After Hours (19 page)

“You’re right. He wasn’t married then so he was free to do what he wanted. But his behavior still annoyed me, because he had been dating Heidi for seven years by then.”

Amera shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know what?”

“Why I never fell for him. He is very charming and was always nice to me and I thought you were...” Her words fell away.

“A bastard?”

“Yes.”

“Treating my little brother unfairly?”

“Yes.”

A mischievous grin touched his mouth. “And you married me anyway?”

Amera couldn’t help grinning back. “Sounds like someone fishing for a compliment.”

Before he could reply they heard shouting again. Curtis closed his suitcase, opened hers and started to pack it. “We’re getting out of here now.”

Amera helped him. “Your mother will be disappointed.”

Curtis focused on packing, but his silence spoke volumes. It said ‘You haven’t seen drama yet.’ Once he was through, he zipped up the suitcases and grabbed both. “Let’s go.”

“Shouldn’t we say goodbye?” Amera asked, following him down the hall.

“We’ll call them from the road,” Curtis said.

Amera couldn’t help hearing Heidi and Kyle arguing as they made their way down the stairs and rushed towards the front door.

“I’ve always been faithful!” Heidi shouted.

“Really?” Kyle said. “I’ve been shooting blanks for three years so how did you get pregnant?”

“What?”

“I had a vasectomy.”

“You lied to me. You knew I wanted another baby.”

“I thought we’d agreed to just one,” Kyle said.

“But you pretended to try,” Heidi said in a sour tone.

“I thought you’d eventually give up on the idea.”

“I went to someone else because I thought it would help us.”

“That’s a great story.”

“It’s the truth.”

“Uncle Curtis!” Damon said running up to them. “You’re leaving?”

“Yes,” Curtis said opening the door.

“We’ll see you later,” Amera said in a softer tone.

“Where are you going?” an attractive older woman asked.

Curtis swore.

The woman frowned with the condescension of a queen reprimanding a peasant. “Watch your mouth.”

“Grandma’s here!” Damon shouted.

“It’s been a long time, Curtis.” She opened her arms to hug him. He took a step back. She let her arms fall. “It’s good to see you,” she said. “What are you doing?”

“We’re leaving,” Curtis said.

Amera cleared her throat. “We have to--”

“Where are you going?” Kyle asked coming up behind them, and greeting his mother.

“They’re leaving because of us, what do you think?” Heidi said, wiping her tears with her apron.

“Don’t leave, we won’t argue anymore,” Kyle said reaching for Amera’s bag. “At least stay for dinner. We have so much food.”

“What’s the point in stopping them? I’d leave if I could.”

“Heidi, you don’t mean that,” Camille said.

“You don’t know what he did to me.”

Kyle tapped his chest. “What
I
did to you?”

Curtis set the bags down with a thud. “Not in front of your son!”

They both stared at him.

“Stop fighting in front of him. Don’t think he won’t remember.” He glanced at his mother then looked at Damon. “It’s Christmas Eve for goodness’ sake. Let’s make it work.” He glanced at his watch then back at his brother. “You have an hour.”

Kyle shook his head. “At least stay until--”

Curtis reached for his bags. “Or we can leave now.”

“I’ll get the dinner,” Heidi said, taking Damon’s hand.

“I’ll finish setting the table,” Kyle said then left.

Amera made a move to follow them. “I’ll help you.”

Curtis grabbed her hand then said in a low voice. “Stay with me.”

She turned to him surprised, not by the command, but because of the slight plea she heard in his tone. She turned to his mother and held out her free hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“I’m so glad both of you decided to come.” His mother took off her coat and hung it up in the closet, then walked ahead of them.

Amera felt Curtis’ grip on her hand tighten a fraction. “Let’s go sit in the living room until dinner’s ready.”

Moments later the three of them sat silently in the living room. Curtis holding Amera’s hand and looking everywhere, except at his mother. His mother kept glancing at him then looking away. The holiday decorations--glass angels, red ribbons and colored lights--all felt like a mockery.

“Dinner smells good,” Amera said not knowing what else to say.

“Heidi is a wonderful cook,” Camille said. “I’m so glad you both decided to come.”

“You’ve already said that,” Curtis said.

“Something’s can’t be said enough. Things like ‘I’m sorry’.”

He shook his head. “Let’s not do this.”

She clasped her hands together. “I am so sorry. Please at least let me say that.”

“You’ve said it twice so far.”

“It was so hard living with your father and I felt broken and afraid after I left him. I just wanted to forget everything.”

“And me.”

She waved her hands. “No. Not you.”

“Do you actually think I’m going to sit here and listen to you lie to me?”

“I’m sorry.” Her voice shook. “I’m sorry. You’re right. When I saw you again, it was such a shock. I was just getting my life back together and I couldn’t fight him. I saw you and all those fears came flooding back.”

“You were drunk and angry and you blamed me for your divorce.”

“It wasn’t like that.”

But that’s all he could remember. One day, he’d taken the bus to the park near his mother’s home. He’d wanted to see her, even though his father had told him she didn’t want to see him. He’d known he had a half brother and sister. He saw a sad little boy with a toy car and remote sitting in his front yard. He knew the address and guessed that he was his younger brother, Kyle. He walked over to him.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“It’s broken.”

He bent down, eager to help. “Let me see if I can fix it.” He looked at the bottom of the toy car, opened it, altered some wires, set it on the ground then used the remote.

“It works!” Kyle said with a big grin. “Wow.”

For the next fifteen minutes he played with him, showing him how to do tricks with the car.

“Can I show you my new bike?” Kyle asked.

“Sure.”

“It’s in the shed around back.” Kyle took his hand and they started walking towards the back of the house when a voice shouted, “Kyle, where are you going?”

Curtis turned around and his heart stopped when he saw his mother. He’d last seen her when he was four years old, but had kept her memory alive through pictures. “Mom.”

Her eyes widened in horror. “What are you doing here?”

“He’s my new friend,” Kyle said.

“Did he send you here?” Camille said in a sharp tone.

Curtis shook his head, knowing she was referring to his father.

His mother stepped closer, that’s when he could smell the liquor on her. “What are you doing here?”

“I just--”

She slapped him. “You’re trying to steal my son--”

“I wasn’t.”

She yanked Kyle away and held him tight. “You came here to steal my son! Get out of my sight.”

“Camille, what’s going on?” a heavy set man, her second husband, said coming out of the house.

Her tone rose with fear. “He came to take Kyle away.”

Curtis shook his head, fighting back tears. “I just came to see him.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Honey, calm down,” Mr. Carroll said. “He’s just a boy.”

“And he looks exactly like that damn bastard. He’s his son, not mine.” She pointed at him. “You stay away from my family.” She turned and stumbled up the stairs with Kyle in tow. Kyle looked back at him once, his face tearstained, before his mother shoved him inside and slammed the door.

Mr. Carroll sighed. “She’s been going through a lot lately. Don’t take it to heart. Your mother--”

“She’s not my mother,” Curtis said, the pain of her rejection giving power to his words. “And I’ll never be her son.”

He’d gone there hoping to have a family instead of only having tutors and the house staff, but that moment killed that dream forever. Curtis looked at his mother--her grey hair in a perfect coiffure, her nails done, her brown skin lightly touched by the years--and knew he’d never see the mother he’d hoped to find.

“I never touched another drop after that day,” Camille said in a soft tone. “I became a better woman.”

“Congratulations.” He glanced at his watch, annoyed that an hour could go by so slowly, then looked up and saw his brother staring at him in amazement.

“That was you?” Kyle said. “Sometimes I thought it was a dream. I remember you. Mom, why didn’t you tell me it was him?”

“You were too young to understand,” Camille said.

“You said I made it up.”
“I didn’t want you asking questions.”

“I just remember he was my new friend and you made him leave,” Kyle said.

“I wasn’t myself back then.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Her voice broke and she pulled tissues from her handbag. “Because I didn’t want you to hate me too.”

Kyle shook his head in regret. “God, no wonder you never wanted to see us again.”

Curtis raised his brows amused. “Are you going to pity me now?”

“No.”

“Then stop looking at me like that.”

“I can’t help it. You changed my life.”

Curtis frowned. “No, I didn’t.”

“You made Dad see how bad Mom’s drinking had gotten. She was the one who’d broken my toy. She’d tripped over it and thrown it against a wall.”

Camille stood. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry to you both. I’ve regretted that moment every day since. I’d reached a new low in my life and--”

“How much do you want?” Curtis cut in.

“What?”

“Just tell me how much you want so we can get this over with and go home.”

Camille shook her head. “Everything in life isn’t about money.”

“That’s a lie people like to tell themselves,” Curtis said with a sniff.

“No, that’s a lie your father told you,” Camille said. “He turned my heart cold and did the same to you. Life isn’t about how much you have and--”

“Fifty thousand,” Curtis said in a soft voice.

“What?”

“Fifty thousand,” he repeated slowly.

Her eyes widened. “How did you know about that?”

“You think dear old dad would forget to tell me about that?”

“What is he talking about?” Kyle asked.

“It was more complicated than that,” Camille said.

“No, it was pretty clear cut,” Curtis said. “That’s why you were so afraid when I showed up. You didn’t want to risk your money.”

“What is he talking about?” Kyle repeated.

Curtis looked up at his brother. “Fifty thousand is what she got every year for staying out of my life. Not only did she give up complete custody, she got an extra bonus for distance. Dad liked to reward good behavior and Mom wanted to be real good, didn’t you?”

Camille shook her head. “No, I never spent a dime.”

Curtis stood. “Is dinner ready yet?”

His brother blocked his past. “Please don’t do this. Give Mom a chance.”

“Why? Because it’s Christmastime? I’ve lost a couple weeks of memory, not years. One day isn’t going to change anything.”

“But you were--”

Curtis felt his patience snap. “Forget who I was,” he said with barely controlled rage. “This is who I am. You’re both trying to make me out to be someone I’m not. I’m not that boy you remember. He’s dead. Gone and he’s never coming back. He was a figment of your imagination. And now it’s time for us to go.” He pushed past him.

“Then why did I see him again today making my son laugh?”

Curtis didn’t move. He glanced down and saw Amera’s hand gripped in his. He hadn’t been able to release it and he still couldn’t. He should. But she was the only one keeping him sane in this madhouse. A shield against his nephew’s admiration, his brother’s longing, his sister-in-law’s confusion and his mother’s regret. She'd gotten into his soul, into the deepest most fragile part of him.

He looked at Amera and saw her eyes brimming with tears. “Oh god did I hurt you?” he asked, releasing her hand, afraid that he’d held it too tight.

“No.”

“Then why are you crying?”