Love Delayed (33 page)

“Is this like Angela’s situation with that other basketball player? Are you going to drag her through court and sue us?”
Sarah asked with tears running down her face.     

My eyes hit the floor and I shook my head. “No. I’m here to take full responsibility. I know time is of the essence, so to speak, so I wanted to talk to you right away.”

Sarah abruptly stood then paused. “Can I call my baby?”

My eyes shot up and mouth opened
and closed. “By all means. She’s your daughter. She needs you. I just didn’t want her to have to break the news alone,” I tried to explain.

Sarah damn near ran out of the room, I
’d assumed to the phone to call her oldest child. I was right; within seconds I heard her call out her daughter’s name as though she was in pain. I heard the barrage of questions that followed, but what I heard loudest was relief. I guess my presence here instead of Zoey’s was frightening for her. I couldn’t lie and say it didn’t please me that Zoey listened when I told her to hang tight. It also made me feel a sliver of guilt for having the trust of someone I betrayed.

I didn’t realize
Michael was staring me down.

“
You came here to offset the lashing,” his knowing tone brought my attention back into the living room. He was now sitting with his elbows on his knees staring right in my face.

“I did.”

“Now, I respect the man in you to come tell me about this, but I hope you’re being up front with me. Zoey has a promising future ahead of her. This is gonna set her back. I don’t have time for no shuckin’ and jivin’ with my baby girl.” He gave me a pointed gaze.

I swallowed hard, and not because I didn’t plan on taking care of
Zoey and the baby, but because there
was
some shucking and jiving going on to some degree. I’d dishonored his daughter. At that reminder, I started feeling lightheaded.

I stood and extended my hand again, this time to leave.
I needed sleep.

“Sir, you have my word
, we’ll be in touch,” I guaranteed.

He wait
ed until I was tall on my feet to reciprocate. His grip was tight and firm, communicating his desire of control. I didn’t flex. I couldn’t; I’d put myself in this situation. I waited until he was done and withdrew my hand.

When I turned for the door, Sarah came out into the living room. “Wait! You’re leaving?” There were still tears in her voice. She looked wrecked. “
Zoey’s on her way home. Do you want to wait for her?” She and Michael both looked at me expectantly.

I took a deep breath. “No, ma’am. I just got off the plan
e from L.A. I have my staff in the truck waiting on me. I need to get some sleep. Zoey knows how to get a hold of me. She’ll contact me when she’s ready. Right now she needs you two to love on her.”

They didn’t verbally commit to anything, but I knew they would.
Zoey always spoke highly of her close-knit family, specifically how tight she was with her moms. I felt like a damn wolf in sheep’s clothing. I didn’t want to be any more of an imposter than I was.

I walked out and to the car thinking my next move would be calling Chesney to let him
know it was time to roll out the plan, starting with his office reaching out to Zoey’s family.

~~~~~~~~~~

October 2007                                                                                                                
~
Zoey
~

“Do you understand what this means, Elizabeth?”

I broke my trance and glanced up at the tall sandy blond man across the long conference table from me. I must have zoned out again, something I’d been doing since the start of the semester. He wasn’t alone. His team outnumbered my parents and me. This man, however, Stenton’s attorney, Chesney, was a true spectacle. He was extremely animated with his presentation and communication, effeminate even. I hated the way he stared at me from the time we walked in his New York City office. He used too many inflections when he spoke and thoroughly enunciated words for dramatic flair. Chesney used the word
honesty
and
trust
way too much. That’s likely where he lost me.

“I would like to say we’re a family,
but I won’t give you the illusion of that
. We are
however
, an organization and keep things neat in
our
camp. I know you are in your fourth year at Princeton, and understand what girls your age do socially, but admonish you:
your life is no longer just your own
. What you do can affect an entire organization. You
must
practice discretion.”

Those words were followed by a long gaze deep enough to intimidate me. And it did. Chesney sat with his long index finger and thumb at an “L” shape against his jaw. My timid eyes fell towards the table where there were stacks of papers and pens for signatures.

“Now, with that being said, Mr. Rogers has laid out a list of provisions for you, so I’ll just get started.” He slowly inclined in his chair and gathered a bundle of papers in his hands. “We’ll start with the home at 88 Wilson Street in New Brunswick, NJ with the amount of $289,586.68 being owed on the mortgage, including delinquent payments.” In my peripheral, I saw my Dad twist uncomfortably in his seat. “Said amount will be paid by the end of tomorrow’s business day to Chase Bank. That is what…” Chesney located a document and pushed it towards my parents. “…this form is for. Fill it out completely.”

What? Stenton is paying off my parents’ home?
I was so numb, I didn’t know if I should be relieved or offended, but I could sense one thing:
My Dad is going to kill me!

Then he went back to the papers in his hand and pushe
d up his spectacles. “Once all the paperwork has been cleared, there will also be $75,000 deposited into your personal account to pay for any repairs needed on the house. There will also be an additional $5,000 deposited into this account every thirty days for food, room and board for Elizabeth and the unborn fetus.”

“Now, wait just a minute!”
My dad nearly leaped from his chair. “This girl is my child and I don’t need help from Rogers to care for her. She’s my responsibility!”

“Michael,” my mother cried out as she tapped his arm to calm him. My heart was ready to leave my chest, it beat so hard.

Hesitantly, he sat back in his seat, issuing Chesney a deathly glare.

Chesney appeared unruffled as he returned an impassive one. There was silence for seconds long.

“Now, for you Ms. Barrett: Mr. Rogers understands you are in the middle of your academic pursuits. He also understands that you are in a very competitive program and scholarship agreement. Given that, should you decide to complete the academic year, that is your prerogative. If you decide to take time off to give birth, that is completely at your discretion. However, understanding that you are there on a full scholarship and if you take time off, you lose it, my client will pay not only for the remainder of your academic studies when you’re ready to return to school, but also any academic endeavors beyond your undergraduate tenure. And because you’re not expected to work throughout your pregnancy and you will likely—
by his estimation
—finish out this current fall semester, you will be given a $10,000 monthly stipend for personal expenditures. This does not include the provisions for the unborn baby. That will be taken care of separately by Mr. Rogers.”

I heard my mother’s sharp gasp. It was something I would have done if I didn’t decide to play possum, somehow thinking it was the only way I’d make it through this humiliating conference.

“Also…,” Chesney didn’t stop, “…Mr. Rogers hopes that you will agree to driving the 2008 BMW 3 class series. The paperwork is…” he shuffled through the countless documents on the table again. “…here. You are now the owner of the vehicle and the insurance will be paid for through the year. You are being asked to get rid of your Kia Rio—”

“Wait!” my mother spoke up. I heard the alarm in her tone. “What BMW are we talking about here?”

I further shrank in my seat, desperately wishing to disappear from this room. The earth. Maybe Mars had vacancy.

Chesney’s eyes squinted. “Oh, I guess you were not aware that Mr. Rogers purchased Elizabeth a vehicle for her birthday this past February. It
is a 2008 BMW. I don’t know where it is, but I do know there was an agreement between the two that she would drive it everywhere with the exception of home and church as to not alert you to it.” Then he looked at me again and murmured real snark-like. “You can drive it everywhere now that it’s all been disclosed.” If I wasn’t decided before that moment, I knew then I didn’t like Chesney.

“Now that we’re done with prenatal matters, as far as your postnatal care, Mr. Rogers will provide Ms. Barrett housing that is separate
from her parents to ensure               adequate accessibility to the baby. A place Mr. Rogers would have free rein to visit the child. This will be arranged at a later date by Mr. Rogers himself. There will also be a yearly stipend paid by Mr. Rogers for childcare in the form of a nanny from the time the child is born until it has been decided by both parents that the child will attend school. Any immediate needs Ms. Barrett and/or the child may have from today, moving forward will go through my office.”

He
reached for another bonded document. “Here is a list of instructions as to how your requests will be made. Mr. Rogers is open to anything, from clothes, to car repairs.” He waved his finger in the air as he scanned the document in his hand. “…he’s basically giving you a wide range of items you may desire or need,
down to vacation requests
.” That inflection expressed his displeasure. Then it came. “Something I don’t agree with, but have to adhere to my client’s wishes.”

Screw you!

I was in hell and he wanted to cry about his preference to control his heartless clients!

“
I-I
…I don’t understand this gibberish. I hear all of this
he’s giving…he’s giving…he’s giving
, I don’t understand what he’s taking?”

“Yeah, that’s my point, too,” Chesney drawled out, barely underneath his breath. “…but I’m here to service my client.” He rolled his eyes. Then in seconds, he straightened in his seat. “He’s
taking
responsibility. Mr. Rogers is saying this child Elizabeth, here, is carrying is his and he will take care of the child
and Elizabeth
.” Chesney started pushing more papers towards us. “And as soon as these agreements are filled out with social security numbers, bank account information and nondisclosure agreements are signed, we can implement his wishes.”

“Nondisclosure agreement
s?” I shrieked. That mention reminded me of Alton’s handling of Angela. 

“Yes, Ms. Barrett. It is very key that we adhere to my mentions earlier about discretion and honesty. These details are of a private matter that we do not want made available to the public. Your business with Mr. Rogers’ provisions is not for public consumption. Is that understood?” His tone was the most intimidating it had been since the top of this meeting.

My father grunted. My mother grabbed her chest. And I sulked.

“Now, Ms. Barrett, do you have any questions, objections, or amendments here?” Chesney asked me, appearing bored
with this whole ordeal.

I simply sat there, trying not to cry. I felt reduced to a child and embarrassed for me and my parents. I couldn’t believe I brought my parents this trouble. This mess. My parent were by no means incompetent, but I knew this “mediation” was over their heads. Heck, with my Ivy League status, I was confused by it all. It was
well over their class placement, over their educational levels and realm of life experience. And not because of Ruth this time. No, the culpability of this blunder belonged to me.

Even in all of my self-debasement while there, I wondered where Stenton was. What was he thinking
, bringing me and my family into this legal and sterile situation? Why couldn’t we have just spoken privately? Why humiliate me like this? I felt even more abandoned.

“I do have to get on a plane to my California office soon,” Chesney abruptly informed while checking his watch. “My associate, Whaler here
, will assist in explaining terms of any of the agreements. You can take your time and read over some that cause reluctance on your part. We can discuss amending others. My strong advice to you is to get it all signed as soon as possible. It is my understanding that the foreclosure procedure is progressing. The sooner we take care of that, the sooner you’ll be relieved of that hassle. Mr. Rogers himself would like to have that settled for peace of mind.”

Chesney swiftly left the room without any pleasantries. We sat there in silence deciding to sign away our lives as we once knew them. I secretly questioned if we should have had a lawyer of our own to assist, but didn’t speak it. Deep in my heart I believed Stenton would never do anything shady to me or my parents. However, when I glanced down at my still flat belly, I wanted to rebel and refuse to sign anything for his negligence.