The Confident Woman

by Nikkea Sharee

  Taking his sister into his arms, Vernon held her in a tight embrace. They had been through things together that many could never dream of. From being orphaned to wards of the state and finally thrown out into the world without a penny to their name, they always had each other’s best interest at heart.

  Working Levi had been easy for Vernon. Levi wore his vulnerability on his sleeve like a warm sweater in the fall. Convincing the scorned man to present the companies Vernon had setup in Vera’s name had been light work. The paperwork would more than certainly have Nigel flipping in his early grave.

  “Thank you,” were the only words she could find to utter out of her mouth.

  Epilogue

  Dalia’s stomach was in knots. Since the passing of her only child, her world had been turned upside down. She had never felt a pain like this before and wasn’t quite sure that she deserved to feel the way she was feeling regarding his loss.

  She had never been that close to Nigel. Growing up she had ensured that his nannies had taken care of him as best as money could buy. Having him at the young age of twenty, she had not been ready to give up the fancy new life she had newly married into. Her husband, not being able to tell her no to much of anything as he was twenty years her senior, accepted that anything she did as it pertained to the care of their son had to be correct. After all, she was raising their son in the same manner that he had been raised. He reasoned that boarding school taught discipline, despite the many times that their son came home acting out.

  “He’s a boy. It’s expected. He will change,” the man would say.

  Only he didn’t change. Nigel grew to be even more obnoxious and self centered after he graduated. So much so that she saw herself pulling away from him even more. If only she had saw more value in being a mother than living her best life perhaps things would be different. Instead, she made the choices she made and felt more alone in her life than she’d ever been. It was only in that moment that she realized that all the money in the world could not bring back her family. She had one shot and she had blown it. The bad part was that she had to live with the guilt for the rest of her life.

  This was a new day. A chance to change the course of her future. The past was the past. She couldn’t change that. The future was something completely different.

  “Are you sure about this?”

  Rosetta had done a lot of things for her dear friend over the recent weeks. Going over every piece of paperwork that Vera had brought to her after Nigel’s passing from his home and office. The only good thing that had come from the situation was that his company stock had not taken as hard of a hit as they expected. While it had taken a dive following the Vera’s press conference, upon his death somehow support for him and his company changed the tide back into an upswing.

  Dalia was only slightly surprised to find out about the articles of incorporation that had been signed by her son to a company owned by Vera. She was positive that he didn’t truly know what he had signed and that his lawyer had taken advantage of him at his lowest point. However, with that, she decided not to put up a fight. Anyone that could endure what Vera had was certain to do the same thing she had done and maybe even worse.

  “Yes, I’m sure. Were you able to get in contact with Vera? Is she coming?”

  “I was able to reach her at the number you provided. She agreed to meet you here. In fact, she should be here any minute.”

  That only made Dalia more nervous than anything. Retribution was not promised to her. She could only hope that her actions would win Vera over.

  “Okay, do I need to sign anything else or are we good?”

  “I think everything is in order. Nigel’s entire estate is now officially under his son’s name with Vera as the trustee. Before we meet with her, I have to ask if you are okay. Like really, how are you doing?”

  “What’s that saying? As well as can be expected. I haven’t really had to process any of this. Not the sins of my son, certainly not his death. Doesn’t mean that they didn’t happen. I can only hope to move forward.”

  “Well it looks like we have company.”

  Dalia turned to the door. There stood her former daughter in law and a boy that looked just like her son when he was that age. She burst out into an emotional cry of joy. “Vera, thank you, please come in.”

  NJ held on to his mother’s leg tightly. He didn’t know who the woman was or why she was crying the way she was. “Do you need a minute? We can step out in the hall if so. I thought I had the time right. I’m sorry if I’m late.”

  Rosetta motioned for the woman to have a seat. “Not at all. We were just talking about you. Thank you for agreeing to come.”

  Vera nodded her head politely. “NJ, this is your grandmother. Your father’s mother. Her name is Mrs. Dalia until you decide what you want to call her, okay?” The young boy simply shook his head up and down.

  All of this was just about too much for Dalia to take. This little boy was just what her heart was missing. She didn’t know for sure until she laid eyes on him. Finally, she mustered up the words to speak.

  “Vera, yes, thank you for coming. We have a lot to discuss today. But more importantly thank you for bringing NJ, is it?”

  Shaking his head up and down, NJ acknowledged that she was correct. While he was too young to fully comprehend what was going on, being with his mother brought him comfort. His young mind had no idea how much drama had gone on between both sides of his family over the last few years.

  “You’re welcome. I’ve given it a lot of thought. I’m open to allowing you to be apart of my son’s life as long as we can put the past behind us. At the end of the day he didn’t ask to be here. That was my decision. I’ve always considered the possibility of him knowing both sides of his family. Now is as good of a time as any to have a fresh start.”

  These words were music to Dalia’s ears. Perhaps as a grandmother she could have a fresh start and be the person she was supposed to be to her son in a different capacity.

  “I’m grateful to you for giving me this chance to be apart of NJ’s life. Hopefully this will be the beginning of something beautiful.”

  Vera nodded her head in agreement, “For the sake of NJ, I’m sure we can make that happen indeed.”

  About the Author

  Essence Magazine Best Selling Author Nikkea Sharee has been a multimedia force for over a decade. Her award winning novels span a variety of genres from drama, romance, murder mystery, poetry and even young adult fiction. A noted spoken word artist, she has performed on stages from NY to LA. Now an award winning filmmaker she has founded a company Kweli Legacy with her sister which specializes in short films and documentaries.

  Connect with Nikkea via FB, Twitter and Instagram @NikkeaSharee.