Oyster Creek Ch. 15

Daniel sat down in the conference room with trepidation. Jenny was next to him, nervously drumming on the tabletop, and even Rosemary Bernholdt - their lawyer - seemed a little anxious.

This was it. The moment had arrived. Any minute now his parents would stride through that door with faces like thunder and refuse to give up the store. He hoped their evidence would prove sufficient to reach a settlement - he really didn't fancy a legal battle. Not that he particularly cared what his parents thought of him; no, it was more that a protracted court case was unfair on Jenny and her sister. They hadn't asked for any of this.

He was lost in those thoughts when a knock at the door startled him out of his reverie. The receptionist poked his head through.

"Mr and Mrs Porter-Michaels are here with their lawyer, Ms Bernholdt. Shall I show them in?"

Rosemary Bernholdt nodded, then stood up to greet the three figures who walked through the door. Jenny sprang to her feet, thrusting out a handshake to the ominous intruders. Daniel stayed sitting.

"Stand up, Daniel," Jenny hissed, kicking him sideways under the table.

He sighed, looking up. His mother was glaring at him. Already.

He pushed himself to his feet. "Hello, mother. Father."

There was no joyous reunion here. No tears and hugs and happy shouts. Instead, his parents nodded their stonefaced retorts and promptly took seats across the table.

Daniel's side sat down, too, making themselves comfortable before Rosemary Bernholdt spoke.

"Welcome to Oyster Creek," she smiled, opening up the folder in front of her. "Shall we get down to business?"

The other lawyer - a dull, dreary man who looked to be in his late-fifties - opened his own folder. He looked over his glasses at them. "Yes, well, there does seem to be something to the claims."

Rosemary Bernholdt looked taken aback, and Jenny gasped. Even Daniel was slightly confused.Was this man admitting that the store was theirs?

It was then he noticed the cold stares of his parents. Both his mother and father were focused entirely on him, their expressions utterly impassive. He did not know what to make of that.

"Well, shall we try and reach a settlement?" Ms Bernholdt said, tilting her head slightly. "We believe that the Oyster Creek General Store rightfully belongs to the Birch family, namely Jenny and Lucy Birch, and request that all assets relating to the store are handed over to them at once."

The opposing lawyer shook his head slightly. "I'm afraid we have some areas of disagreement, clearly. It seems that the Birch family do indeed have a claim on the store in question, and yet it has been part of the Porter-Michaels estate for so long that any such claims are rendered invalid."

"We contest that," Ms Bernholdt said. "The will is very clear. That it was improperly executed does not render it void. We do not wish to go through the courts here, sir. I am very aware that your clients have had to travel a long way to be here."

"I am afraid that you have made your position very clear, and as such I fear that is our only recourse. The General Store has been the possession of the Porter-Michaels estate for so long that no court will hand it over now."

"You sound like you are going to make a concession."

"We are prepared to allow Jenny and Lucy Birch to operate the store, with the Porter-Michaels estate paying them a generous salary. All profits would go to my clients' estate."

"No," Daniel said, interrupting. "That's not acceptable."

"Daniel-" Jenny started, clearly aghast at his interjection.

He talked over her. It wasn't polite, but it was necessary. "I know what's going on here, Jenny. They're getting back at me."

Still his parents faces were impassive.

He leaned forwards. "What do you want from me?"

At last, his mother finally spoke. "I expect you to apologise, Daniel. For all the hurt you've caused us." She looked deadly serious.

"Apologise?" He was stunned.

"Yes," his father continued, narrowing his eyes. "You've done nothing but cause problems since we sent you out here. We thought it would be a learning curve; a good experience for you. Instead, you've gone out of your way to disrupt our lives and provoke misery. Apologise at once."

"I have nothing to apologise for," he said slowly. He did not want this to turn into a domestic argument. It was supposed to be a legal meeting.

His mother spluttered. "Nothing! How dare you, Daniel. You haveeverythingto apologise for. We will make no concessions with this store unless you say sorry."

Daniel was shocked, although he knew he shouldn't be. Were his parents actually using this store, and therefore the lives up the people tied up in it, as some sort of...lesson?As a stick with which to beat him? It was almost too outrageous to be true, but he knew that it was.

And they had him, too. They had worked out what this meant to him. If he fought back, played the righteous child, then it would be Jenny and Lucy who suffered for his indignation. No matter how wronged he felt, he would have to acquiesce. For the sake of his friends.

He sighed. "And if I do apologise?"

"Then you can have it."

Jenny gasped.

He looked at her, then back to his parents. He was not sure if they were trying to trick him. "I can have the store?"

"No,youcannot. But Ms Birch here can. We won't contest the will. It can pass over to the Birch family."

Daniel took a deep breath. However repulsive it felt, he only had one option. "Then I'm sorry, mother. I apologise for the upset and harm my actions have caused. You were right to send me here."

"Good," his mother nodded, a smugly self-satisfied smirk on her face. "I'm glad to hear it. The store is yours."

His parents' lawyer whirled to them. "Ma'am, I think we really must-"

"Shut up. The store is theirs. Give them the papers."

The man seemed utterly confused. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Otherwise I would not have said so. Do it."

He turned back to them then, withdrawing a sheet that seemed a solid block of text. "This is a statement saying that my clients no longer contest the ownership of the property, and that the Birch family take control of both the property and all its assets, including stock, bank accounts, cash and contracts."

He passed it to Ms Bernholdt, who scanned it quickly. "And this applies even to purchases made recently by Mr Porter-Michaels?"

"Of course it does," his mother snapped.

Rosemary Bernholdt looked at his mother then, her expression inscrutable, then signed the bottom of the document. Then she passed it to Jenny, who looked at her, shock on her face, before signing it herself.

After both his parents had added their signatures it was done. The store was Jenny's.

"I'm... thank you," Jenny said, stretching out her hand. "I am very grateful."

"We didn't do it for you," his father said dismissively, turning back to Daniel. "Now, Daniel, you may come home."

"Oh?" He was slightly taken aback by that. He thought he would be stranded here, given the venom his parents had directed at him today and for the past week. "Home?"

"Yes, Daniel. Home. England. You've served your time out here. Losing that meaningless shop is a small price to pay for our son to learn a valuable lesson. You can come back."

It was his turn to be stunned. When he'd arrived all those weeks ago, he'd been desperate to leave. But now that he was being told he could go... he wasn't sure he wanted to.

His parents stood, Rosemary Bernholdt and Jenny quickly following suit. The opposing lawyer left the room immediately, clearly annoyed at the way things had turned out. Daniel didn't really know why; he was going to get paid a fortune no matter what.

Then Daniel pushed himself to his feet, though far more languorously. "So what happens now?"

"You collect your things and we leave America," his mother said simply. "You get to go home, the Birch family get their precious General Store and everyone lives happily ever fucking after."

Daniel grinned. It was happening. He was going home.

He turned to Jenny. "You hear that, Jenny? I'm going home! And you get to keep the General Store. It's all working out."

"It is," she said, though more quietly than he expected her to. It sounded like she wasn't totally convinced of the sentiments.

It was then he noticed Rosemary Bernholdt watching him with a smile. When she realised he'd seen her, she stepped forwards. "Congratulations, Mr Porter-Michaels. It seems everything worked out for the best in the end." Shaking his hand, she turned to Jenny. "I'll be in contact once the paperwork is filed with the relevant authorities, Ms Birch. But suffice to say, you've done it. The Oyster Creek General Store belongs to you and your sister."

Then she left the room, leaving Daniel alone with Jenny and his parents. His mother and father waited by the door, and it was only then he truly realised the magnitude of what this meant. He was leaving Oyster Creek, leaving his new friends, leaving the General Store he'd put so much effort into turning around.

He was leaving Jenny.

His heart seemed wrenched by that. He'd grown to love his time here in Oyster Creek; his time with Jenny. He turned to her.

"Jenny, I..." he started, and she looked at him. Her hazel eyes seemed wider than usual, filled with a sadness he wasn't expecting. She should have been happy; she'd just won control of the General Store.

"Dan, don't..." she breathed.

"I just wanted to say thank you."

A wave of disappointment crossed her face. "Oh."

His heart sank a little more when he heard that. She seemed truly saddened by his departure. But how had she expected anything else? He was a foreigner; an outsider. He couldn't stay here forever. His time in Oyster Creek was only ever temporary, and now it was up. It was time to leave.

He swallowed. "You've been amazing to me, Jenny. You helped me settle in; you made me feel at home. You were perfect."

"But perhaps not perfect enough," she said, staring down at the floor. Then she laughed softly to herself, shaking her head. A resolve seemed to come over her and she glanced up, forcing a smile. "You were pretty damn awesome yourself, Dan. I couldn't have done this without you."

He smiled. "You're going to make the General Store a roaring success. I just know it. I'll see you on television in a year; America's newest billionaire."

She laughed quietly, though the sound died almost as quickly as it had begun. Clearly, she was in no mood to joke. A moment's silence passed between them.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye, Dan," she said at last. She was struggling to meet his eyes again. She held out her hand and Daniel realised it was shaking.

"I'm not going to shake your hand, Jenny. I'm worth more than that, surely?"

"You're worthmuchmore than that, Dan," she snapped, her eyes suddenly burning. Then the flare died, and her gaze dropped once more. "Much more."

"Jenny, I... I can't stay. I have to go home."

"I know that, Dan. I know. It's just... I guess I didn't think it would be this hard." She looked up at him and smiled. "I didn't think I'd get so attached, you know? You were just some guy I met on the train." She laughed sadly.

"It's not so bad," he said, forcing a smile of his own. "You've got the store."

"And if I can't have what I want then... well, it'll have to do."

"Jenny..."

"Go, Dan. You're holding your parents up."

He stepped forward and hugged her. "I'll miss you, Jenny."

"I'll miss you too, Dan."

They stayed that way a moment, until Jenny pulled away. Only slightly. Just far enough to kiss him instead.

It was a fleeting kiss, too quick even for him to properly respond, and then she rested her forehead against his. "Take care of yourself, Dan. And, maybe, come visit one day?"

"I promise I will, Jenny."

He stepped back then. His parents were standing restlessly by the door.

"Come on, Daniel. The car is waiting."

Jenny nodded towards the door. "You better go, Dan." He was certain he saw a solitary tear trace its way down her cheek.

"Goodbye, Jenny."

"Goodbye, Dan."

And with that, he was gone.

*****

Daniel stood in his hotel room doorway with sad eyes. He'd packed his small bag with his things, and the room was empty. This really was it. He could see Oyster Creek laid out before him through the large windows on the far wall. The same view he'd had when he arrived, when he'd been dreading this.

He smiled to himself.How opinions change.

"Are you packed?" his mother said from the corridor. "You're holding us up, Daniel. Your father is paying downstairs."

He sighed, turning to her and stepping into the corridor.

It seemed a great effort to shut the hotel door.

*****

The limo had been waiting outside for them, and he threw his bag onto the backseat and climbed in. Buckling up, he turned back to the hotel. It's peeling, decades-old façade seemed like an old friend he would never see again.

Then the car moved off, and he was leaving. He sat there quietly. He didn't want to speak.

For a while they drove in silence, and Daniel's melancholy grew with every minute. What was he doing? Had he made the right decision? When he arrived in this town, he wanted nothing more than to leave again. And now here he was, leaving, and wishing he were not.

He'd made happy memories here. As the now-familiar roads flashed past, his mind weighed more heavily upon him.

"I bet you're looking forward to coming home," his mother ventured, breaking the silence at last. "Your friends are waiting for you. It'll be nice to see them again, won't it?"

Did she mean the same friends who hadn't called him once? The friends who knew he was being sent to the other side of the world, all alone and without support, and yet didn't give enough of a fuck to even send an email? Some friends. Some fucking friends.

"Daniel? I asked you a question."

"Yes," was all he replied.

Of course, he did miss his friends, that much was true. But not those fair-weather friends back in London; the men he drank with on a weeknight and women he fucked when times were good. They didn't care about him, so why should he care about them?

No, it was his friends here he missed. The friends he'd made in the space of one week that already made him feel more loved and welcome than any other group of people had ever achieved. Lucy, Claire, Rodrigo, and...

Jenny.The corner of his eyes stung. He stared out of the window with failing resolve.

After another moment's silence, his mother tried again. "Your new job is fantastic, too. You've had a promotion. I've seen the office. It's huge. You're going to love it."

Ah yes. The job. He'd loved his job a week ago. The power, the sex, the money. Everything his shallow heart had desired. He hadn't wanted to give it up.

Now, he couldn't face the thought of going back. Another faceless drone in the family corporation. Money and power, but at what cost? Nothing would ever compare to that sense of pride he'd got when the store opened to such success. He'd felt more alive and satisfied working on the General Store than he ever had in his office in London, shouting at interns and drinking overpriced coffee.

Instead of answering his mother, he stared out of the window. The Records Office flashed past as the limousine travelled down towards the main street. He had good memories of that Records Office.

"Daniel, whatever is the matter with you? You're being unreasonable," his father said then. "Your mother is trying to talk to you."

He tore his gaze away from the outside. "Sorry. I'm distracted, is all."

"Well, you'll want to stop that," his mother said briskly. "The family will want to see you when we get back, and you need to be polite."

The family. The Porter-Michaels clan. The people who had sent him here in the first place, to punish him and make him regret crossing them. And it had worked, to begin with. But not now. Now he didn't want to leave.

He sighed. The evening was growing, the shadows lengthening. The sky was darkening and a rainstorm threatened. It was the same as the weather on the day he had arrived.

Suddenly, cold adrenaline pumped through him as he realised where they were: the main street through Oyster Creek. Themain street.He knew that any second now he'd see...

The Oyster Creek General Store.

Rodrigo's sign stood proudly on the front of the building. It looked superb, the displays in the window almost inviting him in. It flashed past in an instant, but he knew that it would be forever in his memory. The old, crumbling, decrepit shitheap that it had been when he arrived, and the shiny, elegant store it was now. Both were there, locked away in his mind. He saw the store for only a few fleeting seconds, but his guts were wrenched with sadness.

Memories of his time spent there raced through his mind. Of the laughs he'd shared with his friends; of the pride and satisfaction of the store's turnaround in fortunes; of the passionate sex he'd enjoyed with brilliant, beautiful women. And then his mind settled on one image - Jenny, stood in her long grey coat, showing him the store for the first time, that day he'd arrived. She was smiling at him, her hazel eyes shining.

He couldn't do it. He couldn't leave Oyster Creek. He couldn't leave his friends. He... he couldn't leave Jenny.

"I'm not leaving," he said quietly, looking back at his parents.

His father froze, staring at Daniel with incredulity. "Excuse me?"

"I'm not leaving. I'm sorry, but I'm staying here."

The man snorted in disbelief. "Daniel, stop this at once. You're a grown man, not a child. You've spent too much time in this backwater town."

"Don't call it that," he said quietly.

"Well it is, isn't it? A tiny insignificant settlement in the middle of nowhere. That was the point of sending you here. You're being stupid, Daniel. You're not staying here."

"No, really, I am. I don't want to leave with you. I'm grateful to you all for welcoming me back, but I'm happy here. Happier than I've ever been."

"Shut up, Daniel," his mother said with an exasperated shake of her head.

He took a deep breath. Now was not the time to get annoyed. "I'm not trying to antagonise you, mother; I am simply telling the truth. I wish to remain here, and so I shall. I will not be returning to London with you."

His mother's eyes widened in both shock and anger when she realised he was deadly serious. A snarl twisted the corners of her lips. "What? Don't be an idiot. Think about your future."

"Ihavethought about my future. I can't bear the thought of going back to England. I didn't like that life. I... like it here."

A moment's silence passed between them.

Then his mother reached out and slapped him. Hard.

"I bet you like fucking all those American whores, that's it, isn't it?" she screamed. "Thinking with your dick again, you little shit."

He was stunned. He didn't know how to react to that.

"Stop the car," he said, calmly picking up his bag from the seat opposite.

"What?"

He growled. "Stop the car."

His mother simply sat there glaring at him. Clearly, she was not going to ask the driver, so instead Daniel unbuckled his seatbelt and leant across to press the intercom. Moments later, the car was coming to a halt.

When it stopped, Daniel opened the door, putting one foot out onto the pavement. Then he turned back to his parents.

"I guess this is goodbye. You are welcome to visit me, and I'll try and keep in touch."

His father snorted. "If you leave this car, Daniel, you will be part of our lives no longer. To have our overwhelming generosity and love thrown back in our faces like this... Well, you will be no son of ours."

"Then so be it," he sighed, stepping out into the fresh air.