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Mirrored Images

Page 17

by Michelle Larks


  Vanessa shook her head. “There won’t be a divorce. Your mother will never let Jeremiah go as long as there is breath in her body. The vows state, ‘til death do us part.”

  “Grandvan,” Jay said maliciously, ineffectually waving his hand at her. “I think her actions would apply to real marriages. Not those based on lies.” He reached the second landing of the staircase, and breathed a sigh of relief.

  “You’re so busy defending Jeremiah,” Vanessa said meanly. “Do you know he has another child?”

  Jay’s steps faltered. He felt as though he’d been punched square in the middle of his stomach. He opened his mouth to deny Vanessa’s words, when his stomach contents did a 360-degree spin. An arc of vomit spewed from his mouth. With his free hand, Jay wiped his mouth. “If you all will excuse me, I have more pressing matters to attend to.” Then he stumbled into his bedroom and slammed the door.

  Vanessa stomped back to the family room. Valerie walked behind her, asking weakly, “Should I clean that up?”

  “No. A cleaning woman will be in tomorrow.”

  After everyone had taken their seats, Valerie turned to Vanessa, worried. “Do you think that was wise to tell him about the girl at the hospital that way? He’s been through a lot over the past few weeks.”

  Vanessa clutched the sides of the chair and leaned forward glowering at Valerie impatiently. “It’s time for Jay to stop sniveling like a child and grow up. He’s a man.”

  Valerie snapped her mouth shut. She knew when an idea took root in Vanessa’s mind, no one could change it except Moniqa.

  “I still think you’re being too hard on him,” Valerie said, refusing Vanessa the last word.

  Edward cleared his throat. “You know our family line is spread mighty thin. It doesn’t look like Bobo is going to produce any offspring. All we have at this point is Jay. Perhaps Valerie is right Nessa?” He looked piercingly at his daughter.

  Patricia walked over to Vanessa and patted her shoulders. “Our family is falling apart. Don’t antagonize Jay. This isn’t the time.” Her eyes filled with tears.

  Vanessa leaned back in her chair fatigued. She covered her face. “I don’t know what to do, Mama. My life is a nightmare. I’m so afraid for Moniqa.”

  Jay didn’t quite make it to his bed before his legs gave out. He missed his bed by a long shot and fell to the floor. The brown carpeting, thick and plush, blanketed his fall. He lay prone on the floor, vomit and spittle mixed with tears upon his face. Jay felt like he wanted to die. Vanessa voice kept popping into his head. Your Dad has another child.

  He’d grown disenchanted with Moniqa as a person and parent years ago. Jay knew his mother used him as means to control his father. When Jay at age fourteen attempted to talk to Jeremiah about the dynamics of the family, his father shut down and politely changed the subject.

  Jay tried sitting up. A bolt of pain pierced his skull. He felt nauseated and clammy and removed his shirt, then flopped back onto the floor.

  When he awoke, his head was killing him. Jay held his head as he walked gingerly into Moniqa’s bathroom to see if she had any pain medication.

  He returned to his bedroom and fell across the bed. Jay’s head roared in protest at his movements. He’d removed several bottles of pills from the medicine chest, which he poured atop the bed. Maybe I should just end it. He thought as he choked back a sob. He broke out into a cold sweat. What do I have to live for anyway? Suicidal thoughts played like a CD in his mind.

  Jay eyed the pills lovingly as he picked one up and rubbed the smooth yellow surface. Maybe it won’t feel too bad going down. He opened his mouth to ingest the pill when his cell phone rang weakly.

  Jay squinted at the caller-id unit. The hospital’s main number was displayed. He hesitated and then flipped open the telephone. “Hello?” he asked fearfully as the pills dropped from his hand.

  “Son, how are you doing? Are you all right?” Jeremiah asked in a hoarse voice.

  Jay gulped. “I’m okay, Dad.” He sat upright on the side of the bed. “How are you?”

  “I’m hanging in there. Jay, I’d like you to come to the hospital today. Try to get here as soon as you can.”

  Jay peered at the clock at his bedside. “Dad, it’s five o’clock in the morning. Shouldn’t you be resting or something?”

  “I’m wide awake. We need to talk to you. There’s someone I want you to meet.”

  “Hmmm. Is this person someone I know?” A whining note crept into Jay’s voice.

  “No,” Jeremiah replied carefully. “You don’t know her. She’s someone I’d like you to get to know.”

  “I don’t know, Dad. I’ve missed a few classes that I need to make up. I have summer school in the morning,” Jay replied evasively. He hadn’t been to classes in weeks and had missed his finals.

  “Jay, I hate to pull rank. But I’d really like you to come visit me today. It’s important.” Jeremiah drove the point home.

  Realizing he was up against a rock and a hard place, Jay conceded gracefully and stated he’d stop by the hospital later. What can you do but obey your father, especially since he might be dying?

  Lost in thought, he closed the cell phone shut and placed it next to him on the bed. A few pills rolled toward him. Jay somberly swiped them off the bed. Good thing Dad called. I don’t know what I would have done. God, my life is fucked up. He looked outside his bedroom window, watching the sun ascend into the sky then Jay fell asleep.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Melissa had gone back to the hotel to rest and change clothes. Her eyes flew open. The room was darkened. The brown drapes were still shut and she felt disoriented until she realized she was in Atlanta. She ran her hand through her matted hair and sat upright against the headboard of the bed.

  She sensed she’d dreamed about Jeremiah. Her dreams were so vivid at times that when she awakened, her body experienced physical manifestations. The calf of her left leg tingled and the palm of her right hand itched. Her body throbbed. Jeremiah was never far from her heart, at least in her dreams.

  Melissa rose and walked in the bathroom where she splashed water on her face. Then she reached into the bottom of the vanity and pulled out a crumpled pack of cigarettes. She pushed the toilet seat down, sat, and lit up.

  Thoughts of Jeremiah eddied in and out of her mind. Jeremiah had given Dr. Herman permission to talk to Melissa about his illness and proposed treatment. Fear for Jeremiah’s recovery punched her stomach. What if Jeremiah doesn’t make it? She took a deep drag on the cigarette and set it on the edge of the sink. Melissa dropped her head to her chest and prayed Michaela would be a match.

  Instead of returning to her bed after her secret smoke, she sat in a wing chair and stared out of the window. Melissa glanced at the clock, showered and then dressed. She prepared a pot of coffee and returned to her seat by the window. The telephone rang.

  “Good morning, Melissa. It’s almost time to go to the hospital for the tests. Are you ready?” Michaela asked.

  “Give me ten minutes. I’ll meet you downstairs.”

  * * *

  Bobo drove them to the hospital. There was very little conversation. Each was lost in their thoughts as to the outcome of the test.

  Michaela was sure the ending would be positive. The past few days of her life had unfolded like pages of a novel. There was her long-suffering biological mother and terminally ill father. She liked Bobo and Connie they were cool. Michaela was still a little aloof in her dealing of Nancy, feeling she’d actively participated in the deception. And that Vanessa Adams was something else.

  When the trio arrived at Jeremiah’s room, there was a young man standing at his bedside. Michaela saw Melissa swallow hard as if something had caught in her throat. The young man had to be Jay. He looked like Moniqa and Melissa.

  Michaela looked at Jay curiously as she walked over to the bed. Hmmm. He has to be the son Jeremiah told me about. He looks a lot like Melissa.

  Jay caught sight of the woman. “Mom” almost
slipped out of his mouth.

  Melissa noted the misery on the young man’s face. She held out her hand. Jay shook it tepidly as he looked at her warily. “You must be my nephew, Jeremiah the III.” She smiled. “You look uncannily like your mother.”

  Jay smiled. “No. You look like my Mom. I thought you were her for a minute.” He rolled his eyes. “This whole situation is so weird. I didn’t know you existed until this morning. Hey, Bobo. How are you?”

  Bobo laughed aloud. “I’m better now that everything is out in the open.” He shook Jay’s hand. “I’ll go see if I can confiscate a chair from another room.”

  Dr. Herman walked into Jeremiah’s room. “If the young lady is ready. It’s time.”

  “It’s going to be all right. I can feel it, Dr. Jeremiah.” Michaela, standing by Jeremiah’s bedside, leaned over and kissed him. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

  “Are you sure you aren’t a doctor?” Dr. Herman smiled as Michaela walked to his side. “Jeremiah, we’ll return soon and hopefully, with good news.”

  Jay stood helplessly at Jeremiah’s side. He felt awkward and jealous of Michaela. There wasn’t a doubt to her paternity she looked exactly like Dad. He thought maybe he should leave.

  “Son sit down and have a seat,” Jeremiah admonished. “It’s time you got to know your aunt.”

  “Maybe this isn’t the right time, Dad,” Jay replied morosely. “It appears you already have a family.” He gestured at Melissa. “Maybe I should come back later.” He looked miserable as he looked toward the door.

  “You will always have a place with me,” Jeremiah said as he lay down in the bed, fatigued. “You are my son, no one can take that away from us.”

  “He’s right,” Melissa felt compelled to add. She felt a kindred spirit with the man-child whose face so greatly resembled her own. “Neither Michaela or myself can change what has already occurred. We just want to share your father with you. I’ve loved this man most of my life.” She smiled at Jeremiah. “Jay why don’t you come downstairs and have a cup of coffee with me while Jeremiah rests. Bobo will sit with your father.”

  “Did I hear my name?” Bobo asked as he walked into the room with a chair. He placed it at the end of the bed.

  “Jay and I are going to have coffee. You’ll stay with Jeremiah won’t you? Michaela is being tested. We’ll return shortly.” She grabbed her nephew’s hand and they walked out the door and walked to the elevator.

  While Melissa and Jay were gone, Bobo read the newspaper while Jeremiah slept.

  Melissa found her nephew delightful. He was wary of her intentions but remembered Jeremiah begging him to give her a chance.

  Jay’s interest piqued when Melissa mentioned her job at Fox. He expressed hopes of working in the media field after school. “My Mom and Grandvan never mentioned you when I was growing up. Why?” Jay remarked after taking a sip of coffee. He peered at Melissa’s face.

  “I know they didn’t,” Melissa murmured. “I’m the black sheep of the family but I’d like to get to know you better.” She touched his arm.

  “I guess that would be okay,” Jay replied.

  Thirty minutes later, the two returned to Jeremiah’s room and began the vigil. Would Michaela be a match or not?

  * * *

  Vanessa walked into her grandson’s room. He was nowhere to be found. She left the house to go to the Hyatt to meet her parents and Valerie for breakfast, after that she had an appointment with Moniqa’s attorney.

  After slathering a pat of butter over a warm croissant Vanessa held her knife outward, “I have a meeting with Moniqa’s lawyer this morning. Then I’ll stop by the hospital and see her when I’m done.”

  “How long do you think she’ll have to stay there?” Valerie asked, cutting a sausage link.

  “Not long I hope. I think she’s just tired with Jeremiah’s illness and all. It’s taken a toll on her.” Vanessa wiped her hand with a linen napkin.

  “How was Jay this morning?” Edward asked Vanessa after he set his cup of coffee on the table.

  “He left before I got up. I don’t know where he is and he still isn’t answering his cell phone.”

  Patricia added, “Perhaps he’s at the hospital. Are you going to see Jeremiah today? Ed and I thought we’d visit him. You know, show him that the family is thinking of him.”

  “I can’t see him,” Vanessa admitted, chagrined, after she took a bite of her roll. “He forbids me from visiting him.”

  “When did he do that?” Valerie asked curiously after putting a forkful of egg into her mouth.

  “Yesterday. Obviously he’s drugged. Jeremiah doesn’t know what he’s doing or saying. I was never more mortified in my life.”

  Edward tapped his fork on the table and looked at his oldest daughter intently. He loosened his tie. “Van, do you know who Jay’s father is? It might do the boy some good if he knew who he was and could maybe talk to him.”

  Vanessa pooh-poohed the suggestion. “Dad, you sound ridiculous. Jeremiah is Jay’s father. This is a critical time for Jeremiah and Moniqa. We must do everything humanly possible to preserve the family unit.” Her hands shook slightly as she picked up her empty coffee cup. Vanessa waved to get their waitress’s attention.

  “I believe in calling things like I see it.” Edward dipped his head then glared at Vanessa. “Jeremiah has filed for a divorce. Maybe it’s time for Moniqa to let him go. Your daughter has already suffered a nervous breakdown. You don’t know where Jay is and Jeremiah is critically ill. What family unit are you trying to preserve?” His left eyebrow lifted questioningly.

  “Daddy, stop sounding so negative,” Vanessa said impatiently. “All of those things you mentioned are setbacks. There will be no divorce.” She harrumphed as she sipped her coffee.

  Vanessa took a one hundred dollar bill out of her burgundy coach bag. “I have to run. Let’s keep a positive attitude. I’ll take to you later.” She blew kisses as she walked away from the table.

  Edward shook his head clearly baffled. “Your daughter is nuts,” he grumbled to Patricia. His eyes traveled to Valerie. “Do you know who Jay’s father is? I’m only going to ask you one time.”

  Valerie nodded as she wrung her hands nervously together. She wished that Vanessa hadn’t revealed Jay’s paternity to her. She’d never been good at deception, especially with her father.

  Edward drummed his fingers on the table, the ice tinkled in the water glasses. “I want his name and telephone number before we leave here. Do you understand me?”

  Valerie nodded meekly and folded her hands on the table in front of her. “You know Vanessa is not going to like your interfering in her life.”

  “Interfering,” Edward roared. “It’s more like I’m cleaning up a mess she created. Vanessa’s actions sicken me. Jeremiah is a fine man. If he is dying, at least let the man have a little peace. Jay is floundering aimlessly and rightly so. Moniqa has used him like a little puppy dog his entire life. No wonder he’s confused. I’ve sat back and watched you women run things. You haven’t done a good job. It’s time for me to do what I can to straighten things out -- and that includes Melissa. Do you understand me?” he yelled at his wife and daughter.

  Patricia looked aghast. Edward was making a spectacle of himself in public. Valerie looked chastened like a child. Diners at other tables looked at them curious. The room became quiet as ears strained to hear what was being said.

  Edward looked around, and said to his family, “Let’s go.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Vanessa stood impatiently at the reception desk of the facility. “What do you mean I can’t see my daughter?’ she asked the nurse nastily. “I’m not leaving until I see her.”

  “Ma’am those are her doctor’s orders,” the young nurse answered timorously. Today was her first day on the job. The woman before her was working her nerves. She decided to refer Vanessa to her supervisor, who walked toward them.

  “Ma’am, why don’t you have a seat?” She pointed t
o the reception area. “I’ll see if your daughter’s doctor is available.”

  “Yes, why don’t you do that,” Vanessa shot back as she walked to a couch and sat down. She fumed and rubbed her temples. Nothing was going right today. She nervously smoothed her skirt over her legs, and looked at her surroundings.

  The hospital resembled a spa rather than a psychiatric hospital. She’d been lucky to get Moniqa admitted. The place had a long waiting list. Instead of chairs, love seats and tables were placed strategically about the open space. Potted plants sat in the corners of the room. Light jazz supplied soothing background music. A coffee urn and cups sat atop a table. The walls were painted white with pastel floral borders. Beige shag carpeting was laid on the floor.

  Vanessa uncrossed her legs and glanced at her watch. She was about to return to the nurse’s station to ask for the doctor when an Asian woman wearing glasses, her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, walked in Vanessa direction. She looked like a child, playing doctor in her white coat.

  The lady held out her hand to Vanessa. “I’m Dr. Ng your daughter’s primary physician.” She sat next to Vanessa. “I know you want to see her but that’s not possible for the time being. The clinic’s policy is that our patients don’t have visitors for a least a month. In the meantime, we’re taking very good care of your daughter. I’ll tell her you stopped by to see her.”

  “You obviously have no idea who I am,” Vanessa said through clenched teeth. “My daughter is just exhausted, her husband is terminally ill. There are financial matters that need to be attended to. I insist I see Moniqa, NOW.”

  Dr Ng’s looked at her, bemused. “I know who you are and we are all praying for Dr. Jeffries’ recovery. Our rules are no visitors and there are no exceptions, except for Dr. Jeffries. Now, if you want to discuss Moniqa’s treatment, I will be more than happy to do that.”

  Vanessa was not pleased at all by the turn of events. She jumped out of her seat. “Who’s your boss? I’d like to talk to him.“ She was furious, ready to spit fire. Her lips poked out.

 

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