Uncorked
Page 19
“Don’t turn this around on me. At a time in your life when you were hurting and I should have been there, you shut me out. Everyone else was allowed to be there to visit you and love you and care for you and you took that away from me. And don’t even think about telling me this was for my safety. There were armed police there around the clock. I would have been just as safe there as at the penthouse, if not safer.”
“I did what I thought was best.”
“How would you have felt after the explosion if I didn’t want to see you? You know how helpless I felt? You don’t need me in your life. You made that abundantly clear, and it’s all rooted in the fact that you don’t trust me.”
“That’s not true. I wasn’t looking at it from that perspective.”
“Mitch, you were almost killed, in a manner that was very similar to the way my parents died, I might add. You were unconscious for hours. Do you have any idea how scary that was? And within an hour of regaining consciousness, you ask me to leave. You made me feel just as helpless as the day my parents died. Caught up in a pile of metal knowing I’m alive and not being able to do a damn thing to save a loved one.” A tear slid down her cheek then another and another.
“I’m so sorry,” he said walking over to her. He tried to embrace her, but she pushed him away.
“I can’t be around you right now. I’m sorry. I want to be alone.”
“Chella, please don’t. Let’s talk about this.”
“I don’t want to talk. Please go.”
He kissed her lightly on the cheek and left.
Earlier in the day when Mitch had spoken to Chella, he thought she might have been overreacting. He realized now this went much deeper. Five days ago in the hospital, he had wanted to protect her. Instead, he had opened up old wounds of hers that never healed. She was more scared than angry and the distance she wanted between them was her way of protecting herself.
Whether he wanted to admit it or not, she was right about so many things. He wasn’t ready to talk about family issues of the past, but if he wanted to keep her in his life, he would have no choice but to tell her everything. For now, though, she needed space. She had left him with no choice. He had to stay away.
He returned home later that night to find that his mother had left. He was disappointed, but she had made her choice.
The following Friday, Chella thought she and Mitch needed to talk. She missed him. They spoke every day since he last visited her at her new place, but they hadn’t seen each other in four days. She went to the office that day to oversee photo shoots for her promotion. She planned to stop by and surprise him once she had wrapped up for the day.
The taxi driver followed her ridiculous instructions around the city to ensure she wasn’t being followed. She was a little nervous on the elevator ride to the penthouse, unsure of what their meeting would be like.
As the elevator door opened to the foyer, the entry door was slightly ajar. Inside, she heard voices. A woman’s voice.
“What makes you think you have the right to come into my life after all these years and make that kind or request?” Mitch shouted.
Chella pushed open the door and walked in.
Mitch stood wearing a suit with his back to her and a woman stood opposite him. They appeared to be in a heated argument.
“Mitch, what’s going on?” Chella asked calmly.
He turned and froze in place for a second. His piercing eyes expanded at the sight of her. “Chella.”
“I thought we could talk,” she replied. “It looks like now’s not a good time.”
He took her hand, led her to the foyer and shut the door behind him. “Chella, I’m sorry. You have really bad timing.”
“I can see that.”
“That woman is my sister.”
“Your what? You never told me you had a sister.”
“I met them today.”
“Them?”
“The other one is in the bathroom. They’re twins. Chell, I have to deal with this. I’ll tell you everything later.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I’ll be fine. Pissed off, but I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?” she asked with great concern.
“Yes. Don’t worry. I’ll be okay.”
“I’ll be home if you need me.”
“You can wait in my room if you like.”
“No. I’ll give you your privacy. You know where to find me when you’re ready.”
“Let me call you a cab to come pick you up.”
“I can handle it,” she said with a slight smile then kissed him on the cheek. “We’ll talk later.”
When Mitch returned inside, both sisters awaited him. Simone was the more aggressive of the two; she managed to forget everything her father did to his mother. Olivia was more compassionate and quiet. She allowed her sister to do most of the talking.
“As I was saying, you two don’t get to show up in my life and make these requests.”
“But he’s your father,” Simone replied, glaring at him with the same hazel-green eyes.
“I don’t have a father.”
“How could you say that?” she asked, as if surprised by his comment.
“That man you’re so eager to call my father ruined my mother’s life. All he is to me is a sperm donor.”
“You can call him that if you want but if it weren’t for him you wouldn’t be alive.”
“Are you kidding me? You want me to be thankful to the man who violently raped my mother? The two of you have a helluva lot of gall.”
“He’s really sorry for that,” Olivia said softly, unable to look Mitch in the eye.
“Right. Sorry. You know what’s worse? The two of you have known about me for seven years. Not once did you try to contact me, and now that you want something from me, you conveniently know how to find me.”
“My dad didn’t want us to disrupt your life,” Simone shouted.
“Your father has been one big disruption my whole life.”
“He’s been a wonderful father to us.” Olivia said, looking into Mitch’s eyes.
“Congratulations. Good for you. At least some of us were fortunate.”
“I know you’re angry with us, but you’re our last hope,” Olivia stared at him with pleading eyes.
“If you two expect me to hop in a car and go to the hospital with you and say ‘Here, take my bone marrow, have as much as you want’ you all are completely out of your mind.”
“Yes or no?” Simone gestured her hands in front of him.
“Give him some time,” Olivia said to her sister, physically pulling her away from Mitch.
“Get the hell out, and don’t come back again, or I’ll have you both arrested for trespassing,” he said coldly, pointing them to the door.
“Please help us,” Olivia said softly, tears in her eyes. “You’re our only hope.”
“I’m sorry, Olivia. I can’t do this right now. Please leave.”
“We’ll leave our numbers in case you change your mind,” Simone replied, flipping her long, jet-black hair over her shoulder. She placed two cards on the island and headed out the door.
Hours later, Mitch sat with Chella on her patio.
“So these two girls are my father’s daughters with his wife.”
“You never wanted to talk about your dad. What’s going on?”
“He’s not my dad. He’s my father,” Mitch replied angrily. “And I really didn’t want to talk about this or have him in my life, but they won’t let me forget he exists.”
“Mitch, you’re going to have to tell me what’s going on. There’s no way I can understand if you continue to alienate me from your life. How can I give you the support you need if you continue to push me away?”
“I’m sorry I made you feel that way. It wasn’t my intention. Things were really dicey between us. I thought it would complicate things.”
“I’m sorry, too.”
He embraced her, apologizing repeatedly. He was so disappoi
nted with himself, but now he had to go through the long arduous task of telling her something about his past, something so personal only he and his mom knew.
“Chella, my mom was raped. I am the result of that rape.”
Her eyes closed as she listened to his words. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what to say.”
“That’s pretty much how I felt my whole life. I love my mother dearly, and I’m thankful to her for bringing me into this world, but the violent way I was conceived is something so difficult to deal with.”
“Do you know your father?”
“I met him once. It wasn’t pretty.”
“What about your mom? How does she feel about him? Did she know him?”
“He was her best friend—or so she thought. She felt hurt, betrayed, lost, angry, thankful. She says I’m the best thing that ever happened to her. She has all the normal feelings you’d expect someone to have in that situation, but she has feelings of gratefulness, as well.”
“Oh my God. Did she tell you about him growing up?”
“No. I was always curious about my father, but she never wanted to talk about him. So when I was sixteen, unbeknownst to her, I started digging around myself. I got a private investigator involved. That was when I found out she had been raped in college. I found her yearbook, dug through some of her personal stuff, and connected the dots.”
“Did you confront her about it?”
“Not at first. I didn’t want to remind her of such a painful experience. But then it started eating me up inside, and after a few years of getting into fights at high school then college—serious fights—I told her I knew.”
“I’m so sorry.” Chella’s chest ached. She heard the pain in his voice as he relayed the details to her.
“One day I came home from school, and I heard voices as I entered the house. When I saw the man talking to her, I recognized him as my father from the pictures that the P.I. provided me. I thought he was there to hurt my mother, so I beat him, badly. So badly my mom couldn’t get me off him. She called the police, and they pried me off him. He was badly injured. He never pressed charges against me. Later, my mom told me he came to apologize. He didn’t know my mom had gotten pregnant. She transferred to another university after the rape. He tried to reach out to me, but I told him I didn’t want him in my life and to stay away from my mother.”
“How did your mom feel about the whole situation?’
“She forgave him.”
Chella gasped.
“She used to love him. It might have been as best friends, but, nevertheless, love.”
“This is unreal.” Chella replied in utter shock.
“I wish I could get to a place of forgiveness, but it’s been hard. I don’t know where or how to start.”
“So how do your sisters fit into this?”
“A few weeks before my car accident, I started getting phone calls from them. They left messages at the office with Greta. Their names are Olivia and Simone. They’re twenty-one-year-old twins. They told Greta they were my sisters and they wanted to meet with me, but I wasn’t ready. I was still getting over the situation with Aaron. It reminded me of how angry I got that day with my father. I also wasn’t sure I wanted to meet them or have them involved in my life. Despite the fact that I didn’t respond or take their calls, they continued to send me emails, letters and voice messages. This afternoon, they ambushed me in the elevator when I was coming in from the office.”
“Does Liz know?”
“No. Earlier this week I realized I let this situation interfere with our relationship by not confiding in you. I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry, too, but I appreciate you telling me now,” she replied, cracking a slight smile.
“So this is my dilemma. My father is really sick, he might even die, and he wants my forgiveness. He wants to make things right with me. How, I’m not sure, but my sisters are begging me to get tested to see if I’m a match for the bone marrow transplant he needs to survive.”
“Wow, this is some heavy stuff. How do you feel?”
“Chella, I think I’ve gone through about every emotional experience there is on the face of the earth. I never thought I could go through such a myriad of emotions on one single topic.”
“I guess that means you don’t know what you’re going to do.”
“I have no clue. My feelings change from one hour to the next.”
“I’m here if you need me.”
With a bit of a chuckle, he replied, “Thank you, Chell. I almost forgot what a supportive girlfriend I have in my corner. I’m so sorry I didn’t confide in you sooner. If I had, all this pain I’ve put you through could have been avoided.”
He captured her face in his hands and kissed her on the lips.
Slipping her arms around him, she returned his kisses, at first gently then becoming more and more urgent.
“I’ve missed you,” he remarked, trailing kisses on her cheeks and throat.
“I’ve missed you, too,” she replied, returning his kisses fervently. “Maybe you should take a few days away from everyone to think about it. I’ll be okay.”
“Sounds like a great idea. I’ll go on one condition.”
“What’s that?” she asked curiously.
“Come with me. I really miss you. I want to spend some time alone with you, too. Furthermore, you’re a huge part of my life, even though I might not have acted like it recently. I can’t make this decision without your input.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’ve never been more sure about anything.”
“Count me in then.”
After a ninety-minute plane ride, Mitch and Chella drove through the rolling hills of Napa Valley.
With this new and unexpected drama that had been forced into their lives, the trip seemed to be exactly what they needed. Hundred-acre vineyards on gently sloping hills escorted them all the way. The clean-scented air and the cool breezes sweeping through the vehicle gave Chella goose bumps.
When they arrived at the hotel, the sun was setting behind the mountains, overlooking what appeared to be perfect rows of grape vines. Reflections of bright yellow and orange flooded the hills and bird songs surrounded them. Mitch leaned on the hood of the car and engulfed Chella in his muscular arms. They watched the brilliance of Mother Nature unfold before their eyes.
Mitch had booked them a lovely hotel room with beautiful views of the Napa River. After a shower, they attended a wine and cheese party at a nearby winery. Mitch sampled his favorite red Opus One and Chella tasted a few fruity white wines.
“Thank you so much for this, Mitch,” Chella whispered.
“Sweetie, I had to do it for us. We haven’t been spending quality time together. I think we both needed a change of scenery.”
The next day, Mitch and Chella went on a thrilling hot air balloon ride over Napa, rode down a river in a canoe, took a walk down to the jetty by the river and spoke about everything under the full moon and stars of the night.
The following morning, Chella ordered them breakfast before Mitch woke up. She set everything out on the patio that overlooked the river. The crisp smell of the morning and the scent of sausages, pancakes and croissants enveloped the air. She sensed Mitch behind her in the doorway, and as she turned to look, his strong arms surrounded her. Before she could say a word, he kissed her passionately.
“I’m really glad we came up here this weekend,” said Chella. “It was great to get away.”
“Thanks for coming with me. I can tell you’ve been thinking. Penny for your thoughts?”
“You. I’ve been thinking about you and your predicament.”
“Me, too. I’m so indecisive. Any ideas?”
“I think you should go see him. Hear him out.”
“Why? So he can make excuses for what he did?”
“It doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to ever see him again after that or give him your bone marrow, but start with a visit and see where things go from there.”
“You’re letting him have too much power over you. It looks like someone doesn’t take his own advice,” she replied, smiling at him.
“Maybe you’re right. We’ll see.”
“Do your sisters know everything? Do they know about Liz and the rape?”
“Yes, they do. They say he is a wonderful father to them. I’m assuming at some point they got over any negative feelings they had, because they told me they’d do anything to keep their dad alive.”
“Mitch, I’m so sorry.”
“A part of me wants to help them, a part of me wants to punish him. And I hate to admit it, but a part of me is curious. I see a devil in my head right now, but I want to see what they see. They went through such lengths to talk to me.”
“It’s a decision only you can make.”
“How do you feel about the bone marrow transplant?”
“Whatever you choose, I will support you. I want to make sure that it’s a safe procedure, you’re not putting your life in danger and there aren’t any adverse effects. I want you to be happy and healthy and safe. I want my boyfriend back in one piece. That’s all I care about. If giving him your bone marrow will make you happy, that’s great. If not, I’ll support you on that, too. The best advice I can give you is to let your conscience be your guide.”
“You know what, Chell? I’ll take your advice. Maybe we can go see my father tomorrow after we get back home?”
“We?”
“Yes, we. I’d like you to come with me.”
“If that’s what you want.”
“I do, and there’s one other thing.”
“What’s that?”
“You, for the rest of today, in that bed.”
She giggled, threw her dress over her head and jumped onto the bed. They spent the rest of the day there, leaving only twice to answer the door when room service arrived at lunch and dinner.
After landing in San Diego early Sunday morning, they rented a car and headed to see Mitch’s father at his mountain home an hour away. Lake Cuyamaca and the stunning mountain views greeted them. Hand in hand, they made their way to the home’s entrance up a slight incline. A woman answered the door, introducing herself as Theresa, Jude Waters’ wife. She directed them to the end of a hallway where his father’s room was located.