“I am,” said Bala, quietly.
“You and my son had some kind of encounter?” Raina went on.
“We went out for two years,” Bala replied. “I was his girlfriend. Lynch loved me.”
“Immaterial,” said Raina.
“And I said it was over,” Lynch interjected. “You understood. We made arrangements for Paulie.”
“Yes, we did,” said Bala, “I did not say otherwise. You called me here, I did not ask to come.”
“Wait a minute,” Tara intervened, walking over to Bala. “Bala, I’m pleased to meet you,” she said. “You have a beautiful child.”
Tears filled Bala’s eyes, “Thank you,” she whispered.
“I never knew a thing about him,” Tara continued. “If I had -.”
“If you had, what?” Lynch walked over to them, agitated.
Tara kept speaking to Bala, not looking at Lynch at all. “If I’d known that Lynch had a son, I would have made sure he saw him often.”
Tears fell down Bala’s face.
“This has nothing to do with you, Tara,” Lynch interposed himself. “This is not your business, butt out.”
“This has everything to do with me,” Tara turned on him, furiously. “I’ve been lied to, through and through! You’re not the person you pretended to be. If you can abandon your son, what else can you do? Our wedding is off!”
The words rang through the room like the sound of a shot gun going off on a summer night.
“Off?” Lynch’s jaw clenched and his hands drew into fists. What are you talking about?”
“It’s over, it’s finished! We can’t go on!” Tara called out wildly, frightening Paulie with the sound of piercing pain in her voice. “You never told me about your son. You lied.”
Raina stepped in then, like lightning rising over the hill. “This wedding will go on as planned,” she demanded. “It’s way too late for turning around.”
“Never too late,” Aldon insisted.
“Do you realize what’s at stake here?” Raina insisted, “the plans, the costs, the arrangements, hundreds of people coming down, our family’s entire reputation is on the line.”
“I realize full well,” said Aldon, “but my daughter’s life is worth more than it all.”
“Your daughter’s life has never been better than when she’s been with my son,” Raina shot back at him. “Tara’s grown, she’s bloomed. They’re fabulous together, I’ve never seen Lynch this happy before. This is nothing but a chance mishap, a ridiculous blip in the road. Our family will take care of the mother and child completely financially. Then, neither of them will ever be seen or heard from again.” Raina turned swiftly towards Bala then. “Do you understand that? Not a word of this goes past this room.”
Bala nodded sadly, as Tara put her arm around Bala’s shoulder. “Forgive us all, Bala,” Tara said. “We have done wrong.”
Raina swept over and pushed Tara to the side. “What are you talking about? There’s nothing to forgive. We have done what’s right and always will!”
Tara looked at Lynch painfully over his mother’s shoulder.
“It’s over, Lynch,” Tara proclaimed definitely. “This wedding cannot go on.”
*
Bala grabbed her son, lifted him in her arms and ran out of the room suddenly, in haste, as Tara began sobbing.
“Don’t go Bala, stay awhile,” Tara cried, racing after her.
Lynch grabbed Tara by the shoulders, stopping her. “Let her go,” he said stiffly. “She doesn’t belong here with the boy.”
Tara turned towards him fitfully. “The boy, or your son?” she exclaimed.
“Calm down this minute, Tara,” Lynch replied, ignoring her comment.
“You never said a word to your son, Lynch,” Tara could not be consoled. “You never held him or said hello.”
“This isn’t the place to talk about this. Stop it this instant,” Lynch was shaken to the core, caught off guard, confused.
“How can I stop?” Tara moaned. “Your son has to be part of your life. You can’t just throw away a person.”
Lynch’s jaw clenched. “He is not being thrown away. I see to it that all his needs are met.”
“He needs a father, not just money,” Tara’s voice cracked in distress.
Raina broke in fiercely then. “Enough of this utter and complete nonsense. You have totally and completely humiliated us, Tara. How dare you suggest that my son has done something wrong to that native woman or to her offspring?”
Tara stopped in amazement and glared at Raina. “That native woman is the mother of your grandchild. And, you don’t seem to care at all about him, either.” Tara gasped.
Raina, appalled, turned to Lynch. “This horrendous situation is growing more preposterous by the moment,” she declared.
“I’ll take care of it mother,” said Lynch in a clenched voice.