Chapter 18 - Donovan Hall
Derrick had not spoken to his father in four months.
Not because they were estranged.
Because Donovan Hall communicated mostly through silence.
At seventy, he still lived alone in the brick house where Derrick and Renee had grown up.
Retired contractor.
Church every Sunday.
Breakfast at the same diner every Wednesday.
A man who believed apologies should be proven with changed behavior rather than spoken.
Derrick drove there alone.
Monique wanted to come.
Renee advised against it.
“This one belongs to him first.”
Donovan opened the door wearing work pants despite having no job to go to.
“You look tired.”
Derrick entered.
“You know Cameron Ellis?”
Donovan’s expression did not change.
That was answer enough.
Derrick stared.
“You do.”
Donovan closed the door.
“Sit down.”
“No.”
“Then stand.”
“Did you pay him?”
Donovan walked toward the kitchen.
Derrick followed.
“Dad.”
Donovan poured coffee.
“You want some?”
“No.”
“I paid plenty of people over the years.”
“Ellis.”
Donovan sat.
“Yes.”
Derrick felt anger rise.
“For me?”
“No.”
“For DeShawn?”
“Once.”
“How many times?”
Donovan looked at him.
“Why are you here?”
“Jaylen got caught with stolen test materials connected to Ellis and Lawson.”
Something finally moved across Donovan’s face.
“Jaylen?”
“Yes.”
Donovan set his mug down.
“What happened?”
Derrick told him.
Not everything.
Enough.
When he finished, Donovan sat silently.
Then said:
“I told Lawson to stay away from that boy.”
Derrick froze.
“What?”
“Last year.”
“You spoke to Lawson about Jaylen?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Summer tournament.”
“Why?”
“Because I recognized him.”
Derrick stared.
“From DeShawn.”
“Yes.”
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“I thought it was done.”
Derrick laughed in disbelief.
“You thought.”
“I warned him.”
“You warned him privately.”
“Yes.”
“Why not tell me?”
“Because then you’d pull Jaylen out of the program.”
“Maybe I should have!”
Donovan’s jaw tightened.
“He needed basketball.”
Derrick stepped back.
There it was.
Again.
The family religion.
Basketball as rescue.
Opportunity as justification.
“You knew Lawson was dirty.”
“I knew he had been.”
“That sentence doesn’t even make sense.”
“People change.”
“Did he?”
Donovan looked away.
Derrick stared.
“You knew enough to warn him.”
“Yes.”
“But not enough to warn me.”
“I didn’t want you taking away Jaylen’s chance.”
Derrick laughed.
Not because anything was funny.
“You.”
Donovan looked at him.
“You spent my whole childhood talking about consequences.”
“Yes.”
“You made me work a summer because I shoved a coach.”
“You needed it.”
“Mom paid that coach.”
Donovan’s eyes narrowed.
“You found those papers.”
“Yes.”
“She shouldn’t have.”
“But you knew.”
“After.”
“And you let me spend twenty-five years believing the school reinstated me because I earned another chance.”
Donovan stood.
“You did earn another chance.”
“No.”
Derrick’s voice shook.
“Mom bought access to it.”
Donovan looked at him.
“You think one payment built your life?”
“No.”
“Then stop disrespecting every hour you worked after.”
“That’s not the point.”
“What is?”
“The truth!”
The word echoed through the kitchen.
Donovan stared.
Derrick breathed heavily.
“You taught me discipline while hiding the places people protected me.”
“I taught you to work.”
“You taught me half the story.”
Donovan looked away.
For the first time Derrick saw his father not as stern.
Not as strong.
Old.
Tired.
Ashamed.
“I thought knowing would make you weak,” Donovan said.
Derrick’s anger faltered.
“What?”
“You were seventeen.”
Donovan sat again.
“You already believed your mother could fix anything.”
Derrick remembered.
“She paid the coach.”
“Yes.”
“I wanted you to feel the consequence even if she removed part of it.”
“So you lied.”
“I stayed quiet.”
Derrick stared.
“You people love changing the word.”
Donovan almost smiled.
Then stopped.
Derrick placed the Ellis invoice on the table.
“Why is your name here?”
Donovan read.
His expression darkened.
“That wasn’t for your wife.”
“What was it?”
“Years ago I introduced Ellis to DeShawn’s father.”
“So he listed you as a referral source forever?”
“Maybe.”
“Did Ellis pay you?”
Donovan looked offended.
“No.”
“Did Lawson?”
“No.”
Derrick studied him.
He believed him.
Then Donovan said:
“I did pay Ellis once.”
“For who?”
Donovan stared at his coffee.
“Renee.”
Derrick froze.
“My sister?”
“Yes.”
“For what?”
“College.”
Derrick’s heart dropped.
“What happened?”
“She failed a prerequisite.”
“Renee?”
“Yes.”
Derrick could barely imagine it.
Renee.
The family truth-teller.
The person who had spent two weeks exposing everybody else’s hidden compromises.
“What did Ellis do?”
“Completed an online summer course.”
Derrick stared.
“Does she know?”
“Yes.”
“You’re saying Renee cheated?”
Donovan’s eyes lifted.
“Yes.”
Derrick stood.
He wanted to call her immediately.
Then stopped.
A bitter laugh escaped him.
Of course.
Every person in the family had a carefully edited story about themselves.
He drove home without calling anyone.
Renee was already there.
She looked at his face.
“What happened?”
Derrick placed the invoice on the table.
Then looked at his sister.
“Dad told me.”
Renee went still.
Monique frowned.
“Told him what?”
Renee’s composure disappeared.
Derrick said:
“Your college course.”
Jaylen looked between them.
Renee slowly sat down.
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