by M. Sembera
Taking a breath, I said, “I thought maybe you didn’t want the responsibility.”
“What I didn’t want was for you to give it up to HIM then wind up pregnant,” he shared.
Nodding, I said, “I didn’t know you felt that way.”
Shaking his head, Jackson confessed, “Ren, I hate HIM. HE screwed you up so bad…”
Not being able to let Jacks feel that way without explaining, I stopped him.
“Look, it’s not all HIS fault,” I said before I shared, “I was screwed up long before HE came around. I agree HE’s a terrible person but I’m responsible too.” Stopping for a moment while he shook his head in disbelief, I continued saying, “Jacks I stayed because that’s where I wanted to be.”
“You wanted to be with someone who hit you?” he questioned.
Shaking my head, I admitted, “No but… I read my file last night, that’s why I didn’t get any sleep. I remembered things I really had forgotten or didn’t want to remember. I was so… lost when I found out my parents died, I just…I didn’t want to do anything except be sad. If I stayed in bed for a week, HE didn’t care. It wasn’t much worse than the way I grew up and it was a small price to pay for being able to stay depressed. I could do whatever I wanted as long as…”
Stopping mid-sentence I sat straight up.
My revelation instantly pushed away the remorse I was starting to feel over what I had done with my life. Even on our first date, HE didn’t seem to like me. HE seemed put-out to be with me even though HE wouldn’t stay away.
Smiling wide at Jackson, I blurted, “I think I got it!”
“Got what?” he asked, glaring at me as if I were crazy.
Hopping up, I informed, “I think Salvador had HIM start talkin’ to me so I wouldn’t end up with Hert or Emerson, whichever one I was supposed to be with. He was leveling the playing field.”
“With you?” he asked.
Nodding vigorously, I said, “Salvador was making sure that if he didn’t have my shares, neither did anyone else.”
Shaking his head, Jackson disagreed, “That doesn’t make sense. You didn’t have any shares until you married Hert.”
Quickly realizing, he didn’t know about my father and The Office, I asked, “I have shares because I’m married to Hert?”
“Yea, all the wives do it’s like an insurance policy for them,” he said.
“And you’re sure I do too?” I questioned.
Giving me a look, Jacks assured, “I would know, I’m the accountant.”
Recalling the bank cards from the death box envelope, I shared, “Ok, in my file I had under affiliations, JPT Financial/Trust Accounts (JPT/2) so if you have my wife shares then your dad has my original ones, which makes sense because he is the accountant for my other money. Hert must have left them there so you wouldn’t know either.”
“Wait, you have original Office shares? How?” he asked.
Shrugging, I said, “It turns out, my father was a founding member.”
Jackson sat very still for a moment, before saying, “Do you know what this means? Ren technically you are the head of The Office.”
Shaking my head, I said, “No Hert is.”
Raising his eyebrows and nodding, he said, “No that would make him acting on your behalf. If you have original shares, not only are you entitled to the position, they are worth more than Hert’s employee shares even though his are more valuable than the others because of his position. Plus, you have spousal shares and that means you have the majority share.”
Suddenly, my heart started to pound in my chest.
Feeling an odd sense of purpose with my new found knowledge, I now understood. The possibilities were endless however I still only wanted one thing.
Glancing at Jacks, I said, “I’m going to bed, see you in the morning.”
His expression revealed deep concern as he questioned, “What are you thinking about doing?”
Shaking my head, I replied, “Nothing yet. I’ll talk to you more about Sophia tomorrow. ‘Night.”
Standing up, I watched him nod at me as I headed up the stairs.
In my room, I grabbed the file marked HIM. Flipping it open, I read the short bio that stated,
‘Henley Ingris Medero resides in a small southern town. At the age of 13 with no record of HIS father and after the death of HIS mother (SMM) guardianship was awarded to (SEP) widower of his late aunt. HE was able to persuade (RMC) to relinquish all bonds and set their relationship above all others. HE is controlling, manipulative, obsessive, malicious, and abusive. HE is a constant reminder of the mistakes everyone has made, and is intent on destroying whatever tranquility that would otherwise result in (RMC) having a meaningful and independent life.’
Trying to imagine what it must have been like for HIM, to lose HIS mother and then be raised by someone like Salvador. To be used at will, pushed into being with me, only to be sacrificed to the cause in the end as a reward for my agreement, I felt pity for HIM.
I spent the next hour going through HIS file. Some things I knew and some I didn’t however, nothing really surprised me. Sadly I couldn’t find anything that would help me. Even though HE had said HE didn’t always play by the rules, there was nothing in HIS file that showed anything other than obedience to HIS uncle. Which was a shame because I knew Salvador trusted HIM and if I could find a way, I knew HE could tell me how Salvador got his information.
With a heavy sigh, I opened Salvador’s file. Half way through, I wanted to cry. Hert was right. There was no way anyone would feel good about him having control. The things he did and the length he went to, in order to accomplish his goals, were sickening. So much so that there was a special note about two brothers, which apparently were useful independent ‘contractors,’ refusing to work for The Office because of him. One thing I did find interesting was that beside the initials of Salvador’s late wife was written (NROF-D) just like next to my parents and Mr. Roberts initials in my file. Shaking my head, I closed Salvador’s file and set it back in the box.
Curling up in my comforter, I spent a moment wanting all of this to just go away. Then I spent awhile wondering why I couldn’t have had normal parents and why I couldn’t have settled down with a nice normal boy. Finally as I fell asleep, I decided it didn’t matter what could have happened, because this is what was happening and I actually had the power to make sure Sophia had the opportunity to have a simple happy life.
Chapter 5
There was a light tap on my bedroom door. Even though I was asleep, my mind had been working overtime, causing me to feel like I had just laid down. Slowly standing up, I walked over and opened my door.
Already dressed in his suit and tie, Hert said, “Hey, I’m taking off. You should have Jackson go with you to pick up Sophia.”
Nodding, I agreed before asking, “Its Sunday where are you going?”
With a heavy sigh and an eye roll, he replied, “To look for Roberts.”
Holding back a smile, I said, “Well good luck.”
I could tell he wanted to laugh as he shared, “Thanks!”
As he started to turn and walk away, I stopped him asking, “Hey, what is NROF?”
“What?” he blurted, appearing confused.
“In my file next to my parent’s names it has NROF-D by their initials,” I explained.
With a comprehending nod he said, “Oh, no record on file, they’re deceased.”
Feeling as though I would never get to know my parents now, I asked, “Why is it like that?”
Shrugging, he explained, “Mr. Roberts had a thing about once someone was gone there was no reason to hold on to them.”
Or keeping secrets secret, I thought before asking, “Can I talk to you in your office for a minute.”
Nodding, he turned and stepped to his door.
There were so many things I needed to know and at the same time, I felt like I was pressing my luck. Deciding I would pick one thing a day to ask Hert, I started with him.
Closing the door behind
us, I offered, “I don’t want anyone else to hear.”
Nodding, his expression revealed he knew it was for information.
“Salvador said, you have bent several times on my behalf. What did he mean?” I asked.
Scowling at me, he replied, “I don’t know.”
Taking a deep breath, I crossed my arms, stating, “Yes you do. Hert, how am I supposed to make the right decisions if I don’t have all the information? What’s done is done. I’m not going to hold it against you.”
Hert sat in the chair behind his desk before rolling it to face me.
Narrowing his eyes, he fussed, “It wasn’t several times it was once,” as if he was offended.
“Okay, what was it?” I questioned.
Taking a deep breath, he shared, “Salvador hired The Brothers to… you know, your parents. They were just starting out but they had special skills that came in handy from time to time. Your father told them where the money was. Once they collected it, they refused to finish their work. The problem was, The Brothers didn’t know that your mother was part of the deal. They showed up at my apartment, left Salvador’s money with me and told me to tell Salvador and Mr. Roberts that some lines should not be crossed and that no payment for their services was to be rendered and no member of The Office was to contact them again. I don’t know who went in after.”
Stopping him, I asked, “Wait that was a really big deal right? It’s in Salvador’s file. What happened to them?”
“Well, they never took another Office contract but they have provided a few services for me,” as I gave him a questioning look, he continued, “As long as I abide by their rules and pay them out of pocket, Ren, they have quite a reputation so most of the time, their presence is all that is needed to get the point across.”
Nodding, I said, “Okay, go on.”
Hert continued, saying, “I called Mr. Roberts and told him what happened. He was furious but said it was my call what to do with the money. I went to Salvador and offered him a deal. If he let me keep the money, I wouldn’t interfere with you. That I would let you make your own decisions and not tell you about the shares or persuade you in any way. Since the whole trying to marry you idea didn’t work out. I felt like if you had your own money you could be on your own and whether you knew about your shares or not, it wouldn’t matter, because you would be self-sufficient. Salvador agreed but was unsure that I would stick to it. Mr. Roberts decided I should go to Spain with him while we worked on a way for me to take over without everyone finding out that he was my father and… well you know from there.”
“So the thing with Jackson and I at the Doctor’s office was because Salvador thought you broke the agreement?” I questioned.
Nodding, he replied, “Yes, and I had to go and prove that was not the case.”
Nodding back, I said, “I just have one more question,” before asking, “The Brothers, are they the men that were here the night Telli died?”
With a short exhale Hert stated, “Yes.”
Suddenly, I was very upset and wondered who this man sitting in front of me was. He couldn’t be the same boy I grew up with.
Trying to keep my composure, I knew if I flipped out Hert would stop giving me the information I needed.
Feeling my eyes start to water, I asked, “Hert, you didn’t?”
Quickly shaking his head, Hert assured, “No, no, that wasn’t them or me. They found him that way.”
Sighing with relief, I asked, “So what did happen?”
He appeared distressed, saying, “I’m really not sure. Telli’s loyalty had come into question and I sent The Brothers to have a talk with him,” as I tilted my head and raised an eyebrow at him, he shared, “Okay, maybe they were going to do a little more than talk but I just wanted to make sure he was trust worthy. They provided the clean up after everything but they never touched him.”
“Okay, thank you,” I stated before turning to walk out.
“Renni,” he blurted, stopping me before saying, “Your welcome and please have Jackson go with you to get Sophia.”
With a heavy sigh, I agreed, “Okay,” before saying, “He’s not going to be able to go everywhere with me all the time. He goes back to work tomorrow.”
Giving me a strange look, he shared, “No, he’s taking a leave of absence.”
Irritated I fussed, “He’s taking one or you gave him one?”
As if he was shocked, I didn’t already know, Hert replied, “Jackson gave me his verbal resignation and said until he could finish the program he was setting up for the accounting department, he was taking a leave of absence.”
“When?” I questioned, wondering how I had missed that.
“He called when ya’ll were at his apartment yesterday,” he answered.
I gave a nod and a slight smile before stepping out of Hert’s office and heading back into my room.
I sat on my bed holding Emerson’s file until I was sure Hert was gone. After leaving my room, I carried Emerson’s file with me to the kitchen. Quickly fixing myself a bowl of cereal, I didn’t want to get distracted or caught up in anything that would lead to me passing out again. I took large bites of my cereal trying to finish it while wondering why Jackson didn’t tell me he was quitting.
Finished with my cereal, I set my bowl in the sink, Emerson’s file on the table and stepped to the doorway. Seeing Jackson still asleep with his glasses on and his file on the coffee table, I figured he stayed up late reading. Without noticing at first, Emerson stood at the bottom of the stairs watching me stare at Jackson. Giving him a slight smile, I turned and walked back into the kitchen.
Sitting down at the table, I asked, “Feel like talkin’?”
Shrugging, he replied, “I guess.”
Em sat at the table as I slid his file over to him.
Nodding at it, I could see the hurt in his eyes as he said, “Even me.”
With a little sigh I said, “Welcome to the club. Hert and I have been official members for years.”
Shaking his head, he said, “I don’t want to talk about my father,” before asking, “What does it say?”
“I don’t know, it yours,” I replied.
We sat there for a few minutes in silence before I thought of the right way to start.
“Emerson, I’m sorry,” I apologized.
“I know you didn’t give me up to Hert,” he replied.
Shaking my head, I said, “I meant for everything,” before explaining, “It was selfish of me to need you so much and not think about what you needed.”
With a soft smile he shared, “I didn’t mind because I love you.”
“I love you too Em and I want you to be okay,” I assured.
Nodding, he said, “I will be and I am sorry for the way I behaved after my father died and for…you know. I felt like everything was a lie and I was looking for something real.”
Teary eyed I nodded back, saying, “It’s hard sometimes to love someone so much and things not get confused.”
Changing his expression, Em questioned, “You know, if you and I love each other and you and Hert want each other, is Jackson your happy medium?”
Looking down at the table, I shook my head saying, “We’re just friends.”
“You stare at all your friends while they’re sleeping?” he asked with a smirk.
Pretending to be serious, I said, “Yes.”
As he started to laugh, I smiled. Feeling as though I got a good start with Emerson, he would need more care in handling than Hert or Jackson. Sensitivity and understanding was the key with him.
After we sat at the table for a while he took his file and excused himself to go call Amila. Not long after Jackson stepped into the kitchen. I could tell reading his file had affected him by the way he seemed to avoid eye contact.
“Morning,” I greeted, watching him pour himself a bowl of cereal.
Sitting down at the table, he asked, “Sophia?”
With a little sigh, I replied, “Well, I would like you to t
ake her if anything happens to me,” before asking, “Would you want to do that?”
“What do you mean?” he questioned.
“I want to set it up to where if anything happens to me, for you to legally adopt her so she is your family,” I answered.
Appearing serious, he asked, “Because Salvador promised to stay away from my family?”
Nodding, I replied, “Partly, but I know you would be good to her and your parents would help you with her too.”
With a concerned expression Jackson asked, “If something happens to you or you and Hert?”
“Just me,” I replied.
“And you think Hert will agree to that?” he questioned.
With a slight smile I answered, “He already has.”
Nodding with an irritated look on his face, Jackson stated, “I would never agree to that.”
Staring at him, I couldn’t believe it.
I started to get up. How could he not want her? He was her Uncle Jacks and she was his Sopha-pea. He loved her. How could he not want what was best for her? Maybe I had over-estimated his feelings for her.
Placing his hand on my arm, Jackson stopped me saying, “I meant if I was her dad I would never agree.”
Sitting back down, I asked, “So you’ll do it?”
Nodding, he replied, “Yes Ren, but I can’t believe he doesn’t want her.”
“He knows being with you and your family would be the best thing for her if I’m not here,” I shared.
Shaking his head, Jacks said, “That is not the point.”
“Well it is just a precaution, I don’t plan on dying anytime soon,” I fussed.
Giving me a look, he griped, “Oh, you’re mad because I think Hert is a…”
“Stop,” I blurted before saying, “Don’t you get all high and mighty. You are far from a saint yourself and you didn’t even like her at first. Besides, you have spent just as much time covering for him as Em has.”
“You’re right,” he stated, before asking, “Do you want me to tell you what I know?”
Frustrated with him, I snapped, “Yea, I do!”
Nodding quickly, he stood up.
Jackson walked to the living room, grabbed his file off of the coffee table and stepped back into the kitchen.