“Which remains to be seen?”
“Brother, this is life and death for me. Resuming the role head of DMI will allow me the opportunity to restore the Mitchell name and erase the stain I placed on this company. This round I’m committed to letting God lead me, instead of my personal desires.”
“Easier said than done,” Don observed. “But if you’re sincere, your actions will prove it,” he added, leaving Joel with something to ponder.
Chapter 19
Joel refused to feed into Don’s negativity. He wasn’t delusional. There were obstacles to overcome in his bid for the CEO post, including proving to Don, Madeline, and the board of directors that he was trustworthy. The uphill battle for redemption wasn’t going to be easy, but so long as God gave him a chance, the decision makers at DMI had to as well. His confidence perked up when he shook off Don’s comments and boldly headed to Madeline’s office. He wanted to pick up the pace and get over the selection process.
He burst into Madeline’s office after getting clearance from her assistant. She heard him enter the room, but she didn’t give Joel her full attention. Last week he would have waited for her to conclude whatever she was handling and shift her focus to him. Today he wasn’t waiting. This was his day. Opportunity was banging on the door, and he was answering it.
“Do you have a few minutes? We need to talk,” he announced.
“Give me about ten minutes, and I can carve out a small window for you,” she said without making eye contact.
Joel approached her desk and leaned on it. Madeline shot him a glance filled with irritation. Joel wasn’t swayed. He gripped the desk tightly.
“I only need a few minutes. I’d prefer to meet right away and get this over.”
Madeline set her fancy pen down, closed her laptop, and slid her pad of paper to the side. Joel’s anxiety stirred when he realized he’d poked a sleeping bear. Fight or flight might be his most critical decision at this juncture, because Madeline was too calm. He had to worry.
“Let me tell you this one time and one time only,” she said barely above a whisper.
Joel’s heart raced. He couldn’t afford to alienate his quasi-ally. Joel wished he could rewind the tape and enter the office with a more subdued disposition, but he knew too well that the past wasn’t erasable. It might be forgivable, bearable, and recoverable, but it was not erasable. Madeline was already wound up and was blowing out steam. He gripped the desk even tighter, until his fingertips tingled, and decided to let Hurricane Madeline blow over.
“Don’t you ever come in here, making demands. I’m calling the shots here, little boy.” There was a time when Joel would have fought back, but wisdom and necessity told him to shut up. Humbly, he listened to Madeline, like a young schoolboy being corrected by a teacher. “Don’t mess around and have me kick your behind out of here and let Abigail have the CEO position.”
Joel stepped away from the desk. “Madeline, you’re absolutely right.” Joel pressed the palms of his hands together and touched his fingertips to his chin in a gesture of humility. “It was disrespectful and foolish of me to approach you with so much bravado. Please accept my apology.”
Without saying a word, Madeline picked up her pen and twirled it on the desktop for a bit. The silence was sobering for Joel, yet he had to wait for her forgiveness.
“Fine, I accept your apology. Just don’t approach me like that again.”
“Believe me, I won’t.” Thank goodness the storm had passed and he was still standing, with no significant damage. His relief was consuming.
“Pipe down and be patient. Did you forget the opposition we got in our unofficial board meeting? You have to let me do this my way. I can get you confirmed, but it has to be on my terms.”
Joel listened intently, although it was difficult to acquiesce and be patient. Didn’t she realize that he had one shot at securing a better future and that waiting around wasn’t a good idea, especially with Tamara on the prowl? Despite his fears, he knew Madeline was his best strategy. He’d have to trust her, which was a seemingly impossible feat several months ago and a taste of bad medicine even now.
Chapter 20
Tamara stepped frantically up to Zarah’s front door. She’d been hoping for a chance to speak with Zarah alone to work out a deal. Watching her future become more elusive with each passing day wasn’t fun. She couldn’t stand playing the waiting game any longer. If it was only a matter of compelling Zarah to meet her demands, Tamara had no reservations. As much as she’d probably hate the process, their friendship would have to take a backseat to her obtaining a piece of DMI. But she wasn’t heartless. Tamara had fretted all week about how to take her next step. She’d been ecstatic when she got the call from her sister-in-law a half hour ago.
She assumed Joel was not at home, but she wasn’t absolutely sure. When the front door opened, Tamara was stunned to find Zarah standing there. “What are you doing out of bed?” she asked. “The housekeeper or cook should be answering the door, not you.” Tamara strolled inside.
“Don’t worry about me. I feel very strong today. It is a good day.”
Tamara stayed near the door until she determined that Joel was gone and it was safe to stay. She couldn’t quite figure out what was going on with her friend. “I’m glad to see you’re feeling better. Where’s Joel?”
“He’s meeting with Madeline at DMI.”
“Whew!” Tamara cried. “Thank goodness I don’t have to deal with him today.”
She followed Zarah to the library. Tamara was miffed about Madeline and Joel conspiring to nab the CEO post for Joel. She resented them both immensely, but she’d get her chance to get even. She’d show them, especially that conniving brat of a man.
“No offense, but Joel irks me every time I see him,” Tamara confessed. A smidgen of her soul wanted to accept him out of respect for her friendship with his wife. The problem was the rest of her wouldn’t dare allow it.
“Yes, I am very well aware.”
Tamara waited for Zarah to say, “But I would like for you to get along,” which was her typical response. Fortunately, she didn’t utter those words. Instead, her friend was poised and seemingly not bothered. Tamara wondered from where Zarah’s spark of energy had come.
“What’s going on with you?” Tamara asked.
“I feel well; better than I have in several weeks.”
This made Tamara anxious. Perhaps Zarah wasn’t so fragile, after all. With her newfound energy, her friend looked good. Thoughts trotted around Tamara’s mind. Was this the moment to make her move?
“Can I get you a cup of tea?” Zarah asked.
“No thanks.” Tamara became increasingly antsy. There weren’t going to be too many more opportunities to meet with Zarah before Madeline and Don called the board meeting. She wrestled with her thoughts. Finally, she succumbed to her own pressure and blurted out, “Zarah, please sell me the West Coast division. I desperately need your help. It’s my best shot at keeping a portion of my father’s company. I’m sure you can relate to that.”
Zarah took a seat and remained silent.
Tamara wasn’t close to giving up. She had much more pleading to do. “You’re my closest friend, and I really need your help.”
“Joel has asked that I not sell the division.”
Joel, Joel, Joel, Tamara thought. He didn’t deserve to have everything. “Zarah, please don’t let him tell you what to do. Remember how far you’ve come. He likes when you’re making decisions, embracing the media, and throwing yourself into your father’s business. When Joel saw how independent you were becoming, remember how fast he ran to you. Don’t change now. Let him keep running after the woman who clearly has her own mind and uses it.”
Zarah’s head rocked subtly from side to side. “I’m not certain the sale is best.”
“Zarah, I have to get out of town, but I can’t go without the division.”
“You mustn’t go. Stay and we can figure this business out.”
“I h
ave to go. Otherwise, I’ll surely go crazy.”
Zarah’s head was still rocking, and this was beginning to annoy Tamara. Everything was beginning to annoy her.
“I would be unhappy if you left. I will find a way for you to stay in Detroit with me.”
“I love you,” Tamara cried. “I helped you when no one else would. Now I need your help. I need this division, please. And don’t worry about the money. I can cash in the inheritance my father left me. I can write a check,” she said, fumbling in her purse. “I have about twenty million.”
“No,” Zarah said, raising her hand.
“If you want more, I can get more.” She didn’t know from where, but she was sure there were ways.
Like a lightning bolt, Joel burst into the library. He didn’t break his stride until Tamara was within his reach. “How dare you come to my house and pressure my pregnant wife about a business deal!” Joel rubbed his entire head vigorously over and over with one hand, while the other was latched to his side. He kept walking in a circle, ranting on and on. He didn’t let Tamara sneak a word in.
“I thought we could trust you to do the right thing and just be a friend to Zarah. I should have known better,” he shouted, getting in Tamara’s face again.
“Joel, no. Please don’t. I called Tamara and asked her to come for a visit,” Zarah said, reaching for his arm.
Joel gave an eerie laugh, which sent a chill through Tamara. There wasn’t anything that funny. She figured he’d gone bonkers, and was hoping he would pipe down.
“You really don’t care about anybody,” he snarled.
“Look who’s talking,” Tamara muttered in return and stepped closer to him. “Don’t come in here playing the devoted daddy and the loving husband, because the three of us know it’s not true. You’re bound to leave any minute, if and when a better offer comes along.”
“You don’t know anything about me,” he responded.
“Please, let’s sit and talk,” Zarah pleaded. Neither Tamara nor Joel listened. The fire of discord between them was burning way out of control. Zarah reached for Joel’s arm, and he flung her hand away.
“Don’t toss her aside like that!” Tamara screamed. “I won’t let you treat her badly in my presence, buster. You better get it in your head. I’m not afraid of you, and Zarah isn’t, either.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hit your hand. I’m really sorry,” he told Zarah. Then he immediately returned to the argument in progress with Tamara. “Don’t try to turn this into an issue. I have not laid a hand on Zarah and never will. You know it, and I know it.”
“Who knows what you’re capable of doing?”
“I’m capable of throwing you out of my house, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. Get out,” he demanded, pointing toward the hallway. “You’re not welcome here.”
“Joel, please! She’s my friend. I don’t want her to go.”
“Zarah, I can’t let her get you stressed out again. You should be resting right now, and I wouldn’t be much of a husband if I didn’t take care of you. She has to go.”
“Yes, but let’s talk first,” Zarah urged.
“There’s nothing to talk about. Tamara has to go. Either she goes or I go,” he told Zarah.
Despair laced Zarah’s countenance, and it touched Tamara deeply.
“No problem, Mr. Big, Bad Joel Mitchell. I’m leaving for now, but you know this isn’t over by a long shot. Tamara snarled before storming out of the house.
Chapter 21
Madeline yearned for stability in her family. She felt drained from constantly clawing to maintain what was rightfully hers. Rest was calling out to her with a resounding shout. Don was stepping away from DMI. Maybe it was time for her to do the same. As soon as Joel took office, she might take a long cruise along the French Riviera, or maybe she’d catch a plane to the South Pacific and island hop after making a brief stop in Hawaii. She had been to her vacation home only once since Dave died, and she was overdue for a stretch of pure relaxation. The notion of bouncing from one beachfront to the next was alluring. She’d have to give it serious consideration.
She slowed down to make the turn from Grand Boulevard onto Jefferson. It was the long route, but Madeline wanted some extra minutes to collect herself. A few extra turns enabled her to prepare for the rush of emotions that came with each visit to Dave’s gravesite. She crept along the main road and finally reached the cemetery’s entrance. The large sign read HISTORIC ELMWOOD CEMETERY & FOUNDATION, WHERE DETROIT’S HISTORY ENDURES. She stopped to read the sign again. The word history sparked a rush of memories. She held back her tears. For the past couple of years, she’d visited the cemetery on their anniversary in September. She’d decided to go on his birthday this year. Her tears pushed forward, and Madeline pushed back, determined not to let her emotions takeover.
Madeline slid her foot off the brake and pressed the gas pedal lightly. She inched into the parking lot and drew in a deep breath. She parked the car, then peeked at herself in the vanity mirror and patted down her hair. Of course, Dave wouldn’t object to a hair out of place, but she did.
Tired of sitting in the car, she got out and sauntered along the babbling brook that led to the mausoleum. The tranquil rhythm of the flowing waters calmed her as she entered the complex. She walked directly to Dave’s crypt without assistance with directions. Madeline delicately kissed her fingertips and then pressed her hand against Dave’s crypt. She longed to have peace in her family. Being close to the man who had once held her heart and had fueled her ambition made her feel better, even if only for an hour. With the mess going on with Tamara, she’d gladly claim an hour of solitude. Thank goodness for the mausoleum, she thought. Madeline was finally in a place where she could think. She grabbed a seat near Dave’s crypt and relaxed.
Out of nowhere, Madeline heard heels clicking against the floor. She looked up and was rendered speechless.
“What are you doing here?” Sherry asked.
“I guess the same as you,” Madeline responded. Was there anywhere she could go to avoid running into a Mitchell? She was instantly agitated. This was supposed to be her moment with Dave to reflect and gain insight. Sharing Dave with Sherry in this private moment was out of the question. Madeline got up to leave.
“Where are you going?” Sherry asked.
“I have work to do. He’s all yours,” Madeline said.
“Can you believe he’s really gone?” Sherry responded, as if she hadn’t heard Madeline.
“Not really. Seems like yesterday when he was getting on my nerves and being Dave.”
Sherry smirked. “Twenty-five years of marriage.”
“Fourteen for us,” Madeline said, which didn’t count the years Sherry had robbed from them. But who was counting? Madeline wanted to be cavalier in her retorts, but her deep-seated grief didn’t let her. At that moment memories of her deceased sons, Andre and Sam, crushed her soul like waves against a shoreline, rapid and uncontainable. She plucked a tissue from her purse and dabbed the corners of her eyes.
“Are you crying?” Sherry asked.
“I’m just feeling sorry for myself. The dreams Dave and I had for our children have failed. Nothing turned out the way I’d planned,” Madeline said, dabbing the corners of her eyes again as she sat in her original spot. She didn’t want to tackle talking when she was in such a vulnerable state. Madeline hated letting any signs of weakness show for fear of vultures circling.
Sherry sat next to her. “Madeline, I want to apologize for getting involved with Dave while you were still married.”
Madeline wasn’t prepared for a heavy conversation that wasn’t likely to generate a winner. Besides, she was running out of tissues. “That was many years ago. I’m done with that business,” she told Sherry.
“Maybe, but please let me apologize. I’ve never told you how sorry I am. I was young then and had no idea what I was doing or the pain I was causing. I won’t apologize for loving him. That I won’t do, but how it happened wa
sn’t right. I deeply regret getting in the middle of a marriage.”
“Well, I’ve blamed you for a long time, but the truth is that Dave and I had problems before you came into the picture. I’m not endorsing what you did, but Dave and I also played our parts in ruining our marriage.” She cleared her throat and searched for a dry spot on her tissue. “Dave wanted to work out our problems, but I asked for a divorce and refused to budge. He pleaded with me to drop the divorce, and I said no.”
“I never knew that,” Sherry said as her voice dipped.
Madeline contemplated what would have happened if she’d stayed with Dave after the affair. There would be no Joel; perhaps Tamara wouldn’t have been raped by Andre; and surely Sam wouldn’t have killed his brother before committing suicide. She had no way of knowing and didn’t feel right in blaming Sherry for all the tragic events in their past. “Now here we are, two losers lamenting our failures at the foot of a man we both loved and despised.”
“I did love him, but I lived in humiliation, knowing that he was always going to be your husband. You were the person he discussed business with every day. He valued your opinion, and I know he loved you more than he did me.” Sherry pulled out a tissue too.
“Huh, you weren’t the only one dealing with humiliation. I was mortified when he left us to be with you during your first pregnancy. I was devastated, embarrassed, and flat-out angry. If I could have plucked Dave’s eyeballs out with my fingers, he would have been walking around blind.”
“I hadn’t thought about your breakup like that before,” Sherry stated. “I guess being married to Dave was a happy and sad time for me.”
“Who are you telling?” Madeline said, sniffling. “I spent plenty of happy and sad years with him too.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.”
Madeline waved her tissue, as if to say she wasn’t offended. “Everyone has paid the price for our choices,” she said, pointing back and forth between herself, Sherry, and Dave’s crypt. “Especially our children. All of us have suffered rejection in this family. We crushed our children’s dreams before they got started.”
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