“Jenny, come here,” I yelled.
“Yes, sir?” she asked.
“I need you to set up payment for this address’ utilities if able,” I explained.
The least I could do for her was to help keep her from getting behind. Although, I hoped we would be getting back together soon. I was in Baltimore now. I had a lot of meetings to attend. We planned on opening two more locations of Cisterna. Shawn and I were doing great with these hotel locations. We were going to be set for the rest of our lives. I couldn’t have built these companies without his help.
I walked into Shawn’s office feeling awful. “Why did I do that?”
“Buddy, it will be okay. Give it some time, and then she will probably reach out to you.”
“I don’t know how long I can wait. I almost bought her an engagement ring. I need her to know that I couldn’t tell her.”
“I’ve got to believe that she will understand,” Shawn said to me.
Shawn liked Ella. He knew how happy she made me. Shawn was not the one-woman type. To be honest, I didn’t think he would ever settle down. He had never been in a relationship longer than a couple of months.
I headed over to my parents’ house because they invited me over for dinner. I wasn’t really in the mood, but I had already told them I would be there.
My phone started to ring. Maybe it was Ella.
“Is this Alexander Edwards?”
The first thought that went through my head was that something awful had happened to Ella.
“Yes, who is this?”
“I don’t know how to say this, but I’m your father.”
What? Is this a sick joke?I hadn’t seen or spoken to my father in decades. Why would he even call me?
“You might have helped make me, but you are not my father.”
“Son, I feel horrible. I just want to meet you. Get to know you.”
“Why do you think you deserve that? You abandoned me. Don’t contact me again.”
I was livid. Who did he think he was? After this long, why even try to reconcile? I pulled up to my parents’ house, and I was still fuming. I took a deep breath to calm myself down.
“Hey, honey. I’m glad you made it.”
“I told you I was coming.”
“I know, but sometimes your work keeps you.”
My skin was crawling. I couldn’t stop thinking about the phone call. I never thought I would ever hear from him again. Why did he have to call me? Couldn’t he have just gone on about his life and left me be? My mom was looking at me funny. She could tell something was wrong.
“So, I have something to tell you.”
Honestly, I didn’t know how to break the news. She wouldn’t be happy about him contacting me. Hell, why did he? It still didn’t make any sense. Why contact someone you had no contact with in almost thirty years without a reason?
“What is it, son?”
“My father called me today.”
My mom and dad looked at each other. Of course, they were my adoptive parents, but they were my parents. They had taken care of me since my real mother passed.
“What do you mean?”