The Reunion Pt. 01

"Oh, dear... I'm so sorry Steven," she said. Then she reached out and took my hand and squeezed it. "Tell me about him. You loved him a lot, I can tell."

I was taken aback by her question. I'd never thought of my relationship with my dad as love, but of course that's what it was. Just as my father had never -- not once -- told me he loved me. Yet I knew he did, just as certainly as I knew my own name.

"My dad was an engineer, on the railroad, the Delaware and Hudson," I said, halting a little, but Sydney's grip on my hand never lessened, and somehow I found that immensely reassuring. "He worked really hard, but he always had time for me."

"What did you guys do together?"

"Baseball. He started playing catch with me when I was just big enough to wear a glove. He never stopped. We were playing catch when he... I mean... when ..." I stopped, the tears flowing now. I'd never talked to anyone about this most painful moment in my life.

"Was it a heart attack?"

I looked up at her. She knew, or so it seemed.

"Stroke."

"You poor thing. That must have been ... just... awful." Her voice broke, and I looked up at her to find she, too, had tears staining that beautiful face, turning her brown skin black. I think I fell in love with her at that very moment.

"I'm sorry I made you talk about it, I really am," she said.

"Don't be," I said. "This is the first time I've been able to talk about it with anyone."

"Really? You mom didn't ..."

I shook my head. "My mom is in so much pain right now, she is only focused on her own grief."

"But, don't you have anyone? Your sister or a brother?"

I shook my head. "Never talked about any of this. I mean they must know how he died, but they never talked to me about when it happened."

She shook her head and I was amazed to see something like anger come over her face.

"Don't judge them too harshly," I said. "My family just never talks about our feelings. I mean I knew my father loved me, but it wasn't until his funeral, when I was talking to his best friend, that I learned how proud he was of me."

"He'd never said it?"

I shook my head. "His friend told me about how he would brag to them when they took a cooffee break about me, and what I was doing. You know those clippings I showed Roman?" She nodded. "Those weren't mine. Those were his. He kept them in his lunch pail so he could show the guys. He told his friends that he was sure I was going to be the next Walter Cronkite." I laughed, but tears were streaming down my face now. Syd scooted her chair over to be closer to mine, then put her arms around me and held me tight.

"I'm sorry I'm such a blubbering idiot," I said after a few moments.

She put her hands on my shoulders and held me at arms' length. "I respect a man who can cry, and be honest about his feelings. Never apologize for being real, at least not with me. If we're going to be friends, and I think we are, then we need to be genuine with each other. Got that Bradley?"

I smiled and wiped away my tears. "Got it Thomas."

Late Friday afternoon, Sydney and I had given our copy to Roman and were just hanging out in the newspaper's little offices. We didn't know if there was a feedback process, but we figured if we just hung out here we might hear something.

"Thomas!" Roman shouted from his office. "This is a hell of a story!"

"Well don't thank me," she shouted back. "That's all Bradley's work. I wrote the bit about the arts organizations getting screwed."

I had discovered while researching the story that the student government, which was requesting an increase in the Student Government fee, had decided to start paying themselves a salary. It wasn't a lot, but that wasn't the point. I had asked them for a budget, which seemed like an obvious question when talking about an increase in fees. But they wouldn't part with it. Eventually, I managed to get it from a kid who, to this day, remains anonymous.

"Then Bradley ..." Roman said as he was coming out of his office, walking the few steps back to where we were hanging out, so he could shake my hand. "Well done." Then he turned to the rest of the group assembled there and shook my typewritten copy in the air. "This, boys and girls is journalism. Look it up!"

As we left the building that afternoon, headed to our cars, Sydney was making gentle fun of Roman and his melodramatic speech to the other staffers.

"This, ladies and gentlemen is the New York Times. Look it up!"

We were laughing out loud and enjoying the moment immensely, both of us flattered by Roman's attention and at the same time amused by his antics. It seemed like the most natural thing in the world for me to ask her.

"Hey, would you like to go get a pizza or something?" I asked, my heart running at about a mile a minute. We both knew what I was asking. I saw the expression on her face and before she could say a word, I was crushed.

"Oh, Steven, I'm sorry. I should have told you..."

Just then this gigantic black guy -- he must have been six foot four, at least -- came up to us.

"Hey baby," he said, and leaned over and kissed Sydney on the mouth.

Chapter 4

Brooklyn

I hadn't realized when Syd took my phone away from me last night that she had powered it down. She knew me too well.

When I booted it up again, it started buzzing and dinging as text after text came rolling in. My boss texted "Great job, Bradley" and there were many, many more in that vain. My sister Stephanie had called me around 7 a.m., and when she didn't reach me texted me instead. "I'm so proud of you."

"I need to get a paper," I said to Sydney as she rolled over and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"A Washington Post? Right now?"

I leaned over to her and kissed her. "No a Times, and not right this minute."

"Oh, a Times I can do."

She got up and grabbed a robe off a hook near her closet -- not the sexy red satin one she was wearing last night -- and stepped out into the living room. I heard the front door open, then a minute later Syd tossed me today's Times. I scanned the headlines and found what I was looking for on the lower right side of the page. Just a brief. I read it quickly, then laughed out loud.

"This is fucking awesome."

"What is?" said Sydney, as she sat beside me on the bed.

I pointed to it and she read it out loud.

Cameron out at HHS

Health and Human Services Secretary Rodney Cameron has been dismissed by President Andrew Richardson, according to a report in the Washington Post, in the wake of allegations he was involved in a plot to steer business toward a long-time political supporter who then fleeced the government for millions.

The allegations were made against Mr. Cameron by author and Post reporter Steven Bradley in his bestselling book titled "Plunder: How a minor insurance broker ripped off the government for $1 Billion." The contractor, Jerome Beckwith, was named in the book as an old friend of Cameron's who was awarded billions in contracts to implement the new National Health Insurance Plan. Mr. Beckwith has been charged with no crime, though prosecutors in New York, New Jersey, California and a half dozen other states have launched investigations.

According to the Post, President Richardson telephoned Mr. Bradley last night to make the announcement. There has been no comment by Mr. Cameron or the department.

"Can you imagine how humiliating it must be for them to report a major story like this and have to attribute it to the Post?"

She laughed. "Steven Bradley, you are the most competitive person I know. Can't you feel some empathy for these poor souls at the New York Times?"

"None whatsoever."

She laughed and I leaned over and kissed her, as I was slipping my hands inside her robe to play with her breasts.

"You don't seem all that interested in going out and getting the Post. Aren't you hungry?"

"A little," I said. "But right now I'm more interested in you. And learning how to put my love life before my career."

"I'm always in favor of that," she said as she grabbed my cock and pulled me to her as she laid back. She guided me into her. "Be gentle. I can't remember when I've had sex on back to back days. As much as I want it, I'm a little sore."

"You want me to stop?"

"Don't you dare."

So we made quiet, languorous love like we had all day, which, it seems, we did. But as I approached the point of no return, Syd egged me on. "Fuck me. Fuck me. FUCK ME!" She reached climax a few seconds before me, and her orgasm pushed me over the edge.

We lay beside one another gasping for breath.

"Damn," she said.

I looked over at her and laughed. "You've always been an eloquent woman."

She punched my arm, then rolled over at me and kissed me again.

"I hope you're not getting tired of kissing me, 'cause I've got 30 years of missed kissing to make up for."

"Fine with me."

She propped herself up and played with the hair on my chest.

"Remember the first time we kissed?"

"How could I forget?"

She nodded. "I've replayed that scene in my mind a thousand times. I keep fantasizing about a do-over, where we got to have this idyllic life together, but I could never make it come out any better. They say people who have been traumatized keep going over the event in their mind, trying to make it come out differently. It never does, of course.

"I've never told you this, but that afternoon was really traumatic for me. I went home to Brooklyn and just moped around. I hardly came out of my bedroom except for meals. I know they heard me crying. My parents kept asking me what was wrong, but I couldn't tell them. They would not have been particularly sympathetic. The never knew you, but still they didn't like you. They thought Richard was the right guy for me. And once I broke up with Richard, they were convinced Jeffrey was the one. They just wore me down, and eventually I married him.

"You remember me telling you about my friend Tonya?"

"Of course. You remember, I met her that one time when she came up for a weekend."

"Oh, right. The weekend Richard spent hitting on her."

"Jesus. He really was an ass, wasn't he."

She nodded. "You know why I stayed with him?"

"No, why? I always assumed he was good in the sack or something."

She laughed. "Men all think the same. No, I stayed with him because if I hadn't then it would have raised the whole issue with you and me. And what would I do? I couldn't date you, because my parents would have a fit. They might have made me move back home. And you were still dating that blonde."

"Jackie."

"Right. I always hated her. It was just jealously and it was totally irrational. I couldn't have you and it made me furious that she could."

"I really made an effort to keep you two apart." I laughed. "She told me once that she thought you had the hots for me. All I could think was 'from her lips to God's ears.'"

"You never really knew how I felt?"

I shook my head. "You could have knocked me over with a feather when you told me that last day. Honest. I had no idea. I was just a kid, Syd. You were always so much more mature than me."

"Well, growing up on the streets of the Bronx will do that to you."

"Anyway, Tonya?"

"Oh, so I did tell Tonya what was eating at me. And she told me to tell my parents to go to hell and go back upstate and claim you."

"Why didn't you?"

"The die was cast. Sometimes I'm filled with regret for what could have been."

"You can't regret the past. What's done is done. What we can do is not make the same mistake now."

"I'm worried about that."

"Why? Sick of me already?"

"Silly boy," she said, smiling. "I'm just worried that it won't work, with you in Washington, and chasing all over the globe following stories. Your work has always come first, Steven. I'm afraid I'll be a long way second."

"I no longer have anything to prove. I'm not saying it will be easy. But we should be able to have weekends together. We can alternate, here and Washington."

"I meant to ask you if you would mind if we grabbed an hour with my daughter tomorrow when we're in Washington?"

"Of course. But if you aren't ready to introduce her to me, don't feel like I have to be there."

She smiled. "She already knows all about you. I told her I was meeting you yesterday. My kids grew up knowing about my 'friend' Steven. I never told them I was crazy about you, but they may have figured it out."

"What makes you think that?"

Syd showed me a string of texts on her phone from Monica, her oldest.

"I'm seeing my old friend Steven tomorrow."

"Cool. How long has it been?"

"Almost 30 years."

"Think the spark will still be there?"

"What spark? He was a friend."

"Yeah right. HaHa."

"Don't be smart"

"UR 2 funny. It's okay if you date. We're hoping you will."

"We'll see. He might be married, for all I know."

"Billie says he's single. Kinda notorious Washington bachelor."

"How would she know?"

"Boyfriend works at WaPo. I asked her to find out."

"So you've got this all worked out?"

"Not at all. Just telling you that if you fall in love with him again, we'd be happy for you."

"Who's we? You and David?"

"Me and Diane."

"You got your sister involved? She's only 18..."

"Mom, we love you and want you to be happy. That's all."

"So, you see, there's nothing to hide."

"Damn. I always thought meeting the parents was stressful. Meeting kids is harder."

"I'm pretty sure they'll love you."

"Oh, and why is that?"

"Because I do."

"If you say so. It might be hard for them to think of me replacing their father."

"I don't think so."

"Really?"

"It's not like they don't love him, I'm sure they do," Syd said thoughtfully. "It's just that he has never made much effort to be close to them. Has never done much with them, except what he had to do. Monica played soccer in high school. We lived in Brooklyn then, too, and his commute was maybe 30 minutes. But do you think he ever came to any of her games? No, he was always too busy."

"I can't imagine that. My mom and dad never missed one of my baseball games. Not one, and I played baseball from the time I was a little kid right through high school."

"At first Monica would ask him every game if he was coming, and he'd always say no. It broke my heart to see the disappointment on her face."

"So they're still not close?"

"No. If anything, the divorce has driven them further apart. So I don't think there's much chance they'll resent you."

"I hope not."

Chapter 5

Sunday morning, after catching the early shuttle to DC, we dumped our bags at my apartment near Dupont Circle and walked about two blocks to my favorite little coffee shop. I ordered while Sydney used the restroom and I had just settled at a table when a young black woman who looked identical to Sydney at that age came in and started scanning the room, obviously looking for someone. I went over to her.

"You have to be Monica," I said.

"Steven?"

"You are the spitting image of your mother at that age," I said with a smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

We shook hands and I invited her to join us at the table. Just then, her mom returned, and they hugged, clearly delighted to see each other.

"I see you two have met."

"We have," we both said at exactly the same moment, causing us to laugh.

"Steven says I look just like you did at my age."

"Really? I don't see it," Sydney said. "I was never as beautiful as Monica is."

"Mom..."

I turned to Monica.

"Don't you believe it. She was stunning. I was constantly making a fool of myself staring at her. She still is, from my perspective."

Sydney, who was sitting close enough that our legs were touching under the table, took my hand after I said that and gave me a big smile, which did not go unnoticed.

"You two are cute together," she said.

"Monica! What a thing to say," said Sydney, who now seemed embarrassed.

"Well, you are," Monica said with a little smirk.

I felt like it was time to change the subject.

"So how do you like working for Congresswoman Jordan?"

"I like it. It's a lot of hours, but I don't mind. I feel like we're working for a good cause."

I knew Julie Jordan to be one of the most liberal members of the Democratic Caucus in the House of Representative, a pain in the Speaker's ass and an all-around decent human being -- which is not something I could say about many of her fellow reps.

"Do you know her?" Monica asked.

"I've met her a few times. She really seems like a decent person."

"She is."

I didn't tell her that she was a source for a couple of great stories about the Speaker's excesses in her attempts at controlling the caucus, nor did I want to mention that Jordan and I were a thing once, about 4 years ago. We had kept it very quiet, for both our sakes. Washington sometimes is like a really small town.

We talked politics for a while, with Monica commenting on my book and the buzz in Washington about Cameron's departure.

"Did the president really call you Friday night? It seems like he'd be too busy to do that himself."

"He really did. Your mom was there, we were just having dinner, so I put him on speaker," I said. "But you're right, normally he would leave that to his press secretary or his chief of staff. I think this is just a measure of how really pissed off he was."

"We're going to the White House this afternoon," Sydney said. "I'm told the First Lady is going to give me a tour."

"Really? Wow, I'm impressed. Just as long as you don't become a Republican," Monica said. I laughed.

"I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen. I mean the First Lady is a doll, but even her powers of persuasion would fall short," I said.

Just then my phone rang, and I looked at the screen and didn't recognize the number, so I thumbed the reject button. But then a minute later it rang again. Someone apparently wanted to talk to me pretty badly, so I stepped away from the table and answered.

"Hello?"

"Bradley."

"Mr. President?"

"Yeah, listen this call is unofficial, but I thought you had a right to know. Cameron is dead. "

"He's what?"

"You heard me. Found him in his office this morning around 10 a.m. Blew his brains out."

"Jesus..."

"Yeah, something's wrong here Bradley. The man had no shame, so it's not like your revelations are to blame. And it can't be getting fired. He had to know that was coming. There's something else. Something we can't see right now. "

"I think you're right, sir. Besides, he's known about what was in my book for weeks."

"Something's fishy, Bradley. Anyway, I thought you ought to know. See you at 4."

Then he hung up, and I was left standing there looking at the phone screen.

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Part two is coming....