Lex and Lu (13 page)

“Well, I think it’s more like I bring out the stupid in her,” Lex said with a very Lex-like self-deprecating smile.

“How did this happen, Lex? Your mother’s been handing you condoms since you were fourteen.”

“Well, it’s like I said. I bring out the stupid. The only time we had sex without a condom was when I found out I made the team. Can we leave it at that?”

“And when did you two start having sex?”

“Is this something we really need to talk about?” Lex asked as sheepishly as he could.

“Yes. Because, really, Lex, she’s only sixteen.” When Lex started to protest, he said, “I know her birthday is soon, but, really, Lex, you are both children.”

“Dad, I stopped being a child the day you let me leave the country on my own,” Lex said indignantly.

“Regardless, you think you’re not going to have to answer these questions? What happens when Chris hears about his sixteen-year-old daughter having sex with you? And not that I think this will be an issue, but you are over eighteen, Lex. Technically, they could press charges.”

“Dad!” Lex looked mortified for the first time in the conversation. “Do you think they would do that?”

“No, I don’t think so, but they could. I’m just trying to point out to you that this is serious, Lex.”

“You think we don’t know that? You think I’m not scared shitless. Jesus, Dad. I’m about to go off to follow my dream. It was hard enough leaving Lu behind, but now I feel like a piece of shit even thinking about leaving.”

“Not leaving is
not
an option. I know I should be noble and be ready to trade your dreams in, but you’ve worked too hard. And if there are any two kids—because you are kids—that could make this happen, it’s you and Lu. But you have to promise me that you’ll follow this path that you’ve been on. If you don’t, I think you’ll be damning you and Lu to failure. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, sir. Lu said the same thing.”

Mike smiled a sad, weary smile. “I love that kid,” Mike said.

“Me too,” Lex responded. “So, how do you think Mom’s going to take this?”

Mike blanched. “Not good, buddy. Not good at all.”

Lex snapped back to the present when he felt someone grab his hand. He looked down to see Lu sliding in beside him in the pew. Smiling over the irony of his memory, he squeezed her hand, happy she’d come to him at last. He tried then to pay attention to what was going on around him. Now that she was there, he could focus on the present, getting through the day, instead of thinking about the past.

Soon enough, the service was over and people were surrounding them to offer condolences. His mom and her girls had decided to hold the reception at the parish hall so that the house couldn’t be overrun with people. So they made their way next door. Although Lex knew it was hard for people, they kept their comments to expressing their sympathy for his loss even though he knew they wanted to talk to him about his life. He appreciated it. After coming to him during the service, Lu had been scarce. He saw her helping in the kitchen, putting stuff out, generally helping the girls make everything as easy as possible for his mom.

His mom looked to be holding up fairly well. He’d kept his eye on her and Pete, gauging their actions, ready to dole out some comic relief if needed. But neither one of them seemed to be looking for him to step into his role. Pete fed off of Willa, which made Lex happy. They were good for each other. He hoped Pete could keep up with her. And his mom was surrounded by her posse. One of them was always at her side, boosting her up if she needed it. They’d always been like that. The Supper Club girls. They’d been a part of his life since he was eight. They knew each other so well, and it helped him to know that when he left in two days, she’d have the support she needed.

As much as Lex appreciated that they both seemed to be OK, it dawned on him that they didn’t need him. Shocked by the realization, he thought back over the years he had been gone. They had still been a close family unit. Pete and their parents made frequent trips to see him, sometimes together, sometimes individually. Once Pete started med school, his visits became less frequent. But he’d always relied on their unit for his support, love, comfort. Lex felt a little shaken. Perhaps because of how he was feeling, the moment would forever feel like a turning point in his life.

Caroline approached him. “I have to get going soon. Do you have a couple of minutes to talk before I leave?”

Lex smiled. “Of course.” He had a healthy respect for Caroline. When he and his father finally settled on an agent, after an exhaustive search, he’d been very happy with their choice. She’d continued to make him a lot of money without whoring him out to every sponsor that asked. She kept her advice to a minimum. Once she told him what she deemed important, she allowed him to make the decisions, without ever trying to sway him. She also kept him out of trouble. She’d cock blocked him a couple of times for good reason and had saved him from making a number of stupid mistakes.

He knew there were some rooms in the parish hall so he grabbed her arm and escorted her to one. He didn’t notice Lu watching them as they walked inside.

Lex pulled her into a hug. “I really appreciate you coming. And I know you rallied some of the guys to come with you. Thanks.”

“I respected your father a lot. I wouldn’t have missed it. And I couldn’t have kept Miguel away. The others too. I didn’t rally them. Just made it easier for them to get away.”

“Thanks,” he said again, wanting her to know what it meant to him. “What’s up?”

“You have your itinerary?” At his nod, she continued. “I can get you out of Tuesday’s game if you need me to.”

He shook his head. “No. I need to play. I don’t need any more idle time.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely,” he responded. He definitely didn’t need any more time. He wanted to play.

“OK,” she said. They had ended up in one of the Sunday-school classrooms. There were little pictures all over the room of Jesus rising from the dead, obviously left over from Easter. The chairs were small and the tables low. But Caroline walked over to one of them, sat down awkwardly, and patted the seat next to her.

Lex looked at her quizzically but made his way over to the table. Pulling the chair back, he sat down, with his knees spread, trying to get comfortable. “What’s going on?” he asked, sensing that this wasn’t one of their normal conversations.

She opened her clutch and pulled out an envelope. Handing it to him, she began, “Your father left this with me when he and I first worked out the terms of your contract. As you had set him up with your power of attorney, there were some parameters set that were protected by rules of confidentiality. Your father was no fool. He knew that by hiring me, there were some things that could be protected.”

Lex felt the beginning of panic set in. “Caroline, I appreciate the history lesson, but I’d rather you get to the point.”

“Your father had set up a trust. Twenty percent of everything you have earned from playing soccer, not your endorsements, is funneled into the trust.”

“Who’s the trust for? Is it for my mother?” He was thoroughly confused. Why did he need to set up a trust? Lex was not stingy with his money, although no one ever asked for it. He’d paid Pete’s tuition because he wanted to, but even then, they had given him a hard time. “Are you trying to tell me my father planned to steal from me?” He’d heard stories about parent managers who had ended up skimming off of their children’s accounts, but he couldn’t imagine his father would have done that.

“No. No. The trust is set up for your child, to be used for tuition and then for whatever she wants on her twenty-fifth birthday. It’s ironclad. We can’t change it.”

Lex stood up. “Why would he set something up for my future children? Did he not trust me to make good decisions about my money? You’re not making sense here, Caroline.”

“Lex, it’s not for your future children. Lu didn’t have an abortion eight years ago. You have a daughter.”

For a time—and Lex would never know how long—he sat, dazed, in the Sunday-school classroom. His mind empty. Although he wanted to focus on what’d he’d just learned, he sank deeper into a murky existence. Thoughts flew around, but he couldn’t quite grab on to anything. Images and memories assailed him. His conversation with his father a couple of days ago, Lu refusing to look at him the last time they’d had sex, his mother’s eyes glistening with unshed tears, Pete and Willa standing together all day, Dr. A. watching him with a weary gaze as he left the room with Caroline, his mother telling him that Lu had an abortion, his first goal scored in Premier League soccer. A constant barrage of scenes over the last eight years, all which he experienced by himself, continued to pelt him like hail falling from the sky. How different would his life have been had he known that he had a child? How was it even possible that he had an eight-year-old daughter and he didn’t know it until today? How could Lu have slept with him and lied to him over and over again? How could he have been so wrong about her? Even after not seeing her for the last eight years, he felt he knew her. He’d fallen right back into his childhood. Teasing her, cajoling her, bringing her out, seducing her. And all along, she’d held back. He felt robbed. He felt like a fool. He wanted to hurt her, make her feel what he was feeling. Afraid to move, thinking he might somehow shatter, he remained there.

Pete found him. But Lex didn’t hear the door.

“Lex!”

Lex looked up and saw his brother. “What’s up?” he managed.

“I’ve been looking for you for twenty minutes. And I had to say your name ten times!”

Lex shook his head, as if to clear it. “Sorry.”

Pete studied him. “What happened? Are you OK?”

“Yeah,” Lex said, pulling himself together. “I just needed a minute.” He stood up from the tiny chair he’d been perched on for however long he’d been there. “You OK?” he asked his brother, hoping to divert his attention.

Pete eyed him wearily. “I’m OK,” he said, nodding his head as if to reassure himself and Lex that he really was. “Are you ready to go? They’ve started heading back to the house.”

Lex thought about going back to his house; his connections to the past blew up in his mind. He didn’t want to taint his house with the conversation he knew he needed to have with Lu. He needed to preserve that piece of his childhood. “Is Lu still here?”

“Uh, I think she is back.” Pete paused. “She ran some food to the house, but she came back a couple of minutes ago.”

Lex drew a shaky breath. Here, he thought, looking around, I want this confrontation to be here, not at my home, not where my memories of my father are enshrined. “Can you get her for me?” he asked, staring his brother down, hoping to intimidate him into doing his will. As much as Pete loved him, Lex knew that he instinctively wanted to protect Willa and Lu. Lex was the same way.

Pete cocked his head to the side, studying Lex. Then Lex smiled at him, that Lex Pellitteri smile, and Pete knew that he was OK. “Sure. Do you want me to wait for you?”

Shaking his head, Lex said, “Nah, Lu can get us back.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, man. We’re good.”

Pete started toward the door, then turned back, “What were you and Caroline discussing for so long?”

“Contract stuff,” Lex said nonchalantly. “You know Caroline. She’s all business.”

“All right. You sure you’re OK?”

“Bro, I’m good. I just needed a moment.” Nodding toward the door, he said, “Go get Lu for me, please.”

Lu had just finished packing up the rest of the food when Pete found her. He draped his arm around her shoulder and leaned in for a quick hug.

“Your presence is being requested.”

Lu looked at him curiously, questioning him with a look.

“Lex asked me to come find you. He needs to talk to you.”

“Oh,” Lu said.

“You’ve avoided him all day, Lu. What did you expect?” As much as he loved her, he was unimpressed with her behavior today, and it showed in his tone.

“You’re pissed at me?” she asked, without any fight in her voice.

“I’m disappointed. How could you abandon him today of all days? He needed you. I could see it in his face.”