He continued talking. “Could I swing by Friday night?”
“You’re not free any other night this week? I’m going out Friday night.” She hadn’t seen Joseph in a long time, and he’d promised her a good time, so she was looking forward to the night out. She was getting her hair done and meeting Jackie to go shopping for a dress.
“No, I have a pretty full schedule all week because…well, I might as well tell you my great news. Martin and I are opening a third location in Carlsbad, so I’ll be traveling back and forth for the rest of the week, checking on the progress, meeting with the contractors and handling paperwork, that kind of thing. Which means I’ll be getting back later than usual, and I might stay out there a couple of nights.”
“Hector, that’s wonderful! You’ve wanted to open another location for a while.”
“And we’re finally in a position to do it. Cash flow is good, business is on the rise, and since we revamped the website a couple of years ago, mail orders have picked up. Solar Beams is growing!”
Hearing the pride in his voice and listening to him talk about their plans for expansion made her want to share, too.
“I have some news, as well. I’m going to cooking school! I start in September, and I’ll receive my diploma next summer and then I plan to start catering.”
After becoming pregnant, Adelaide dropped out of college. Years later she started taking cooking classes and loved them, but the hectic schedule with three children and a husband forced her to table the idea of getting her diploma.
A few years ago, with Danny nearing his senior year, she’d mentioned to Hector she wanted to start them again, with the idea that she could start catering, but hadn’t seriously considered that option until they separated last year.
“You’re back to that idea?” His words stung, his voice lacking the enthusiasm she’d hoped for. “You’re not worried about having to study again or the time that will take away from other activities?”
Adelaide remembered her trepidation at contacting the admissions office to ask a few questions. Nothing—including Hector’s lackluster response—could squash the intoxication of knowing that once she completed her course work, she’d have a diploma, proof that she was trained in the art of cooking.
“Going back to school will be a challenge, but it’s a challenge I believe I can handle.”
“Good for you.” His voice lacked emotion and was not encouraging.
“I went shopping the other day, looking at backpacks. I’m not sure I’ll use one.” Adelaide laughed at herself.
“It’s late. I have to be up early, so I’m going to bed now. Congratulations. It was good talking to you. I’ll call you again tomorrow, if that’s okay?”
“I would like that. Have a good night, Hector.”
“I will now. Good night, Addie.”
Adelaide hung up the phone but stared at it for a while, a mixture of happiness and sadness in her spirit.
“I can’t believe you told our neighbor that,” Adelaide said.
Night number three of her daily conversations with Hector. He’d just told her that he warned away their neighbor who used to live across from them in the apartment complex they lived in when they first got married.
She settled on the couch with the phone wedged between her ear and shoulder while balancing a bowl of vanilla ice cream in her hands.
“I did. I knew he was interested in you by the way he looked at you. You didn’t notice?”
“I thought he was a little friendly but harmless. Why would he be interested in a woman who had a husband and two toddlers, for goodness’ sake?”
“Because he wanted to be your husband and replace me as Karen and Junior’s father.”
Adelaide spooned ice cream into her mouth with a laugh. “I doubt that’s true. He’d have been crazy to want to get with me while I had two rambunctious kids in tow. I’m sure all the neighbors knew what a handful the twins were. Getting them in and out of the car was like herding cats.”
“I’m just telling you what I noticed, so I had to set him straight.”
“Poor guy. That explains why he stopped being friendly after a while. Well, I guess since we’re being honest, I should come clean about something I did, too.”
“Uh-oh. What did you do?” Hector asked in an amused voice.
Adelaide set the bowl atop a magazine on the coffee table and shifted so one leg was beneath her and the other dangled off the edge of the sofa. “I’m a little embarrassed to tell you now.”
“You brought it up, so you have to finish, otherwise I’m not going to let up until you tell me.”
“Okay.” She let out an exaggerated sigh. “Do you remember a very helpful staff member at the Chuck E. Cheese that had blue hair?”
“Blue hair?” Hector said slowly. “I kind of vaguely remember someone like that when we took the kids there. What about her?”
“She and I had words.”
“What! You never told me that.”
“I didn’t tell you because there was no reason to tell you. I took care of the situation. She was always overly friendly to you, and I remember one time she was laughing all up in your face and touched your arm. When she saw me approaching, she pulled back immediately, which said to me that she had bad intentions. You don’t remember any of this?”
She could practically hear him thinking in the pause between her question and his answer.
“No, I honestly don’t.”
“She might not have made an impression on you, but I definitely remember her. When you went to the bathroom, I pulled her aside and told her she needed to back off, and that I thought her behavior was inappropriate. I didn’t say anything to you back then because I didn’t want you to say I was overreacting, but she really, really bugged me.”
Hector let out a laugh of disbelief. “My sweet Addie confronted someone?”
“I didn’t feel very sweet that day.”
Hector’s voice dropped. “I’m a little turned on by the badass version of Adelaide Flores.”
Adelaide let out a loud laugh. “It was a long time ago and I was hardly badass.”
“I like the idea of my woman getting jealous and keeping other women away.”
“Don’t expect me to do that anymore. Enough of that, how is the progress on the building?”
“Looking good, and my meetings are going well, too. Everything is on schedule so far.”
“I can’t wait to see the finished product.”
“I can’t wait for you to see it, either. I’ll take you out there one day.”
“I’d like that.”
They were getting closer. Talking and sharing in a way they hadn’t in a long time. What had happened to them? Where did they go wrong and drift apart?
“I better get off this phone. I’ll call you Saturday. Have fun Friday night.”
“I will. Good night.”
8
Hector hung up the phone.
“You’ve been smiling more than usual lately.”
The comment came from the doorway where Martin, his best friend and partner at Solar Beams, stood. They founded Solar Beams fifteen years ago. After a rocky start, their hard work and sacrifice paid off when they became the largest installation service in the county.
Hector grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair and walked toward his friend. “Life is good. I’m on my way out for drinks with my best friend and partner. What’s not to smile about?”
Martin raised his eyebrows and followed him out of the office. “I like this new Hector,” he said with a laugh.
They drove separately to Seaport Village, a dining and shopping complex near the waterfront. Hector hadn’t been there in a long time—last time with Adelaide, a date night of salsa dancing, chips, and one too many margaritas.
They found a seat at one of the bars and ordered beers, wings, and calamari.
“I really needed this. I didn’t realize how long it’s been since I’ve gone out for drinks,” Hector said.
/> “I hear you. It’s been a minute.” Martin clinked his glass filled with rum and Coke against Hector’s whiskey and took a sip. Then he let out a satisfied groan.
Martin was a fun guy with dark brown skin and a big personality. They met in the early years of Adelaide and Hector’s marriage. At the time, Hector had been working two jobs. During the day, he worked at a solar installation company with Martin, installing solar panels and selling solar-powered lighting and other items. At night, he stocked shelves in a department store.
Martin had come across as having a rather devil-may-care attitude, and Hector didn’t think they had much in common. Martin was always joking around and was the loudest guy on the sales floor, but every month he landed at the top or near the top of the sales charts.
Hector always made his quota but was more interested in being an entrepreneur and usually had his head stuck in books on the subject of business ownership. One day, Martin stopped by his desk and asked about the textbook he pored over during lunch, and they hit it off when they learned they were both newlyweds and had babies at home.
“Paula told me she spoke to Adelaide the other day and mentioned you’re going to be a grandfather. Is that why Danny needed a job?”
“Yeah, and I’m still getting used to the idea that my kid’s going to be a father.”
Martin adjusted the black-framed glasses on his nose. “When’s the baby due?”
“Less than six months.”
Martin shook his head. “I know it’s not easy coordinating something like that while you’re newly divorced.”
Hector shrugged. “We’ve been good, actually.”
“Oh yeah?”
Hector nodded. “I helped her out with the lawn the other day, and now we talk all the time.”
“No shit.”
“It’s no big deal.” He didn’t want to disclose how much the conversations with Adelaide meant to him. He felt lighter, as if wings had grown on his shoes and kept him elevated above the negativity his life had become. “You know, I’ve been meaning to ask you, how did you and Paula manage to get back on track?”
Martin had at one time mentioned he and Paula were headed for divorce, and he had thought about moving out of the house, but something changed. Martin stopped sulking when he arrived at work, and he no longer complained about his wife.
“Paula dragged me kicking and screaming to a therapist.”
“You never told me that.” He could imagine Martin doing exactly that, too—kicking and screaming.
“Turns out it was a waste of time.” He sipped his drink.
“How could it be a waste of time if the two of you ended up working things out? From what I can tell your marriage is stronger than ever. You’re still thinking about moving to Jamaica, right?”
“Yep, if you ever buy me out,” Martin said pointedly.
Hector chuckled. “I’m working on it.”
He had to make a decision soon or Martin would sell his interest to someone else, which could be problematic. He and Martin had made a great team for almost two decades, and he didn’t know if he’d have the same easy-going relationship with anyone else.
“Back to your question—my marriage to Paula is stronger than ever, but not because of the marriage therapist. A friend of hers recommended a book called The Five Love Languages. Ever heard of it?”
“No.”
The bartender set down Hector’s order of wings and Martin’s order of calamari.
“I’m telling you, it changed our lives and improved our relationship.” Martin dipped some calamari in the marinara sauce.
Hector laughed. “Come on, are you telling me that you read a book and that’s what saved your marriage?”
“That’s exactly what I’m telling you.” Martin finished chewing his food. “I thought it was bullshit, too, but the book explains that there are five ways people express and receive love. Every person has their preference. I see that skeptical look on your face, but listen to what I’m saying. I thought it was corny as hell, too, but Paula was adamant that we read the book. So we did. I figured, what the hell, it was cheaper than the therapist. There’s also some exercises that you can do that the author created to encourage you to better communicate with your spouse.”
“Sounds like some new-age crap that somebody made up to make a ton of money.” Hector ate a piece of chicken.
“I would agree with you, except that it absolutely works. At least it did for us.”
“Okay, so what did the book tell you to do that was so wonderful?”
“Okay, basically the author says we all speak in different love languages. For instance, my wife’s language is she likes to receive gifts. When I give her gifts, it makes her feel good.”
“Wow, what a revelation,” Hector said sarcastically. “What person doesn’t like to receive gifts?”
Martin laughed. “It’s actually more than that. The thing is, I thought that by providing for her and the kids, that was enough. But she really enjoys getting gifts from me. They don’t have to be anything extravagant. The occasional flowers, a piece of jewelry.” Martin leaned closer, really getting into the story. “One of the things the book taught me was to really pay attention to her and her needs. Instead of doing what I thought she wanted, I did what she actually wanted. I also paid attention to the things she liked, in a way that I did when we first started dating but had slacked off on as our marriage progressed.”
“So what, you just started buying her a bunch of stuff?”
“Yes and no. It was a little bit more calculated than that, and at first it felt awkward and cheesy. I struggled with what to get her because the truth was, I hadn’t really been paying attention to her needs for years. But we did the exercises included in the book, and as time passed it got easier to show her love in the way that she appreciated. So now I do shit regularly. Like the other day, I bought her flowers for no reason. I was driving by the flower shop and saw a sunflower bouquet in the window, and it caught my eye. Honestly, in the past I would’ve never noticed anything like that, but she loves sunflowers and because we’re on this new path, I pulled over and went in and bought the bouquet. When I got home, I gave it to her and said something like, “To the prettiest woman I’ve ever known. These flowers don’t compare to your beauty.” And you know what, I meant it. That’s the thing about learning to speak someone’s language. It’s better if it’s more authentic, and it was authentic because to me she’s still that girl I spotted across the supermarket parking lot and ran over to speak to because I couldn’t let her get away.”
Hector digested his friend’s words. “That’s nice. I’m happy for you. But I don’t see Adelaide doing any exercises with me.”
“You can do the exercises yourself. You said you guys still talk, right?”
“Yeah.”
“So, all you have to do is pay attention to what she says. Think back to your marriage. What were the complaints that she used to have about you?”
“That’s the thing, she never complained. And then one day, she just asked for a divorce.” He hated the sound of bitterness that crept into his voice. Cracking his knuckles, he added, “She gave up on us, after twenty-five years and three kids.”
“Nah, I doubt that’s how it happened. Even if she didn’t outright tell you what her needs are, she let you know. Women are like that sometimes. She probably didn’t want to nag you, and so she let you know in other little ways what she wished you were doing. You just weren’t in the right frame of mind to listen. But now, maybe you should try.”
Hector expelled a deep breath as he recalled the conversation with Daniel in the driveway.
Come on, Dad, you didn’t know she wanted to spend more time with you?
“What did you say the name of this book was?”
His friend smiled. “The Five Love Languages. You can find it anywhere. In the bookstore or order it online. If you follow the steps, I promise it’ll change your relationship with Adelaide, and you might win back you wife—assuming
that’s what you want.”
Hector didn’t reply, but he thought deeply about what his friend said. Maybe he should get the book.
After all, what did he have to lose?
9
Hector threw his head back and drained his second beer. Time to get out of there. He waved at the bartender, who was in the middle of taking another order but nodded his acknowledgment.
A couple of seats down, a woman with black hair held his gaze for a bit before looking away.
“Did you see that?” Martin asked.
“Yeah, I did.” Hector lifted off the seat and pulled his wallet from his back pocket.
“Nothing, huh?” Martin asked.
“Not a thing.”
The woman was pretty enough, but he wasn’t tempted to ask for her number. He’d had one hookup since the divorce and found it sorely lacking, evidence that he wasn’t ready to start dating again. The sex had been mechanical and lacking passion, devoid of the emotional euphoria he’d grown accustomed to. The complete knowledge of someone else’s body and their complete knowledge of yours had been missing.
Making love to Adelaide had been easy, seamless. Downright intuitive. During the encounter a few months ago, he kept comparing poor Rita to his ex, which was completely unfair.
Anyway, dating was different nowadays. According to Junior, everyone dated online, but Hector was turned off by the whole process of uploading his photo and writing out a list of his attributes. It was worse than trying to get a job. Like putting himself on the auction block.
“Hey, is that Adelaide?”
Hector swung his head in the direction of Martin’s line of vision and sure enough, passing by was Adelaide, strolling along the waterfront with another man.
He sat up straight. Time suspended and the air around him contracted.
Adelaide. With another man.
She looked so different, but in a good way. He hadn’t seen this side of her in years. Certainly not for him—walking with confidence in a pair of heels and a stunning red dress that opened at the back and showed off the lines of her body and clung to her hips, waist, and bouncing breasts. He sure as hell didn’t remember that dress. Had she bought it to impress that man?
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