Sacrifices of the Soul, Chapter 86
by SIPort

Chad had his face down on the massage table.

” Ah Swen. You are an artist. Julian was right about you.”

” Mr. Crane is one of my best customers. Once I am finished with you, I have arranged for your bath. “

” Bath?”

” Yes, a traditional Japanese bath, Mr. Chad. “

” I can get one of those?”

” At the Carlyle, you can get anything. Speaking of anything. Did you need ‘ company’ tonight?”

” Company?”

” Of, the, opposite sex?”

” Uh, oh! Naw, man. I don’t need ‘company.’ I’m seeing someone.”

” I understand. Just relax, Mr. Chad while I unknot these muscles.”

Chad just enjoyed himself. He definitely needed the release. He’s never had a Japanese bath, but he’ll take it.

” Whitney, I think you should be more mannerful of your mother.”

” Daddy, you’re kidding, right? Mannerful of her? Why?”

” Because, she’s your mother.”

” Who lied, made fools out of us all, and then skipped town.”

” Yes, she did all of that. But, she’s also your mother. She’s Simone’s mother. It’s obvious she loves your sister.”

” It’s an act. Daddy, you can’t fall for her tricks and lies. How could you be her sucker again?”

” I’m not a sucker, Whitney.”

” Well, you sound like one, telling me to be nice to her. She strolls in, THINKS that she has the right to say anything. She lost that right when she lied.”

” No, she didn’t, Whitney. She’s still your mother.”

” She’s NOT my mother. I will NEVER consider her my mother. She has NO say in my life. “

” Ok. You’re grown. If that’s how you see things fine. But, Simone is different. She feels differently.”

” Oh really. She felt so differently, that she wound up running away from our dear mother.”

” Simone ran away for many reasons. If you want to blame someone, I share the blame with Eve.”

” You didn’t do anything wrong to Simone!”

” That’s not true, and you know it. I haven’t been right with Simone for a long time. I haven’t been the kind of father she’s needed for a long time. I’ve been wrapped up in my own pain, and didn’t reach out to her.”

” Simone didn’t speak up.”

” Whitney, listen to yourself. You’re BLAMING Simone for what happened to her? No. Simone is the CHILD. As the PARENT, I was supposed to see all the signals that she was giving out. I didn’t see them because I wasn’t looking for it. Your mother might have left, but I was supposed to pick up the slack. I didn’t, and Simone has born the brunt of my neglect. “

” So, what are we supposed to do – kiss and make up? Be one big, happy family with her bastard?”

” I don’t know. I know that Eve’s made it clear that she’s not going anywhere. So, either be polite with your mother, or don’t say anything at all. Got it?”

TC didn’t wait for an answer, as he got up from the table and went towards the elevator.

Whitney fumed. “ He can be a fool for that bitch and her bastard, if he wants to, but I won’t. She won’t fool me ever again. She’s a liar, and she ruined my life. I’ll never give her the chance to do it again. As for her bastard, that’s even more ridiculous, him playing hero. Like the cops couldn’t have found Simone. Simone needs to be protected from both of them, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

Chad was sipping champagne when he picked up the phone to dial.

” Hello?”

” Hi T.”

” CHAD! How are you?”

” Doing a lot better now. You wouldn’t believe the day I had.”

” What happened?”

“ Well, you know I found Simone.”

” Yes. Is she…”

“ Physically, she’s fine. Mentally, she’s a basket case. I left the hospital when Mama, Coach and Whitney got there.”

” Oh my. That must have been fun.”

” You don’t want to know. I called up my…Julian…and he told me to come to a certain hotel, and  speak to a guy named Sven. Well, the rest of my day has been nothing but pampering. I actually got a manicure and pedicure for the first time. Sven gave me one of those hard massages that relaxes every part of your body. Then, I got a Japanese bath.”

” Japanese bath? Why do I not like the sound of that?”

” Because it’s as sexist as it sounds, and not to be politically incorrect, but it was OFF DA CHAIN!”

Theresa laughed. “ You know, you should be glad you’re not in front of me cause I’d slap you for that.”

” Oh, don’t I know it. Sven even asked if I wanted ‘company’ for the night.”

” You don’t mean…”

” Yep.”

” Well, I hope..”

” I told him that I was involved. With one of the most beautiful women ever.”

” Awe…nice response. Good boy.”

Chad laughed. “ Yeah…I’m a good boy. And, I miss you. I, um..”

” What, Chad?”

” I told Julian how easy it felt, sliding back into that life. My old life of the streets, when I was looking for Simone. How comfortable it felt.”

” That was only because it was something you knew. It wasn’t because it was right for you. It’s not right for you. You have a new life, Chad. A life full of people who love you and care for you. A life where you can do so many things. You hear me? That life is long gone, Chad. No more. You hear me?”

“ Yeah, T. I hear ya. I guess I need to hear it sometimes. Back in the day, when I lived like that, I couldn’t even dream that there was something better. But, now I have it. I have my parents, right?”

” That’s right. And they love you.”

” They really do, don’t they? As imperfect as they are, they love me, don’t they?”

” Yep. And, you have siblings. Simone loves you. Ethan wants to have a relationship with you.”

” He asked me to be godfather to his child.”

” See. And, Sheridan loves you.”

” She’s been good from the beginning.”

” Yep. So, you see all that you have?”

” Including you?”

Theresa was taken aback. She and Chad had been dancing around the issue of ‘ them’. Now, he seemed to want to face it head on. “ Yeah, Chad. All that you have includes me.”