Chapter 11 – Too Late
Marissa closed the door behind her, leaving the couple inside; she walked down the paved path, outlined with blue and purple flowers and stopped at the corner of the street, waiting for her limo. Taking a deep breath, she sat on the hard cement curb. She was tired, tired of all the stress, the stress of her life; she just needed a break, a trip maybe. All internal musings were abruptly stopped as her mother's white limo drove up before her. The driver exited, walking around the oversized car and opened the door, motioning her to enter. She smiled, climbed in, and was greeted by her mother.
"Hi honey," Julie said.
"Hi mom," she responded.
"What's wrong?"
What was wrong? Marissa asked herself. Today was supposed to be a good day, she was going to get to see Ryan, and this should be the best thing to happen to her since he left. It felt like so long since they had seen each other, sure they had talked on the phone, but it wasn't the same. And then it hit her, why she was feeling down, she had always known, but it hurt too much to think about. What if Ryan was with Theresa?
"Nothing's wrong," Marissa stated, swallowing her fears.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm fine. Where's Caleb?" She said, desperately wishing that her mother would change the subject.
"We're picking him up at the office."
With that the limo sped away leaving the middle class streets and into the million dollar homes.
--
"You know, you two are so cute together, you look so alike, I mean you like the same things and stuff, you could so be like brother and sister or something." Marissa turned and exited her old house, a smile on her face.
Inside both Hailey and Jimmy, who before were ready to pounce on each other, sat frozen.
"I'm going to go." Hailey spoke grimly.
"Ya, see you later."
Hailey stood and walked towards the door, picking up her light summer coat.
"Wait," Jimmy said as he stood. "Let's go out, get some food."
"Well I am hungry, we can dress up like rich people and act like assholes."
"I think my ex-wife has that covered," Jimmy laughed.
"You've got a date tonight Jimmy, you better go get ready, you look like shit." Hailey returned the laugh.
--
Caleb nervously stepped into his office, glancing at the time, he had five minutes. The short time passed and the two large doors that were the entrance to his office swung open and three men entered.
"Hello Mr. Nichol."
He nodded, as the man spoke. "So what's the news?"
"Everything went according to plan, without a hitch. The defense's primary witness will no longer be testifying."
"Good," Caleb smiled.
"But Mr. Nichol, that will only buy us time. They still have a lot of evidence to uncover, and they will."
Caleb nervously leaned back in his chair. "How much time."
"At least till the end of summer, after that there's no guarantees. You should be safe until fall, and then, as the first leaf hits our Newport ground, all of us must be on a plane out of the country, never to return."
All four men exchanged glances of anger and sadness.
"What about the company?" Caleb asked.
"We have found a buyer, we'll take the money and run. On a more personal note Caleb, have you told you daughter?"
"No."
"Wife?"
"No, no one has any idea."
"Well you're going to have to tell them sometime. You can't stand up and leave suddenly."
Caleb stood and yelled, "I know that, I have dedicated my whole life to this business, and God damn it I have been making decisions that skyrocketed this company into financial heaven, I think I can make one last decision."
Caleb looked again at the large clock on the wall. "I have dinner plans, keep covering up the tracks, destroy whatever or whomever you have to. Buy me as much time as possible. Buy us as much time as possible.
--
Around the table the four sat in silence, the only sound was the constant chewing of food.
"This is great," Ryan said, in an attempt to break the silence.
"Thanks, I made it myself, and packaged it in containers, drove it down to a place downtown, drove home, called them and told them to drive it back," she said sarcastically.
The whole table froze and stared at Kirsten, at how she had just shut down Ryan.
"So that's where Seth gets it from," Sandy said with a smile.
"Sorry," she said apologetically. "I'm just a little worried about Seth."
"We all are," Ryan said in a forgiving tone.
The chewing sound again echoed in the large kitchen.
Ryan glanced up, meeting Theresa's eyes. Sandy and Kirsten noticed the glance, frowning as they darted their eyes at one another, only for a second, so the two teens wouldn't notice.
"Lets just clear this up," Sandy spoke. "Marissa's coming over tonight, and if you two are together now you should tell her."
"We're..." Ryan started, but Sandy cut him off.
"Well if you are or not doesn't matter, just if you are you should tell her."
Ryan finished with, "Me and Theresa are just friends."
--
Seth reached into his pocket, pulling out a quarter, and slipped it into the coin slot and dialed his home number.
--
The phone began to ring just in time to ward off more awkward silence between the four. Smiles were passed around the table.
"Kirsten, are you going to get it?" Sandy asked, amazed she didn't sprint to the phone, knocking over everything in the kitchen.
"No, I don't think so. I think Ryan should."
"Are you sure?" Ryan responded uncertainly.
"You get it," Theresa said, encouraging him.
Ryan stood from the table, careful not to knock anything over, and walked to the phone to pick it up.
"Hello," Seth said, trying to determine whose voice was on the other end. "Ryan," he gasped.
"Hey Seth."
"Hey. Are you back living with us... My parents?"
"No," he winced regretfully, "I'm just over here for supper."
"Come over often?" Seth asked, his feelings of anger towards Ryan returning to that first day he had left.
"No, this is the first time."
"Oh."
"So how's everything going?" Ryan asked.
"Fine, you."
"Good." So much for warding off more awkward silences, he thought to himself.
"So..." Seth said, angry and at a loss for words.
The line was dead quiet for a second, no voices, when Ryan finally spoke.
"I think you should come home."
"No! Hell no!"
"Seth stop this, your parents miss you, just come home and stop acting like this."
"You're giving me orders?" Seth asked dubiously, his tone annoyed and angry.
"Come home Seth."
"Why don't you come home?"
"You know I can't do that Seth," Ryan said, glancing up, seeing three people intensely staring at and listening to him. Ryan walked out of the kitchen and into the living room for more privacy. "Seth your family misses you..."
Seth took a deep breath before slowly moving the phone back to its slot. That was enough bullshit for one day. He hung up.
"...And I miss you," Ryan said, too late for Seth to hear.
Marissa closed the door behind her, leaving the couple inside; she walked down the paved path, outlined with blue and purple flowers and stopped at the corner of the street, waiting for her limo. Taking a deep breath, she sat on the hard cement curb. She was tired, tired of all the stress, the stress of her life; she just needed a break, a trip maybe. All internal musings were abruptly stopped as her mother's white limo drove up before her. The driver exited, walking around the oversized car and opened the door, motioning her to enter. She smiled, climbed in, and was greeted by her mother.
"Hi honey," Julie said.
"Hi mom," she responded.
"What's wrong?"
What was wrong? Marissa asked herself. Today was supposed to be a good day, she was going to get to see Ryan, and this should be the best thing to happen to her since he left. It felt like so long since they had seen each other, sure they had talked on the phone, but it wasn't the same. And then it hit her, why she was feeling down, she had always known, but it hurt too much to think about. What if Ryan was with Theresa?
"Nothing's wrong," Marissa stated, swallowing her fears.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm fine. Where's Caleb?" She said, desperately wishing that her mother would change the subject.
"We're picking him up at the office."
With that the limo sped away leaving the middle class streets and into the million dollar homes.
--
"You know, you two are so cute together, you look so alike, I mean you like the same things and stuff, you could so be like brother and sister or something." Marissa turned and exited her old house, a smile on her face.
Inside both Hailey and Jimmy, who before were ready to pounce on each other, sat frozen.
"I'm going to go." Hailey spoke grimly.
"Ya, see you later."
Hailey stood and walked towards the door, picking up her light summer coat.
"Wait," Jimmy said as he stood. "Let's go out, get some food."
"Well I am hungry, we can dress up like rich people and act like assholes."
"I think my ex-wife has that covered," Jimmy laughed.
"You've got a date tonight Jimmy, you better go get ready, you look like shit." Hailey returned the laugh.
--
Caleb nervously stepped into his office, glancing at the time, he had five minutes. The short time passed and the two large doors that were the entrance to his office swung open and three men entered.
"Hello Mr. Nichol."
He nodded, as the man spoke. "So what's the news?"
"Everything went according to plan, without a hitch. The defense's primary witness will no longer be testifying."
"Good," Caleb smiled.
"But Mr. Nichol, that will only buy us time. They still have a lot of evidence to uncover, and they will."
Caleb nervously leaned back in his chair. "How much time."
"At least till the end of summer, after that there's no guarantees. You should be safe until fall, and then, as the first leaf hits our Newport ground, all of us must be on a plane out of the country, never to return."
All four men exchanged glances of anger and sadness.
"What about the company?" Caleb asked.
"We have found a buyer, we'll take the money and run. On a more personal note Caleb, have you told you daughter?"
"No."
"Wife?"
"No, no one has any idea."
"Well you're going to have to tell them sometime. You can't stand up and leave suddenly."
Caleb stood and yelled, "I know that, I have dedicated my whole life to this business, and God damn it I have been making decisions that skyrocketed this company into financial heaven, I think I can make one last decision."
Caleb looked again at the large clock on the wall. "I have dinner plans, keep covering up the tracks, destroy whatever or whomever you have to. Buy me as much time as possible. Buy us as much time as possible.
--
Around the table the four sat in silence, the only sound was the constant chewing of food.
"This is great," Ryan said, in an attempt to break the silence.
"Thanks, I made it myself, and packaged it in containers, drove it down to a place downtown, drove home, called them and told them to drive it back," she said sarcastically.
The whole table froze and stared at Kirsten, at how she had just shut down Ryan.
"So that's where Seth gets it from," Sandy said with a smile.
"Sorry," she said apologetically. "I'm just a little worried about Seth."
"We all are," Ryan said in a forgiving tone.
The chewing sound again echoed in the large kitchen.
Ryan glanced up, meeting Theresa's eyes. Sandy and Kirsten noticed the glance, frowning as they darted their eyes at one another, only for a second, so the two teens wouldn't notice.
"Lets just clear this up," Sandy spoke. "Marissa's coming over tonight, and if you two are together now you should tell her."
"We're..." Ryan started, but Sandy cut him off.
"Well if you are or not doesn't matter, just if you are you should tell her."
Ryan finished with, "Me and Theresa are just friends."
--
Seth reached into his pocket, pulling out a quarter, and slipped it into the coin slot and dialed his home number.
--
The phone began to ring just in time to ward off more awkward silence between the four. Smiles were passed around the table.
"Kirsten, are you going to get it?" Sandy asked, amazed she didn't sprint to the phone, knocking over everything in the kitchen.
"No, I don't think so. I think Ryan should."
"Are you sure?" Ryan responded uncertainly.
"You get it," Theresa said, encouraging him.
Ryan stood from the table, careful not to knock anything over, and walked to the phone to pick it up.
"Hello," Seth said, trying to determine whose voice was on the other end. "Ryan," he gasped.
"Hey Seth."
"Hey. Are you back living with us... My parents?"
"No," he winced regretfully, "I'm just over here for supper."
"Come over often?" Seth asked, his feelings of anger towards Ryan returning to that first day he had left.
"No, this is the first time."
"Oh."
"So how's everything going?" Ryan asked.
"Fine, you."
"Good." So much for warding off more awkward silences, he thought to himself.
"So..." Seth said, angry and at a loss for words.
The line was dead quiet for a second, no voices, when Ryan finally spoke.
"I think you should come home."
"No! Hell no!"
"Seth stop this, your parents miss you, just come home and stop acting like this."
"You're giving me orders?" Seth asked dubiously, his tone annoyed and angry.
"Come home Seth."
"Why don't you come home?"
"You know I can't do that Seth," Ryan said, glancing up, seeing three people intensely staring at and listening to him. Ryan walked out of the kitchen and into the living room for more privacy. "Seth your family misses you..."
Seth took a deep breath before slowly moving the phone back to its slot. That was enough bullshit for one day. He hung up.
"...And I miss you," Ryan said, too late for Seth to hear.