“How is this even a surprise? I knew you were planning my birthday party, didn’t I?” Asked Derek with a small frown as he let Rachel drag him by the hand to the banquet hall of the Ritz-Carlton which was the venue of the party.
“You’ll see,” she said with a mischievous smile.
She was dressed in a shimmery Mugler outfit that was reminiscent of 1920s fashion. Her hair was styled in finger waves and tucked in to look like she’d gotten a haircut and then adorned with a headdress that featured pearls and a white faux feather.
She wore a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes with kitten heels in a color that matched her dress. Derek on the other hand was dressed like a character from Peaky Blinders with his form-fitting suit and bow tie.
His hair was gelled and sleeked back with a deep part on the left side, giving him a fresh, young look.
When she arrived at the hall entrance, she let go of his hand and threw the double doors open.
Instantly, the lights came on and as he stepped in, he was welcomed with shots of confetti and a roomful of guests yelling, “Happy birthday!”
To his delight, the moment surprised him indeed because he hadn’t expected this sort of fanfare for his entry.
His initial reaction slowly transformed into joy when he recognized his guests – Uncle Alfred; Jonah, and his family; Rachel’s extended family from Atlanta, her mother, brother and Taylor, and his sister, Laverne; the bodyguards, Diane, and a handful of his business associates. Derek was blown away to see all these important people in his life in the same place under the same roof.
“How did you manage to pull this off?” He asked Rachel.
She grinned happily, glad to see how impressed he was by her choice of party guests. “I told you you’ll be surprised, didn’t I? Besides, a lady never reveals her secrets.”
“Ah… we’ll see about that later,” he said and winked at her. “Let’s go and say hello to everyone.”
They walked arm in arm to go and greet their guests and the next fifteen minutes were spent hugging, laughing, and swapping jokes. Everyone was dressed to the nines in their Great Gatsby-inspired outfits and the venue looked like a 1920s ballroom.
When it was time to settle down for dinner, the live band thrilled them with old-school tunes that got heads bobbing and feet tapping as they eat.
Next up, was dancing and the efficient hotel staff seemed to materialize from nowhere to clear out the tables and chairs to allow the guests to dance their hearts out. When it was time to cut the birthday cake, Derek was ushered onto the makeshift stage.
He was asked to make a wish and blow out the 33 candles that Rachel had requested the caterer to add on top of the three-tier white and gold cake.
It was by far the best birthday party that Derek had ever had in his entire life and it made him emotional. While everyone was mingling about or swaying to the soft blues from the live band, he pulled Rachel aside to speak to her.
“Thank you for this,” he said softly.
“You’re welcome, but you paid for it,” she laughed.
He chuckled. “Yeah, I paid for it but you know what I mean. This has been an incredible night, Rachel. It’s been better than anything that I could have ever imagined.”
“Aww… I’m glad you like it.”
“And… I think this is the perfect time and place to say something that has been on my mind for some time now,” he said a bit nervously.
“Hold that thought,” she said, putting a finger on his lips. “I have another surprise for you.”
He grinned. “What else can top this?”
“You’ll see,” she said mysteriously and took him by the hand, leading him across the room. When they got to the balcony door, she released his hand and said, “Your gift is outside. Happy birthday, Derek.”
Rachel left him there and went back to rejoin the party. Derek knew he would probably never succeed in guessing the surprise correctly, so he didn’t bother. With a sigh, he turned the knob and opened the door.
At first, all he saw was an empty balcony with a magnificent view of the city. He stepped outside and closed the door behind, inhaling the cool night air deeply with his eyes closed and his hands on the railing.
“Derek.”
His eyes snapped open instantly and whirled around to see a woman standing by the wall beside the door, wearing a bejeweled black dress with tassels and a matching masquerade mask that hid half of her face. He would have wondered who she was if not for her fiery hair that was styled to perfection in line with the party theme.
“Mom?” He whispered.
She stepped forward tentatively as if she was afraid to approach him. “Oh, what joy it is to hear you call me that again,” she said softly. Her blue eyes were misty and her hand shook when she lifted it to touch his cheek.
Derek reached down and removed the mask from her face. “How…?”
Yasmin chuckled. “Rachel is a genius,” she said. “She’s the real deal, Derek. She’s a keeper.”
“I still can’t believe that you’re here,” he said in wonder. “I feel as if I am dreaming.”
“So do I,” she admitted. “Derek, I am so sorry for everything. I am sorry I didn’t give you a chance to get to know me but instead allowed your father to drive a wedge between us.
“I am not trying to paint your father as the bad guy because if I’m being honest, I also share in the blame. I am so sorry for abandoning you and letting you mourn my fake death while I lived my best life somewhere else.”
“I didn’t have time to mourn you,” he confessed. “I was so angry at you and I drowned myself in work.”
“I am so sorry,” she said again, crying openly. “I am so, so sorry, Derek. Can you ever forgive me?”
Seeing his mother cry and express so much remorse broke something inside of him. It was as if she had smashed the block of ice that had held his heart in a death grip for years, into tiny pieces. Tears rolled down his face as he wiped away hers with his fingers.
“Your life became hard the moment my father stormed into it and you did everything you could to escape from it. I am not going to lie and say that I wasn’t hurt by your past actions, but after learning all the facts, I realized that you did what you had to do to get your life back.
“You made a huge sacrifice by leaving me behind so that you could earn your freedom. I salute your bravery, Mom, and I know you are not perfect, and neither am I.”
He gathered her in his arms, holding her close to him. It was an embrace he had missed for years and one that brought him so much comfort.
“I forgive you, Mom,” he said softly, close to her ear. “And I love you.”
Yasmin cried harder, bawling her eyes out while she clung to her son. The weight that had weighed heavily on her heart for years was finally lifted and she could now breathe easy. All of her guilt and shame washed away with her tears, leaving her with a feeling of peace.
“I love you, Derek,” she said between sobs. “Thank you for giving me a second chance. I don’t deserve it but I am thankful for it.”
He smiled against her hair and said, “If Rachel could forgive me and give me a second chance in her life, who am I not to do the same for you?”
She stepped back and looked into her eyes. “You are so lucky to have her. She is such an amazing woman.”
“I agree,” he grinned. “What a night!”
“You should go back inside before your guests start looking for you,” she said and took her mask from him.
“Are you going to come inside with me?”
Her eyes widened. “Are you kidding? I’m dead, remember?”
He grinned. “Yolanda Fraser is dead, but Yasmin James is alive. So, what do you say?”
“They’ll recognize me.”
“Not if you keep that mask on your face. Come on, let’s go.”
“What if they ask you who I am?” She asked nervously.
She was completely freaked out by the prospect of entering a room full of people who thought she was dead. She wouldn’t want to be responsible for anyone dying for real tonight from a heart attack after seeing a resurrected dead woman.
Besides, she wasn’t so sure that the mask was enough to make her unrecognizable to some people, especially Alfred.
“Don’t worry about it,” said Derek, confidently. “They’ll be too busy cheering to notice an old lady dressed like a chandelier.”
Yasmin gave him a withering look. “Seriously? An old lady?”
Her facial expression made him laugh. “Ok, sorry. I was just trolling you. You don’t look that old.”
“I don’t look old at all,” she said with mock anger. “Do you know how much it costs me to look like this?”
“I can only imagine,” he remarked dryly, enjoying her mock distress. “Come on, let’s go inside.”
“Derek, seriously – “
He cut off her protests by snatching the mask from her and wearing it on her face. “Stop fidgeting. You’re not the celebrant here, I am.”
Before she could stop him, he took her by the arm and opened the hall door. He felt her stiffen beside him as soon as they stepped inside and he gave her hand a comforting squeeze to calm her.
“Maybe you should check out the drinks stand,” he whispered in her ear. “I’m sure they’ll have something you’ll like.”
She grinned at him and replied, “You little daredevil. Thank you.”
Yasmin promptly floated away toward the drinks stand where one of the hotel staff in charge of serving drinks offered her a champagne flute.
“Why, thank you. I like a man who knows what a lady needs even before she asks,” she said coyly, flirting shamelessly with the cute guy.
He grinned. “I try,” he said.
She took a tiny sip of her champagne and said, “Do you have a name?”
The guy gave her a weird look before saying, “Sam.”
“Have you ever been to Bermuda, Sam?”
He laughed. “Are you trolling me?”
“Why does everyone keep saying that?” She asked with a giggle.
Sam smiled as he loaded a tray with the glasses of drinks that he had poured. “It was nice talking to you, ma’am, but I have to get back to work now.”
“Ma’am?” She snorted playfully. “When do you get off work?”
He shrugged. “I’m on duty until the party ends.”
“Sounds promising,” she drawled and smiled seductively.
Her innuendo wasn’t lost on him and he smiled back. “You don’t want to mess with me, ma’am unless you want to get burned,” he said with a smug look as he picked up the tray of cocktails. “And I’m not bluffing,” he added and walked away.
She followed him with her eyes, amused by his confidence, and watched him weave smoothly through the party as the guests plucked off a glass of drink from his tray as he passed them.
Her attention was diverted when Derek began to tap his wine glass noisily with a fork to get everyone’s attention.
“Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please,” he said loudly. Rachel was standing beside him and all eyes in the room immediately swung in their direction.
“I have something important to say and I believe there’s no better time to say it than right now in the presence of all the important people in my life,” he continued. And then, nodded to one of the waiters to come and take his glass of wine and the fork he was holding.
“I have a confession to make,” he announced and turned to face Rachel.