My Best Friend's Wife
Chapter 13
"The Breakup"
In the car taking them to the airport, Candy kept crying. She had stupidly thought that Anthony's family was going to be happy for her and the baby. The great aunt had been so mean with her and especially with Terry… the latter wasn't saying a thing, he was sitting in the front, she was sitting in the back with the baby seat.
Once at the airport, Candy went to sit while Terry was taking care of the plane tickets. Terry still didn't know what to tell her. They both had to digest the bombshell Anthony's great aunt had dropped on them… Candy slept during the flight and the baby too. They woke up once they arrived to New York. Terry went to get his car at the parking lot to drive Candy back to her sister's.
- Terry, please… forgive the great aunt. Anthony was her favourite, her reaction was a little excessive, and she's still suffering from her favourite great nephew's absence…
- I don't blame her, said Terry, she was telling the truth…
- What truth? She yelled, it wasn't my truth! She's putting her own feelings on me. She behaved like I wasn't even in the room!
- They're right on one point; you're going through a period of vulnerability. And during this time, you don't really know yourself or your own feelings.
It took a few seconds to process the sense of his words. Than a paralysing pain ripped her off.
- I thought you were over the doubting period, she whispered.
- The violence of my desire blinded me.
- Oh, Terry, no! Don't do this… don't destroy what we want to build…
- I know what I'm talking about, Candy, I just saw my father getting remarried six months after my mother's death with a woman he didn't get the time to know…
Candy was discouraged. He didn't have to get over the guilt towards Anthony anymore; Candy had never guessed he was fighting what he considered as treason of his father to his mother. All the love she had for him won't help him half way… It was tragic, because she didn't have the key to take him to the other side. His father had given him a deep wound that hadn't healed yet. The great aunt Elroy didn't have any trouble opening the wound again. Candy had to heal with the strength of her love, only the strength of her love wasn't enough.
- Good bye Candy…
Candy knew it was goodbye for good, her heart was in shreds.
- Terry, please, she begged him
Terry had to call upon all the strength of the universe to leave Candy… His world was spinning. He turned around and left Candy. Candy looked at him go with tears in her eyes coming down her cheeks.
Terry got home and he found his brother surprised to see him.
- You're back already? I thought you'd come back only later or not at all…
He gave his brother the look.
- Did you proposed to her? She said no?
- I didn't get that far… There's an old say that says: "beware of your desire"
- What happened?
- I desired what I wanted so strong, that I forgot we had to be two… I was blinded. Candy can't love me. Anthony's great aunt put my ideas back in place, when we went to Chicago to show them the baby…
- Anthony's great aunt? It's intimidation, you know that! Candy loves you! You know that too!
- Like Dad loves Nelly? He spat, let me laugh! A wedding condemned from the start? I don't want that…
Terry went to his room to change and he came back down and she saw his brother and his father in the living room. Nelly arrived with a tray with some sandwiches. She saw Terry's long face.
- Is everything all right son? Asked his father.
- No…
- What's wrong then?
Terry told his father and step mother everything and he was sorry to be blaming them… His father and Nelly looked at each other and she nodded. Terry was wondering what was going on…
- Terrence, said finally his father, I have a story to tell the both of you. It's about Nelly… I haven't just met her. I've known her forever, in fact… before I met your mother…
- I beg your pardon? Said Terry stunned
- I've known Terry, before your mother… I wanted to marry her, but my father came with his senses of honour and duty and he forced me to break up with Nelly to marry the woman he had chosen for me: your mother.
- But you loved mum! Said Rick.
- I did my duty and yes I ended up loving your mother… but…
Richard Senior was hesitating to continue. Nelly took his hand…
- What your father is trying to say is that I was pregnant and his father wouldn't have it…
Terry's heart exploded in his chest and he didn't know why…
- We have another brother or a sister? Asked Rick who seemed less troubled than Terry
Nelly looked at Richard again.
- So? Insisted Rick, do we have a brother or a sister?
- I had a boy Rick, said Nelly.
Terry's heart exploded again in his chest.
- Is he alive? He must be older than Terry, isn't he? Did you hear that bro, you've got another brother older this time around! You've got nothing to say?
Terry was looking at Nelly in the eyes… His head was spinning.
- Where is the child you had, Nelly? He finally asked her.
- Well, started Nelly
- You did carry it to term, right? How old is the child? Asked Terry
- I had a little boy, started Nelly
- We have a brother, Terry! Said Rick smiling
- And where is he? Asked Terry
- Well, I didn't raise him…
- You gave him up for adoption? Said Rick surprised.
- Grandpa doesn't seem like a man who would let his grandson be given for adoption.
- He didn't know, since he didn't want to know.
- I can assure you boys, that my father knew about it…
- And he let something like that happened? Said Rick outraged.
- Why don't you let Nelly finish, said his father.
- All right…
Nelly continued her story…
- So I was saying, that I didn't raise him but I didn't give him up for adoption either…
There was a little silence.
- In fact, I gave him to his father, so that he could raise him with his wife…
A bombshell wouldn't have the same affect as that declaration… After a while, Rick finally said:
- I don't understand, dad?
Terry who still had her eyes on Nelly and he finally understood everything, all that love he was feeling coming from her. The attraction he was feeling for her which wasn't sexual… his father was finally telling the truth…
- Junior, said Terry, It's me, I'm the child. She gave birth to me and she gave me to mum and dad to raise! I'm right, am I not?
- Terry…, said Nelly.
- How could you have abandoned me?
- Terrence, I would've left you with Nelly, but my father wanted all the Grandchester's children to be raised by Grandchesters…
- It broke my heart to abandon you Terry, you can believe me… and your father's wife was a mother to you, a good mother, right?
- Thank God for that! Said Terry ironically.
- Terrence, said his father, we told you this story so that you know the truth and so that you see that I really love Nelly… I got remarried because I couldn't marry her the first time around… Life is full of surprises. Nelly could've married someone else, but Thank God, she was still free… Think about your life…
- I don't see the point…
- You're in love with your best friend's widow and she loves you too according to what your brother and you told us. Don't let someone come between you. Her husband's family is still under shock and a little possessive, that's all. The decision belongs to Candy. She loves you…
- She loved her husband too…
- And I loved my wife… that's normal! You've been dreaming of this woman for years. The man I raised did everything not to covet her… she's free now and she loves you, Terry. Don't be foolish… Go see her and propose to her before it's too late.
The phone rang and Rick went to answer.
- Hello?
- Lowell?
- Yes…
- How's Candy?
- You know?
- All I know is that my brother told me they broke up…he's devastated…
- Rick, that's not the worse. After he left, Candy fainted. Since she just gave birth, the doctor told us to take her to the hospital of observation.
- Oh no…
- When she was able to finally talk, she told us what happened. That Chicago visit was a nightmare. The old hag not only spilled he venom and a ton of guilt trip on your brother, but she dragged him to the mud too…
Rick muffled a swearing, he could only imagine that his brother had felt, to be attacked by his best friend's aunt in front of the woman he loved. What a humiliation!
- Listen Lowell. We're in the middle of a family meeting that could change everything for Terry. Tell Candy not to give up.
- Sorry Rick. I love my sister in law. What Terry did, is a repetition of their first disastrous meeting… at the first sign of trouble he cuts her off without giving her a safety jacket.
- It's only because he feels lost for the moment, but I can assure you that he loves her… Love always wins… Let me know what happens with Candy and I'll let you know what happens with Terry…
- All right.
Rick hung up the phone and he went back to the living room where his father and brother were talking and getting warm and fuzzy with Nelly, his mummy…
- Is everything all right? He asked.
- Oh Rick! Said Nelly, you're accepting me as a step mummy?
- I've accepted you from the start, you know that…
- Thank you…
- Terry?
- I felt a lot of love coming from you… Nelly… mum! Oh my God! This is a day I will never forget! Candy, oh my God! I have to go see her…
- You better call Lowell first, said Rick
- Why?
- To make sure that Candy is in a state to see you again… Last I've heard, she fainted and she was taken to the hospital, like she just gave birth…
Terry almost fainted himself!
- Bloody hell! Why didn't you tell me that from the start?!
His fingers were shaking so much he had to dial the number twice on his cellphone.
- Candy wouldn't want you to feel guilty because of her health, replied his brother, especially if you didn't intent to marry her anymore. But since you want to go see her, I suppose you want to take her back?
The terror compressed his heart.
- If I haven't lost her already…