The Undertaking of Adam Novak Read online

  Right off the bat, their relationship had not been great. They were always at odds and on those occasions when Adam threatened to leave, she used the kids to guilt him into staying and it worked every damn time. As the children got older her fear of losing Adam grew with them. She knew she needed insurance and told Adam that she was pregnant. She told him it happened on the night of a co-workers’ retirement party where they’d had too much to drink, one thing led to another and there you go. Her new strategy paid off and two weeks later they were married. Once her marriage had been secured she told Adam that she lost the baby. After the supposed miscarriage Irene never returned to work and became a full-time mom.

  Her perfect plan collapsed a year later when Aaron, Tianna’s child, was born. The boy’s father skipped town and Adam wanted to step in as a surrogate. He asked for a divorce and of course, she refused. She was relieved when Tianna rejected Adam’s offer and in the end, Irene and Adam stayed together.

  –

  Now she has it all: a beautiful husband, two wonderful kids, and a home of her own. Others would say that they are the perfect family, but Irene knows better. With Colin out of the house and Jordyn only two years away from college, her fear of losing Adam returned stronger than ever and she felt that she had no other choice but to eliminate her only threat.

  –

  Irene goes to the kitchen and opens the refrigerator, taking out a bottle of Cabernet. She takes a glass from the cupboard, pours herself a full glass and carries it to the family room.

  Mounted on the wall is a sixty-two-inch flat screen television in front of a large maroon color sectional sofa that wraps around the length of the room. There’s a fireplace on one side with a dozen framed photos on the mantel; photos of herself and Adam on their wedding day, Jordyn with her friends, Jordyn, and Colin when they were babies. She refuses to display photos of Tianna and her kid (which was the cause of endless arguments between her and Adam). She smiles now knowing it‘s all over and she no longer has to compete with Tianna. Time for phase two, she thinks and sits on the big cushy sofa, grabs her phone and dials Levy’s number.

  “Hello.”

  “Lee, it’s Irene.” She leans back on the sofa, resting her head. “I’m sorry, but I have bad news.”

  “Cut the bullshit,” he says.

  “What the fuck crawled up your ass?” she teases but only silence follows. “Fine. I’m calling to let you know that the mother of your child died today.”

  “What? How?”

  She can hear the concern in his voice and smiles. “I heard she suffered a heart attack. I’m so sorry.”

  Silence.

  “Are you there?”

  “Yeah. I’m just. Are you sure?”

  “Yes. And since you’ve been saying how you want to take the boy, I thought I’d let you know this is your chance. He has no one now.”

  “Shit.”

  “So when can you come up? We need to get together and discuss a plan.”

  “A plan?”

  “Sure. You take the boy, or… I don’t know, maybe the cops get an anonymous tip about your… hobby.”

  “You’re seriously blackmailing me right now?”

  “No,” she says calmly. “Think of it as a business transaction. I’ll let you know about the funeral. Be ready, Lee.”

  “Fine,” he says and ends the call.

  Irene stares at her phone for a moment. Well, that was rude!

  She wonders where Levy is now and if he’s with anyone. He and Irene have had good times together over the years. He’s not bad looking but hates to hear about his resemblance to a young Michael Chiklis. He’s obsessed with his body and, like Adam, works hard to stay in shape.

  She goes to the window expecting to see Adam’s Jeep pull in but there’s still no sign of her husband so she goes to the family room for her wine and her phone rings.

  “Hi, Julia.”

  “Ken told me,” says Julia. “How do you feel?”

  Irene thinks Julia’s voice is a bit shaky, like if she’s been crying.

  “Have you been crying?” she jokes and throws her head back with laughter.

  “No. I haven’t been crying. I'm... I don't know.”

  “What is it?”

  “I’m nervous about everything.”

  “Oh relax! We’ll be okay.”

  “What does Adam say? Have you talked to him?”

  Irene gets to her feet and walks to the kitchen to get the bottle of wine. “No, and I have no fucking idea what’s taking him so long.”

  “Are you sure this is going to help you?”

  “One hundred percent.”

  “What about Aaron?”

  “I don’t care about him.”

  “Well. I hope everything works out.”

  “It will,” says Irene and ends the call.

  5

  JULIA

  Julia, the oldest of the Novak children (by two minutes) is so much more different than the rest. She might as well have been adopted instead of being Adam’s twin. Since childhood, she hated everything about her existence. She refused to go with Adam and her parents to the shelters and soup kitchens to volunteer and despised the holidays for that reason alone.

  She considered herself the black sheep of the family, even when she was treated equally. She never got along with Adam and the fact that he was so much like their father infuriated her. To top it all off, her parents decided to adopt Tianna, for reasons she will never understand. Soon all the attention was for the new girl, for the lonely girl, for the unwanted and discarded girl.

  Julia knew. Sure as hell knew that her parents and her brothers loved Tianna more than they loved her. The way they talked to Tianna, the way they understood her, the way they looked at her, with such love, made Julia sick. Her parents didn’t even bother to ask her if it was okay to bring a stray home.

  Julia couldn’t wait to get the fuck out of that place. She left home at eighteen and met Ken Sorensen, who was six years older. He was perfect for her; treated her with the love she longed for and gave her everything she asked for. With Ken she grew, she evolved into the person she wanted to be. Into the person her parents could love but didn’t.

  Ken taught her how to be independent, how to be strong and not give a shit about what others thought. He helped make her dream of being her own boss a reality. Thanks to Ken she was the proud owner of Events by Julie, her event planning business, her pride, and joy.

  When she and Ken got married, she distanced herself from her family, but her bitterness and loathing towards them grew. Somewhere along the way she became acquainted with Irene, her sister-in-law. Their mutual dislike for Tianna solidified their relationship, which had bloomed into a wonderful friendship. A friendship that had lasted longer than either of them could have imagined.

  A few years back, while the two friends enjoyed a spa day, Irene confided in Julia and told her that Adam was madly in love with Tianna. This came with no surprise to Julia as she’d had her suspicions for years. What it did, however, was create a new alliance, a pact between friends. They would never accept Tianna and her child as part of the family.

  The women cultivated a loathing for Tianna unlike anything else. It grew in them like a seed and the bitterness was too great to contain. The last straw for Julia came after the death of her parents when she found out that they had left the house and their savings to Tianna and the kid.

  She knew that something had to be done. Both she and Irene understood that as long as Tianna was alive, their mission could never be complete. And so they planned their battle. A battle in which Ken was commander.

  After talking with Irene on the phone, however, she isn’t so sure it is over. She’s afraid. This time is more than guilt nagging at her. It’s dread. Something told her they just made things worse for themselves. But only time will tell. After all, Ken assured her that his method is flawless.

  6

  ADAM

  I hold onto Aaron for what feels like an eternity while he tre
mbles in my arms. The silence that follows stretches on. Rita places her hands on my shoulders and eases me from Aaron. I straighten, hesitant to let go and look in his eyes. Shock is setting in and I worry I might have made a mistake. Should I have waited?

  “I’m sorry, buddy.” I don’t know what else to tell him.

  He doesn’t respond, only has that blank stare.

  Most of the children have gone and the school flag is being lowered from its mast. I turn to Rita who is no longer crying, only… broken.

  “It’s all going to be okay, little man,” she assures Aaron and I also feel comforted by her words.

  Aaron looks at her and manages a nod.

  Rita crouches down to face the boy and takes his hands in hers. “You’re not alone in this,” she tells him. “Your uncle’s going to take you home. He’ll make sure that you’re okay.”

  Aaron looks up at me and says, “Can I see her?”

  Rita and I exchange glances. I’m hoping that she’ll tell me what to do, what to say to the broken child but she doesn’t.

  “I promise you will,” I say. “Soon. Okay, buddy?”

  We walk to our cars as the sun disappears behind gray clouds. Only a handful of children remain, unsupervised from the looks of it. We follow the path back to the parking lot in silence. I swing Aaron’s backpack over my shoulder and walk behind them with my head down.

  I place Aaron’s backpack in the back seat and Aaron climbs on. I lean back against the door, uncertain of what else to do. Rita stands in front of me, hugging and comforting herself

  “Please let me know if you need anything,” she says. “I can look after Aaron if you need me to. I know you have a lot to take care of.”

  “Thanks for being here. For… ” I shake my head.

  “I can’t believe it. A heart attack?”

  “Did she say anything to you?” I ask. “Did she say she was sick or… I don’t know. Anything?”

  “No. I mean. No. Which is why this is so shocking to me. Unless…” her voice fades and she looks down at her hands.

  “Unless what?”

  “Unless she kept it from me?” Tears start to fall and she wipes them away with the back of her sleeve and continues on. “She told me everything, you know?”

  I pull her in for a hug and she leans against my chest with ease.

  “Thanks again for being here,” I tell her and let go.

  “Glad I can help. Please keep me posted with everything.” She walks over to Aaron, who rolls down the window.

  “Aaron, I need you to be okay, little man. If you want to talk about this or anything, please call me, anytime.”

  Another nod from the boy and Rita waves us goodbye.

  –

  I buckle in and turn to Aaron who is staring out the window. I put my hand on his shoulder and he turns to me. Without saying a word I pull out of the parking lot and head east, to Tianna’s house.

  I’m dreading the task ahead. Tianna is like a mother to Jaycob and I know the news is going to crush him.

  Tianna was eighteen when Jaycob was born and from the moment he was brought home, she became like a second mother to him. She helped mom take care of him during the night, bathed him, and put him to bed. As he got older she continued to guide him, take him to school, and help him with homework. Everything a parent does, she did for Jaycob.

  Outside, the day continues to turn gray as people go about their business; making plans for the weekend, I assume. I keep glancing over at Aaron, who continues to look out the window as the rain starts to fall. The sound of the windshield wipers coming on startles him and he shifts in his seat to look at me. “Who's gonna take care of me now?”

  “You'll be okay, buddy.” Obviously not the answer he’s looking for, so I say, “I'm not leaving you. Neither is Jake.”

  He says nothing and turns back to the window.

  –

  Parked in the driveway, besides Jaycob’s beat-up 4Runner is Tianna's green CRV and for an instant, I see a sliver of hope in Aaron’s eyes.

  “Ready?” I say and he nods.

  We run to the porch in the middle of the storm. It’s big enough for a small bench, one my father and I built years ago. I look around the yard and I’m hit with the realization that nothing will ever be the same. The single-story craftsman was a refuge growing up. My parents worked hard for their pride and joy. I remember the stories dad used to share about how they had found this place. I’ve seen photos of the horrible shape it was in when they bought it and they transformed it into a beautiful home.

  The yard was my father’s baby and he spent each Saturday morning tending to it. While I pulled weeds, he mowed the lawn and mom tended to the flowers. When they passed on, it was up to Tianna, Jaycob and me to keep it in great shape. Like my mom, Tianna had a green thumb and so she continued to keep it the way my folks had liked it: clean, green and beautiful.

  I unlock the door and let Aaron go in first and he goes straight into his room.

  –

  It’s not a big house by any means. At one point in the past, after returning from the Air Force, the living room was my bedroom. I stand here now, looking around and thinking about the house without Tianna is unfitting.

  I walk to the hallway leading to the bedrooms and as I approach, I can hear the shower running. Jaycob getting ready for work, I suppose and keep going to Jaycob’s bedroom.

  His is the smallest room in the house. I’m not at all surprised at how neat and organized it is, though. There are model airplanes on his desk and four suspended from the ceiling, one in each corner, at precise angles. When I joined the Air Force Jaycob became obsessed with airplanes and said that when he was old enough, he too was going to join the Air Force and become a pilot. His dreams and aspirations crumbled after he was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder with OCD tendencies, for which he’s taking medication.

  There’s a poster of a P-51 Mustang above the bed positioned in the center. On the desk is my old desktop computer—an ancient Dell I purchased off Craigslist ages ago—and one he inherited when I moved out. I walk to the small window to peek outside and see that the rain has stopped, for the moment at least. I turn from the window and see Aaron standing at the threshold.

  “Hey, buddy,” I say and go to him, but he runs into me, wrapping his arms around me and starts to cry.

  “I'm so sorry, Aaron,” I say and go down on my knees to face him.

  “I can't lose my mom,” he cries.

  “I know. God, I know.”

  He buries his face in my shoulder and weeps. “This isn’t fair! Everyone’s leaving me.”

  “No buddy. No. Look at me,” I tell him and he does. Fat steady tears stream down his cheeks and I cradle his face in my hands.

  “I promise I’ll always be here. I need you to believe me, okay?”

  “I'm scared.”

  “I know. I know it's scary right now, but we have each other, you, me and Jake. Always.”

  He gives a slow nod as the sobs subside and only sniffling remains.

  “Now you have to help me, okay? Can you help me tell Jake? Can we do this?”

  He nods into my shoulder as Jaycob appears at the door wearing jeans and his hair damp. He angles his head and narrows his eyes. Jaycob is tall and brawny. His ghostly complexion is a contrast to his black curly hair. His cheeks are rosy from the shower and his slanted blue eyes look at me with suspicion.

  “Is everything okay?” he says, running his hands through his hair.

  Aaron lets go of me and we stand side by side.

  “Jake, something’s happened.”

  “Okaaaay. Something happened at school, Aaron?”

  Aaron shakes his head and looks up at me. I take a step toward Jaycob, then another, my legs like lead. Standing in front of him I say, “It’s Tianna. She, uh… she’s gone, Jake.”

  He regards me for a moment, then glances at Aaron and back at me. “What do you mean gone?”

  I put my hands on my hips and look down, sh
aking my head. “She. I mean. Jake, she has passed on.”

  Jaycob walks past me to the closet and opens the door. “What the fuck kind of joke is this?” he says, putting out a shirt.

  “Jake, language, please.”

  He punches the shut so hard the entire room vibrates. Aaron covers his ears and runs out of the room.

  Jaycob has always been the calm one so I’m shocked by his reaction, but at the same time, I understand. I approach and try to take a hold of his arm, but he shrugs away with such force he almost knocks me down. He walks past me to the window and starts rubbing the back of his neck—a nervous habit.

  “Jake, you need to calm down.”

  “Don't you fucking tell me to calm down!” he says and paces the floor, murmuring to himself. After a moment he says, “What the fuck, Adam?”

  I shake my head.

  “How the fuck is she gone? How the… fuck,” he whimpers and starts to cry. He sits on the edge of the bed and slides down to the floor. With his hands on his face, he sobs and I sit next to him.

  “How can this be? What happened?”

  With my feet planted on the floor and my elbows on my knees, I tell him what happened and we stay quiet for a long time afterward.

  “How’s this possible? Where was she?”

  “Right outside,” I say. “They told me a neighbor found her unconscious on the steps and called 911.”

  “I was wondering why her car was here when I got home. I picked up a few extra hours at work and got out late. I had no fucking idea.”

  I drape an arm around his shoulders and notice his left hand is starting to swell. “You gotta keep it together, Jake. For Aaron.”

  “Shit,” he says and wipes at the tears, then gets to his feet and leaves the room.

  –

  I stand in Tianna’s room now not knowing why. Hers is the brightest, but right now it’s darkened by the clouds outside. Everything looks orderly and spotless. I remember when she first got here. She was so polite and helpful. She’d make her bed every day before going to school saying it was the least she could do to make sure that my mom didn’t work too hard.