Chapter Six
CHAPTER SIX
Founding Fathers
T he time was 4:12 AM. Lennox tossed his keys onto his hallway table. The echo of the metal hitting the wood reverberated in his home. On the outside, the one-story brick house was rather modest, with adequate landscaping, an American flag, and nice curb appeal, but on the inside he’d turned it into a modern spot, with state-of-the-art appliances and brushed metals and wood. He kept his place clean, airy, minimalistic, yet presentable.
The faint smell of coffee from the day before lingered in the air. He caught his reflection in a nearby wood-framed mirror hanging in the adjacent waiting area of his dwelling, and slowed as he removed his leather jacket. His eyes were slightly bloodshot, but full of hope. It had been a long night of hashing it out with Nadia, but that was much needed. In many ways, she was the same ol’ Nadia, but in others she’d changed.
More mature, for one. She was upfront with her feelings, not having to be coaxed to express her disappointments, mistakes and needs. She did not belabor any of the details, and didn’t share too much. She seemed more open. Approachable. However, she was also an enigma. That turned him on even more. The woman she’d once been and the woman she’d become had merged into a beautiful puzzle he was desperate to solve. The prospect that their hours spent catching up were only the tip of the iceberg was, for him, icing on the cake. She was intriguing. She excited him. She was hardworking and a blend of old-fashioned and contemporary.
If it were somehow possible, she was even more beautiful now than before. She’d filled out a bit, she glowed. They’d gone back and forth for several hours, filling in the holes of worn memories and dusting off the broken pieces of glass from their pasts, trying to fix something that was intended to be mutilated and damaged until they left this thing called life. And yet, as a duo, they were patching it back together, one jagged edge at a time.
He stood there in front of that mirror, replaying their conversation in his mind. Remembering how, after her second glass of Vodka and cranberry juice, her tongue had loosened and the confessions poured out a little easier.
Like how she’d been jealous of him and an ex-girlfriend, Vicki. He’d had no clue about her feelings. Nadia shared that Vicki had threatened her, way back then—told her to back off. Seemingly, it involved the woman’s intuition that Nadia had the hots for her man and their ‘innocent’ work powwows hadn’t been so innocent after all.
Nadia also admitted that she would check up on him every now and again, too—such as asking people how he was, and trying to find any trace of him on social media to spy on him from afar. She had frustrations at his lack of a cyberspace footprint. Indeed, he kept his private life pretty much offline, so she’d been left with more questions than answers.
He hung his jacket up and made his way to his kitchen. He had to be at work in a few hours, but wasn’t in the mood for sleep. His mind was running a mile per minute and showed no signs of slowing down. After washing his hands, he opened the refrigerator and poured himself a glass of filtered water. All he could hear was his own breathing and loud swallowing as he stood in the dimly lit room. When he was finished, he smelled a bit of her perfume on him, from when he’d hugged her goodbye. He pulled at his shirt, pinched the fabric between his thumb and forefinger, and brought the material to his nose. Closing his eyes, he inhaled all that was her, falling into a beautiful trance.
He ultimately released the cloth, and got back to his agenda. Placing the empty glass in the sink, he headed up the hallway to his bedroom, where he stripped down to his black boxer briefs and slipped under the thick comforter, cellphone in hand.
As soon as he opened the device to view workout equipment and routines, perhaps listen to a bit of music, he noticed a missed text message sent a couple of hours earlier, around the time he silenced his notifications while with Nadia. Rubbing his eyes, he brought the phone closer to his face, squinting to make out the words through tired eyes. It was his father.
Raking his hair back, he loudly exhaled. He called his father’s number, cleared his throat and waited.
“Good, you’re awake,” the man answered on the third ring. “How are you doing?” Dad’s voice slurred as if he’d been drinking. His tone moved in sluggish waves.
“How am I doing? Dad, do you know what time it is? I’m in bed.”
“Okay, I’ll just make this quick.”
“Please!” A strange emotion came over him, much like a sense of loss.
“Your grandfather is waiting for you to let—”
“Grandpa’s terroristic attacks on this family? This is what couldn’t wait? This is why you texted me two hours ago?”
“I’ve waited long enough. I need to know what you plan to do. I figured you’d be home and besides, you’re a night owl.”
“The only calls or texts I want at two in the mornin’ are for money or sex, and since you’re my father and have been told by your own father that I can’t have another dime, I can rest assured you ain’t callin’ for either one of those damn options.”
“You were at his house, even though he’s all but disowned you. I know things are going to get worse if you drag this out. The family is talking about it.”
“I don’t give a crap what the family is talking about! The family collectively kisses Grandpa’s ass, like he’s the second coming of Jesus!”
“I’m trying to talk to you.”
“Well, now you’ve talked to me. Is there anything else? I have to go.”
“Yes, there’s somethin’ else, boy! You’ve not answered him. This is serious! I love you and don’t want to see you hurt, Lenny. What you don’t understand is that this is for your own good. You work long hours and get peanuts. If you at least take him up on this, you’d be able to negotiate your schedule and make more money than you’ve ever dreamed of. All of the stuff you wanna do, the cars you wish for, the gym you want to own, the homes you want… it would be at your fingertips. You’d be set.”
“Like I told an old friend tonight, and now I’m tellin’ you, money isn’t everything. My life isn’t easy, but Grandpa is not the type of person I’m willing to sell my soul for.”
Dad was quiet for a bit. All he could hear was the man blowing out smoke from his cigarette. Then, the sounds of him gulping down something strong and wet. “Lennox, I understand, okay?” His voice was clearer now as he tried to control himself, no doubt, and avoid saying anything to tip over the apple cart. “Yes, my father is a difficult person at times, but he loves this family, Lenny. You can’t deny that. He’s leaving behind a legacy. That’s why he’s bein’ so stern. You’re letting your stubbornness control your rationality.”
“The only control I see right about now is how your corrupt father is trying to control me like he controls you . Nah, I’m good.” His phone flashed with a text message from Nadia right at that moment: I hope you made it home safely. He was never really safe, but he appreciated her checking on him all the same.
“Lenny, you and I don’t want it to be like this. But it is. A part of me would love for you to be able to just do whatever you want, throw caution to the wind, but that’s not how life works. You’ve been hand-selected, chosen to help run an entire department of your grandfather’s empire. The zoo.”
“He wants me and several of my cousins to run it together. None of us are interested.”
“I’m not interested in a lotta shit I have to do, Lenny. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t need to get done. Money aside, do you know what all of this really means?”
“It means that your fear of him outweighed your love for me, and my mother.”
Silence .
“…That’s not fair, Lennox. I love ya… both of ya. What happened—that’s not my fault.” His voice cracked.
That’s why Dad drank late at night now. He’d get shit-faced at least a few times a week in the comfort of his big ass, empty house. Running from memories. Running from guilt. He drowned in the recollections by sinking into a pint of something. A cold can. A tepid wine glass. He drifted to the bottom of his aquatic memories, lying low with the broken bones of dreams long gone. Only, he never fully died from drowning. He’d just lose his breath as his ocean of a father’s wrath swallowed him, the dark world closing in around him. Squeezing him to death.
“Lenny, you don’t know all the details. You didn’t get to see all the times I stood up to him but lived to pay the price!” A knot formed in his stomach. “I tried to keep you away from this when you and Silva were children, but when my father sets his eyes on someone and wants them, he does everything he can to get them.”
“I’m not some object on a shelf. I’m your son! Somebody from my generation had to finally tell him no. I and a few more of my cousins are the only ones who’ve said enough is enough.”
“And now you’re payin’ for it. We both will be paying for it if you don’t take him up on his offer.”
“I want you to stop calling me Lenny, Dad. You only do it now when you’re drunk. It’s no longer a term of endearment. I associate it with your discomfort and anxiety. They both stink. As far as his offer and how I’m gonna move forward, I’m still sortin’ this out. Some are even waitin’ it out. That’s not my plan, but I don’t blame them.”
“That’s a dead man’s game. He doesn’t get better with age, Lenny. He’s gotten worse with his demands. He is leaving a legacy behind,” the man stressed again. Fuck his legacy. “He wants to make sure he hands over the reins to the right people. Out of all of our family, he chose you, me, and some others to help him achieve this. So we’d have somethin’ to pass down to our own children and grandchildren. You know how big our clan is. You know some of your kin is resentful that your grandfather didn’t want them on his team! They’d jump at the opportunity you have before you, Lenny… sorry, Lennox… but he wants who he wants. Just like you’ve always been a person who went after what you wanted. You have to respect that. You haven’t responded to your grandfather’s proposal. That’s the only reason I contacted you so late at night. You need to, and you need to do it right away.”
“It wasn’t a proposal. It was blackmail, promises that I don’t care to entertain, and his typical threats.”
“Lennox! For fuck’s sake! You know he’s prepared to do exactly what he said he’d do! Did you hear me? This isn’t the time to—”
“Don’t tell me what to do. This isn’t your decision. It’s mine.”
“But it affects all of us, damn it!”
“You never had the guts to stick up for Mom and yourself, then she died and it was too late. Now you want me to fall behind you, to get the same treatment. I know full well what he said he’d do, and my time is not up. You had to get wasted to even have this conversation with me because you know he is dead wrong. His own grandson tried to kill him! That should tell you something.”
“Your cousin Kage is a damn lunatic. Certifiable! That sister of mine birthed a mental basket case. He’s been nuttier than squirrel shit from day one. You can’t really use him as an example.” He snorted.
“Look, stay in your lane, Dad, and let me figure this out.”
“There’s nothing to figure out! My father is no damn bluffer. If he says he’s gonna do something, he’s going to do it. Good, bad, or indifferent. You think I’m some pushover when it comes to him, but I did what I did to protect my wife and children! That’s strength! You’re here, alive, because of me ! I stood up to him when he said things about your mother, but because you didn’t witness it, you think it never happened. And I’d do it again. I loved that woman! Damn you! You have no idea what she and I went through and the stressors we endured on behalf of you and Silva. How dare you, Lenny… how dare you…” Dad’s voice trailed, growing weaker with each word spoken. “You’re just like her though.
“Rebelling just to stick it to someone is foolish! You gotta have a plan. Now you listen to me, and you listen good! You tell your grandfather that you accept his offer, and you do it ASAP so we can move forward. If you give a damn about your mother, like you say you do, then you’ll put all that past shit behind you, and do the right thing. Your grandfather knows your weakness… and he is using it. Don’t lose everything, and all for nothing.”
With that, the man abruptly ended their connection. Lennox stared at the screen, which now noted the time and how long the call lasted before it faded to black…