by Sloan Storm
I paused. He turned and looked at me.
“I’ve got to return to New York. I realize this is a trying time for you – your father hasn’t been gone for long. But, just like you have obligations to your racing team, I too have obligations of my own. If you want to work with our firm, I want you to know that you can trust me. We’ve shared something together. It’s not something I've ever done. I just want you to know that being with you had nothing to do with the agreement. If you don’t intend to sign with us, I’ll respect your decision, but I just wanted you to know that.”
My confession complete, Marco turned away. He remained still, leaning against the railing. He only broke his pose to bring his drink to his mouth and gulped down the remainder of his cocktail.
“Is there anything else you want to say, Dani?”
I rolled my eyes, thinking I’d already said much more than I should have.
Swallowing hard, I replied, “No.”
Marco eased himself into an upright position, turning to face me.
“Dani, if I didn’t think you had integrity, and further, that I could trust you, you wouldn’t be here right now.”
I sucked in my lower lip, pinching it between my teeth. Marco walked in my direction and I looked up at him. Darkness stretched across the sky now, covering us like a blanket. The only light came from inside his penthouse, hugging the angles of his square jaw.
“I haven’t made a decision about what I’m going to do, Dani. Like you said, I’ve got a lot going on right now. The reason I brought you here tonight was to let you know that what happened between us… It won’t be a factor in any decision I make.”
A breath of relief escaped from my mouth.
Marco continued. “I’m only going to tell you this one time. I don’t want to be pressured by you or anyone else in your firm about this decision. If I am, I can promise you that you won’t hear from me again. Is that clear?”
I nodded. “I understand. Please, take all the time you need to think it over. I’m available when, or if, you want to talk about it.”
He nodded, then gestured with his chin towards the interior of the penthouse.
“I’m assuming you brought the signature page with you?”
I did my best to conceal a hard swallow at the question. I’m not sure why it bothered me. After all, the way we’d just laid out everything between us… I really had no reason to feel uncomfortable about it. But, for some reason I can’t explain, I did.
“Mmm, hmm,” I muttered, nodding in return. “It’s in my purse.”
Marco didn’t say anything in response. He turned and headed inside. I watched him for a moment until at last, he turned and looked at me.
“Dani,” he said, gesturing for me to come inside. “It’s time for you to leave.”
And then, in that moment, I knew I’d blown the deal. What he said to me a few minutes earlier didn’t matter. The look on his face said it all. Even so, I decided it was better to go out with my head held high than to beg for forgiveness, even if losing this deal meant permanent damage to my career and my dreams. Less than a minute later, I walked inside and picked up my purse. I turned towards Marco, certain it was the last time I’d see him.
“Well…” I began, straightening the strap of my purse on my shoulder. “I guess I’ll be going.”
Marco frowned at me, it wasn’t a look of anger but confusion.
“What?” I asked.
“You said you had the signature page, Dani. Where is it?”
I returned his frown with one of my own.
“I-I um… I have it, I mean, I just thought that you… That we…”
Marco waved me off.
“What are you carrying on about? Do you have the signature page or not? Just give it to me.”
Confused, I slid my hand inside of my purse. A moment later, I pulled it out and passed it to him. Marco took it from me and spun it around, examining it for several seconds.
“Okay,” he muttered. “I’ll look this over in more detail and be in touch.”
I took that as my cue to leave. “All right.”
But, I didn’t go. I stood there. I wasn’t sure why really. I just didn’t want to leave.
“Anything else?” Marco asked, raising his eyebrows at me.
I’m not sure what I expected. A kiss? Maybe just a hug? But no, Marco stood there with a look of indifference on his face.
“No,” I began, shaking my head and wrapping my hand around the door knob. “Nothing else.”
DANI
It had been a few days since I arrived back in New York. I hadn’t heard anything from Marco regarding the agreement. Even so, I gave Bernard and Leopold enough information to keep them off my back - for the time being at least.
Since I returned home, my mother had called me three or four times, but I’d been so busy I hadn’t had a chance to call her back. It wasn’t something I enjoyed doing to begin with, for a variety of reasons. But she could be relentless, especially when she wanted something, which was most of the time. In any case, I’d finally run out of excuses. And so, after work, I plopped down on my couch and with a reluctant swipe across my phone’s display, I dialed her number.
She answered after the third ring.
“Well it’s about time you called.”
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “Don’t start with me, Mom. You’re lucky I'm calling at all.”
She ignored my scolding.
“Didn’t you get my messages, Dani?”
I ran my fingers through my hair, pausing long enough to grab a fistful of them in my hand.
I cleared my throat. “You mean the ones about Dad?”
“Yes, Dani,” my mother deadpanned. “The ones about your father.”
I exhaled. “Yeah, I got your messages. When is he scheduled to get the stent?”
“Well,” my mother began. “That’s just it. It turns out your father's arteries are too small for the stent procedure.”
I shrugged. “So, now what?”
“The doctors aren’t sure right now. They’re considering more drastic measures, maybe a bypass.”
“How did Dad take the news?”
“He’s not happy about it. The stent procedure would’ve been covered by insurance, but now it looks like whatever we do will have to come out of pocket.”
I pinched my lip between my teeth. “I see.”
While we talked, I stood and made my way into my bedroom. I sat down on the mattress and then lay down on top of it.
“That’s all you have to say, Dani?” my mother said, her voice taking on the tone she knew I hated. “Your father’s life is in jeopardy. He could die.”
With my head flat on the mattress, I shook it back and forth.
“I understand that Mom. I’m not an idiot.”
“Why do you always act like this, Dani?”
I snapped upwards, into a seated position.
“Why do I always act like what, Mom? Who’s kidding who here? You might as well just say what you want to say and get it over with. I really don’t have time to get into an argument with you.”
My mother puffed an angry breath into the receiver.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Dani.”
“Don’t give me that. You know exactly what I’m talking about Mom. I don't see why this is my responsibility.”
My mother cackled with laughter.
“Who said anything about this being your responsibility? That’s just like you. It’s always about you, isn’t it Dani?”
I shot to my feet.
“Me! How is this about me? I’m not stupid. I know that the only reason you’re calling is for money.”
“Dani,” my mother snarled. “The reason I’m calling is because your father is very ill. If we don’t do something and do it soon, there’s no telling what can happen.”
“There! Right there!” I exclaimed, smacking the outside of my thigh with my palm. “Who is the we that has to do something here?”
And then, almost on cue, my mom poured on the guilt.
“We’re a family, Dani. This is about taking care of each other. It’s about you doing your duty as a good daughter.”
“My duty!” I shrieked, balling up my free hand into a fist. “Why can’t Michael and Scott help out? Don’t my brothers have to do their duty also? Why is it always up to me? Always!”
My mother remained silent for a moment or two before a withering exhale sputtered from her lips.
“Dani, don’t be ridiculous,” she replied at last, her voice simmering with rage. “You know full well they have family obligations you don’t. They contribute in other ways.”
I scoffed.
“Give me a break, Mom. Really? In what ways do they contribute?”
“Well, for starters, they’ve given me beautiful grandbabies and grateful daughters-in-law. It’s nice to be appreciated, Dani.”
I reached up and ran my hand down my face, swiping the entire length of it with my palm. Before I could respond, my mother rambled once more.
“It’s about time you stop being so selfish, Dani. Now, we all let you run off to New York and do whatever it is you do but, it's time for you to come home and help this family. Enough is enough.”
I laughed out loud. I couldn’t believe what she was saying.
“Listen to yourself… You let me run off? You didn’t let me do anything, Mom. This is my life.”
I could hear my mom about to cut me off. I took the opportunity to do it to her first.
“No, no. No.” I growled, restraining myself with everything I had. “You’re going to listen to what I have to say or I’m going to hang up on you. Do you understand?”
My mother remained silent for a few seconds before muttering a response.
“Fine, Dani. Fine.”
“Mom, I am really tired of having the same conversation with you over and over and over. None of you have ever supported me in my career. Not you, not Dad, not my brothers… none of you.”
I paused, swallowing hard and trying to keep my emotions in check. I’d conditioned myself to keep my tears at bay where she was concerned. Even so, in a situation like this, she had to know how this news about my dad would affect me. Her manipulative behavior cut deeper than ever.
“But hey, you know what, Mom? I’m actually okay with all of that. It really doesn’t matter to me anymore what you think. I'm proud of myself and what I’ve been able to accomplish. And just because I didn’t want to stay at home in Pennsylvania and squeeze out grandbaby after grandbaby for you, that doesn't mean that I don’t care about what happens to Dad.”
My mother cut me off.
“Dani,” she said, exhaling like it took an immense toll on her. “If you cared, then you would help.”
“Ahhhhh!” I screamed, unable to stomach any more. “Didn’t you hear a word I just said? You know what? I’m done with this conversation. Done!”
My mother scoffed into the receiver.
“That’s about what I expected from you, Dani.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
My mother cleared her throat.
“I don’t know, Dani. Whatever you want it to mean I guess.”
I pulled the phone away from my face, hovering my finger and readying myself to disconnect the call. It was the last thing I wanted to deal with right now. Even so, something gnawed at me, preventing me from going through with it. I lifted the phone back to my ear and exhaled.
“Mom,” I began, running my fingers through my hair. “I’ve had to go out and fight for everything I have, everything. Meanwhile every time I turn around, you’ve got your hand out. I’m just sick and tired of it. Don't you understand?”
My mother wasted no time in responding.
“No I don’t, Dani. Not at all. You are so ungrateful. I don’t know how I failed you as a mother. When did you become such a nasty person?”
I froze in place, utterly still. There was no reasoning with her. We could go round and round like this for hours, hell, maybe days. Nearing the end of my tolerance for her drama, I exhaled and prepared to hang up.
This time, for good.
“I’m not sending you any money, Mom. I’m done helping people who don’t appreciate it, or me. If you need to talk to me about Dad, that’s fine but don’t call me like this again. Do you understand?”
My mother groaned.
“Dani, someday when your father and I are gone you’re going to be sorry you ever acted this way. Given the way you behave, I’m not surprised you're still single and…”
That was it!
I hung up on her, slamming my phone down on the nightstand next to my bed.
“God dammit!”
Shaking my head and biting my lip, I paced back and forth across my bedroom for several minutes. In spite of non-stop arguing with them over the years, I’d always hoped that my parents would somehow come to respect the chances I took in life and the things I achieved because of it. I plopped down on the edge of my bed. With my elbows on my knees, I dropped my head into my hands. This was absolutely the last thing I needed right now.
Everything with Marco was up in the air. It was only a matter of time before Bernard and Leopold hounded me again about getting the deal done. And, in spite of my anger towards my mother for her behavior, I felt terrible for my dad.
For several minutes I sat there, mulling over my options. The truth was that I didn’t really have any. Things were shitty and not getting better anytime soon. At last, I stood from my bed and made my way towards the bathroom to shower. I still had a long night ahead and no time to waste feeling sorry for myself.
DANI
In spite of my maddening conversation with my mother, I managed to get myself together enough so that I was only about fifteen minutes late that night. The good news was, I knew I’d still be early. If there was one thing that was true about my friend Chloe Baxter, it's that she measured being on time by hours instead of minutes.
I sat at our usual table. When I first came to New York years earlier, we ate together here frequently. After catching up with some of the staff, I’d just taken my first sip of Chardonnay when I saw her enter the restaurant. Looking in her direction, I waved. Chloe smiled and waved back before she turned her attention to the hostess, hugging her. On the way to the table, she stopped and did the same with the bartender, until at last she walked towards me.
“Oh my God, Dani,” she began, shuffling her feet rapidly in my direction and extending her arms outward for a hug. “I totally didn't think you were going to come out tonight!”
I stood from my seat and we hugged. Moments later, she leaned away from me. With her hands wrapped around my upper arms, Chloe frowned.
“What’s wrong? What’s going on?”
I shook my head. I didn’t even know where to begin.
“I don’t want to talk about it right now.”
Chloe pushed her lower lip out, exaggerating a pout. I waved her off and sat down, changing the subject immediately.
“Tell me what’s happening with you.”
Chloe flung her blonde hair away from her face with a quick flip. Her blue eyes sparkled with eagerness. She slapped the tabletop with her palms of her hands, pressing them flat and leaning towards me.
“Oh my God… Oh. My. God. I didn’t tell you. Did I?”
I eased back in my chair and picked up my wine glass, shaking my head.
“Tell me what?”
“My show, you know, for my collection… It’s back on!”
“That’s amazing!” I began, smiling to the best of my ability. “How did that happen? I thought the whole thing got canceled.”
“Yeah like, I mean, it did, but it didn’t – well, not really.”
After taking another sip of my wine, I put the glass on the table. “What? You’re not making any sense right now, Chloe.”
“Right, sorry. It was the sponsors you know? Something happened, I mean, I don’t really know what, not exactly or anything. But anywa
y, the only thing I know is the show is back on, and I am super excited! I’m freaking out!”
My former roommate was a budding fashion designer. They say opposites attract in romantic relationships, but where Chloe and I were concerned the same held true for our friendship.
Even though we couldn’t have been more different from each other, we clicked from the moment we met. Most of the time, I didn’t envy my friend’s Bohemian lifestyle but at times like this when my own existence seemed like an anchor around my neck, her free spiritedness brightened the dark cloud gathering in my mind.
“That’s wonderful, Chloe. I’m so happy for you.”
While I spoke, the waitress dropped off Chloe’s cocktail.
“Thanks babe,” Chloe said, looking up at the server.
She immediately turned her attention back to me.
“You know I’m not going to let you leave here without telling me what’s going on with you, Dani. You know that right? Right?”
I kept my eyes fixed on her until she finished speaking. Once she did, I looked away.
“You see, you see!” she began, putting her drink on the table and pointing at me. “Something is obviously wrong, Dani. Why are you being so weird about it?”
I exhaled.
“I’m not being weird. There’s just nothing to say.”
Chloe leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms and glaring at me.
“What?” I said.
She tilted her head downward, lowering her chin towards her chest. She thinned her lips and shook her head at the same time. We sat there in a stalemate, looking at each other for several seconds. I knew her well enough to know that I’d never get out of here without telling her something.
“I really don’t know what you want me to say. It’s just… I've got a lot going on, that’s all. Nothing more.”
Chloe uncrossed her arms and dropped them into her lap.
“Uh, Dani,” she groaned. “I’m not stupid. Obviously, you have a lot going on. You always do! What I don’t understand is why you won’t tell me about it.”
The safest story to tell her would be the one about my argument with Mom. Chloe was familiar with the friction I dealt with there. Telling her about what was happening with Marco on the other hand – I shuddered to think about it.