I replayed her words in my head just to make sure I’d not misheard her.
“Livvy?”
The touch of concern in her voice was sweet. “Uhm, I can report back to work Monday morning,” I said.
“Okay, you can postpone your meetings and take a short break from your other duties. As for your studies, I’d recommend video chats since it’ll be inappropriate to take your professors back home with you. But if you want to spend the entire time with your family and put off your studies for a few days, it’s all up to you.”
If she was trying to make me love her even more, she’d flawlessly succeeded. “You have no idea how much this means to me, thank you so much.”
She smiled and said, “You have nothing to thank me for. Now, tomorrow morning, James will take you directly to the airstrip. I’ll give you the pilot’s information so that you can communicate about the travel arrangements. If your brother wants to come along, you can ask him to join you.”
She was being so kind and generous. Did she really expect me not to fall for her? Even if I hadn’t emotionally been there yet, this was a battle I would’ve lost. I was no match for her. She knew how to go after my heart.
I could have said the words right there and then, but I enjoyed being with her too much to spoil it. I think that was also why I didn’t want to tell her about what Greg had discovered. I didn’t want to risk losing her.
“Better?” she asked with that effortless upward curve of her lips.
“Much, much better,” I said.
“Good,” she said.
I wanted to go around that large desk and kiss her, but there was a reason for boundaries. So I got to my feet and walked out of her office with my spirits high. I couldn’t wait to call home and tell them I was going.
I considered telling Greg to go back with me because once I left him in St. Paul, he wouldn’t cause me any more trouble in New York, but traveling there in my boss’ private jet was only going to fuel his suspicions so I decided against it.
“I know it’s late, I just needed to talk to someone,” I said to Rex over the phone later on that night after I got home from my studies.
“Hey, you can call me anytime, you know that,” he said.
“I had a big fight with my brother last night,” I said, and shortly after, filled him in on what had happened.
“He thinks you’re having an affair with Mr. Gallagher?” he asked in disbelief.
I’d put Rex on my cell phone’s loudspeaker and I was lying back on the couch blankly scrolling through a textbook. “I’m worried he might do something stupid.”
“Have you told Mrs. Gallagher?”
“I can’t.”
“So how’re you going to handle this?”
I groaned and closed the textbook, placing it over my chest. “I don’t know.”
“You know him best, what do you think he wants? How do you think he’ll use the information against you?”
The most likely thing was extortion, but if I gave him money, he was going to confirm his suspicions and I was constantly going to keep on paying him off. I couldn’t do that. “I can’t even think about that right now, Rex. My dad is my number one priority. Mrs. Gallagher told me I could use her private jet to go home for a few days and see him.”
“Hey, I have an idea.”
“What?” I said, closing my eyes as I massaged my temple with my fingertips.
“How about I come with you?”
I sat up at his suggestion. “What about your painting and school?”
“They’ll still be here when I get back.”
I smiled. “Are you serious? You’d come to St. Paul with me?”
“Yeah, you’re going through a hard time and you can use a friend.”
“Oh, Rex, that will be great.”
“Good, I’m going to start packing right now,” he said, reminding me that I needed to do the same.
“Shit, me too,” I said. “Okay, listen, we’re leaving tomorrow sometime around ten. The flight is about two hours, and we’re getting back on Sunday evening.”
“Okay, no problem.”
We hang up, hoping to resume the conversation the following day. I had already called the pilot and made all the necessary arrangements. I hadn’t called my parents because I wanted to surprise them and much as I resented my brother, I was looking forward to seeing how big my nephew, Riley, had gotten.
Greg’s girlfriend, Sandra, and I had a bit of a tense relationship but we always tried to get along. She was devoted to Greg for reasons I couldn’t understand but I hadn’t seen or spoken to her in a while, so I didn’t know if her relationship with my brother had changed.
James picked up Rex from his place before he came to get me the following day. My body was already agitated because my daily routine had been tampered with, but I was excited to know I was going home to see my parents.
“Oh, my goodness!” Rex said when we entered the airplane.
I went and settled down on my seat as he moved around, looking at the beautiful and extravagant piece of aircraft. If I hadn’t already traveled in Mrs. Gallagher’s private jet, I would’ve been as impressed as he was.
“When I’m rich and famous, I’m getting one of these,” he said as he moved from one seat to another. “This is her private jet?”
I nodded, leaning back on my seat as I watched him in amusement. “One of many, there’s a bedroom back there,” I said, pointing to the back.
“Nooo!” he said in disbelief as he got to his feet and leapt to the back.
I laughed to myself, waiting for takeoff.
“It even has a shower! Did you know that?” he asked in excitement.
“I knew,” I said, eager to get home and see my parents.
“This is awesome,” Rex said when he came to settle down right across from me.
“I know. Mrs. Gallagher is very generous.”
“No wonder you’re in love with her,” he said.
“Hey!” I sat up and turned to him. “Don’t just throw that around,” I said.
“Was I supposed to whisper it? There’s no one here,” he said in a low voice as he scanned the area.
“It’s just that…” I leaned back on the seat and stretched out my feet. “I haven’t fully confronted it yet, that’s all.”
When we took off, he came and sat right next to me. “What do you think she’d do or say if you told her?” he asked.
“Told her that I’ve fallen in love with her?”
He nodded.
“Seeing as she’s already expressed that nothing could ever come of this, my most likely guess would be that she’d end it.”
“I know there’s a lot going on and a lot to consider, but I think she cares about you a little more than you want to make yourself believe.” He gestured at the aircraft.
I was glad he was going home with me. He’d finally get to meet my parents and know where I lived.
I was thinking about my house and wondering if anything had changed back home when the flight attendant came to serve us breakfast. I didn’t have an appetite since I wasn’t used to eating anything in the morning, so Rex ate while I indulged in a nice hot cup of coffee.
“How long has it been since you were last there?” Rex asked.
“Almost two years,” I said in a bit of shame.
“Wow, that’s a long time.”
“I know. It’s no wonder they haven’t been telling me what’s been going on.”
“I doubt that’s their reasoning.”
“It’s not, but deep down I can’t help feel like it is. When Greg and I were fighting the other day, he said something that I can’t stop thinking about. He said that I forgot I left my family behind.”
“But you didn’t, Liv.”
“Every time I think about it, I keep telling myself the same thing. But he said something that made sense. No amount of money will help bridge the distance I’ve created between me and my parents.”
“It’s not like you chose to li
ve that way. Liv, everything has just started coming together for you. The moment you were in a position to help, you did.”
“If something serious were to happen to either one of your parents, how long do you suppose it’d take for the news to reach you?”
He looked thoughtful for a moment, and then he placed his hand over mine on the armrest. “They love you and you may not like to hear this, but I think their reasons were valid.”
I pulled my hand away. “How can you say that?” I thought he understood me.
“Liv, put yourself in their position. They saved up for your education and halfway through, the expenses became so increasingly much, they were unable to continue doing so which forced you to go out, find work, and pay for yourself. As a parent, wouldn’t you want to focus on what helps rather than what doesn’t?”
I wanted to be upset but he made a lot of sense.
“I’ve been so busy putting my life together, it didn’t occur to me that I had other people counting on me,” I said.
“Hey, they’re not your responsibility. They’re your parents. Their job is to take care of you, to protect you and that’s exactly what they’ve done.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep calming breath. Rex was being a friend. He was delivering the hard truth in the best way he knew how. I couldn’t help wonder how my parents would treat him.
“I didn’t have any close friends growing up so my parents have never met anyone of importance to me before. I’m telling you this because I don’t know what’s going to happen when we get there.”
Rex laughed softly. “Don’t worry. Parents love me.”
He was a great guy and I had no doubt my parents would love him. The problem was, they were most likely going to think he was my boyfriend. “Rex, you don’t understand.”
“What?”
“They might assume we’re together, like a couple.”
He laughed nervously, “So, I’ll be your beard.”
“My beard?”
“You know, your pretend boyfriend to divert suspicion.”
“Are you being serious right now?”
“What? I’m not good enough to play your boyfriend?”
I chuckled. “Actually, that’s a great idea.” Just incase Greg ever mentioned my alleged affair with Mr. Gallagher, my parents would already be aware of Rex, the guy I was supposedly dating.
Ugh, I wished I could come out to them and tell them the truth. I hated having to lie but I was afraid of how they’d take it if they ever knew.
What if they rejected me and turned their back on me? They were the only family I had. I couldn’t lose them. Not over something as trivial as my sexuality.
There was no need to tell them. We lived two states apart. I could go on pretending. It wasn’t hurting anyone.
When we arrived, it was a little past noon. We got a cab and in half an hour, we were stopping right outside my house. Nothing seemed to have changed. My parents had bought the house in the late nineties and my dad had beautifully renovated it with some help from Greg.
The landscaping on the yard had improved, which I assumed was my mom’s doing since she loved gardening and the house had a bit of a rustic look that gave it an overall lovely appearance.
It was a contemporary four-bedroom maisonette, with three bathrooms, a dining room, a living room with a fireplace and a kitchen that featured a nice breakfast area. The windows offered the lovely view of the area and one of the lakes in the neighborhood.
Rex and I walked up the entrance and opened the door. The high level of security in the area made homeowners a little reckless because they never felt the need to lock their doors.
When we entered into the foyer, which offered access to the living room and dining room, the familiar scent of the house embraced me and I took a deep breath, smiling at the welcoming feeling of being home.
“Nice place,” Rex said.
“Oh, my God! Livvy, is that you?”
I heard my mom’s voice before I could respond to Rex.
“What’re you doing here?” She asked when I turned to face her. Her unchanging graceful face was a sight for sore eyes.
I walked over to her and she took me in her arms. A warm sensation went through me and I tightened my hold on her. God, I’d missed her.
“I wanted to see you guys. I’ve missed you so much.”
We pulled apart and she looked at me as she slowly ran her hands over my face. “We’ve missed you too. You look wonderful.” She pulled me back in her embrace and I held back tears. “It’s so good to see you. I can’t believe you’re really here. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
“It was a last-minute trip and I wanted to surprise you guys.”
“You seem to have succeeded,” she said.
“Oh, I’d like you to meet Rex. Rex, this is my mother,” I said.
“It’s lovely to meet you, Mrs. Williams.”
They shook hands.
“It’s nice to meet you too,” Mom said.
“Oh, where’s dad?” I asked in excitement.
“In his study. Go see him, he’ll be very happy to see you,” she said as she let go of my hand.
“You have a beautiful home, Mrs. Williams.” I heard Rex say as I went in search of my father.
I didn’t want to startle him so I gently knocked on the door and walked in a second later. When his gaze met mine, I saw shock register on his face and a moment later, he got to his feet and approached me.
“Dear Lord! I’m I dreaming?” he asked.
I met him halfway and stopped when we were standing just inches apart. “You’re not dreaming, dad. I’m really here,” I said.
He exhaled and I jumped in his arms. For some reason I felt like a little girl again and tears streamed down my face at the reminder of his delicate condition.
“What are you doing here?” he asked over my shoulder.
“I was worried. I had to come see you,” I said.
We slowly pulled apart. “What about your work?”
“It’s fine. I took some time off.”
He pecked my cheek and closed his hand over mine as we headed back to the living room where my mother and Rex were.
“Judy, look who’s here,” he said with a smile on his face.
“I know, Robert. Isn’t it a wonderful surprise?”
“Dad, this is Rex. We go to school together,” I said.
“You have an exceptional daughter, Sir,” Rex said as shook my dad’s hand.
“I’ll go make some tea,” Mom said.
We sat down and much as I didn’t want to bring it up so soon, I had to ask. “Dad, how are you doing?”
“I’m fine, honey. You shouldn’t worry yourself.”
I couldn’t help it. I was going to take him to the hospital later on to make sure everything was fine. I hoped he wouldn’t refuse to go with me because he could be stubborn at times. “Two heart attacks and a stroke are the exact kinds of things I should worry about.”
“The doctor said I’m fine,” he said.
“For my peace of mind, can I please take you for a checkup?” I said.
My mom came back to the room. She had a bit of a worried expression, but when she looked at me, it disappeared. It felt like they were hiding something from me.
“I was just at the hospital the other day,” he said.
“Please, Dad. Do this for me,” I said pleadingly.
He tightened his jaw and reluctantly nodded. “Tomorrow, not today,” he said.
“Honey, where’s Greg? Shouldn’t he have come back with you?” mom asked.
“He said he wanted to try out his luck in New York,” I said.
“Try out his luck doing what?” Dad asked.
Exploiting my situation, I wanted to say. “I don’t know.”
“Is he okay?” mom asked.
I shared a look with Rex and nodded. “He’s fine.”
We spent the next few hours talking and catching up. I told them how I was doing in school but
failed to mention I had private professors. I told them I had a great job working for Mrs. Gallagher but didn’t go into detail about it.
They got to know a little bit about Rex and I could tell from the way they looked at him and treated him, they thought there was more between us than friendship.
Later on, I went to help my mom prepare a late lunch while Rex bonded with my dad.
“Where’s Sandra and Riley?” I asked.
“Sandra works at a grocery store in town and Riley is in school.”
“Sandra got a job?”
“Yes, when Riley started kindergarten,” she said.
That was good. It meant they were less reliant on my parents.
“What does Greg do when he’s here?”
“Some odd jobs here and there,” she said.
I didn’t know what I’d expected to hear. Later on after lunch, I showed Rex to the guest bedroom and shortly after, I went up to my room to freshen up.
Everything was just as I had left it. My bed, the desk I’d used for my homework, the closet with old clothes that no longer fit and the bathroom. It wasn’t much and the room wasn’t that big but when I’d lived there, that small room had been my universe.
I’d never known my life would come to change quite so drastically. If I had never started working for Mrs. Gallagher, my world would have still been that small.
I ran a quick bath and after changing into warm comfortable clothes, I called my professors to inform them how we’d conduct our next three sessions.
When I was done, I found Rex downstairs looking through the framed family pictures which were hanging on one side of the living room wall.
“Look at how adorable you were as a kid,” he said, pointing to a picture of me when I’d been ten.
I went over to him and scanned the wall. My parents had added new pictures of Riley and Sandra. Riley must have been four or five. He’d been very young the last time I’d seen him. I couldn’t wait to see him when he got back from kindergarten.
“Let’s go for a walk,” I suggested.
I wanted to show him the neighboring lake which was a walking distance away.
The neighboring houses were some distance apart so it was hard to know the people living on the same street but after years of living in the same house, my parents had gotten to know most of them.
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