Destiny (32 page)

My
time with Mike went by in what felt like an instant. When I was dropped off at my
aunt’s house, I walked up and started to knock, but I stopped myself. What was
waiting on the other side of that door, and how was I going to deal with it?
Everything had been about my grief up until that point, but all of that was
going to change when I walked through the door. All of my focus would have to
be on my aunt. I took a deep breath and then exhaled. As I did, I made sure to push
any selfish thoughts out of my head. Then I knocked. I still had a key, but I
knew she would be up, and I didn’t want to scare her by just opening the door
in the middle of the night.

“Since
when do you have to knock?” Aunt Kristen asked as she opened the door.

“I
didn’t want to scare you by just coming in.”

“I’ve
already faced my worst nightmare. Nothing can scare me now,”
 
she said as tears started to form
in the corners of her eyes.

“I’m
so sorry. I still can’t believe he’s gone,” I said and hugged her.

“I
tried to tell him that he needed to eat better and exercise. You know your
uncle, though. He never changed one thing about himself. That was the best
thing about him in most cases, but in this one, it took him from us. I wish I
could go back and force him to do better. I knew this day was coming but not
this soon. I don’t understand how God could take him from me right now.”

“I’m
so sorry. I don’t think God had anything to do with this. Some things are just
bad luck. I’m here for you, though. We’ll go through this together.”

“I
almost forgot. He left a note for you. I think he wrote it a good while ago
just in case something ever happened to him. I hope you don’t mind, but I
already read it,” she said while pulling the letter out of a drawer.

“I’ll
read it later. Right now, I just want to concentrate on you.”

“It’s
important, Eric. This type of information could change your entire life. He
never even told me this. I know why. I would have told you about it
immediately.”

“What
are you talking about?”

“Read
it, and find out for yourself.”

“Dear,
Eric, I’m writing this just in case something happens to me, and I never get
the opportunity to tell you something that’s been weighing on me for a long
time. I don’t even know if it’s right for me to tell you this because it isn’t
my place to, but I think you deserve to know a couple of things. The first
involves Olivia. A few years ago, we started talking from time to time. It was
mainly about you. She loved you so much. She never came out and said it, but I
know she wanted it to be you instead of Richard. In the past, I took the stance
that you shouldn’t steal a man’s wife, but I was ignorant to all the facts. As
Olivia got to know me, she told me a secret that she was contemplating telling
you one day. I was never supposed to repeat it, but I can’t let you get robbed
of knowing the truth. She told me that she visited you while she was dating
Richard. She had some of the best days and nights of her life with you there.
That’s not all she got from there, though. You got Olivia pregnant, Eric. When
she figured that out, she knew she had to break up with Richard, no matter what
she had told Emmitt she would do. She was determined to be with you. Olivia sat
Richard down to tell him the truth, but she led with the wrong words. She said
‘Richard, I’m pregnant,’ and before she could tell him the rest, he started
celebrating. He loved the idea of being a dad. It was all he had at that point.
All of his other dreams had been crushed. In that moment, she remembered how
you reacted when you got her pregnant in high school. You weren’t happy about
it. She feared that you wouldn’t be again. Olivia made a hasty decision. She
decided to let a man who wanted to be her son’s father
be
just that. Then she distanced herself from you. Olivia thought she was doing
the right thing. You had a life in Miami, and a baby might ruin that. On the
other hand, all Richard had was
her
and that baby. She
couldn’t crush your dreams or his, so she let him think what he wanted.

After
she told me all of this, I begged her to tell you. She wouldn’t, though, and I
swore I would never reveal her secret. It wasn’t mine to tell, but I’m telling
it now. You’re a father. For the last few weeks, I’ve been leaving at all hours
of the day to go see your son with Olivia’s permission. He thinks I’m just some
friend of his mom’s, and I know I wasn’t your father, but I always felt like I
was. I consider that kid my grandson. I know Kristen is probably starting to
wonder where I disappear to, but I don’t know how to tell her this. If I do, she’ll
reveal everything, and I’m hoping that Olivia does the right thing soon.
Obviously that hasn’t been the case because you’re reading this right now.

Finally,
there’s one more thing I want to tell you. It’s simple. I love you, and all
I’ve ever wanted for you, son, is to see you happy. Every time that girl is in
the room, you light up. I know she’s your happiness, not that girl in Miami. If
this is my last wish, then I’m going to use it. I wish for you to find a way to
be happy, no matter what that means. If that’s by burning this letter and
pretending that you have no son, then do it, but I know you better than that.
You want the life you could have with Olivia. Go get it. It’s wrong to break up
a marriage, but I think you can live with it, and I know I can live with being
the one who told you to do it.

I’ll
see you again some day. Take care of my wife for me until then. I love Kristen
in the same way you love Olivia. Never let her feel lonely, and most
importantly, don’t let your Aunt Kristen feel unloved. Thank you. I know you’ll
be there for her. I love you, son.”

I
laid the letter down on the end table and turned toward my aunt.

“What
are you going to do?” she asked me.

“I’m
going to concentrate on you right now and figure all that out later.”

“No,
I want you to give it some thought tonight. I never knew your uncle was keeping
something like that from us. I’m sure it weighed on him heavily. I can’t
imagine what it was like to keep something like that inside. I think you owe it
to him and yourself to take a little time to decide what you want to do.”

I
nodded and hugged her. Then we went off to our bedrooms. I lay there and stared
up at the ceiling. I didn’t know what to think. Why had Olivia kept something
so important from me, and what did I want to do about it? It was all too much
for me. Between my uncle’s death and the news I had just received, it felt like
my mind was on overdrive. Finally, though, I fell asleep.

Chapter 32

The End
of My Story

The
next morning when I woke up, I rolled over and looked at the sunlight peeking
through the window. It was time to wake up and face the day, but I didn’t want
to. Sleeping through the next few days sounded much easier to me. I couldn’t do
that, though. I had to face my uncle’s death and everything that came along
with it. That was the easiest part. As hard as it was, the grieving process
would naturally occur. Figuring out what to do about Olivia and my son was
nearly impossible to do. I could just walk away and pretend I knew nothing, but
that wasn’t really who I was. I cared for Olivia, and I knew I would care for
my son. That wasn’t the only thing to consider, though. Olivia was married,
even if she was separated from her husband at the moment. Then there was
Chastity. I was supposed to be marrying her in a few weeks. Could I really
leave her after all this time? Didn’t I owe it to her to stay in spite of all
this? Then again, my uncle
did
ask me
to find my happiness, no matter what that meant. I knew in my heart that I
would be happiest with Olivia. Of course, that was assuming she would have me.
There was so much to question, and I didn’t know what to do. My aunt walked
into the room and said something that made things even harder.

“Eric,
I need to talk to you about something. I know you have a lot on your plate
right now, though, so . . .” she said before I cut her off.

“I’ll
do anything you need me to. Just name it.”

“We
need someone to speak at Gary’s funeral. We asked his friends, but none of them
felt like they could do it. It’s upsetting to most people to even think about
him being gone, much less to do his eulogy. I know it might be hard, but can
you speak at your uncle’s funeral? It would mean a lot, and very few people
knew him better than you.”

“Consider
it done. I would be honored to speak for him.”

“Thank
you so much. You don’t know how much of a weight this takes off of me,” Aunt
Kristen said and hugged me.

The
truth was that the last thing I wanted to do was speak at my uncle’s funeral. I
knew that no matter what I said, it wouldn’t do him justice. What would I even
say, and didn’t I already have enough to concentrate on? I was starting to feel
overwhelmed, to say the least. I needed to get out of there and take five, but
I didn’t want to leave my aunt alone. Before I decided what to do, she popped
her head back into the room and gave me some more news.

“I
almost forgot to tell you. Your family is going to be here in a few hours. I’m
going to pick them up at the airport. I just thought I would give you a heads
up,” she said.

“I’ll
pick them up. You don’t need to . . .”

“No,
I’ve got to get out of this house for a while. I feel like I’m going crazy
sitting here. As a matter of fact, I think I need to step out right now. Will
you be okay here?”

“I’ll
go with you.”

“I
hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but I need to be alone for a while. Is
that okay?”

“As
long as you’re going to be all right, then go do whatever you need to. I love
you, Aunt Kristen.”

“I
love you, too.”

While
she went out, I got ready to do the same thing. I didn’t know where I was
going, but I knew I had to go somewhere. I needed a new perspective because
from where I was sitting, I had nothing. I decided to go to a coffee house that
I used to go to with Olivia. It was just down the road, and it would be a great
place to think about what I was going to say at Uncle Gary’s funeral. As I sat
there sipping on overpriced coffee, nothing was coming to mind. I had brought a
pen and a piece of paper to write down all of my thoughts, but I had nothing.
The visitation for Uncle Gary would be in two days, and the funeral would be
the following day. I didn’t have long to figure it out, but what could I do?
All I had was a blank page looking back at me. I couldn’t accurately describe
what he meant to me with just words, and I had no idea what I was going to say
when it was time to.

As
I sat there, a familiar person walked into the coffee house. It was Olivia’s
mother, Heather. She looked surprised to see me, but not all that pleased. I
didn’t blame her. I had caused a lot of problems for her daughter in the past.
As I examined the facts, I realized it was my fault that Olivia never became a
doctor. She had gotten pregnant before she could fulfill her dreams, and it was
my fault that she was married to a man she didn’t even love. I hadn’t given her
a reason to think that I could be Phillip’s dad, so she chose what she thought
was the responsible choice. Maybe it was.

“Hey,
I’m very sorry for your loss. Can I do anything for you?” Heather asked as she
sat down beside me. Even if she probably didn’t like me at the moment, she had
to at least act friendly. My uncle had just died.

“You
can sit with me for a minute. I need to talk to you,” I said.

“What
about?” she asked.

“It’s
about Olivia. How much do you know about me and her?”

“I
know that a sixteen year old promised me that he would make my daughter happy a
long time ago, and he didn’t come through. He’s only come in and out of her
life wrecking everything she had going for her in the process. I don’t want to
be rude because I know you’ve lost someone, but if we’re being honest here,
you’re not my favorite person right now. Olivia kicked Richard out, and she did
it because there was another man in her life. I think I know who that was. Why
would you destroy a perfectly good marriage?”

“Because
things are a lot more complicated than you know.”

“Then
explain it.”

“Do
you really want to know?”

“I
wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t.”

“Okay,
Phillip isn’t Richard’s. He’s mine. I never knew until yesterday. I’ve always
loved Olivia, and I would have given anything to get her away from Richard, but
I didn’t know that. If I had, I wouldn’t have been popping in and out of her
life over the last few years. I would have been moving back here permanently. I
know I made you a promise a long time ago. I still intend to keep it.”

“What
does that even mean? Can’t you see how she deserves better than this? I raised
a good girl, and look at what you’ve made her into. She’s become a liar and a
cheater, and all of her lies revolve around you.”

“You’re
not wrong. I’ve been a terrible person. I don’t know when, but I think I lost
my way. I think it might have been the moment I left to go back to Miami. I
should have followed her everywhere she went. I can see now that my purpose
isn’t about making money or being the most successful person in the room.
Everything I’ll ever be will be because of that woman and our child.”

“You
haven’t earned the right to call Phillip yours, so don’t even go there.”

“I
suppose you’re right. I haven’t. I will, though. I’ve been the exact opposite
of what Olivia needed, and I’ve dragged her down. No more, though. If she’ll
have me, I’m going to be exactly what she needs.”

“Talk
is cheap, Eric. I know my daughter loved you, though. When are you going to
talk to her, and how do you even know Phillip is your son?”

“She
came to visit me the summer before she and Richard got married. We spent a lot
of time together. A baby easily could have been made in that time. I don’t know
why it never clicked that he could be my child, but it didn’t. When I got back
here last night, I discovered that my uncle had left a note for me. He talked
to Olivia a lot over the last few years, and there was a purpose for that. She
felt bad about how she handled things with Richard and me, and she needed to
talk with someone. She swore him to secrecy. He couldn’t take it to his grave,
though. As for why Olivia confessed that she had cheated on Richard, I can’t
say. I can’t help but think that it happening on the same day that my uncle
died isn’t a coincidence. I want to confront her about it and tell her I’m here
for her. I don’t know what to do, though. I’ve got my uncle’s death hanging
over me, and I’m doing his eulogy. Is this the time to talk to her?”

“No,
and it never will be. I like you, Eric. Even if you’ve dragged my daughter into
some bad situations, I still like you because I know in my heart that my little
girl has never loved someone as much as you. That little boy has only known one
father, though. You’re going to do the right thing for once in your life and
let them work out their business as a family without stepping into the middle
of it. Do you understand?”

“I
don’t want to lie to you. If Phillip is really my son, there isn’t anyone in
this world who could keep me from knowing him. I love your daughter, and I want
her to be happy. If I thought for one second that Richard could make her half
as happy as I can, then I wouldn’t even consider talking to her. I would let
them have their happy life. I can give them a better life, though. I can be the
man Olivia needs and give them all of their dreams. Did Olivia ever tell you
about the house on the lake?”

“Yeah,
it was always her dream to build one overlooking it.”

“I’ll
build it. I know Richard bought one close to it, but it’s not what she dreamed
of. I’ll give her every material thing I can afford. More importantly, I’ll be
the man who treats her like she’s not only the person I go to bed with every
night, but she’s also my very best friend in the world because that’s the
truth. Olivia is the best friend I’ve ever had. I don’t need anyone’s
permission to give Olivia the option to have that life with me, but I’m asking
for yours right now. Will you please give me your blessing to give your
daughter the life she truly deserves?”

“She’s
married, Eric.”

“I
know that. All I’ll be giving her is an option. If she wants to divorce
Richard,
which
it appears she does, then I’ll be the
man I always should have been. If she doesn’t, I’ll find a way to be involved
in my son’s life without revealing who I really am until Olivia allows me to do
so. Can you live with that?”

“It
doesn’t matter what I say, does it?”

“Of
course it matters. You’re her mother. I want your permission here.”

“Whether
I give it to you or not, we both know how this will end.”

“Honestly,
I don’t.”

“Then
you’re a bigger fool than I thought you were. Don’t you know anything? When a
woman looks at a man the way she looks at you, then she loves him with every
part of her. Now that everything is out in the open, she’s going to choose you.
I’ve always noticed the way my daughter looks at you and the way she lights up
just when someone mentions your name. She loves you more than I have ever seen
someone love anybody. I’ve never experienced anything that even comes close to
the way she feels about you. You need to make sure you’re the man she pictures
in her head. Even now, when you’ve failed her over and over again, a part of
her still believes that you can be the guy who gives her everything she could
need as a woman. She wouldn’t have told Richard the truth if she didn’t. Be
sure you can be that man for her because if you’re not, you’ll be dealing with
me.”

“I
promise you that I’m going to be everything she needs and more if she gives me
the chance.”

“Well,
good luck to you, Eric Wilson. I truly hope you can make my daughter happy
because you’ve probably broken up a family. If you don’t do anything to make
something good come of all this, then I don’t know how you’ll live with that,”
she said and started to walk away. She stopped short of the door and turned
back to me.

“Eric,
my daughter liked talking to your uncle, and during his later years, I got to
know Gary pretty well, too. He was a good man. If you’re ever looking for an
example of the type of man Olivia needs, look no further than him. Just ask
yourself what he would have done in this situation, and you’ll know what to
do,” she said and walked out.

I
spent a long time at that coffee house just thinking about what I would say to
Olivia or at my uncle’s funeral. I didn’t have any good ideas, and by the time
I went back home, my family had arrived. I made small talk with them and
pretended that everything was fine for as long as I could. By the time night
had rolled around, I had to get out of there, though. I stepped out to get a
drink. I felt like I needed one right about then. When I got to the pub, I
discovered that someone else had the same idea as me. Richard was sitting at
the bar, and when he saw me, he did
not
look very happy. He didn’t approach me immediately. I took a seat at a table
and ordered a drink. As I sat there, I thought of everything I still had to
work out. One drink kept turning into another, and before I knew it, I was
drunk. That wasn’t the only thing I was, though. I was depressed. I had always
wanted Olivia, but as I looked over at Richard, I saw so much sadness in his
eyes. What had I taken from this man, and how terrible of a person was I? As I
stared at him, our eyes met, and his sad expression turned to one of rage. He
walked over to my table and grabbed me by the collar. Then he pulled me up.

“What
are you doing, Richard? I don’t want any trouble,” I said.