. Only, mother doesn’t let him smoke cigars anymore. And it’s probably for the best, as my grandfather died of lung cancer.

  He offered me a seat in the leather chair opposite his desk. I declined. “I just wanted to apologize about yesterday. I’m not an employee of Harper Shipping, and I shouldn’t have commandeered that room. I hope you won’t blame Michelle for giving it to me.”

  “Michelle called me, so I don’t blame her. I was glad to know where you were, finally.”

  I hadn’t realized. “You told her that I was missing.”

  “I told her to let me know if you came by. You always seemed to like that office.”

  I laughed. “Not really, but I always liked her.”

  “She was always kind to you.”

  I nodded, but we were getting off track. “I also wanted to apologize for suggesting you didn’t treat Lily well. That wasn’t right. You loved Lily.”

  My father shook his head. “No,” he said. “You were right. I wasn’t a very good father to either of you, and I have to live with that. But, like you, I can try to correct my mistakes. I can try to be a better father now.”

  I supposed that was what we both wanted. A chance to redeem ourselves. I nodded.

  “And son, I have to ask what is going on with that Onyx woman? Why are you involved with her?” Then he shook his head. “No, I can see... I saw her, I understand the attraction physically, but she’s got you involved with mobsters.”

  I shook my head and held up a hand. “Dad, that’s not it,” I said. “Don’t talk about her like that, like she’s just some hot piece of ass who I’m lusting over. Someone who’s bringing me to the dark side. She didn’t get me involved with mobsters. I did that. She helped me cut my debt in half.”

  “By stealing?”

  “By doing a job that the mobster wanted done. By doing it against her better judgment to help me out.”

  “Helping you would have been coming to us.”

  “For what it’s worth, the first thing she told me to do was to go home to you. To ask for your help, to get you to bail me out again.”

  His eyes widened, as if he didn’t believe.

  I nodded. “Yes, that’s what she told me, and I almost did. But, you’d cut me off, and I didn’t want to crawl back and when I explained it, she understood. Coming to you then would be you bailing me out of every problem I’ve ever had — again. What she did was help me, for once, edge my way out of things, and realize just how fucking hard it is sometimes. To realize that even after I did all that shit, I still wasn’t done. That you can dig yourself into a big hole and that digging out will take time. That’s why I asked for a loan, because I know I have to dig out myself and that’s going to take time. But, digging out legitimately is hard to do with mobsters, so I’m taking the easy money from you to get rid of him, but I’m willing to do the digging long-term with you.”

  My father gave me his best approximation of stern. “But what if you’d gotten caught?”

  “Then I would have had to pay the price. And for once, I would have done so. And maybe I should have gotten caught. If I were doing it just for me, maybe it would have felt stupid, but it wasn’t just me. It was a two-person job, and I couldn’t let her down. So, I stepped up, and I didn’t ruin it the way I usually do.”

  “You don’t ruin things, son,” my father said.

  I shrugged. “Sometimes I do. Sometimes I did, I guess I should say.”

  My father put a hand to his chin and studied me. “So, she did this illegal thing entirely out of the goodness of her own heart, to help you. She had no other motive?”

  I grimaced. “Of course, she had another motive. She needed money, too. Only, she didn’t have a trust fund to seek money from. Or wealthy parents, or even alive parents. Both of her parents are dead, and if she’d had even a tenth of the money I’ve wasted in my life, she wouldn’t have needed help. She wouldn’t have done the job.”

  My father shook his head. “I don’t trust her, son.”

  I looked him in the eye, and didn’t hesitate when I spoke. “Well, you’re wrong not to trust her. Lily trusted her, and you know as well as I do that Lily didn’t turn over her trust lightly. And if Lily had been alive, I think both Onyx and I would have taken a different path. She would have asked Lily for help, instead of doing this job for Pauly. And me, I would probably not even be in this trouble.”

  My father leaned on the wall of the study. “So, in terms of this trouble, this gambling debt. Is gambling a problem for you?”

  I shook my head. “No,” I said. “And I’m not a gambler who just says that. I mean, I liked the thrill of going in and plunking down a chunk of cash, knowing anything could happen. But more than anything, I was just sad. I was alone. I wanted to feel something, something more than the dead I felt with Lily gone. Pauly, the guy I owe the money to, said I had a death wish. I think, in retrospect, he was right. The gambling on long shots, the big losses, that was a way for me to make my life as dangerous as possible. It worked. But only as I realized that I was in deep shit, did it finally dawn on me that what I’d been doing was stupid, that I didn’t have some kind of death wish. I had a pretty good life.”

  “Yes,” my father said. “You have lived a good life. I’ve tried to make sure of it.”

  “I appreciate that,” I told him.

  “And what does Onyx Neel need mafia money for?”

  “She would have gladly accepted any money, mafia or not,” I shot back. “But, her reasons are private, not for me to say. But they’re good reasons. She’s a good person. She works as a teacher dad, and she’s changing lives. You should find out more about her before you judge her.”

  He didn’t respond.

  That was better than him suggesting I was wrong. I took this as my cue to exit. “I should go, dad.”

  “Wait,” he said. His voice was a whisper when he spoke next. “I can call the landlord at your loft and pay the next few months.” He looked at the shut door. “We won’t have to tell your mother.”

  Good ole dad. I shook my head. “Mom is right. I need to do this on my own. I’ve got a new place to stay temporarily. I’ll be good.”

  He stared at me as if he didn’t quite believe. “You don’t have to pretend with me,” he said.

  “I’
m not, Dad,” I admitted. “For once, I’m taking things into my own hands, and I’ll live or die by my abilities. And right now, I’ve got an apartment for next month. If I need help, though, I’ll ask.”

  I turned and walked out.

  Chapter 24 – Shine Bright, Polished Diamond

  (Two Months Later)

  Dr. Dodson had been an absolute nightmare when I asked for the month off to go with Lynx. I had to jump through all the Family Medical Leave Act hurdles, dotting every “i” and crossing every “t.” But, in the end I got five weeks leave, unpaid of course. I was glad to have gotten that extra money for the job.

  Our month in France was a success in every respect. The treatment process was, of course, miserable for Lynx. Unfortunately, all cancer treatments suck at the time they’re given. People only agree to do them because death is the alternative. He was in pain a lot and uncomfortable and poked and prodded relentlessly. But when all was said and done, Lynx was cancer free. We were able to come home, and even though Lynx was not yet ready to go back to work — he still needed to build up his immune system — he was in a good place.

  The school year was basically over, as it was the last week of May, and I’d just heard that Dr. Dodson had received a transfer for the next school year. She’d be at another school in a different section of town. I was pretty happy, but I wasn’t willing to count her transfer as a win, yet. I knew I could end up with someone worse than her. However, the possibility of someone better had put me in a good mood. My mother always said thinking positive brought positive, so that was the plan for the summer.

  Given that she had bigger fish to fry, Dodson hadn’t even opposed me teaching the girls’ summer science program. This one was one the previous principal had created, and she’d told me I would be teaching it before she got swept away by Bill Gates. However, Dodson was the principal, and could have pulled me. Personnel decisions were up to the principal, even with approved programs.

  It was Friday afternoon, and things were winding down for the day. This was my final free period, and I’d just helped some kids with questions and closed my door, so I could put grades in the computer. That’s when I heard a knock on the door and grunted in frustration. I forced cheer into my voice, looked up from the computer, and said, “Come in.”

  The door opened and Ryan poked his head in. I couldn’t help but smile. He’d only stayed the month while Lynx and I were gone. After having agreed to let him house sit, I’d panicked, wondering how I could have done such a thing. I spent the days before we left, removing anything embarrassing from the apartment, taking it over to Mrs. Argon’s for safe keeping. I’d left one family photo album out on a shelf, but all the embarrassing photos mom had kept in boxes were safely out of his reach.

  He’d moved out, the day before Lynx and I came back, having found a new apartment, not totally far away, as well as a job. And not one at Harper Shipping. He told me he’d called literally everyone he’d ever talked to in college, and found about three people who were hiring in their marketing departments. He found a job working for a small firm downtown.

  “How’s my favorite teacher?” he asked, still with only his head sticking through the crack.

  “Shhhh,” I said. “I’m at work.” I motioned for him to come inside the room.

  He came in fully and I noticed there was another figure trailing behind him. A man who looked like a slightly older version of him. Richard Harper. He always looked so stately and regal, and he’d aged so well. He shut the door after he entered. I sat up straighter at my desk.

  “They’ll let anyone in here,” Ryan joked as he and his father approached my desk.

  I stood up and forced a smile. It was odd for him to bring a man who hated me to my workplace. But I assumed the elder Harper would be on his best behavior, so I figured I would, too. “It’s good to see you again, Mr. Harper,” I said.

  “It’s kind of you to lie so enthusiastically,” he said.

  I raised an eyebrow, then looked at Ryan. What was this about? He eyed me back, a look that said to give his father a chance. I turned back to Richard.

  “I came because I owe you an apology,” Richard said to me. “Having seen your impeccable politeness whenever you have been around my family, I figured if I wanted to apologize without you dressing me down as I deserve, that I should choose a public place.”

  I wasn’t sure what to say to that. It was a good strategy, but he was mistaken for it’s need. He was Ryan’s father, and so long as he didn’t choose to make a spectacle, I would not make a spectacle, public place or not.

  “I would like to apologize for the things I said last time I saw you,” he said. “It was wrong of me to take out my frustration over my relationship with my children on you. I loved Lily very much, but we didn’t spend as much time together as I would have liked. I always thought we’d have later, and when that was taken away, I lashed out.”

  “I understand,” I said. “I’m sure it’s an unbearable loss.”

  “But not one that was your fault, and I shouldn’t have suggested it. Equally so, I shouldn’t have suggested you were bad for my son. Also, having not had things go as I’d hoped with him, I took my frustration out on you. But, you have been a good influence on him.”

  I couldn’t help smirking at that. Stealing diamonds. That didn’t seem like a good influence. But the other stuff, maybe. He’d just needed a nudge in the right direction. “You’ve raised two remarkable children, Mr. Harper,” I said. “I’m glad to have known them both.”

  He smiled at me. “You’re more gracious than I deserve.”

  “Apologizing takes a certain moral fiber, and is always appreciated.” I looked up at the clock. “I’ve still got about half an hour before I can go home. Did you guys want to maybe go get ice cream at that place down the street? I can join you when I finish.”

  “Actually,” Ryan said. “This is a business stop.”

  “Business?” I raised a hand and pointed my finger at Ryan, and then his father. “You or you?”

  “Both of us,” the elder Harper said. “Lily’s foundation, the one we turned over her trust fund to create, assists girls in lower income communities.”

  I nodded.

  “Well, Ryan thought your summer program sounded really promising. So, he suggested we look at it this year, with the possibility of funding it in future summers.”

  My mouth popped open. “That would be great,” I said.

  “I think it’s the kind of thing Lily would’ve liked,” Ryan said.

  Mr. Harper nodded, reached out and shook my hand. “I’m glad to help,” he said, and then glanced up at the clock. “I’m supposed to meet the superintendent and the new principal in the office in a couple of minutes, so I need to be going.”

  I held his hand a second longer, and then let go, as I leaned in and asked, “New principal?”

  “Oh, yes,” he said, lowering his voice. “The announcement isn’t official yet, but they’ve hired a replacement for the current principal. She’s coming from a smaller market, but very enthusiastic. I was told about it because of the foundation’s donations. We donated heavily last school season, and the superintendent likes to keep me in the loop. But keep that information under your hat.”

  “Of course,” I agreed heartily. My concerns that the new principal would be worse ratcheted down several notches. From a smaller market and enthusiastic. That sounded like a good combination to me.

  Ryan’s father turned to leave, but Ryan didn’t head off with him. I waited for his father to go out the door and then turned to him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  He smiled. “Many reasons,” he said, as he stepped closer to my desk, his face a triumph. “First, I wanted to see your face when he came in.”

  I shook my head. “You’re such a sight guy.”

  He winked at me. “All guys are into seeing,” he assured me, leaning closer. “I would be so into it if you wore that purple thing you bought in France. The one with all those straps.”
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  I looked toward the door, which his father had left open. “Not here,” I whispered. Though it was nice to know my last-minute purchase before Lynx and I left France, was worth it.

  “Fine,” he pouted. “The second reason is because my father said he wanted to tell you himself.”

  Ah. “I see,” I said. “So, things are better between you two?”

  He nodded. “Yes,” he admitted. “I think he took to heart what I said to him down on the waterfront. And it helped that I found a job myself. That I’m working. And that I’ve agreed not to do anything dangerous.”

  I smiled. “Yes, please don’t do anything dangerous.”

  “Nah,” he said. “I’ve got the smartest, sexiest, most daring girlfriend, and she’d absolutely kill me if I did anything dangerous.”

  I laughed. “Yeah, you’re right about that.”

  He looked up at the clock. “How about you skip outta here early?”

  I shook my head. I had to finish inputting the quiz grades. “How about you wait at the ice cream place and I’ll make it worth your while tonight. The purple thing I picked up in France, high heels, and I’ll even put on lipstick.”

  “I hate lipstick,” he said.

  “Then I won’t put on lipstick.”

  “Deal,” he said, leaning forward to kiss my cheek. “I love you.”

  I smiled back. “I love you, too.” I waved goodbye and he turned and walked out.

  I sat back down in my chair, leaned back and grinned. Life was good.

  THE END

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