He doesn’t ask for anything and yet I long to give him everything.
When the first raindrops hit my nose a chill covers me. A wind whips down West 28th Street and goosebumps run up and down my bare legs. For June it’s cold tonight, or maybe I’m just more sensitive than ever before. Summer in New York isn’t quite as amazing as summer in Paris, but it’s pretty close. But right now, I’d do just about anything for a cab. Or a coat.
“Thank God.” I flail my arm like mad as I see the lit up sign on top of a yellow Caprice Classic on the street.
I plop into the backseat and for a moment think of where to send the driver. I settle on Pike’s address, and when it leaves my lips a sense of peace comes over me as the driver hits the gas and the inertia settles me back into the seat.
I pick up my phone and log on to Facebook. It’s not even thirty seconds before my mom is pinging me on Messenger.
Mom: Willow. You up? I’m Skyping you now.
She doesn’t give me a chance to answer before my Skype ringer is going off.
“Hello, Mother.” She’s in London so it’s a perfectly reasonable hour there, I guess. She doesn’t even consider what time it is here.
“What are you doing?” Her voice is sharp.
I sigh. “What do you mean? Like what am I doing at this moment or is this a broader question? Because if it’s ‘what am I doing with my life’ I don’t think I have time right now——”
“I got a call from Pierson Marcus.”
Pierson Marcus. Derrick’s father.
My heart stops beating and the cold that was outside on the street is suddenly in the back of the cab with me.
“What did he want?”
Truthfully, I don’t want to know the answer. From my mother’s tone I can already surmise this is not something that is going to make me do a tap dance and sing a show tune.
“They are considering retaining my firm. He sits on the board of directors for Axix Telecom. He and his group want us to represent them in the final stages of the merger with Richards’ Holdings. And if that deal goes well, then they may consider us for representation ongoing.”
“Okay, so that’s wonderful. I’m very happy for you.” I deadpan my reply, knowing there is more to this conversation than meets the ear.
“It is wonderful, Willow. Or it was wonderful, until about twenty minutes ago.”
“Mom. What I have to do with any of this is beyond me. It’s the middle of the night here and I’m not all that great at decoding things at the best of times, so please, can you just give me the condensed version of whatever this is?”
“Don’t be smart with me, young lady. You want to keep living in my penthouse and spending my money?”
No. I want to snap back but I don’t. Instead I count to ten, the cloak of my shame covering me with each number. “Sorry, Mother. What is it?”
“I hate to bring up the past...”
Oh, sure you do. Like Elvis hates peanut butter. “But...” I say, looking out the window as the rain starts to create glistening streaks of water across the glass.
“This ugliness from high school. With his son. All that nonsense.”
I’m shivering even with the blazing heat inside the cab. Words are caught in my throat as I sit up straight and my free hand wraps around my waist.
My mother’s voice deepens. “I’ve done my best to support you, Willow. Even you said that you were drinking that night. Drunk because you said yourself you don’t remember it all. Now, Derrick and his father need you to clear this up once and for all. The silly accusations you made. Derrick is one of us. It’s time you straightened this out. I won’t let one night of childish nonsense ruin one of the biggest retentions my firm will ever have, Willow.”
You call it drunk. I call it I tried one glass of champagne and ended up black out drunk. I’d say that drink had more than bubbles in it, but you didn’t seem to wa
nt to hear that part.
Instead of saying what I should, I hold my temper and ask, “What are you talking about?”
The stinging in my eyes is not from lack of sleep. I hate that she can still wield this power over me. Like I’ve not grown up at all. The day after the party when Derrick was on top of me, his hand over my mouth and my innocence stolen from me, I’d cried to her.