Chapter 8: The Call That Changed Everything
I stared at the photograph until the edges bent between my fingers.
My father stood beside his old truck, smiling at the camera. His shirt sleeves were rolled to his elbows, and his wedding ring caught the sunlight.
Someone had deliberately scratched out the woman's face.
On the back, the date of his death had been written in black ink.
*Ask who made the call first.*
“Why would Mama take a photograph like this?”” I asked.
Marcus leaned against the corridor wall.
“I don't know.””
“Stop saying that.””
“It's the truth.””
“You've lied to me about everything else. Why should I believe you now?””
He looked exhausted.
“Because if I knew what happened to your father, I wouldn't have spent nine years pretending I didn't.””
I studied his face.
I wanted to believe him.
Not because he deserved it, but because the alternative was too frightening to consider.
I slipped the photograph into my purse.
“I'm calling Mama.””
I dialed her number.
She answered after the second ring.
“Naomi? How's Tiana?””
“She's stable. The doctors are monitoring her.””
“Thank God.””
“Mama, I need you to come to the hospital.””
There was a pause.
“Why?””
“Because I have some questions about the night Daddy died.””
Silence.
Then I heard a chair scrape across a floor.
“What questions?””
I glanced at Marcus.
“Who called the ambulance?””
Mama's breathing became shallow.
“I did.””
“What time?””
“I don't remember.””
“You told me you found Daddy beside his truck. You said you called immediately.””
“I did.””
“Then why can't you remember the time?””
“Naomi, I was in shock.””
I closed my eyes.
I knew grief could distort memories. I knew trauma could make a person forget details that seemed obvious to everyone else.
But I also knew my mother had just lied.
Or at least avoided telling me the whole truth.
“Mama, did you call Marcus before you called the ambulance?””
Her silence lasted long enough to become an answer.
“Where did you get that idea?”” she finally asked.
“Just answer me.””
“I need to see you in person.””
“Fine. Come to the hospital.””
She hung up.
I lowered the phone.
Marcus watched me carefully.
“She knows,” I said.
He nodded faintly.
“What happened that night?””
He looked down the corridor.
“I went to Denise's house because she said she needed help.””
“With what?””
“She wouldn't tell me over the phone.””
I folded my arms.
“Go on.””
“When I arrived, your father was already there.””
I felt a chill move through me.
“Daddy was at Mama's house?””
“Yes.””
“He lived with her.””
“I mean, he was there unexpectedly. Denise said she'd been meeting someone.””
I stared at him.
“Someone who?””
Marcus rubbed his face.
“I thought she meant me.””
The words landed between us.
I tried to picture my father standing in Mama's kitchen that night, discovering that the woman he had loved for decades was hiding something from him.
“What happened when you walked in?””
Marcus swallowed.
“Your father was furious. He was shouting about money, the company, and a letter he'd found. Denise was crying. I tried to calm everyone down.””
“Did you fight with Daddy?””
“No.””
“Did you touch him?””
“No.””
“Did you threaten him?””
Marcus looked at me.
“No.””
I wanted to believe him, but I could still hear the panic in his voice when he had blurted out that he hadn't killed my father.
“What happened next?””
“Your father told me to leave. He said he never wanted to see me again.””
Marcus paused.
“I was halfway to the door when he grabbed his chest.””
My throat tightened.
“What did you do?””
“I turned around. He stumbled into the kitchen table, knocked over a chair, and fell.””
I covered my mouth.
“Was he conscious?””
“For a few seconds.””
“Did you call an ambulance?””
Marcus shook his head.
“Denise told me she would.””
My stomach twisted.
“Why didn't you call yourself?””
He looked ashamed.
“Because your father had threatened to expose the affair. I was afraid that if the police came, everything would come out.””
I stared at him.
“My father was dying on the floor, and you were worried about your reputation?””
“I know how that sounds.””
“It sounds exactly like what you did.””
He closed his eyes.
“I should have called.””
“Yes.””
“I should have stayed with him.””
“Yes.””
“I've regretted it every day.””
I turned away.
For nine years, I had believed Marcus was the man who had helped me survive the worst night of my life.
Now I was learning that he had been in the room when my father collapsed and had allowed fear to make him useless.
“Did Mama call the ambulance?”” I asked.
“Yes.””
“When?””
“I don't know. I left before she made the call.””
I turned back.
“You left?””
He nodded.
“Your father was still breathing when I walked out.””
I stared at him in disbelief.
“You left my father on the floor?””
“I was terrified.””
“So was he!””
Marcus recoiled.
I couldn't look at him anymore.
I walked toward the waiting area, where Rachel was sitting with a paper cup of coffee. She stood as soon as she saw my face.
“What happened?””
I handed her the photograph.
She examined it.
“Is this your father?””
“Yes.””
“And the woman?””
“Her face has been scratched out.””
Rachel turned the photograph over.
She read the inscription, then looked up.
“Who made the call first?””
I nodded.
“That's what I need to find out.””
We sat together in the waiting area until Mama arrived.
She came through the automatic doors wearing a loose beige blouse, her face swollen from crying. When she saw me, she hurried forward.
“Naomi, baby.””
I remained seated.
“Sit down, Mama.””
She stopped.
Then she lowered herself into the chair opposite me.
Rachel quietly moved to the other end of the row, giving us privacy while remaining close enough to intervene if necessary.
I placed the photograph on Mama's lap.
Her face went white.
“Where did you get this?””
“Marcus gave it to me.””
She touched the scratched-out face with trembling fingers.
“I never wanted you to see that.””
“Who is the woman?””
Mama stared at the photograph.
Then she looked at me.
“Me.””
I frowned.
“You scratched out your own face?””
She nodded.
“Why?””
“Because I was ashamed.””
I took a breath.
“Were you having an affair with someone besides Marcus?””
Mama's eyes filled with tears.
“No.””
“Then why was Daddy furious with you?””
She pressed the photograph between her palms.
“Your father found out that I had been giving money to someone.””
“Who?””
She shook her head.
“Denise.””
“Mama, don't do this.””
She began to cry.
“I was trying to help.””
“Who were you helping?””
Her answer came in a whisper.
“Your father.””
I stared at her.
“What?””
Mama wiped her face.
“Your father had borrowed money before the company became successful. There were debts he never told you about. Some of them were dangerous. He was afraid that if anyone discovered them, he would lose everything he had built.””
I shook my head.
“Daddy was careful with money.””
“He was careful with the money you could see.””
She took a shaky breath.
“He had a business partner who was stealing from him. Your father discovered it shortly before he died. He asked me to help him move money into an account so the partner couldn't access it.””
I stared at her.
“Then why didn't you tell the police?””
“Because the account was in my name, and your father had used it to hide money from the company.””
“Was that illegal?””
“I don't know.””
“Did Daddy know what you were doing?””
“Yes.””
“Then why was he angry that night?””
Mama looked down.
“Because he discovered I had moved the money without telling him.””
I felt a headache building behind my eyes.
“So you were helping him, but you were hiding it from him?””
“He had asked me to move the money. Then he changed his mind. I was afraid the business partner would find out, so I left it where it was.””
“And Daddy came to confront you?””
She nodded.
I leaned forward.
“Did you call Marcus before the ambulance?””
Mama's lips trembled.
“Yes.””
The answer was barely audible.
I felt the room tilt.
“Why?””
“Because I panicked. Your father was on the floor, and I didn't know what to do. I called Marcus because he was the only person who knew about the account.””
“Then why didn't you call the ambulance first?””
She began sobbing.
“I don't know. I thought Marcus could help me explain everything.””
I stood abruptly.
“You thought about explaining yourself while Daddy was dying?””
“No!””
She reached for my arm, but I stepped away.
“I was terrified. I called Marcus, and he told me to call emergency services. I did. I swear I did.””
I stared at her.
“Did you tell the paramedics that Marcus had been there?””
She shook her head.
“Why?””
“Because I didn't want you to find out about the affair.””
I felt sick.
My father had been dying, and the people closest to him had been more concerned with protecting their secrets than with protecting him.
I sat down slowly.
“How long did it take for the ambulance to arrive?””
“About twelve minutes.””
“And when did you call?””
She looked at the floor.
“I don't know.””
I wanted to scream.
Instead, I asked the question that mattered most.
“Could Daddy have survived if you'd called immediately?””
Mama covered her face.
“I don't know, Naomi.””
That was the truth, and it was worse than any lie.
Because we might never know.
I stared at the photograph, at the scratched-out face of a woman who had been too afraid to tell her daughter what happened on the night her father died.
Then my phone rang.
The hospital number appeared on the screen.
A doctor asked me to return to Tiana's room.
When I arrived, Tiana was sitting upright in bed. Marcus stood beside her, holding a folded sheet of paper.
Her face was pale, but her voice was steady.
“Naomi,” she said, “the doctor says the baby is stable.””
I exhaled.
“Thank God.””
She nodded, then looked at Marcus.
“He's agreed to the paternity test.””
I glanced at the paper in his hand.
“Good.””
But Marcus wasn't looking at Tiana.
He was looking at me.
“Naomi, there's something else the doctor told us.””
I frowned.
“What?””
He held out the paper.
“The blood work suggests Denise's pregnancy may be further along than she told us.””
My stomach tightened.
“How much further?””
Marcus swallowed.
“Almost sixteen weeks.””
I stared at him.
Mama had told us she was nearly twelve weeks pregnant.
Four weeks made a difference.
A significant one.
Especially when everyone was trying to determine who the father was.
I looked at Marcus.
“Why would she lie about that?””
He shook his head.
“I don't know.””
For once, I believed he might be telling the truth.
Then Tiana whispered, “Naomi, if Mama is sixteen weeks pregnant, she was already pregnant before Marcus and I started sleeping together.””
I turned toward her.
“Yes.””
She looked at Marcus, then back at me.
“Which means he might not be the father of her baby.””
The room fell silent.
May you like
And for the first time since dinner, I wondered whether my mother had been protecting Marcus.
Or protecting someone else.
