by Laura Domino
The perfect place for their first date was definitely the Blueberry Bakery. Therefore, he’d need to bring with him everything that was lacking in their favorite restaurant.
It was time to pick out flowers at the biggest flower shop in town and hopefully get some unusually pretty ones. He could borrow a few candles from his mom so the table setting at the restaurant would have some ambiance. Mom wouldn’t mind, and she’d have a tablecloth to loan him too.
No. That was too much. He was overthinking it. Probably all he needed to get was a small arrangement of flowers. Something she could put on a table at her place. She’d look at those fresh flowers before she left for work and right as she got home. She would be thinking of him whenever she saw those flowers. A card?
No card. Nobody gives a card for a first date. He was losing his mind over her.
At least he should run by the mall and buy a new shirt. Of course, he wanted to look his best. Nothing wrong with that.
Adam looked down at his phone ringing on the table. It was Dan.
This was not the time to be dealing with Dan and his mom. He had a first date to plan.
But he couldn’t ignore him, either.
“Hello?”
“Adam. I need to talk. Can you come by and see me today?” His voice sounded more feeble than before. It sounded like they had given him some drugs.
“What’s the problem? Do you need me to bring something?”
“I want to see you today. When can you get here?”
It might be rude to put him off until after his date with Benita. Dan would be happy for him to be on a date. Benita made Dan smile every time she was there, except once. But something in Dan’s voice made Adam think it was urgent. “I can be there in a few minutes.”
XOXO
At work, Benita hung up her office phone. It seemed she was the only person not talking about the Astros’ win last night. So many at work had told of their baseball parties and about how they celebrated last night when the Astros won their first ever World Series game.
This could be a long series. Best of seven.
At least she was being thanked by the people who asked her to stay on the phone with them, working out a glitch while they croaked through their hoarseness from last night’s screaming.
That meant they knew she could solve problems. The boss liked her good reputation. Her intern liked it. The two secretaries in the hallway even liked it. However, people kept interrupting her flow. With all the distractions, it was a wonder she got anything done.
She hung up her office phone and saw Robert peer through her doorway.
He gave a quick two-tap knock on her door frame and walked in. “So? How’s your day going?” His smile, broad and bright, was only outshined by the orange bow tie at his neck.
“Where did you get the Astros tie, Robert?”
“It was a gift. My wife wasn’t able to get us tickets to any of the World Series games. Too darn expensive. So she gave me a tie instead. I’m not sure if she bought it or made it. I didn’t see any tags. But I feel so loved.”
“What did you come by my office to gloat about?”
“I would never.” He frowned. “Shame on you for thinking that. Really, Benita. I just came by to chat.”
“Chat?”
“I’m so glad the Astros won last night. I can’t wait for the game tomorrow night. I’m going to have so much fun tomorrow, you know, after the presentation that I’m doing. You know, the big presentation. I’ll tell you all about it on Monday.”
“Thanks, Robert.”
He made an effort to be obvious about noticing her clothing. “And Miss Benita, why aren’t you wearing orange today?”
“Didn’t have an orange dress in the closet.”
“You were afraid to wear it because you would look too much like a tigress?” He laughed in an off-hand way, not trying to be insulting.
“Tigress?” That wasn’t even a word he used. “Robert, are you trying to provoke me?”
“No. Of course not.” He scanned her desk with shifty eyes, holding back the truth of his visit. Something had gone wrong, and he wasn’t saying what it was.
“Robert? What did you do?”
“It’s not what I did.” He turned to look behind him. “Gotta go.” He slipped away like a shadow at sunset.
Heavy thudding of footsteps announced the approach of the boss man. “Benita.” He called to her before he reached her door. When he stepped into her office, he had an unfamiliar smile on his face. “Busy today?”
“Yes. As a matter of fact, I just got off the phone.” She tried to match his smile, but she wasn’t sure he appreciated it. “Why?”
“Which one?”
“This one.” She pointed to the office phone, which might still hold some of her body heat from the long conversation.
He shrugged as if to say the question he was asking didn’t really matter. “What kind of a cell phone do you have?” He squinted briefly. “Just curious.”
She hesitated before answering. “An iPhone.” It wasn’t like him to ask about her phone. So strange. He didn’t usually come in for small talk, only the important, top-of-the-list, priority items. Then it dawned on her. She hadn’t heard it buzz for a few hours.
“You might want to charge it now.” The boss man stepped out as quickly as he’d come in.
She pulled out the drawer and grabbed her phone. No power. Nothing. Not an ounce of battery left. She thought she remembered setting it up to charge at home last night. Had she forgotten to plug the cord into the phone? What could’ve distracted her? Practicing Spanish? Thinking about Adam? Both? She always plugged in her phone at night, and she threw the cord into her backpack every morning. It was habit.
If her memory was correct, she thought she remembered seeing the cord plugged in on the kitchen counter last night before bed. With hurried fingers, she looked in her backpack. No, no, no. No! She’d left the charger cord at home.
No cord. No battery power. No wonder the boss man had come in to ask about her phone. Never in her life had she felt like such a loser. Not a winner this time.
This never happens to her. Why now?
Responsible. Dependable. That’s what they called her. She had a reputation. How was anyone supposed to get a quick text to her with her phone dead?
Of course, there were the office phones. She got plenty of calls in her office. Somehow, the phone of choice lately for the boss man was her cell. He could reach her anywhere on her cell. If she went to lunch, he could call her back to work and not have to wait until the end of her lunch to fuss at her or give her more work to do.
Benita thought for a moment about her accessibility. The world didn’t fall apart because her phone cord was at home. Casey had just let her know she needed to charge it. No big deal.
Unless... Now she understood why Robert came in to chat. Not getting her phone charged was a big deal to Robert. Her mistakes were his opportunities.
“Dee!” Benita rose and went to the door to see Dee working at her desk. “Did you bring your phone charger with you today?”
“No. I leave it at home. If I put it in my purse, there’s a chance I’ll lose it. It’s happened before.”
Gail wasn’t at her desk. Benita needed to go home. Now.
It would be better for her to get into trouble for going home to get her cord than for her to get fussed at for realizing her phone made her inaccessible and doing nothing about it. She saved and exited a couple of documents on her computer and closed down a couple of browser windows. She had to leave immediately and get back quickly and quietly. Hopefully, no one would miss her. Pulling her backpack from under her desk, she did a double-check to see if anything needed to be put away before she left. Nothing on her desk was too valuable to leave right where it was.
Almost at the door, she stopped. Robert blocked her exit.
“Hi, Robert. Feeling chatty now?”
“I would love to have a nice long conversation with you right now, but the oppor
tunity you just passed up because you were busy and didn’t get your texts… is now mine. I just came by to say… thanks.” He winked and spun back around to return to his office before Mr. Casey figured out Robert was on a gloating break.
XOXO
Adam sped down the hall to Dan’s room. If he could get him taken care of quickly, he’d still have time to prepare for his date tonight.
He pulled out his phone and looked at the time. He still hadn’t asked Benita for the date, which was a necessary part of any date. If she didn’t know until she arrived, it wasn’t really a date. Was it?
When he stepped into Dan’s room, the lighting seemed dimmer. He quietly approached to see if he was sleeping.
Dan was on his back as usual, but this time, his eyes were closed.
Adam walked up to where he could take Dan’s hand. He seemed so withered and old. It didn’t seem fair for a man who had lived life with such gusto to lie in a bed with so little left to prove what kind of a man he’d been.
Dan slowly blinked his eyes, and then he squinted, focusing on Adam. “You’re here.” He swallowed. “Thanks for coming.”
“What did you want that you couldn’t ask for on the phone?”
“Sit.”
Adam frowned, wondering what the man wanted.
“Adam, sit down here on the bed.” His weak voice had a surprising intensity to it.
Adam sat. “Okay. I’m here to help. What do you need?”
“Water.” He motioned to the small cup just out of his reach.
Surely that wasn’t what he called about. A nurse could’ve given him water. He decided to wait for Dan’s real reason.
After a sip, Dan gave the cup back to Adam. “I want you to forgive me. The day your mother came up here, we really surprised you. You were in shock. But you’ve had some time to think about it now, and I want you to forgive me. Forgive me.” He looked up at Adam with expectation.
“I hear you. Dan, I have to say—”
Dan craned his neck. “I said I want you to forgive me. Just say you forgive me.”
“Dan…”
“Just do it.” He relaxed and closed his eyes. “I don’t have long.”
“I forgive you.”
“Thanks. Now go take care of your mother.”
“Dan, my mother is quite capable of taking care of herself.”
“Don’t argue with a dying man.”
“I don’t know what the doctors have told you, but...” He kept his tone reasonable, not argumentative. “You’re not going to die today.”
“What do you know? You think you know so much. Did you talk to the doctors? No. Do you know everything I know? No.”
“Okay. Tell me what you know.”
“I know a lot. A lot about your dad that you don’t know to ask.”
Now Dan had his attention. “Dan, open your eyes and tell me. What did you call me in here for?”
Dan opened his eyes and focused on Adam again. “Your dad was a good man. He was a hero.” His gaze faded down to the sheets.
“What do you mean?” And which dad? Was he talking about himself or the man who thought he was a dad but was wrong?
“The way he died.” His voice strengthened. “That’s why I didn’t let her tell you.”
He looked like he was telling the truth, but he wasn’t making any sense. Adam silently waited.
“The way he died. It was a clear indication that he knew he wasn’t your father. He didn’t say anything to me or to her. She thinks he didn’t know. That’s what she told you, isn’t it?” He looked at Adam with sharp eyes.
“Yes. Does she know any of what you’re telling me?”
“Of course not. Do I look like an idiot to you?” He let his gaze fall to the sheets again. “I had to get you in here or you would never hear the truth.” Dan motioned for more water.
Adam gave him his cup and took it from him when he had finished his sip.
“You boys were too young to notice what was going on. You had your toys and games to play outside. Your dad was a hero, and I couldn’t tell you.”
“What are you talking about?” He hoped Dan would get to the point before too long. If he did die today, Adam might never know the truth.
“It wasn’t right, but he did it anyway. It was a real sacrifice for him, knowing what he knew. I don’t know if I could’ve done it. I would’ve told her. I wish he wouldn’t have known about your mother and me. I don’t know how he found out. It had to be me, but I don’t know how I could’ve let that slip.” Dan rubbed his eyes. “I had to keep it from her when he died the way he did. That’s why I couldn’t marry her. That’s why I spent so much time away from her, traveling to all those jobs. I would’ve told her.”
“Dan, you’re not saying anything I can understand.”
“I’m telling you the truth. It’s how he died. That’s the point. I’m trying to make up for keeping it from you. I can’t tell her. I wasn’t going to tell you.”
Adam was having a hard time piecing together what Dan was trying to say.
“Did I ever tell you what a scoundrel I was? I loved your mom. Your dad came to my rescue. I don’t know why. He was just made to be a hero, I guess. The fact is that your dad could see better than I could.”
Adam looked at the clock on the wall. He wasn’t going to have time to prepare for a date tonight. He tried to put Benita out of his mind. So glad he hadn’t called her.
“The reason I wanted him to be your dad instead of me is that your mother knew he was the better man. He was the one who could teach you boys to be heroes. I couldn’t do that. No way I could do that.” Dan shook his head. “He came after me. I remember he was so angry in that moment. He pulled me out of it. He grabbed me and reminded me that I was young, and I had a lot to live for. There were so many experiences left for me. So much of life was still available if I would just endure. He told me to stay. He tried to convince me that I was worth the effort. He told me that I had to live. I had to. Like there was no other option.” Dan reached out his hand to Adam.
Adam held Dan’s frail hand with gentle concern.
“He wanted me with you boys.” Dan looked up at Adam. “He knew.”
“Dan, what would you have told her? What did he keep from her?”
Dan stared across the room at the cold blank wall under the cold blank TV. “He was a good father to you boys. He didn’t have to be. He knew he wasn’t your father, and he sacrificed for you. He knew she had been with me, and he sacrificed for her. He could’ve left us all to our misery. I was just a scoundrel back then. He stayed with me. He saved my life. I didn’t ask for it. I certainly didn’t deserve it. But that’s who he was.” Dan turned tear-rimmed eyes to Adam. “I couldn’t take that from you boys.”
Adam warmed Dan’s cold fingers in both his hands.
Dan sniffed and looked down. “The day he died, you boys didn’t know anything was happening. You were just boys. Playing and fighting outside. There wasn’t any reason for you to know anything. The man your mother and I loved—no, treasured—was a man who didn’t think about himself first.” He pushed himself up a little more upright and leaned back onto the pillow.
Adam looked at the water and thought Dan might not want more. The last thing Adam wanted to do was interrupt and offer him another sip. Dan’s mission to tell the whole story seemed to invigorate him, not tire him.
“I knew how easy it was to think about myself first. We do that, don’t we?” He grinned. “But he didn’t.
Adam saw the pain in his face. “No, he didn’t.” Dan shook his head. “What would a woman do with that information? Would it eat at her for the rest of her life every time she looked into the mirror? Every time I saw her, I saw what kind of a guy I was. She didn’t deserve me. You boys didn’t deserve me. How was she going to tell him she’d been with a scoundrel instead of staying true to the one hero in her life?” Dan’s voice had an emotion to it that Adam never knew existed when he was growing up. “He wanted her to know she was loved. Even
though he knew the truth. He wanted her to know she was valuable and loved and worth it.”
He closed his eyes to pray for Dan and felt him grab his hand again. He looked at the pale face. “Are you okay, Dan?”
“Do it. Pray for me.”
Chapter 21
Benita filed the last of the papers from her basket. Looking around at her desk, she took in the joy-filled breath of accomplishment. But there was still more to do. There always was.
Work used to seem like home to her. Now that Adam had opened her eyes to a life outside of work, she knew better than to spend all of her life earning her way up the ladder. If it weren’t for him, she might have missed out on what life was supposed to be about.
Most of the office workers were gone since it was after five o’clock. It wasn’t far from six o’clock, so by now they were with friends at a happy hour. Or with families. Or whatever.
Footsteps, slow like someone strolling, came down the hall toward her door. It must be Robert coming to fuel the fire of competition that ran so strong between them. She would miss him when they were finally separated by the promotion.
“Benita?” The sound she heard was not just her name, but the booming, authoritative voice of her boss giving her an opportunity. “Still here?”
“Yes. Come on in.” She readied her smile as he entered with his head down, fingers busily texting. Making sure that her voice didn’t sound tired, she calmly asked, “What can I do for you?”
He looked up and put his phone in his pocket. “I need you to do about an hour of work for me.”
She thought about what Adam had suggested, that she should make the boss aware of her volunteer hours so he’ll know the person he’s sending to Spain will be not only good at her job, but also able to represent the company to the community in a positive light. That would certainly benefit the company. “I was planning to head out to do some volunteer work this evening after dinner. You know, there should be a company-wide program to promote charity events that our higher-ups consider worthwhile. I like having an organized way of contributing to the community. Don’t you love it when the community is benefited by the employees of this company? It makes the company look good.”