34. The Olive Branch
34 THE OLIVE brANCH
Daphne
A UK government number displayed on my phone as I sat cross-legged on a workbench in an airplane hangar watching Derrick. He was home for a quick bit of leave. I hadn’t spent time with him since Dad’s funeral. Not wanting to neglect my baby brother, I sat around while he worked on one of Dad’s old planes.
I took a deep breath and nervously answered.
“Daphne, please do not hang up!” Chandler pled.
“Chandler, I am busy with family right now. Should you need anything, you can go through our attorneys?—”
“She doesn’t want to talk to you, fuckwad!” Derrick approached with a wrench.
I shooed him away. He wiped his brow and rolled his eyes.
“Let me at least plead my case?—”
“Chandler, there is nothing to say.”
“You are exploiting a man having a child,” he choked up. “I know this hurts you in more ways than one. I knew it would when you found out. I tried to bury it, but my lawyer wanted to hold it over you. I didn’t want to be cruel. If so, why would you be?—”
“I don’t believe a word you say, Chandler.”
“I come in good faith. I’m standing at the doors of the office. I am prepared to sign?—”
I bought none of that, betting he was legs up on his desk at Whitehall. “Good. Do it. We don’t need to chat.”
“Daphne, I don’t believe you. Our child will be under scrutiny. My girlfriend?—”
“Chandler, how much does this have to do with this poor woman versus your electoral possibilities. You need to rise in leadership. This is about that.”
He stammered, “I know you hate me. I am sure you have all the rights in the world to. But, darling, if you ever loved me, you won’t?—”
“Chandler, let us end this and I promise it will go away.”
“I sense you will leak it anyhow.”
“I won’t. Have you ever trusted me?” I asked, hurt. “Because I think I deserve better than that. I have always taken the high road here.”
Chandler paused. “Fine. Let us end this. But if this leaks before the election, so help me?—”
“Chandler, you have my word that it is not my intent to do anything as long as you set me free. And, in the process, set yourself free. You can live for years on what I’ve offered,” I said, near tears. “Just please, let me go. Let yourself go.”
“I have worked my entire life for this. The party ?—”
“The party may have buried this for now, Chandler, but it cannot keep it hidden forever. I am not going to say anything. It will come out, but hopefully it can stay under wraps until after the election. I’m not… I don’t want to hurt you. I’m not a monster. However, I do want my life back.”
He sounded contrite. “You’re right. It’s over. I’m… I will let it go.”
“Thank you, Chandler,” I hung up.
Concern covered Derrick’s face.
“Stop it. You look like Dad when he was judging me!” I laughed.
“You just let that asshole win? After everything?”
“Derrick, when you get older and have a wife, you will understand that sometimes you make choices for you both that feel a little… sad. And you do it because it is right, not because it is a way to win.”
“I like winning. I thought you did, too.”
“I do,” I said.
He wiped his brow with a shop rag. His face, by now, was covered in grease. I laughed.
“What?” Derrick asked.
“Nothing. It just reminds me of Dad. Here. This place.” I looked around. “It even smells like him.”
“It’s why I came out here,” Derrick said. “I honestly miss him every time I get behind the controls. He taught me all of this.”
“I know. I don’t understand planes—I don’t care,” I admitted, fighting tears. “But I loved how much he loved it.”
Derrick read it without even looking at me, “Don’t start crying, Daph!”
“I’m sorry. It’s just hard to think about. He’s not here. He’ll never see your children.”
“You assume I will have them,” Derrick chuckled.
“I assume and know you will,” I said.
“I think you still will,” Derrick said. “Unless Cal is opposed.”
I blushed.
“Daph, we all know. It’s hard to deny because Mum talks about it like it’s a real thing, which is how I know it is real.”
“She loathes it.”
“She pretends to. We all find it odd, okay? But you’re happy. It’s been a really long time since I’ve seen you smile. You used to be much lighter. Then, a cloud came and took you away. A cloud named Chandler Walker.”
My phone rang. It was my attorney.
“It’s my lawyer,” I announced, answering. “Yes?”
“Daphne, congratulations. He’s signed the agreement. You’re free.”
A level of relief washed over me like I’d never experienced. As I hung up, free of my greatest burden, I rushed to my brother, not caring that he was covered in airplane grease.
“It’s over,” I said. “I won.”
Derrick squeezed me tight. “I’m so relieved.”
A car pulled up at the hangar. I peered out to see Davey climbing from his new Maserati.
“Hey!” He called, removing his sunglasses. “What the hell are you both doing here?”
“Daphne’s divorce is done,” Derrick said. “And we’re fixing a plane. Want to help?”
Davey turned his nose up. “Not really, man. Knock yourself out. Daph, congrats!”
He gave me a quick hug.
“Thanks. I’m so relieved.”
“Of course. Actually, it’s good we can talk. I need to ask you a couple of things.”
“Step into my office,” I joked, climbing on the workbench table.
Davey joined me, laughing. “God, we used to do this when we were kids.”
“I know. We were tiny back then.”
Davey watched Derrick work and shook his head. “I don’t know what I’m doing, Daphne. That’s the honest to God truth.”
“It’s why you came here, too?”
“Mum said Derrick was here and… I just needed a mental break.”
I rested my head on my brother’s shoulder. “I know the feeling, but it will get better.”
“I don’t know. Look, I’m struggling. Bernie is attempting a coup.”
I sat bolt upright. “Really?”
“He wants to sell to a VC firm. I need all of us on the same page. We need to stop this in its tracks and keep it out of the media. He’s got cronies and you were right. He doesn’t give a flying fuck about the company. Dad made a bad choice and I just couldn’t believe that.”
“You heard Cal, Davey, he wasn’t all there. I don’t believe he wanted it stripped for parts.”
“The company?” Derrick called, walking over hands on his hips. “Fuck that shit!”
“I know,” Davey agreed. “Well, so, we need to do some damage control. I’m going to sack him, Daphne, but I need you to step up. That plan you’ve worked on? I need you to present it.”
“Okay, but Bernie won’t tolerate?—”
“I don’t really care. I need you to quietly circulate it. Can you do that? Let’s seed doubt and impress people with the vision we do have.”
I shook my head. “Not so fast, brother. If I do this, I need a leadership stake. I did all the work?—”
“And you will need my finesse and connections to make it a reality.”
“We are a team, Davey, but only if you swear you won’t bench me ever again.”
“Daphne, I won’t bench you. I have plans. You need to trust me.”
“Not plans to dump me in HR?”
“Fuck no. Trust and you will see,” Davey said.
* * *
Cal
“Clear my evening and make sure no one will bother me,” I said to Jo.
“What now?” Jo asked. “I hope this doesn’t have to do with your girlfriend’s happy news.”
I did a double-take, “You heard?”
“Oh, it’s all over the news. ‘Legendary Chicago Heiress Settles Divorce in Landmark Settlement’. Check out the Trib’s front page right now.”
“Well, it does,” I said. “We are going out to dinner.”
“Cal, this is still a bad idea?—”
“Her divorce is signed. It will be finalized?—”
“You shouldn’t count your chickens yet. Look, I think you care about her. Something about her being David’s favorite kid probably doesn’t hurt, does it?”
“This doesn’t have anything to do with David. It has everything to do with how I feel about her. I am allowed a personal life,” I insisted. “She makes me so happy, Jo. She supports me.”
“I am begging you to please, please hold off until after the DNC.. Anything that could distract from your keynote is a bad idea.”
“All we are doing is going to dinner. I’m not confirming or denying anything, but in the past few months, I’ve never taken her to dinner. She has just fought a battle. I want to celebrate it.”
Jo shook her head. “I’ve said my piece, but I stand by it, Cal. This is your choice, but also your sword to fall on.”