Veronica's face lit up. "Kirk! I didn't know you were coming so soon! Why didn't you tell me?"
Kirk Channing sat down next to his mother and shoved his sunglasses up to the top of his head. Tall with longish brown hair, a square chin and green eyes that looked like his mother's, he was the walking embodiment of youth and health. "I like to keep you on your toes. Besides, I didn't know when I'd get here myself." Kirk looked across the table at Tom and then held out a hand. "Hi. I'm Kirk Channing."
"This is Tom..." Veronica stopped, flustered and clearly unable to recall Tom's last name.
"Hartman," Tom filled in, shaking Kirk's hand firmly.
"It's nice to meet you."
Tom watched the mother and son. Seeing Kirk confirmed what he'd previously suspected: Kirk Channing almost had to be Ron Schuyler's son. They had the same athletic body types, the same bone structure, the same hair--or at least Kirk's hair looked how Ron's had twenty years earlier before turning silver. Only Kirk's green eyes came from his mother. Tom would bet his last dollar that the rest of him was pure Schuyler.
He hoped the similarities ended there for Kirk's sake. Tom loathed the Schuylers for many reasons. Having been married to Lynnette Schuyler, he knew the family far better than he would ever have chosen to. Their marriage had lasted less than a year but that had been more than enough for Tom. "I should be going," he said, getting to his feet.
"It was nice seeing you again, Tom," Veronica said.
Tom nodded at Veronica and her son before leaving Espresso Express, wishing he didn't have to go. It had been nice seeing Veronica again. It had almost made him feel twenty-five again, with all the longings that went with that age. It sounded like she might be back in Schuyler Square for a while, maybe for good, so he'd see her again. Tom was looking forward to that.
"Okay, Mom," Kirk said as soon as they were alone, "spill. What do you mean, my dad lives here in Schuyler Square?"
His mom stared at her clasped hands, her face sad. Kirk hated seeing her look so upset but he needed answers that only she could supply. "I spent so many years denying that another man was your father that I almost believed it myself," she said softly. "I never wanted to tell you about your real dad, Kirk. I was too--ashamed, I guess. He was married and he was my boss."
Kirk felt his mouth go dry as he stared at his mother and he tried to absorb what she was telling him. His mom had always been so...normal. Not the type to sleep with the boss, especially if the boss was married. "Were you in love with him?"
"I thought I was but I was so young and so incredibly naive. I though Ron would leave his wife and marry me, especially after I told him I was pregnant with you."
Kirk didn't need to be told that the fairy tale life his mother had dreamed about had never happened. "So who is my dad?"
"His name is Ron Schuyler."
"As in Schuyler Square?"
"Yes. Ron's great-great-grandfather founded the town."
Kirk couldn't stand people who abused power and that's exactly what it sounded like Ron Schuyler had done with his mother. Kirk knew his mom had been twenty when she had him. "So when do I get to meet Dear Old Dad?"
"Oh, I don't know, Kirk. Ron wasn't too thrilled to see me again."
"I can well imagine. Mom, what are you doing here? If you came back for me, forget it. I don't want anything Ron Schuyler has to offer."
Veronica shook her head. "Not so fast, Kirk. Ron owes both of us. He's neglected you for your entire life."
"Did he even know about me?"
"Yes, I told him I was pregnant before I left. He chose not to acknowledge you."
That stung. Still, Kirk didn't want anything from his old man, even if the guy was rich. "What did you think he'd do, offer you the number to his Swiss bank account? Put me in his will?"
"I want him to give me a job," Veronica said with quiet dignity. "You know how hard I've looked for a position. I need help, Kirk. We are about three weeks away from losing the house. I can't make it without some kind of help."
Guilt swept through Kirk. He should stop writing his novel and get a real job. It was time he pulled his weight and helped his mom out instead of the other way around. "Listen, I can get a job."
"Kirk, you have a job. Writing."
"Yeah, and it pays zilch."
"You said you'd give yourself one year after you finished graduate school," his mother reminded him. "You have about six months to go on that year. Don't give up, Kirk. If the economy wasn't so bad we wouldn't be in this mess."
Kirk wasn't convinced but he didn't want to argue with his mom either. She looked like she was about two minutes away from a major meltdown. "So does my dad want to meet me?"
"I'm sure he does. Well, I'm sure he will want to meet you eventually."
"What does that mean?" Kirk questioned, although he had a pretty good idea. Ron Schuyler had probably just about wet himself at the prospect of meeting a full grown son. Well, that was too damn bad. It was about time Ron met him. He looked at his mother and thought about all she'd been through and a wave of anger filled him. "Never mind. I know what it means. Well, Mom, I don't really care if my father wants to meet me. I for one can't wait to meet him."
Kirk had to look away from the fear that filled his mother's green eyes.
No comments:
Post a Comment