The Contingency Plan (The Lonely Heart Series)

by Nelson, Latrivia

  Benny stood up and shook his head. “You blew it, lady,” he said, grabbing his father’s hand.

  “Sir, if I could just ask what I did wrong?” Lillian said as the camera got a close-up of the family leaving.

  “You pissed my dad off,” Benny said as they walked off the set.

  “That’s enough, Benny,” Sully said with a growl.

  “Sorry,” Benny said, ducking his head.

  ***

  Charlie hadn’t watched the interview of Sully and the kids that morning as she had planned. Instead, she had called a private meeting with their family lawyer in her office and cancelled a few sidebar meetings with staff.

  The highly esteemed Eli Leskivich was discrete and honest - two things that she desperately needed at the moment. He came right over with his briefcase and laptop, going over the statues of the laws of the state of New York on his I-pad after listening to an hour of her story on how she came to terms with her decision.

  After resting last night, she had gotten up with a new perspective on her odd situation. Suddenly, life was clear as a bell, at least certain parts of it. And she knew that she was the only one who could make the steps towards a brighter future for herself and for her family – both of her families. They were all depending on her, and in order for her to be there for them, she had to first be honest with herself.

  “Are you sure that you want to go through with this?” Eli asked, adjusting the gold-rimmed wire glasses on his nose. He still wasn’t convinced.

  “I’m sure,” Charlie said, nodding. “It’s best. Neither one of us are happy.”

  “Have you tried counseling? I hate to see young people rush to these measures when they haven’t even tried to fix things.”

  Eli had been a family friend for quite a few years and had always thought the couple to be happy. After hearing the entire story, he wasn’t sure if Charlie’s action were well thought out.

  But she was.

  “Counseling won’t help what ails us,” Charlie said, signing the paper. She slid it back over to him. Looking out of her corner office window, she turned up her lip. “So much has changed for me in a short period of time, Eli. I don’t know what I want for every part of my life, but I do know what I don’t want.”

  Eli nodded. “I’ve been practicing family law for thirty five years, and I’ve seen all sorts of marriages. All I can say is that time heals all wounds.”

  “Really?” Somehow that comforted Charlie. She turned back to him and smiled. “If you could draw those papers up and have them couriered back to my office by the end of the day, I would appreciate it.”

  “You’re going to talk to him about it today?” Eli asked.

  “Do you think I should not?” After hearing her story, she was certain that he would implore her to talk to him this morning.

  “Well, I would think that you’d give it some time first. What you feel for this other man, Sully, it could pass.”

  “And if it doesn’t? What then? Do I continue on ignoring the sanctity of my marriage by having an affair? Do I hold on to one man because I can’t have the other?” Just the thought sent a chill down Charlie’s spine. “I’m not made that way. I’d rather be alone if what I feel for Sully isn’t real.”

  Eli was about to answer her question when they both heard Frank’s voice outside of her door. He was talking to someone, asking them not to come inside. It sounded urgent and after a brief scuffle, the door opened. Alex was standing there in his NYFD baseball cap, a navy blue uniform t-shirt that fit the muscles of his chest like second skin, cargo pants and black, perfectly shined boots.

  “What are you doing here?” Charlie asked, standing up.

  Alex pulled the newspaper out of his back pockets. “I’m here to ask you directly about these kids.”

  “I should probably be going,” Eli said, standing up to excuse himself.

  “What are you doing here?” Alex asked Eli, closing the door in Frank’s face.

  “He’s here to see me,” Charlie snapped. “And how dare you. I should be asking you the questions. Like who was that woman you were kissing last night?”

  “Do you really think that you have room to talk after you spent the entire weekend cuddled up to Sullivan Orrin?” Alex screamed back, happy that he had something to save him from being the only bad guy in the room.

  “Call me later,” Eli said, nodding before he walked around Alex. “It’s nice to see you again Mr. Mendoza.” The older man bowed out quietly, walking around Alex - who stood in the middle of the floor like a giant wall – and opening and closing Charlie’s door as he went.

  When they were alone, Alex shook his head and released some of the tension in his shoulders. His voice was deep and foreboding as he walked towards her desk. “I want an explanation, Charlie. Are those your children?” His eyes locked on hers.

  “Yes, they are mine,” Charlie answered. Folding her arms across her chest, she sucked her teeth. “Now, your turn. How long have you been having an affair?”

  ***

  Sully pushed the back door of the studio opening and loaded his kids in the back of the town car quickly. A few media outlets were waiting on him with reporters holding out their tape recorders and screaming out questions about his relationship with Charlene Mendoza, but he ignored them as he slammed the door shut.

  “Go,” he said, as he loaded into the front passenger seat of the car. “Take me to Sophie’s Choice.”

  Charlize wiped hot, fat tears from her red cheeks and looked over at her brother, who seemed unfazed by the entire situation. “Daddy, is it true?” her voice cracked.

  Sully looked back at his children and clenched his jaw. What a disappointment he had been today. He could barely speak. “Yes, baby. It’s true.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us?” Charlize asked, rolling her eyes. “Now all my friends are going to see on TV and make fun of me.”

  Sully frowned. Kids were cruel and he knew it, yet in all of the hysteria, he had forgotten to remember that point. “I’m sorry, princess. I really am. Charlie and I were going to tell you.”

  “Don’t call her that,” Charlize said angrily. “If she is our mom then why didn’t she just say so? She told me that she loved me that night that she tucked me in. She could have told me then.”

  Sully bit down on his lip and humbled himself. It killed him to see his baby girl so angry. “She wanted to tell you,” he said, taking the bullet for both of them. “I asked her to wait until after the benefit to keep things from being weird.”

  “Well, they are definitely weird now,” Benny smirked.

  Sully turned around in his seat and looked out of the window. “You’re right about that.” Digging in his pocket, he pulled out his cell and texted Charlie. We’re coming up there. We need to talk to you now. It’s an emergency, he typed into his phone.

  “I think it’s cool that she’s our mom. I like her,” Benny said, rolling down the window to see the street better.

  “She has her own family. She’s not going to come and live with us,” Charlize said with a scowl on her face.

  “Is that what you want?” Sully asked, unsure if he should have posed the question to his daughter at that time, but he was shocked to hear her say it.

  “Does it matter?” Charlize asked, staring at her reflection in the rearview mirror.

  Sully sighed. “It matters.” He wanted to tell her that he wanted Charlene too. He wanted to tell her that he had always wanted her, and hearing his daughter articulate it only made him want to fight harder to have her. “How quickly can we get to that office?” he asked the driver.

  “Ten minutes at most, sir,” the driver said, trying to sound as professional as possible, but was oh so curious about the conversation.

  ***

  Frank was grabbing the mail from the receptionist desk when he saw the gold doors to the elevator open and two little people come walking out with Sullivan Orrin. He had just pulled up the Norfolk Daily News story about his boss being the mother of Sul
livan’s children and now here they were. He couldn’t help but admire how beautiful they were right before he felt a rush of adrenaline shoot through him. Alex Mendoza was still here and had made quite the scene in the process; now the founder of the feast was here to take his rightful place and the head of the debacle.

  “Mr. Orrin,” Frank said, stepping up with the papers clutched to his chest. “How can I help you today?”

  “Don’t be coy,” Sully said, pointing over at the common area. “Kids go and sit down. Daddy will only be a minute.” He looked sternly at Frank. “I’m going to see her now.”

  “I’m going to have to ask you to wait a minute.”

  “Frank, I’m not only a friend, I’m a major contributor to this organization. And I’m not waiting to be seen unless Jesus himself is sitting in that office. Am I making myself clear.” Sully’s voice rose an octave and the people in the reception area turned to see what the fuss was all about. As soon as they realized who it was, they immediately began to whisper.

  “Sir, if I could just ask you…” Frank began.

  Sully side-stepped him. “Don’t bother.” Heading down the hall toward Charlie’s office, he straightened his shirt.

  Frank smiled at the children, who took their seat dutifully and then walked over to the receptionist. “Call security,” he said under his breath.

  “What?” the young lady asked, transferring a call.

  “Trust me. Call security now.” Frank quickly followed behind Sully.

  ***

  Alex was so angry until he could barely see straight. Holding on to the back of one of Charlie’s office chairs with both hands, he bent over and looked down at the ground. “I can’t believe that you didn’t tell me,” he said, heaving a frustrated sigh. “We lived together for eleven years. You could have just mentioned it.”

  “I wasn’t sure if he had even done it. We decided not to communicate anymore after I did the procedure. It was supposed to never be brought up again,” Charlie said, looking out the window of her office. She couldn’t bear to look at him now, and it wasn’t out of shame for what she had done.

  “He knew what he was doing when he showed up that night to the gala. He said that he wanted you to talk to Dane Withersby, but he had plans that night to ask you. And if I had not been there, he would have probably asked you for a hell of a lot more than that.” Alex’s chin came up. “And where is he? Huh? He punked out and went hiding behind his kids.”

  “He’s not punking out. He didn’t do anything wrong.” Charlene said before she knew it.

  “That’s right. Take up for him,” Alex growled. “I bet you wouldn’t want me to take up for Lola.”

  “I’m not taking up for him,” Charlie said, hating that he had actually spoken her name.

  “If he were here right now, I’d beat his ass,” Alex promised. “We’d see what the pretty little rich kid had to say after I put my fist down his throat.”

  Just then, the door flung open and Sully came bolting inside. His eyes locked with Charlie first. “I need to talk to you,” was all that he could get out before he saw Alex.

  “Thank you, God,” Alex said, throwing the chair out of the way.

  “Now is not the time,” Sully said, putting up a finger to quiet Alex.

  “You fucked my wife, had children with her behind my back and then humiliated me in front of the world. Oh, you’re going to make fucking time,” Alex said, before he swiftly grabbed Sully by the collar of his shirt and rammed him into the wall, knocking down at forty thousand dollar painting.

  Sully grabbed Alex’s wrists and tried to push him off of him, but Alex was quick. Releasing his right hand, he balled up a fist and punched Sully dead square in his left jaw.

  Spitting blood, Sully snarled and grabbed Alex by his shirt. Twisting him around into the wall, he returned the punch and pushed his forearm under Alex’s throat. With a quick knee to his stomach, Alex doubled over and then picked Sully up by the waist.

  “Stop it!” Charlie said, running over to break them up.

  Frank ran in quickly and pulled her back. “Are you crazy?” he asked her, pulling her out of the office. As he grabbed her, the two men came barreling across the room onto Charlie’s desk where the scuffle escalated.

  Papers and files flew everywhere. Alex was on top of Sully throwing punches and Sully was under him blocking. The two men fell on to the floor behind her desk, locked to one another, exchanging punches and grunting. Sully was then on top, punching Alex in the face with one hand and holding him down with the other.

  No words were spoken, only sounds of two angry men trying to kill each other.

  Two security men ran down the hallway towards the fight as Frank grabbed Charlie, who was frantically screaming, and picked her up off the floor.

  “Let me go, Frank!” she yelled. “Let me go. I have to stop them!”

  He ignored her and carried her into his office. “There is nothing that you can do,” Frank said, closing his door. He pushed her against the corner and wrapped his arms around her and she screamed out and cried. “I’m sorry, sis. I am,” he whispered into her ear. “Just calm down. Everything will be alright.”

  Employees came out of their offices and crowded the hallway as they listened to the security guards try to break the men up.

  One of the smaller security guards fell out of the door of Charlie’s office, but it was not clear who had thrown him. Getting up off the floor dazed, he picked up his hat and headed back in.

  “Fuck you!” Sully screamed.

  “No, fuck you!” Alex screamed. “This is my family you’re fucking up.”

  “This is my family too!” Sully screamed.

  The two security guards walked the bloody men out in handcuffs - with their clothes torn and their faces starting to swell - through the crowded hallway of onlookers to the front reception area. Quietly, with their hands down, they were sat on opposite sides of the room, awaiting the police to arrive.

  “Daddy,” Charlize cried, “why are you in handcuffs?” she asked as she walked over to her father.

  “It’s okay, baby,” Sully said, trying to comfort his daughter. He looked at his son. “Do me a favor and take her over there until I get this situated, okay, champ?”

  Alex looked over at the small family and suddenly felt guilty for losing his cool. He would have never fought the guy if he had known that his children were there, but it was too late for woulda-shoulda-coulda now. They both were going to jail.

  Charlene pushed her way out of Frank’s office and came running down the hall to find both of them. Looking at the security guards, she wiped her face and pulled down her shirt. “Release them,” she said, clearing her throat.

  “Excuse me, ma’am,” the senior security guard said, standing beside Alex.

  “Release these men and escort them separately out of the building,” Charlene said, looking over at her children who watched her attentively.

  “But we’ve already called the police,” the security guard said, trying to understand her relationship to all of these people.

  Charlene put her hand on her temple and closed her eyes. “I don’t care! Release Mr. Orrin and Mr. Mendoza from those cuffs now and let them go on their way!”

  “Yes, ma’am,” the security officer said, shocked that one of these men was related to her.

  The entire office was now looking on as the men stood up to get their handcuffs removed. Charlene looked around completely embarrassed and still shaking. “Everyone, please go back to work,” she said, in a low shaky voice.

  No one moved.

  “Get back to work!” she yelled, stomping her feet.

  The people quickly began to disburse, whispering as they did.

  Sully walked over to his children and hugged them. “Let’s go home,” he said, putting his hands on their shoulders.

  “Charlie,” Charlene said with tears running down her face. “I’m so sorry, baby. Benny…”

  Charlize wiped her eyes and hid her face in
her father’s chest.

  Looking over at Alex, Charlene shook her head and turned to walk back towards her office.

  “Baby,” Alex pleaded, following after her.

  “Just leave, Alex,” Charlene said, snapping at the security guards. “See them out in separate elevators, please.”

  211

  The Contingency Plan

  Chapter 14

  Before one o’clock that afternoon an anonymous employee had uploaded the part of the debacle that they could record on their phone to YouTube, another had tweeted about it and one more had posted pictures on a Facebook page. On top of the story being run by the Norfolk Daily Press regarding Charlene’s connection to Sullivan Orrin, it had been picked up nationally and was being discussed on radio stations and television stations across the country.

  The entire situation was out in the open and it was a seriously hot topic.

  Dazed and confused, Charlie sat in her busted up office with her head down on the desk as her phone erupted with phone calls. Too embarrassed and sick to answer her husband or Sully’s texts, she sat sniffling and listening to the television across the office as New York One ran the story again.

  Frank sat across the desk from her checking her emails on his laptop and just serving as support. He had never seen her like this, but he knew that she had reached the end of her rope. Charlie didn’t cry. In all the years that he had worked for her, he had never seen her so frantic, and he worried now for her own well-being. She wouldn’t say a word to him or anyone else. She just raised her head every so often and wiped her eyes.

  One of the major gift officers, Ilese, tapped on the door and hesitantly stepped inside. Looking around the office at the disarray, she bucked her eyes and then walked over to Frank. Bending down, she whispered something in his ear and tapped on her watch.

  Frank looked up at the woman and nodded. After she had left the room and closed the door, he walked over to Charlie and put his hand on her back. “Honey, the board wants to call an emergency meeting in thirty minutes,” he said in the most soothing voice possible.

  “Conference call or in the board room,” Charlie said, raising up in her chair. Wiping her eyes, she took a deep breath.