“I said thanks, remember?”
“Barely. I don’t feel appreciated so that’s why I am inviting you to this gala and I am not taking no for an answer. I bought a dress……”
“No.”
“Too late darling. It’s a Romano’s original and with shoes and accessories to match. It’s already on its way to your tiny apartment. I looked it up on their site and it’s perfect for that flawless dark complexion and that head of thick dark hair of yours and of course it will flatter your full figure. I even included underwear….!”
“You did not!”
“I did darling. It’s not like I have not seen you dishabille and I have seen your underwear drawer and those granny panties. No wonder you don’t have a man!”
“I don’t have a man because I am not interested in any.” She said patiently as she poured the water over the pouch.
“You need to get over that jerk that broke your heart all those years ago.”
“I am over him.”
“Yeah right…..” Joel snorted. “You are so over him that you turn away every available man that comes across your path.”
“Stop lecturing me.” She said crossly as she stirred the honey into the cup.
“I am picking you up tomorrow night darling and I am not leaving until you are inside the vehicle.”
“I am driving myself.”
“No, you are not!” he said firmly. “As your best friend I am taking charge of your very pitiful life. The last time I invited you out somewhere and you drove yourself, you spent two hours and left. I am driving.”
“No! Not after one in the morning.”
“More like after two or three. Darling the day after will be Sunday. You get to sleep late in bed.”
“Joel….”
“Uh oh, I have a call on the other line. See you tomorrow darling and put some makeup on.”
Elena heard the dial tone in her ear and moved the phone away with a grimace. Joel was like a bulldozer, but he was her best friend and had been there for her in her rough times. She shook her head to get rid of the incredibly disturbing memories as she took her cup with her into the bedroom.
*****
Chad dumped the bottle into the recycle bin and stood there in the kitchen, staring inside the pantry. After he had decided that he was going to move out of the mansion and strike out on his own without maids or anything like that, he had had to learn to cook and had found that he rather enjoyed it. He did not spend a lot of time at his apartment, because the boy’s home took up so much of his time. At the back of his mind was the fact that he was the sole heir to a multi-billion-dollar fortune which included real estate, several private jets, an island in the Mediterranean and a sleek yacht that he had not set foot on in several years. Slamming the door shut he turned to the fridge to take out another beer and a couple of yogurts. He was not in the mood to cook today. His mother’s visit had stirred up some very painful memories and even after she had left in a huff, he was still dealing with it. His childhood had been difficult, and he knew that some people would not understand the concept of him going through so much when they had all that money. His suite at the mansion had been bigger than this entire apartment, with opulent furnishings and imported rugs. The manor was equipped with both an indoor and an outdoor pool, a giant theater, basketball and tennis courts, a pool house that was larger than most houses and a garage with cars that rivaled a car mart. He had been given a Porsche when he turned sixteen and acquired his driver’s license and had used it to pick up as many girls as he could. He was Chad Gilroy and had the looks, fame and wealth to go with it. Girls chased him and dropped their clothes without him having to ask. Even older women had chased after him, wanting the ‘in’ that he could provide. He had been left on his own and the party never stopped. He had an endless supply of recreational drugs and alcohol and everyone thought it a privilege to attend any party he threw. He had been careless and reckless with people’s feelings, changing women every week, sometimes juggling two or three at a time without qualms. He was Chad Gilroy, teen idol and star to many and he took advantage of it. That was until he met her…. Twisting the top off his beer he took a healthy swallow of it and almost choked as he swallowed too fast. “Please let me forget.” He whispered to no one in particular as he walked over to the counter and sat on the stool. “Just let me forget and move on. I just want to forget.”
*****
“What did he say?” James Gilroy looked up from his desktop computer as his wife came into the lofty room that served as his office.
“What do you think?” She answered - her tone surly as she sank down into the deep cushioned chair in front of the desk and crossed elegant legs.
“He turned it down.”
“Yes James, it appears that our son does not want anything to do with us and it’s our fault.”
“We have given that boy every advantage possible. What the hell does he have to complain about?” He asked gruffly as he shook back his thick mane of black hair threaded through with gray. Chad had inherited his strong hawk like nose, stubborn chin and his six foot four inches of pure unadulterated male as well as his thick dark hair.
“He doesn’t seem to think so.” Melissa eased her feet out of the leather heels she had worn for her trip out. In order to go to the area where her son lived, she had had to disguise herself by wearing sunglasses and a scarf even though it was already dark out. She had shuddered as she exited the obscure vehicle she had taken and prayed that she was not mugged. “It’s our fault.” She said quietly. “You have not stopped screwing around with anything in skirts and I ….” She lifted her hands and dropped them back down. “I have been far from discreet in my affairs. We have not been good parents to him and now he is suffering for it.”
“We made mistakes.”
Melissa laughed cynically. “Mistakes? Is that what you call them? At least I have not become the cliched wife by screwing the pool boy, but you screwed almost all the nannies we ever had for Chad.”
“He knows about that?”
“He does. And there is something else.”
“What?”
“I think he is still in love with that girl.”
“What girl?”
Melissa looked at him and shook her head. “How could you forget that scene when he was seventeen and we found him in that shabby place with that ….. that big girl! We had to whisk him away to Europe and threaten to turn in the girl’s mother if he ever gets in touch with her again.”