I must confess that I was pretty worried when you decided to keep the pregnancy. I was worried that it might turn malignant but you proved that keeping this child was a very good decision. You’re gonna be a very good dad.”
Ben nodded and the doctor left. He got off the bed and wiped the gel off his belly, putting on an oversized shirt since that was all he could wear.
“Are you ready to be a dad soon?” The beautiful nurse asked.
Ben smiled. “I’ve never been so ready for anything my entire life. This child will be the source of my happiness and I will grow love it with my entire strength. I will work so hard to provide everything.”
“I know you will.” She held his hand and squeezed it. “The past few months I have been with you, I’ve seen how strong you’ve become. It hasn’t been easy for you and I am so happy seeing you smile.” She paused and stared at him for a long time. “What about the child’s father? Do you plan on involving him or telling him anything?”
Ben remained quiet for some time before he shook his head.
“No! He already moved on and married someone else.” His voice was low. “He’s happy with his new life. He doesn’t wanna do anything with me and I am pretty sure he is sure I am now dead. That’s why he left, because I was just a burden to him. I wouldn’t blame him though.” He chuckled bitterly. “Guess luxuries proved to be more important than love.
As soon as my baby is born, I am gonna so far away, to a place where I know we’re gonna be safe. I don’t want my child to know anything.”
She moved closer and took his hand in his.
“You’re an amazing boy. Ten, twenty years from now, you’ll look at your past and just think that it was a very bad dream.”
“I know I will.”
“Good!” She enthused, raising an eyebrow. “Come on, I have got a gift for you.”
Ben followed her to his room and found a beautiful swinging crib. It was a gift from him for her. He loved it so much and he hugged her, thanking her for the gift. He had gotten a few things for the child but none as beautiful as that crib. He knew his child was gonna love it.
If only he knew…
***
Present day…
*
The ache in Ben’s chest could not relent. It burned without end as though to remind him of his loss. He didn’t know how long he had been in there. It could have been minutes, damn, even hours. He didn’t even realize that Gustavo and Carlos had entered the room. The lights had been turned on but his darkness was so strong he didn’t even realize it.
“Ben!” Carlos whispered, kneeling in front of him. “What’s wrong? I thought today was supposed to be a very happy day for you. You launched the brand in the name of your day and it was a huge success. I don’t think wallowing in your sadness is the way to go about it.”
“He’s right.” Gustavo agreed. “Look at you right now. You haven’t been yourself.”
Ben slowly moved his head and stared at Carlos.
“It was meant to be, but my past can’t allow me to be happy.” His voice was dull and distant. “I thought I was strong enough to confront my past but after my encounter with him today, seeing all of them, I realized that I am not.”
Carlos frowned. “What are you talking about? Whom did you have an encounter with?”
Ben’s mouth shook.
“Leah’s father.”
“What?” Both Gustavo and Carlos screamed in shock, their eyes widening.
“How’s that possible?” Gustavo was confused. “And why didn’t you say anything? Who is this man? Do I know him?”
Ben rose from the floor and walked to the window, staring outside. He didn’t know what he was feeling or how it could be made better.
“Ben?” Carlos followed him. “You can’t just keep us in the dark. This man is the reason why you’re this way. Tell me right now who this bastard is and I swear, he’s gonna get it from me. That idiot took your smile away and made you miserable.”
Ben’s chest felt hollow. Nausea churned his stomach and he rubbed the back of his crossed arms gently.
“Ben!” Carlos yelled. “You gotta talk right now because I am not gonna let this go. This bastard once again ruined what was supposed to be a beautiful night for you. I will…”
“There is no need.” Ben said, his fingers digging into his arms. “I don’t think it matters anymore and…”
“Who is it?” He demanded. “Now!”
“David!” He said, his lips trembling. His eyes rimmed with tears. “David Paola!”
“What?” Gustavo gasped, feeling his heart hammer in his chest. “David is your ex? He is your child’s father?”
Ben nodded softly. “Yes!”
“Bastard!” Carlos snarled, clenching his fists at his side. “That stupid son of a bitch. And he just stood there and pretended everything was okay. Why didn’t you say anything? I would have kicked his teeth in and…”
“It doesn’t matter.” He sniveled. “He doesn’t remember anything. I don’t know how but he couldn’t remember me. He didn’t know who I was and… I… I am glad he doesn’t. It seems he’s suffering from some memory loss. I had an encounter with his husband, my brother.”
“Wait! What?” Carlos screamed. “Jim was at the party too? Oh my God! How could I have not known?”
“Everyone was there.” His voice was barely above a whisper. “My father, his wife… everyone.”
“Oh my God!” Gustavo was beyond shocked. He moved closer to Ben and rested his hand on his shoulder. “I am so sorry, son, so very sorry. Please forgive me. This would not have happened if I had not sent an invitation to Mrs. Paola.
My child.” He moved his hand and rubbed his tears. “You’ve sacrificed a lot for this company and my family, and I couldn’t even do something to make sure that this night turned out great for you. I messed up and invited everyone that caused you so much pain.”
“You wouldn’t have known.” He couldn’t control his tears. They flowed like a fountain of water. “I didn’t tell you anything about him or his family.”
“I know, but I still would have been more careful. You sacrificed a lot for him and your family.” He sniveled. “But now, you have a new family that loves you and cherishes you. All I want is to see you happy. Now it’s my turn to take care of you. I will not accept the business proposal because you’re very important to me and I wanna see you smile again without any obstacles. Don’t cry.”
Ben nodded and wrapped his arms around Gustavo. As his arms wrapped around him, tears flowed more freely. In that moment, there in his arms, he felt safe.
***
‘Now you listen to me. I don’t want you near Jim. Don’t ever come close to my son. He doesn’t deserve someone like you.’
‘You know that you’re my strength, papa. You’re the only one that I have left. If you punish me so harshly then I don’t know what I will do. You didn’t even get to hear my side of the story.’
Jerome weakly walked into his house, feeling as if the flashbacks he was having were draining his energy. He hadn’t spoken a word since he had seen Ben, not one. He kept on remembering what he had said to him that night, the last day he had seen his face.
He went to the living room and sat with his face between his palms. He had tears in his eyes… his hands were shaking and the thunderous headache he was experiencing was from out of this world. It was haunting his very existence.