“I noticed you’ve been staying out of the social circle.”
“Trying my best. Mother invited me to Europe this summer, but I plan to decline.”
“Why is that? You’ve always jumped at chances to spend time with your mother.”
“I have business in Detroit.” He smirked secretively.
“Fash, you can do business anywhere... why the hell are you smiling like that?” He then chuckled. “I guess you can’t do that everywhere if it’s only in Detroit.”
Thaddeus flushed. “Quite true, but not just that. I’ve met an extremely interesting woman who I find enjoyable to speak with. She’s not like others. She's pleasant.”
“Odd. Never thought I would hear you speak of females as pleasant. She must be ugly.”
“No Cleopatra, but far from breaking mirrors with a little help.”
“A little help?”
“With the right incentive.”
“That must be a treat. Female friends are hard to come by with a status like us, Thaddeus. If she’s a gem, keep her.”
“I plan to.” He stood up. “I’d like to shower before dinner.”
“Go ahead. Your room is always ready.”
Thaddeus went up the stairs of the large colonial home. This house had been in Thomas’ family since after the Civil War. Thomas loved the house, but his business took him all over the world so he hardly enjoyed it, except on his birthday weekend, which all his closest friends gathered for a grand celebration on the weekend near his birthday, coming next weekend. The weekend prior to his birthday was time spent with Thaddeus for his unknown daughter’s birthday and for people who showed up early. No one questioned why he celebrated a birthday for a daughter he had never known. He was wealthy and allowed to have his quirks.
Thaddeus had spoke to Fats and informed him he wouldn’t be needing to be serviced by the woman next weekend, but to keep her to himself, he would still have to pay for that time slot.
He knew this was fine with Craig, and if it wasn’t he would pay for it out of his own pocket.
Even now as he undressed to get comfortable, he found that he missed her presence. Disturbing his thoughts was his pager going off. Looking at the screen he read, “8 New E-mails.” Hooking up his laptop, he downloaded them and realized they were from Skye. He replied to her last one, “Thank you for your prompt services. I hope they weren’t too tiresome to transcribe.”
Sending the e-mail he wondered if she would reply back with friendliness or just ignore another chance to talk to him. Before he went to bed that night, he did check his e-mail one more time. Skye had written him back.
“Compared to the foreign doctors I usually get from my other accounts, I go through yours like a paddle in the water. Although, you shouldn’t work so late. I can tell when you get tired because you begin to slur your words. I hope Florida treats you well.”
He wrote back. “It’s beautiful down here. Have you ever been to Florida?”
When he awoke the next morning he was surprised she had written back. “I haven’t been two steps away from Davenport, Ohio since I was young except to come to Detroit. I miss the small city, but last night was my first night out in the city since I’ve been here and will honestly tell you, it was a pretty good experience of city life I’ve yet to discover. You are so blessed you can travel so easily. I think on a traveling tip, I’d like to see Europe, but not by myself. What’s to enjoy if you have no one to share the experience with. Oh dear, I’ve talked too much : )”
The e-mail ended there. Talked too much?. He enjoyed knowing that little bit about her.
Picking up the receiver, he dialed her number surprised he remembered it off the top of his head, yet he knew if he got it wrong he would end up calling Trisha, which he wanted to avoid.
“Hello,” she answered.
“Good morning. Am I calling too early for you?”
There was a hesitant pause, then she said, “Oh no, I enjoy calls at seven am. I take it you are a morning person, Mr. Newman.”
He chuckled at her sarcasm. “Were you up?”
“I was but not out of bed. I love waking up and just listening to the morning, meditating to myself, and being grateful at the opportunity to experience a new day. Have you ever done that?”
“Not of late. Usually I’m trying to get everything done by noon to enjoy the morning.”
“You should try it once in a while. You might be surprised what it can do to your whole self being.” She sounded relaxed.
There was no doubt in his mind that she was still in bed and there was this overwhelming urge to jump on the next plane and join her. “Listen to the morning? Don’t you mean look at it?”
“No. Just lie in the bed and breathe. Close your eyes and focus on the noises outside or in the house. You’d be surprised what a good state of mind you’ll be in when you get to the middle of the day. Especially if it’s stressful, which I’m sure yours is.”
He considered it, but wondered what she would think if he asked her to join him one morning. Thaddeus decided not to mention this wicked thought. “I might try it. Tomorrow as a matter of fact and let you know if there was any difference.”
“Good. Why don’t you call me back then but not so early, so I can finish enjoying mine?”
Thaddeus hung up the phone in a fitful of laughter. It tickled him immensely to know Skye had a silly sense of humor. Thomas knocked quietly, and then opened the door. “Your mystery lady?”
“Far from it. She’s the new woman I enjoy talking to and also one of my contract employees. I’ll tell you again she’s quite engaging. You’d certainly enjoy tangling minds with her, Thomas. I will invite her next year definitely.”
“How do you know you will know her that long?”
“I intend to know Ms Patterson for a very long time.”
“That sure of yourself? Fash, then, how ‘bout Christmas if you find her that engaging cause I must definitely meet her then.”
“Yes, my company’s Christmas party should be perfect for the event.”
One of the housemaids came from downstairs and passed Thomas a note. Once he read it, he immediately frowned in distress.
“What is it?” Thaddeus asked concerned.
Thomas crumpled the paper in agony sighing. “Agatha Washington died last week. Her lawyers would like me to come to her will reading this afternoon.”
“This afternoon? What about the gala?”
“I should be back in time. Would you like to come with me? Moral support?”
Thaddeus shrugged. “I feel I’d be in the way, but you know I’d stand by your side hell or high water, Thomas.”
The older man smiled, “Good. Let me get details and then we’ll go from there.”
“I’ll call Trisha to reschedule some phone meetings and be right down.”
Chapter 13
Entering the small offices of Newborn, Washington, and Fields, Thaddeus paid attention to the eyes that on him. He knew his size was impressive and he was far from being self conscious about it anymore.
Lester Newborn, one of the law firm’s partners, greeted them with a solemn smile. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Thomas. I’ve heard a lot about you, but to my surprise, Agatha never spoke of you. I know of you from other sources impressed with your investment skills.”
“Agatha and I didn’t part on good terms,” Thomas admitted regretfully.
Thaddeus snorted knowing the truth. Thomas nudged him in the ribs. Lester gestured for them to follow him. Thaddeus whispered in Thomas ear. “I thought she was a dancer.”
Thomas replied under his breath. “She paid her way through law school. I didn’t say she was an idiot. She was a very rich vindictive bitch of a lawyer.”
“I was wondering why she didn’t try to take you for child support.”
“Hell, her family was filthy rich. I was the one, because my father disowned me because of my involvement with her. He couldn’t stand the family.”
“Like Romeo and Juli
et?”
“Close to it, but Romeo decided to heed his father’s advice and leave Juliet alone pregnant with child and Juliet decided never to speak to Romero again and cursed his name for the rest of her life.”
Entering a conference room that sat twelve, five other people were gathered. Lester went over to an elderly man and whispered something to him, then nodded at Thomas who approached them. Thaddeus stayed back near the door not wanting to intrude on the family that was now gathering around Thomas.
Newborn introduced Thomas to Clay Parsons, Agatha’s fifth and last husband, Darlene Parson, Evelyn Cross, and Emmit Powell, her children all below the ages of twenty-two Darlene being with the youngest at twenty.
To Thaddeus, Agatha seemed like a woman who was never satisfied. Her parents had been Edith and Edward Patterson-Washington who owned Ethanol processing centers in Brazil and large cornfields and potato farms about the size of Connecticut in the middle of Idaho. Bored of the farm life, Agatha had immediately left and moved to Chicago, shunning her own family’s wealth to put herself through school. When Thomas met her, he had heard rumors that she had babies before meeting him, but he was so mesmerized by her beauty that he had ignored what his frat brothers' warning. After their separation and giving up their child, Agatha married someone else. It wasn’t that Thomas’ parents were trying to control their son. It was the fact that Agatha had a vicious way of burning bridges and derived some sick pleasure out of treating people like shit. Which is why she never kept one husband. Most of the ex’s didn’t even care about alimony, they just wanted out of the relationship as fast as possible.
No one was familiar with Thomas, except Clay who didn't like him very must. The mousy-looking, thin frame man was rather brusque saying out loud, “I don’t even know why she invited you, she detested you greatly, sir.”
“Love and hate are almost the same,” Thomas rebutted. “Some people don’t know the difference.”
That shut him up pretty quick and even the others looked at Thomas now with some wariness. They had heard Agatha saying the same thing all the time.
Newborn called the meeting to order, insisting everyone sit down so they could start the proceedings. “I will now start the reading of the will for Agatha Evelyn Patterson-Washington Powell Cross Parson.”
Thaddeus half listened more interested in watching Thomas react to everything. The man was perfectly relaxed as Newborn read out what her children would receive, then her husband and her law partners. Thaddeus also noted confusion on some of the children’s faces and even Clay’s face.
Clay decided to speak up. “My wife was worth over seventy million dollars. She owned a huge amount of large properties over half you’ve only mentioned. I don’t understand what is to be left with the rest of the properties unless this asshole has something to do with it.”
“You know your own, Clay?” Thomas asked seething.
Clay stood up. Newborn shouted his name before something ghastly popped out his mouth. “Please Mr. Parson, sit down. All will be known in due time.”
Clay huffed under his breath. Darlene tried to quietly calm her father down, but her eyes could not stop wondering to the dark handsome stranger in the corner who had come with Thomas.
“At this time it is instructed by Agatha to stop the will reading and to read out loud a letter she prepared two days before her death.” He reached into a large manila envelope and pulled out a pink smaller envelope.
“I would like you, Clay, to verify this is your wife’s familiar stationary and that the seal is not broken and the signature underneath the seal is Agatha’s true handwriting.”
Clay took the envelope smelling it, closing his eyes taking a whiff of his wife’s essence still present in the seams of the parchment.
Without even looking it over, he knew it belonged to his Agatha. “I verify.” He handed the envelope back.
Newborn broke the seal and took out a two-page letter.
Thomas,
You and I both know in our youth we made a lot of mistakes. Especially with each other. We loved deeply, but we allowed our destinies and family to get in the way of fate when we both knew we should have not done what we did in the first place, but after it was done, we should have faced our responsibilities and married. I for one agree what we did was sin and I refuse to go to my death with that on my conscious along with all the other things..
I have made my peace with everything and everyone except you. The only way I know I can do this is to give you peace that has bothered you for years.
The location of our daughter.
My mother made the arrangements with a lawyer named Heaven Wineguard. She won’t release the records because she won’t admit that she lost these records. My mother took them purposely. She never wanted either one of us to ever know where the child was, but before she could securely hide them, she died and I located them. Our child was named Laskie Smith. Do not ask me why or how that name came into play with our daughter, but in Heaven’s records the child is referred to as this name. A household outside of Chicago adopted her. The adopting parents died and the child was lost in the system. The story is much too long to go into right now and you will see the records soon enough. I sent a private investigator that has just returned to me on my deathbed to let me know that the child who is now twenty-three was last located in Ohio where she ran away too.
I hate that my child lived a horrible life like the one the investigator’s report says she did—which you will also see soon enough—because I know I could have made her life just a little easier. I am not saying I should go to hell because of this, but I do say I should have done more. More than most since I knew a long time of her supposed whereabouts.
Make it all right Thomas, even if you hate my guts as I have always hated yours for going with your father’s decisions in your life and not your hearts. Make it right in her life. Give her the world once you find her and give her a hug only a true mother and father could give her.
Thank you. Agatha formerly Soliel.
The room was strangely quiet as Newborn passed the letter to Thomas who looked roughly through the letter. Underneath her signature it read, “Stop reading.”
Underneath that was a P.S.
I did love you my whole life, but as you’ve always said to me, I could never tell the difference between hate and love. I know now that I just never wanted to believe I loved you. Believe this and love my daughter as we both were there. Yours in life and death.
He sighed rubbing his eyebrows rather disturbed by the letter.
Newborn began to read the rest of the will at this time. “I, Agatha Washington, being of sound mind and body leave the remaining property not mentioned above in the sole ownership of Laskie Smith, my child born out of wedlock with Thomas Blair. In addition to this, I leave two million dollars to Ms Smith and a trust fund of one million to be divided up between any off springs she might have produced. Eight million dollars will then be dispersed in the Patterson Trust Fund that I have set up to proper individuals that cannot be identified publicly.” The will went on to accurately list the eleven holding all over the world that Ms Smith would obtain and in addition to this, the stocks of large billion dollar companies that would now be transferred to her name. Whoever this Ms Smith was now was a wealthy woman. So who was she? “In the event that Ms Smith has deceased the estate left to her will go to any and all siblings born before her only or her offspring. In the event there are no siblings or off springs alive, the estate will return to the law offices as permanent to the business, which then will go into the Newborn and Washington Scholarship fund.”
Thaddeus thought this rather strange. What did she mean by offspring before Laskie Smith? She was set upon not leaving her new husband or any of her children anything than what she had already given them. Maybe because she felt in her heart she was wrong to give them anything when she had not been a real mother in the beginning.
Guilt made people do crazy things. Agatha was feeling plenty guilty. He
prayed Thomas would have the chance of finding Laskie Smith before it was too late. Hopefully it wasn't.
Chapter 14
Frustrated she paced the room until Dr. Himes entered. He seemed almost disturbed as she was. Obviously he knew that she was seriously bothered. “The nurse has informed me you are not happy with the experimental birth control substance we have given you. Please tell me what is the problem?”
“What is the problem?!” she exclaimed almost hysterically. “I am completely thrown off track. I want my life back to normal. This ‘experimental drug’ is doing things to me that I don’t think I can handle at this point in my life. I just moved here, I am having these weird dreams about a man I don’t know—well I’ve briefly met..." She became flustered. “I-I... and I think I’m sleep walking. I’ve never done this before in my life. I don’t know how to feel or what to do. I can’t take it anymore.”
“Calm down, please,” he insisted. Pushing the intercom he called for Dr. Porter. He was very worried Skye would start becoming like the other patients and with her being the more successful one it would be a blow to their finances and plans. “Have a seat,” he urged.
“I don’t want to have a seat and I certainly don’t want to calm down.” She began to yank at her hair pulling large handfuls from her scalp and not caring about the pain. It was better than the mental pain. Anything was better than the mental pain. “I want you to get whatever you put in me OUT!” She was screaming at the top of her lungs and she couldn’t stop herself from yanking her hair until blood began to run down her forehead.
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