Family Ties

by Danielle Steel

  “We’re going. We can stay with his uncle and aunt. I’ve already looked into getting a visa. I can get one in a few weeks, and I’ve already applied. And I’m going to pay for the trip with what I make at the tattoo parlor.” They had already checked it out and made their plans. Annie was shocked at Katie’s blunt announcement of the trip as a fait accompli. She was not asking for her aunt’s permission. And Annie looked panicked at the idea.

  “This is a completely crazy thing to do,” Annie said, looking worried.

  “No, it’s not,” Katie said stubbornly. “He hasn’t been back in years. It’ll be interesting for both of us.”

  “It’s not ‘interesting’ to go to a country that can be problematic for Americans to travel in. It’s foolish, if you don’t have to go there. That’s just not smart. Why don’t you go someplace easy for both of you that you’d both enjoy?” Annie was desperate to convince her.

  “Paul won’t let anything happen to me. And his family will take care of us. He wants to see his cousins, and I want to meet them.” Annie sat shaking her head as she looked at her, and then dropped her head in her hands.

  “Katie, this is a terrible idea.”

  “No, it’s not. We love each other, and I want to see the country where he was born and meet his family there.” She had some strange romantic idea about visiting his roots with him, and Annie was frightened for her. Out of pure ignorance, Katie could offend someone, and wind up with a problem while she was there.

  “Go somewhere else. Go to Europe and have some fun. You can get a railway pass and go all over the place.”

  “He wants to go home, and I want to go with him. We’re only going for two weeks.” Katie wasn’t budging an inch.

  “You are not going at all!” Annie shouted at her, frustrated that Katie wouldn’t give in. This wasn’t one of her harebrained ideas like dropping out of school, which had been stupid too. This was just plain insane. And as usual, Kate was defying her and determined to do what she wanted and convinced that she knew best.

  “I’m an adult, and I can do what I want,” Katie shouted back at her. It turned into a screaming match in their kitchen, until Katie ran to her room and slammed the door. Annie was shaking from head to foot.

  And when Paul came by later that afternoon, Annie said the same to him. But he was as confident as Kate and insisted they’d be fine. He said that staying with his uncle would be fun, and they would be well taken care of. And he said that Tehran was a modern city, and there would be no risk to Katie there. Annie didn’t believe him. She called Tom about it that night and told him their plan. She asked him what he thought of it, and he hesitated for a moment before he answered and considered the plan.

  “I wouldn’t be crazy about the idea in your shoes either. Theoretically, they should be fine, and it’s a fascinating place. It is a beautiful city, and an interesting culture, but not for two kids who don’t know what they’re doing. The very fact that she’s American and he’s Iranian could cause them a problem, if someone in the street doesn’t like it. I think it’s potentially sensitive. Tell them to go somewhere else.”

  “I did,” Annie said miserably. “She insists that they’re going no matter what, and she says I can’t stop her.”

  “That’s true. But she needs to listen to common sense and people who know better.”

  “Katie does whatever she wants. She’s paying for the trip from her earnings. And they’re staying with Paul’s uncle.”

  “I hope you can talk her out of it,” he said kindly. He was worried about her too. “But having said that, I’m sure they’ll be fine.”

  “I hope I can talk her out of it too. I’m going to be a nervous wreck if she goes there.” It was one thing to let them do what they wanted and make their own mistakes, but this one was just too high risk if they did something foolish or something went wrong. “Will you talk to her?” Annie asked Tom. She didn’t know what else to do.

  “I’ll try. I’m not sure she’ll listen to me either. Did you call his parents?”

  “I was planning to call them tomorrow,” she said unhappily.

  “I think you should,” Tom agreed. “They may not like the idea either. For Paul to go to Tehran with an American girl could be awkward for him, as an Iranian. Maybe together, you and Paul’s parents can convince them to reconsider. I’ll talk to her too, but Katie is a headstrong girl.” He didn’t know her well, but he deduced it from what Annie had said.

  Annie followed his advice and called Paul’s parents the next day. His mother wasn’t enthused about the trip either. She wasn’t convinced that they would be sensible once they got there, and she thought they were too young to travel together so far away. She said it was the first trip Paul had ever taken with a girl. She told Annie that she had tried to talk Paul out of it, to no avail. And she wasn’t keen on his being responsible for a young girl. What if Katie had an accident or got sick? Annie was worried about that too, although it was comforting to know that Paul had family there who would help.

  His mother said that Paul was planning to use the money he had saved from summer jobs to pay for the trip himself, and Katie was paying her own way as well. Paul’s mother also expressed, as delicately as possible, that she felt it was not wise for an American girl to travel to Tehran with an Iranian man, even if they claimed to be only friends. And she pointed out that while in Iran, Paul would be considered Iranian, and his dual citizenship and American passport wouldn’t be recognized there. She made it very clear that she didn’t want Katie causing him problems there. Annie could hear in her voice that she was as uneasy about the trip as Annie was herself. It was reassuring, but their common disapproval didn’t seem to hold much sway with the kids, both of whom thought they were being silly and were determined to go anyway.

  “What about Paul’s father? Can’t he forbid him to go?”

  “He has,” Paul’s mother said unhappily. “But Paul wants to see his aunt and uncle and cousins, and his grandfather who is getting very old. I don’t think either of our children realize that they could run into problems there.” Annie wasn’t comforted by what she said.

  “What do we do now?” Annie said, realizing that neither she nor Paul’s parents were able to control their kids. Technically, they were adults. Annie was reminded of Whitney telling her that she had to let them make their own mistakes, but it was easier said than done.

  “Maybe all we can do is wish them a safe trip,” Paul’s mother said with a sigh. “And my brother-in-law and sister-in-law will take good care of them.” She sounded resigned, and she wasn’t hopeful about getting Paul to change his mind, nor was Annie about Kate. The two young people were willing to listen to no one’s opinion but their own. They were in control of their own destiny, and their families had no choice in the matter, except to let them try their wings and hope that all went well. Annie knew when she hung up that there was no stopping them from going to Iran.

  Tom took Annie to dinner the following week, and they talked about it again. Katie hadn’t budged an inch. And he sat down and spoke with her before they went out. He said that it might be difficult for her to travel to Tehran with a male Iranian citizen. Katie once again insisted that it would be fine. There was nothing more that Tom could say, or that Kate was willing to hear from him or anyone else. She said that she appreciated his concern, but she and Paul had decided to go. Tom could see why Annie was so upset. Katie had made up her mind, and nothing either of them had said swayed her. And Paul seemed to have some kind of romantic notion of what it would be like going to Iran with her and showing her all the things he remembered from his childhood. But he had no idea what it would be like going there with an American girl, particularly one as modern and liberated and independent as Katie, or if it might cause either of them a problem, even if they were just friends. Paul also insisted everything would be fine. And Tom felt sorry for Annie, who would be worrying about them at home.

  Tom tried to reassure her over dinner, but he was concerned about it too
. Katie was determined to go, no matter what they said to her. He didn’t envy the ongoing battle Annie was having with her. And he knew that she was worried about Ted and the older woman he was involved with too. These were the times when Tom was glad he didn’t have kids. Dealing with these issues seemed frightening to him. And he admired Annie more than ever for how she handled her sister’s kids. She was smart, loving, fair, and respectful of their opinions. But despite that, Katie refused to listen to her. She was going to Tehran and that was that. Tom admitted that in Annie’s shoes, he would have wanted to strangle her on the spot for being too independent, headstrong, and listening to no one’s advice.

  “Strangling her is not an option,” Annie said, smiling at him, “although I have to admit it’s tempting at times.” In spite of her concerns about Katie, their dinner date was as enjoyable as the first one. They were getting to know each other better, and they laughed, talked endlessly, and seemed to enjoy many of the same things. He was a kindred spirit in many ways. And this time when he brought her home, he kissed her. It was a gentle lingering kiss that aroused feelings in her that she hadn’t felt in years. It was like being kissed awake by the handsome prince in Sleeping Beauty. She was beginning to feel like a woman again. Tom made her happy, and they had a great time together.

  He invited her to the TV studio later that week and showed her around. It was fascinating. And she got to watch him do his show. She took him to one of her job sites with her on another day and explained what she was doing and showed him the plans. He was very impressed by the caliber of her work and how talented she was. And they cooked dinner together at her apartment the following weekend. Katie was out, and they had the place to themselves. This time they made out like kids on the living-room couch. Their desire for each other was mounting, but they both thought it was still too soon to give in. They were in no rush, and wanted to get to know each other better. They felt that if this was right, and meant for them, it could wait. They were waiting for their feelings for each other to ripen before they plucked them off the tree. They were in complete agreement about that.

  The only thing that still concerned him was if she had room for him in her life. She was still so busy and preoccupied with her sister’s kids. And Katie wasn’t making life any easier these days, with her stubborn insistence on going to Iran. Annie talked about it all the time and was worried sick. At least half their time together was spent talking about the kids. And Annie hardly saw Ted these days. She was worried about that too. She could tell that he was hiding something. He had gone underground again.

  The scene in Pattie’s apartment was now one of constant battles. When she wasn’t talking about the baby, she was pressuring Ted about marrying her before it was born. She accused him of thinking she wasn’t good enough for him, and of being castrated by his sisters and aunt. She had gotten abusive and insulting. She wheedled, she begged, she seduced, and then she accused. And Ted told her honestly that it wasn’t that he thought she wasn’t good enough for him to marry. It was that he felt too young.

  “It’s too late for that!” Pattie shouted at him. “We’re having a kid!” They fought all the time now. And when they weren’t fighting, she wanted to make love. Sex was the only form of communication she knew. She used it for everything, reward, punishment, manipulation, bribery, emotional blackmail. Ted was feeling defeated and used and was seriously depressed about the situation. He knew he was trapped, whether he was married to her or not, and he realized that sooner or later he would marry her, probably right before the baby was born. But he was in no rush to tie that noose around his neck.

  He was trying to call Annie more often, so she wouldn’t worry about him, but he hadn’t seen her. He was too afraid that if he did, she would guess what was going on. He had dark circles under his eyes and had lost weight. Pattie was keeping him up all night, either fighting with him or seducing him, and he was utterly exhausted. He felt like a zombie most of the time, and he was flunking nearly every class but hers. He was behind on his papers, and only Pattie was giving him straight A’s. He no longer cared. With a baby to support, and a wife, he had to drop out anyway—it no longer mattered to him if he failed. Pattie was winning on every front. If what she wanted was to destroy his life, she was doing a great job.

  Her big battle with him now was getting him to marry her right away. She didn’t want to wait. She was afraid he would change his mind. And she argued with him about it now every night. He was holding out. He had agreed to marry her in August, but not before. The baby wasn’t due till September. She called him a bastard and a sadist for making her wait. And now she wanted him to tell his aunt about their child. She wanted victory on all fronts. Ted was trying to hold his ground. But Pattie had all the ammo. She had the baby on her side.

  Tom and Annie were having dinner at La Grenouille one night, when her cell phone rang. She had forgotten to turn it off. And the people at the tables on either side of them looked at her in disapproval when it rang. She glanced down at her phone and saw that it was Ted. She ducked her head down close to her purse, and with a rapid apology to Tom, she took the call. She heard from Ted so seldom now that she didn’t want to miss it. She didn’t know when he’d call her again.

  “Hi, baby, everything okay? I’m at dinner with Tom,” she whispered, nearly hiding under the table, as Tom watched. He wondered if she would ever do that for a call from him. He knew now that there was nothing she wouldn’t do for those kids. “Can I call you back?”

  “I … uh … I’m in the hospital,” he said, sounding dazed, and suddenly Annie’s eyes were filled with fear, and she glanced at Tom.

  “Where are you?”

  “I’m at NYU Hospital … I had a little problem with Pattie,” he said, and Annie thought he sounded half asleep.

  “What happened?”

  “She stabbed me in the hand with a steak knife. I’m okay. They just stitched it up. I thought maybe I’d come home.”

  “I’ll come and get you right away,” she said, and snapped her phone shut, as she sat up and looked at Tom. “That lunatic stabbed him in the hand with a steak knife. He says he’s okay.” Annie looked shocked.

  “Oh my God, that’s insane.” He looked as horrified as she was and signaled immediately for the check. They had only gotten their first course, but there was no way Annie could have eaten dinner now.

  “No, she’s insane,” Annie corrected him, grateful that he was willing to leave with her. They talked about it all the way downtown in the cab. “I don’t know what happened, but she’s obviously gone nuts.”

  “I had no idea she was this crazy,” Tom said, looking worried. “Next time she might kill him.”

  They both thought Ted looked terrible when they got to the hospital. He was shaking and deathly pale. The doctor said he had lost very little blood, and he had ten stitches in his hand. It was heavily bandaged, and she had narrowly missed cutting a ligament and a nerve.

  “What happened?” Annie asked him as the three of them rode back to her apartment.

  Ted couldn’t hide it from her any longer. He had to tell her the truth. “She’s pregnant. She wants me to marry her. I said I would in August. She wants me to do it now. I don’t want to. The baby’s not due till September.” Annie looked grim as she listened. This was hardly the way to start a marriage, with a baby on the way, and a woman who was willing to stab him if he didn’t do what she said. “We were arguing about it tonight while we were eating dinner, and she just lost it.”

  “You can’t marry someone like that,” Annie said with a dark look at Tom, and he nodded. He totally agreed, and he was just as worried about Ted. He looked emotionally abused, and he had been. And now she had injured him physically too, not just his heart and his mind. It was frightening.

  “She says she’ll commit suicide if I don’t,” Ted said grimly.

  “Let her,” Annie said harshly, as Tom paid for the cab, and they took him upstairs. He looked like he was in shock. And Annie put a blanket around him a
s he lay down on his old bed in his room. The room was intact and always ready for him, although he seldom used it. But this was still their home. “She’s not going to kill herself, Ted,” Annie reassured him. “She’s just trying to control you,” but she already had.

  “I don’t know what to do,” Ted said, as tears rolled down his cheeks. “I want to do the right thing. But I never wanted a kid. Not yet. And I don’t want to marry her. But I have no other choice.” Tom was standing in the doorway, devasted by the look on Annie’s face, and he felt desperately sorry for the boy.

  “All you have to do is support the baby,” Annie said quietly, sitting on his bed. “You don’t have to marry Pattie if you don’t want to.”

  “I don’t. She freaks me out.” There was good reason for that, as the episode that night had proved.

  “I want to tell you something, Ted. That woman is psychotic,” Annie said, looking straight at him. “She’s an abuser, and she’s going to make what happened tonight your fault. That’s what abusers do. She’s going to tell you that you made her angry, and that you hurt her terribly by what you said, so it justifies her stabbing you. By tomorrow, she’ll paint herself as the victim, and you’ll be the bad guy. Mark my words, she won’t even apologize for what she did to you tonight. She’ll blame you. And nothing about this is your fault. You got her pregnant, which was stupid and careless of you, but you’re not the one abusing her. And she’s going to do everything she can to convince you it’s your fault. I want you to stay away from her. I think she’s dangerous for you.”

  The enormous bandage on his hand illustrated her point. Ted thanked her then for her support, and he glanced at Tom with an embarrassed look. Annie lowered the lights, and put another blanket over him, and they left him alone for a while to rest, while she and Tom went out to the kitchen to get something to eat. They were both starving since they had never finished dinner, and she offered to make him an omelette or a sandwich. Tom thanked her but said he was too upset to even want food. They settled for ice cream instead, while they discussed what had happened. These were the things that terrified Annie now. The foolish things they did, believing that they were grown up. Katie’s trip to Tehran with Paul, and Ted involved with this lunatic who had stabbed him. It didn’t get much worse or more dangerous than that.