Memories Forever

Chapter 6 - An Old Friend

A man of clandestine activities, an old friend and brother who no one had heard from in over a decade, Jason, walked in carrying a duffel bag. Martin looked in disbelief at him, he had not set eyes on this guy in a very long time….too long.

‘What?’ Jason asked him. ‘A guy can’t come say hello to a longtime friend-brother?’ Jason bounced in, grabbing Martin in a strong hug, both men laughing hard and doing their famous bro handshake.

‘Jason James’ Martin shouted repeatedly. It really had been a while and looks like they both won’t be getting much sleep tonight. A lot of catching up to do with his friend of over twenty years.

Martin led Jason upstairs to the family parlor while Ben took his bags to a guest room. Emma heard loud voices and laughter and wondered who the visitor was that Martin brought them upstairs to the coveted family area.

She quickly dressed up Karen and handed her over to Claire before leaving the room to go seek out the two men making a racket in the house.

‘So brother, how have you been? What’s up with you?’ Martin asked Jason who had reclined on the sofa, taking in the ambiance of the room.

Martin Lordswick was a wealthy man by inheritance and his own hard work, building his Finance firm to an envious level of success and administrating over his father’s estates as a good and responsible son would.

Emma, a lawyer, had a successful firm and they both ran their home as a haven of sorts and had large houses in the city and countryside to accommodate the house staff and relatives that would visit from time to time.

Their exquisite taste showed in the design and décor of this house. Every room was tastefully furnished and would make an Interior designer marvel at their collections and arrangements.

Jason and Martin went to College together and stayed close friends up until Martin married Emma but the two friends grew apart when work and life pressures hit. Their rendezvous became few and far between and once Jason got involved with cyber-crime and illegal ways of making money, Martin gradually stopped being friends with him. He wondered what he was doing back here and now.

Jason smiled as he sipped on his drink, getting ready to reply Martin’s question.

‘Have you changed your ways yet or still ripping off the gullible?’ Martin continued, raising a corked eyebrow at his friend.

Jason cringed at his words and then gave him a lazy smile.

‘Well bro, not everyone was born with a silver spoon in their mouths’. Jason snickered in reply. ‘The rest of us have to do what we have to do to live like you do’ he continued with a hearty laugh

‘Oh but we have to be content with whatever we have and make an honest living. Hardwork and smart work pays bro, we don’t have to rip anyone off to be rich’ Martin chided

‘Well Martin, I own a Microfinance bank now and I am running it right so no worries, I am clean…now clean’ Jason said with a wide smile.

‘I heard you guys were around for the vacation and decided to come say hello before you return to the city. I know it has been a while, wanted to check on my babe Emma, to know if you are treating her right you know’. Jason jabbed

Martin rolled his eyes, laughing and replying… ‘Yeah your babe right? Well my babe Emma is doing just fine and….’

‘…and she is right here’ Emma said, walking into the room, startling the two men.

‘I heard a racket….Jason’ Emma squealed, walking up to where he was seated

‘Babe’ Jason replied with a wide smile, getting up from the sofa and hugging her tightly…too close, smirking at Martin, who just rolled his eyes and let out a huff

Jason and Emma had dated for a few days while in College before they realized Jason’s womanizer ways would not fit in with quiet Emma’s way of life. So they ended that amicably and became just friends. Later that semester, he introduced her to his roommate Martin and those two hit it off instantly, starting a lifelong romance to this day.

‘Alright that’s enough…release my wife Jason’ Martin said laughing, Emma shook her head and laughed as Jason lingered in the hug and gave her a kiss before sitting back down on the sofa with her beside him.

‘So, run away Mister, where have you been all this time?, we missed you’ Emma asked Jason

‘Hmm glad someone missed me. I thought I was just the black sheep no one wanted’ Jason said, chuckling

‘Nonsense, Martin and I love you and always prayed for you even when you were deep in your um.. business’ Emma countered as Martin looked on amused. Jason huffed, eyeing Martin playfully

‘Martin tell him’ Emma said laughing

‘Yeah, yeah, we are glad you are back and doing legal bro. Just stay that way, the steps of a good man are ordered by The Lord. You cannot miss your way if God is guiding you’ Martin admonished

‘Amen’ Emma concurred, nodding her head and smiling at them

‘Right guys….. So I am in time for dinner right? What are we having?’ Jason said, smirking, changing the direction of their conversation. He certainly didn’t come here for a lecture or a sermon. He had other long term plans that would be revealed later

Emma rolled her eyes at him and got up saying ‘Well, we have a two year old who we have to call for dinner first’.

‘You have a what?’ Whoa!! Jason asked, almost shouting down the roof. The last he knew, they had been trying to get pregnant for a long time. Well he has been away from their circles so he would not know things had changed.

‘Oh yeah we haven’t seen you in ten years. We have a daughter now Jase’ Emma told him

‘Are you kidding? wow. Great. That’s so great Emma, I am so happy for you’. Jason hugged Emma tightly but there was a glint in his eyes that flashed momentarily before he unwrapped his arms from her, smiling and shaking Martin’s hand. ‘Congratulations! Please bring her over let me see her’

‘How about you Jason, no woman yet?’ Martin asked him as they walked to the dining room

Jason snorted ‘Oh there have been women’. He smirked at them with a knowing look in his eyes.

‘Yeah we know’ Martin replied shaking his head, thinking that his friend truly had not changed one bit. Still the man about town.

‘But there was one’ continued Jason. ‘She told me I was her baby daddy but I didn’t pay her much mind’. He shrugged. ‘She came barging into my house two years ago, saying I have a 4 year old kid’.

Emma looked on in shock and mouthed a ‘what?’ to Martin, who just shrugged as Jason continued... ‘I accepted them and we are now living together but do I love her? I don’t really know. The boy is my splitting image so can’t deny that he is mine. And I am already 35 years old so man’s gotta settle down’

The couple nodded in agreement, trying to process all that Jason was telling them

‘They are the reason I changed my ways. Gotta be responsible now I am a daddy and have to be a good role model to the kid...he just turned 6 last month’ Jason continued 

Martin nodded and clasped his hand on Jason’s shoulder in a supporting gesture.‘You did the right thing man’. Martin said

‘Congratulations Jase, hope we all get to hang out together as a family whenever we are in town for the Christmas holidays’ Emma said gleefully

‘Yeah that will be nice. I would like that very much’ Jason said, glad that he could reconnect with his friends again and be as close as they used to be back then in College.

‘Let us go have dinner guy’ Martin led them into the dining room where Claire was already seated with young Karen waiting for them to come in.

‘Da-ddy’ Karen squealed running into her father’s arms, laughing.

‘Yes darling, I am here baby’ Martin replied lifting Karen up in his arms and doing his famous twirl.

‘Oh my,... a certified daddy’s girl’ Jason commented, laughing

‘You bet she is…Karen meet Uncle Jason’ Martin said. Karen laid her head on her father’s shoulder looking at this stranger’s face and said nothing to him

Emma looked on puzzled at her reaction, Karen was friendly to everyone but somehow was not to their friend Jase, if Emma only knew what was coming, ...but she would later understand why...