32. Dev
thirty-two
dev
Enough Is Enough
“ H ey, Mom.”
My mother slowly turns her head, watching me step toward her bed. Her mouth tilts up into a tired smile and she reaches out a frail hand, beckoning me to hold it. “Dev.”
I take a seat on the chair next to her bed, the same way I have over the past couple of weeks when I visit her. She has a view of her rose garden from her windows in her room, but she’s been enjoying sitting outside less and less lately.
A sign I don’t want to consider.
I place a tender kiss on her knuckles. “How are you feeling?”
Not waiting for her answer, I quickly get up and refill her glass of water, organize her bottles of meds and the stack of books on her nightstand, and reach toward her feet to pull up the extra blanket there.
“Dev?”
“Hmm?” I notice the TV remote has fallen onto the rug under her bed, so I pick it up and nestle it near her other hand so she can reach it.
I’m just about to reach behind her to ask if I can fluff her pillows when my mother grasps my face with both hands, holding me in place. “Dev, you can’t fix this.”
Her words, even though I’ve known them since her prognosis, hit me like a hammer to hollow wood, threatening to break the last of my composure. “Maybe we still can, Mom. There are new trials coming up every?—”
“No,” she says simply, her eyes filling. “Please, sweetheart, don’t make me beg. Let me go peacefully. On my own terms.” Her thumb skates across my cheek and I realize it’s to sweep away a tear.
“For twenty years, before Deena was born, you were the only true light in my life,” she says, her chin trembling. “Your father was busy building the company. We rarely saw him then.”
She shakes her head. “I’m not complaining, because the man never, not once, let me feel like I was secondary to his work. It’s a feat few can accomplish. He always called from wherever he was, had flowers or gifts delivered almost daily to let me know I was on his mind. But you?” She wipes another tear from my face. “You were my constant. You gave me daily purpose and so much joy. Remember when you were ten and wanted the two of us to learn French? We spent six months in Paris.”
“Just the two of us,” I rasp, recalling our daily trips to a patisserie we’d fallen in love with, our picnics near the Eiffel Tower where we read French books, and making friends with the locals.
She nods. “It was just the two of us for a while, wasn’t it?”
My voice wobbles. “I cherished every moment, Mom. Moments I’ll never forget, never be able to repay you for.”
Her hands drop to mine and she brings them to her lips. “That’s where you have it all wrong, sweetheart. The thing is, you never have to repay me. The only thing I’ve ever wanted was to see you smile, to see you become the man you are today. You’ve made me so proud, Dev. Both you and your sister. I’ve had the most fulfilling life, not because I’ve had the means to do anything I wanted or travel the world with the snap of my fingers, but because I was blessed with the most loving children, the most devoted husband.”
I can’t help the sob that escapes me, the dam that’s been broken. “How am I going to live without you, Mom? Don’t you see how much I still need you?”
She shakes her head, a tear escaping the corner of her eye. “I’ve given you everything you need, sweetheart. Everything I could have. It’s something I’m most proud of—to have given the world such a beautiful, unforgettable young man.” She takes a breath. “You are going to live, my son. You’re going to flourish. And with that sweet soul as your wife standing beside you, you’ll find happiness, too.”
My heart lurches against my ribs as I gulp in a breath. The guilt of lying to my mother mixes with my true feelings for the woman I’m completely gone for. Not knowing if she feels the same way about me. Not knowing if she’d ever take a chance beyond the terms of this arrangement to actually make me the happiest man alive. I’d give away everything I own to make her stay.
“She’s beautiful, Dev, inside and out, just like you. I can’t wait to see you two on the happiest day of your lives—one of the happiest days of my own—next week.”
Fuck, my heart is going to collapse.
“All I ask is that you take the example of your father and me and never stop fighting for your love. Call her from wherever you are every day, if only to tell her you love her. Those are the only words that matter. Those are the only words you’ll ever find true happiness in.”
My brows knit, my jaw tightening as I try to hold back another sob, but I nod. That's all I can manage.
Mom tires out a few minutes later, her eyes closing, so I decide to let her rest. I’m just about to reach the door to her room when she speaks again.
“There’s one more person who needs your love, Dev. He’s a stubborn man with sky-high expectations of his children, especially you. No doubt he struggles to show you both how much he loves you, but he’s not a bad man. He deserves your love.”
She heaves in a breath that has my hands fisting at my side. There are no words to describe the agony of watching her slowly slip away.
“Tell him how you feel. Fight it out if you have to. But then, figure out a path forward. You both deserve it.”
Part of me wants to argue that he could do the same. That he could put aside his pride and actually try to connect with his children for once. But she isn’t the one I need to convince.
The man I need to confront has given me plenty of reasons throughout my life. Until now, I’ve tried to maintain a level of respect and subordination with him, given he’s my dad and the man who’s provided me with a lifestyle most can’t even dream of.
But enough is enough.
If fighting it out is what I need to do to find a path forward, like Mom says, then I think it’s about time I do it.
I turn my head over my shoulder to glance at the feeble figure of my mother on her deathbed. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mom.”
“Let me guess,” my dad says, shuffling papers on his desk and brushing past pleasantries, as I enter his home office. “You have no contingencies and no backup plans for the shitshow heard on that call today, and you’re here to ask for my help.”
My nostrils flare, recalling his presence on the call this morning with one of our Chinese manufacturers, stating there will be a longer-than-expected delay for a critical component for our newest fleet of cars.
Dad wasn’t invited to the call, but he dialed in anyway—no doubt given information for the call by one of his loyalists on my team. It took him less than three minutes to hijack my meeting and undermine my authority in front of my team.
“We have contingencies,” I respond calmly, though I’m seething inside. “But that’s not why I’m here.”
“How the hell did this happen?” he asks, clearly not hearing the last part of my statement. “How could there have been such an oversight? Are you so preoccupied with your new bride that you can no longer focus on work? And before you tell me that she runs a business herself, she has no idea what it takes to run one like this. Someone with as little education and the kind of background as hers?—”
“Enough!”
My dad’s mouth snaps shut, eyes widening at my sudden outburst. My hands fist at my sides and molten heat courses through my veins. Every protective instinct flares to life for a woman who started off as a stranger but followed me down this crazy path, putting her life on hold for me and my mother—a woman she didn’t even know at the time. Why? Because of her fucking earth-sized heart.
“Before we go down a path we can never come back from, Dad, I’d like to make something clear once again. My relationship with Piper is off-limits. I will not tolerate you dragging her into any of our conversations, unless it’s with the utmost respect. That woman has shown me more compassion and affection than you have in years. So, you either speak of her with respect or you don’t speak of her at all.” I pause, letting my words sink in. “As for your insinuation about my focus, it’s both insulting and unprofessional. The manufacturing delay is affecting companies globally, not just us. Like I said, we have contingencies.”
“What do you mean ‘a path we can never come back from’?” he repeats my words, seeming not to have heard anything else past those.
Well, if truth bombs are what he’s goading me for, then those are what he’ll get. After all, I’d already decided I wasn’t going to walk away from this fight.
“I mean a relationship we may not ever have, let alone mend,” I say, keeping my voice steady. “The fact of the matter is, Dad, you don’t trust me. You’ve never believed I was good enough to fill your shoes. Despite the number of times I’ve proven myself, you refuse to relinquish control. And this isn’t just in regards to Menon Inc ., it applies to everything in my life, including my decision to marry Piper.”
He starts to speak but I barrel forward. “For years, all I’ve received from you are your impossible standards and ever-changing expectations. Not love, not encouragement, not even your support. And I don’t mean financially; I mean emotionally, mentally.”
I clench my fists at my sides. “When you took time off to take care of Mom, I stepped in as CEO. And whether you want to admit it or not, I’m a damn good one. Except, you seem to think I still need hand-holding. You jump on calls you’re not invited to, overrule my decisions, and talk on my behalf, undermining my leadership in front of my team. And now you’re disrespecting my personal life and the woman I love, too?”
My jaw locks. “Let me ask you something, Dad. If anyone ever dared speak about Mom the way you just spoke about Piper, would you have stood there and listened?”
He’s at least contrite enough to drop his gaze to his hands .
“You don’t know Piper, and I suspect that unless you put aside your own goddamn ego and preconceived judgments, you never will. Which is really just another loss on your part because even one fucking moment with that woman would put a permanent smile on your face.”
I take a shaky breath, going back to the other matter at hand. “If the company is what you want back, then take it. I’m happy to step aside, and I’m qualified enough to find something else. But know this, I won’t just be moving on from your company, I’ll be moving on for good. Without you or your expectations holding me back.”
With that, I deliver the final blow before walking out of the room. “There’s a woman lying on her deathbed, who has sacrificed everything to ensure there was love in this family. And while neither Deena nor I have seen much of that from you, it’s time you decide what you’re willing to sacrifice, too.”