by M. Sembera
Jackson stood over HIM with fists clinched as HE wiped the blood from HIS lip and started to get up.
I urged, “Stop,” at the same time Salvador ordered, “Enough.”
Salvador and I looked at each other. He narrowed his eyes at me then a smile spread across his face.
“Perhaps it would be best if you and I spoke in private,” Salvador suggested.
With a nod, I agreed saying, “Jackson, why don’t you go have a drink,” before I turned back to Salvador and stated, “HE will wait outside The Bar.”
Jackson appeared angry, flinging the door open so hard it shook the hinges, as he did what I asked. HE followed closing the door.
I pulled a chair from the wall and positioned it facing the bed. Taking a seat on the edge of the twin bed, I motioned for Salvador to sit in the chair. He accepted it with a smile. Before I spoke, I took some time to look at him. His hair was black with gray streaked down both sides. He wasn’t intimidating, he was actually very charming. I assumed that served him very well over the years. Taking a deep breath, I stared directly into his eyes.
“A simple conversation?” I questioned.
With a slight nod, he shared, “I would like for you and I to come to an agreement.”
“I don’t care what you would like,” I stated.
A slow smile spread across Salvador’s face as he replied, “I see why they like you so much, Mrs. Herterand.”
“You can skip the formalities it’s just Ren,” I corrected.
Another smile formed as he questioned, “Not Mrs. Herterand? Hmm…Is Mr. Herterand aware of this?”
Clearing my throat, I sat up tall assuring, “If Mr. Herterand is why you are here then you’re wasting your time. He is nothing like you.”
With a hint of disappointment, he stated, “Sadly I agree, however, if you think he is unbreakable you are mistaken. He has already bent several times on your behalf, leaving several people including you indebted to me.”
Narrowing my eyes at him, I said, “I know what happened with my parents and I don’t owe you anything.”
Salvador narrowed his eyes back at mine before leaning back and saying, “You are very frustrating.”
“So I’ve heard,” I smirked before asking, “Is Jackson included in the people you think owe you?”
Salvador’s expression was perplexed as he replied, “Your little mick friend doesn’t interest me. He minds his own business. I have no use for him.”
“Okay then, I will listen to your proposal and give it serious consideration, if you give me your word that you will stay away from Jackson and his entire family,” I bargained, adding, “Otherwise, you can leave right now, we have nothing further to discuss.”
A wicked smile crossed his face as he said, “I’m almost sorry we started off on the wrong foot, you are incredibly attractive, Mrs….Ren.”
“I’m not flattered,” I snapped.
Placing his hand in front of his mouth, apparently in thought then dropping it, Salvador promised, “I give my word.”
I took a deep breath, saying, “Alright then.”
Suddenly very serious but still with a smile he explained, “A few months ago, I happened upon some very interesting news. It seems as though my nephew is a father.”
Hiding my terror at the thought of either of them knowing, I scoffed, “You believe everything you hear?”
“No but I do my research so do not play with me,” he assured.
Serious now, I asked, “Your point?”
“I can insure my nephew never finds out,” he said.
Shaking my head, I disagreed, “You found out, there’s no way you can guarantee that.”
With a sly look, Salvador said, “There comes a point in every man’s life when he has to face the things he has done. Not every man can live with himself when that day comes.”
“What do you want from me?” I asked, starting to feel sick.
Glancing up then directly at me, Salvador shared, “I have invested a great deal of time and effort insuring The Office became what it is today. Frankly, I am tired of doing things for other people. I want something for myself.”
“You want The Office?” I questioned.
Nodding, he replied, “I do.”
“If I say yes?” I asked.
Smiling wide, he stated, “Then we both get what we want.”
“If I say no?” I asked
Salvador’s smile faded as he answered, “Well then, you are no stranger to what happens next.”
With my last bit of bravery, I stood saying, “I will consider your offer and get back to you.”
He stood, informing, “Do not take too long, patience is not one of my virtues,” before he left the room.
I couldn’t move.
Feeling my lungs start to burn, I realized I was holding my breath. I took a deep breath, it didn’t help. My chest was aching. As I gasped for air, trying to catch my breath, I missed the bed and hit the floor. Wrapping my arms around my legs, I pulled my knees into my chest. Jackson walked in then rushed towards me.
Instantly grabbing my face, he urged, “Ren?!”
I couldn’t speak. He lifted me off the floor and onto the bed.
“I’m going to call Hert, okay,” he said.
Since my head was already shaking involuntarily, I grabbed his arm tight in disagreement.
Jackson rubbed the sides of my face, saying, “Okay but you have to calm down...Calm down.”
Repeatedly checking my eyes and rocking with me, he helped me through my panic attack.
When I finally calmed down, Jackson seemed as exhausted as I was. We both sat on the bed, leaning against the wall.
“What the hell was that?” he asked.
Slightly embarrassed, I said, “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t ever do that again,” he stated.
As I nodded, Jackson placed his arm around my shoulders.
Knowing what was coming next, I said, “Not right now. I need some time to think.”
Nudging me slightly, he said, “You’re lucky we’re friends.”
I leaned my head against his shoulder, saying, “Thanks for defending me.”
There was cheer in his voice as he stated, “He had it coming.”
We sat there for a few more minutes before getting up. Jackson offered to follow me home and I let him to make him feel better. I pulled in the driveway at the house, stepped out of the car and walked inside. Through the kitchen and up the stairs, I stopped outside Hert’s office.
Leaning in, I asked, “If I lay down for a little bit will you wake me up at five?”
Looking up from his desk, Hert nodded asking, “Are you alright?”
I nodded back, saying, “Yea, I’m just tired,” as I turned and walked into the bedroom.
Sliding my shoes off, I climbed into bed. How did I end up in this impossible situation? There was no way I could make a deal with Salvador but there was no way I could risk my Sophia or anyone getting hurt because of me. Wishing all of this would just go away, I fell asleep.
Hert’s voice woke me as he sat down on the bed. Looking up at him, I realized the time I had was limited. Either way, my decision would be the wrong one. For now things could be calm but I had to be the one to give in.
“Jackson’s on his way with Sophia,” he informed.
As he started to get up, I grabbed his hand.
When he looked at me, I started to cry, “I don’t wanna fight.”
With concern in his eyes, Hert said, “Are you alright?”
Still holding his hand, I shook my head saying, “I need you to stop working for the rest of the day and I want me, you and Sophia to spend the evening together.”
Hert nodded and after Jackson dropped Sophia off, it was just the three of us.
Chapter 9
Blinking a few times to wake up, I laid in bed thinking. With no idea what Salvador actually wanted from me, I knew I couldn’t put it off forever but I could string him along until I really knew what I w
as dealing with. In the meantime, I had to settle things here. Rolling onto my side, I looked at Hert and noticed he was already awake. Glancing at the clock before I got up, I wondered why he wasn’t already in his office.
After a quick trip to the bathroom, I sat back down on the bed and stared at Hert. Still thinking about my situation, I realized a way to make a good start.
Placing my hand on his arm, I asked, “How’s your leg?”
“It hurts,” he admitted.
Nodding, I offered, “I can rub it with that stuff if you want.”
Hert replied, “Okay.”
I got up and grabbed the castor oil and a towel from the bathroom. Back on the bed, I placed the towel under his leg.
Rubbing the oil on his leg, I suggested, “You know, if you’re having trouble, you could always get a brace.”
Hert glanced at me looking surprised.
“You could wear it under your slacks and no one would be able to tell, plus you wouldn’t limp as bad,” I explained.
Sitting up, he agreed, “That’s a good idea. I’ll call Dr. Chepelli this afternoon.”
With a light smile, I rubbed the rest if the oil into his leg and foot.
When I was done, Hert stood up and I grabbed the towel from off the bed. Taking the towel and bottle of castor oil into the bathroom, I washed my hands.
I stepped out of the bathroom and heard Hert ask, “Can you come here.”
Walking up to him, I asked, “Did you need something?”
Shaking his head, Hert shared, “You seem like something’s wrong.”
Shrugging, I said, “It’s just getting harder and harder to remember when things were right. Ya know.”
Nodding, he agreed, “Yea, I do.”
“But I’m here, for better or worse,” I assured as I heard Sophia from her room.
Giving Hert a halfhearted smile, I walked to Sophia’s room to get her day started.
Sitting at the breakfast table with Sophia while she did more playing with her food than eating it, I thought about how much I enjoyed simple things just like this. Startled away from my thought when the back door swung open wide, I saw Jackson walking in with his arms full of folders. I quickly jumped up to close the door behind him. Smiling wide, he gave me a slight nod of appreciation.
“Hert needs these, is he upstairs?” Jackson asked.
Nodding, I replied, “Yea, he’s in his office.”
Apparently, Sophia was not happy about being ignored. Hearing her slap her hands against her highchair tray, both Jackson and I turned and looked at her.
With one more, loud two-handed slap, Sophia blurted, “Jast!”
Instantly dropping the folders on the table, Jackson slapped his hands against the tray and cheered, “Sopha-Pea!”
Sophia immediately squealed then giggled while he picked her up. The look on Jackson’s face was genuine as I watched him smile at her.
“I need to go talk to your daddy for a minute then I’ll come right back down and play with ya, girly,” he assured her.
She started to frown as Jackson handed her to me, until I said, “Awe, Uncle Jacks will be back in just a minute. Let’s go play.”
Quickly scooping up the folders, he headed upstairs.
Sitting on the living room floor, I played with Sophia until Jackson came back down.
“Mind if I use the phone to call The Office real quick?” Jacks asked.
Shaking my head, I questioned, “Is everything okay?”
Smiling, he said, “Yea, I’m just going to let them know I won’t be back in until after lunch,” as he walked to the kitchen.
I smiled back, continuing to play with Sophia. Walking back in, Jackson took his suit jacket off, laying it on the back of the couch. He rolled up his sleeves, slipped his shoes off then sat down on the floor with us.
“What are we playing?” he asked.
I couldn’t help but smile as I answered, “This is her favorite bear, pinky. She likes pinky to talk to her and she likes it when pinky plays peek-a-boo then gives her kisses.”
Laughing, he said, “Alright.”
“Can you handle her for a little bit so I can go get dressed?” I asked, since I was still in my pajamas.
Nodding, he replied, “Sure.”
With a smile, I got up and dashed upstairs.
Passing by Hert’s office, I stuck my head in.
“Jacks is downstairs playing with Sophia, I’m gonna get dressed real quick,” I shared.
Hert smiled before saying, “He’s happy she said his name.”
I nodded, assuring, “Yep, she made his day,”
With a laugh, he agreed, “Yea,” then said, “I’ll be down at lunch time.”
“Okay,” I said before heading to my room to get dressed.
I threw on jeans and a t-shirt, pulled my hair up and headed back downstairs. At the top of the stairs, I could hear Jackson talking to Sophia.
I quietly stood there listening as he told her, “….then the mamma pea and the daddy pea had a beautiful little Sopha-pea. That’s you. Well, one of the peas from the pod thought the little Sopha-pea was nice and all but he wasn’t so sure what the big deal was. Then one day, the little Sopha-pea smiled at the not so sure pea and that silly pea knew the beautiful little Sopha-pea was the best thing that ever happened to all the peas in the pod. And after that day, the silly pea became Sopha-pea’s uncle Pea and they were all happy in their pea pod.”
His story warmed my heart.
I waited a few minutes after Jackson finished his story before walking down the stairs. Making my way over to them, I saw Jacks lying on his back holding Sophia above him, moving her around like she was flying.
“Are you flyin’?” I smiled and asked Sophia.
As she giggled, Jackson said, “Fly to mama.”
Leaning down, I grabbed her and swung her around before sitting us both back on the floor. Clapping and giggling, Sophia bounced up and down in my lap. When Jackson sat back up, Sophia crawled over to him, dragging her little pink bear with her.
As she smashed the bear into his cheek and held onto his tie, Jackson laughed, “I’m being mauled by a little pink bear.”
I corrected, “She’s giving you kisses,” as I shook my head, laughing, “I think pinky has a little crush on you.”
“Is this true pinky? Do you have a crush on me?” he asked the bear, holding it in his hands.
Sophia giggled as he made the bear nod at him and continued saying, “Well, I like you too pinky,” and kissed the little bears nose.
Sophia grabbed the bear back from Jackson, hugging it tight.
Laughing at the two of them as I watched them play, I had a great idea. I had the perfect way to protect Sophia if everything with Salvador and The Office went bad. Pleased with my idea, I felt a little less burdened. When I got up off the floor to get Sophia her juice, the phone rang.
“Hello?” I answered.
Amila’s voice was on the other end saying, “Hey Ren.”
Happy to hear from her, I said, “I’m so glad you called, how are you?”
“Good, I was wondering if you could come over for lunch tomorrow?” she asked.
“Sure! Is about noon okay?” I confirmed.
Her voice was pleasant as she replied, “Sounds good, see you tomorrow,” and then hung up.
I walked back into the living room, handed Sophia her juice and sat down on the floor.
Informing Jackson, “That was Amila,” as I scooped Sophia onto my lap.
“I haven’t talked to her since your birthday,” he said.
Curious, I asked, “You were talking to her before that.”
With a look of, ‘it’s not what you’re thinking’, he replied, “I was calling her and checking on her, 'cause I knew she was all by herself but then I went back to get her from your banquet and she said she had a ride. I told her I’d call her the next day and she said I didn’t have to call and check on her every day that she was fine.”
“Oh, well maybe she
is. I’m going to have lunch with her tomorrow,” I shared before questioning, “Do you like her? You seem disappointed.”
Shrugging, Jacks explained, “She’s nice and all but... After what happened with Telli, ya know.”
Nodding, I understood.
With everything that had been going on here, I forgot how upset Jacks was when Telli died. I started to feel guilty, realizing I was so caught up in myself; I never took the time to ask Jackson how he was doing. He always had such good advice and tried to cheer me up. Deciding on another time, I saw Hert making his way down the stairs.
“Are you ready for lunch?” I asked, glancing at the clock.
Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, he answered, “No the doctor is on the way with that brace.”
Getting up, I walked over to the stairs in case he needed help, making his way to the couch. Before I made it to him, there was a knock at the front door.
I laughed, saying, “That was quick,” as Jackson picked Sophia up and answered the door.
We were all a little shocked to see Seminol Ramsden, instead of Dr. Chepelli.
Seminol stepped in the house, closing the door behind himself. The room was quiet for a moment.
Something inside me compelled me to blurt, “Can I help you?”
I could see Seminol starting to cringe as Hert introduced, “Rennillia, this is Mr. Ramsden; he is the lawyer for The Office.”
“Nice to see you again,” I greeted with a tone.
Placing his hand on my shoulder, Hert said, “I didn’t know you two had met before.”
“I am sure Mrs. Herterand is referring to the accounting transfer meetings,” Seminol alleged.
After Seminol paused, making sure I didn’t disagree, he focused on Hert saying, “I apologize for intruding, I need your assistance with an important issue.”
Nodding, Hert stated, “Give me just a minute,” and made his way back up the stairs.
Seminol waited until Hert was out of sight before saying, “I see you had better things aside from work to do today, Jackson.”
Jackson tightened his hold around Sophia as she buried her face into his chest.
“I had no idea we were being so informal Mr. Ramsden but then again, maybe I have no business here either,” I retorted, keeping my voice low.