by Cat Mann
****
At LAX we gathered our bags and set out to find Ari. As soon as my phone got reception, a dozen texts came flooding in. They told me that Ari was stuck in a meeting all day long and couldn’t get away in time to pick us up from the airport. Andy was in court and everyone else was somewhere else, either at work or in class. Ari’s last text let me know that he had arranged for baio’s car service driver to pick us up instead. I grabbed our bags and sent him a quick “okay.”
By the door, I spotted a man waiting and holding a sign that said “A. Alexander.” I waved my hand at him and he came to collect our luggage and guide us outside to a waiting car. I opened the car door and was relieved to see a child’s car seat strapped onto the back seat. Aggie got Max buckled up as I climbed in on the other side of them. The driver pulled away from the airport and turned into L.A. rather than towards home.
“Aren't you taking us to Dana Point?” I asked, hoping he had taken the L.A. exit by mistake.
“No ma’am, I am taking you to baio. Ms. Baio is in need of the car. I will be dropping you off there with Mr. Alexander.”
“Terrific,” I muttered sarcastically, wanting to kill Ari.
We pulled up to baio and the driver switched the car seat and the luggage out from his car into Ari’s. I sent Ari a text letting him know we were outside in the lot. He called me back, “Ava, I am so sorry. I’m stuck here. Can you come up and sit in my office for like one hour? Then we can go, I promise.”
“You have to be kidding me, Ari!”
“I’m not and I’m sorry, but don’t worry. Margaux is in a meeting right now and when it’s over she has to go straight to LAX to leave for Chicago. Chances are you won’t even see her.” I hung up the phone and started inside. Aggie and Max followed behind me.
Up on the twenty-second floor we found baio’s business office teeming with people. Margaux’s business office was chic and modern. She had magazine covers blown up and framed to showcase popular models and movie stars wearing her clothing designs. In the waiting room stylish club chairs and a matching sleek couch offered seating. Her employees were dressed fashionably and spoke in hushed tones and whispers.
I made my way to the back towards the large executive offices. Every single person we passed greeted me as if I were Margaux herself. I had never met ninety-nine percent of them, but they apparently knew exactly who I was. After I heard the hundredth, “Good afternoon, Mrs. Alexander,” I reached Ari’s office. He was nowhere in sight. I walked in; Aggie and Max followed in behind me and I closed the door with an irritated sigh.
Ari’s office was decorated in the same fashion as the rest of baio. He had a few personal items on his desk. One was a photo of the two of us with our faces pushed together, wearing sunglasses, out sunning on the sandy beach by our home. The Times was folded up and resting near his computer and his empty, coffee-stained mug sat on the other side of the paper along with the most recent baio catalog.
I picked Max up and walked over to Ari’s huge window. I pointed to different buildings along the skyline, then looked down towards the street at the cars buzzing by and got dizzy. A few minutes later, I heard the door click open. I turned around expecting to see Ari, and was seriously disappointed to see Ari’s assistant, Fauna.
Fauna did not look at all as I had expected. She wasn’t a fake, tall, skinny blonde. She was my height with long, wavy brown hair, green eyes and a pretty, dazzling white smile. She was naturally beautiful.
“Hello, Mrs. Alexander,” she said to me with a kind smile, “Mr. Alexander is in a meeting but he’ll be out shortly. Is there anything I can get you – water, tea, coffee?” She ran her fingers through her hair a bit nervously.
I eyed her for a minute then shook my head no and looked over at Aggie to see if she needed anything. She shook her head no, too, and Fauna quietly let herself out of Ari’s office.
Fifteen minutes later, I started to get restless and so did Max. Aggie was flipping through the catalog at Ari’s desk so I decided to take Max for a walk through the building. We walked the halls for a little bit and everyone offered Max candy and chips, whatever little snacks that they had holed away in their desks. He seemed to think the whole place was great and that it had probably been created just to amuse him, but I was growing increasingly ill at ease. I continually suppressed the chills that crept up and down my spine.
We reached the back office, Margaux’s office. The lights were off and the door was closed. She was gone, just as Ari had promised. I looked around and saw no one, so I opened the door and flipped the switch.
Max and I walked in and I slowly looked around the room. Ari was right; there were pictures of me everywhere, not in a stalker kind of way, but in a loving grandmother kind of way. Margaux had a picture of herself on her desk; in it, she was smiling from ear to ear and was holding a very tiny baby with a head full of dark hair and bright green eyes. That picture was the first and last photo the two of us had ever had taken together.
She showcased my life in photos. She displayed my awkward and clumsy school pictures, piano recitals, dance recitals. She even had pictures of Ari and me from our wedding.
I picked up a photograph of our first dance and showed it to Max.
“Look, Max, that’s Ari. Do you remember Ari?”
He smiled and then giggled a little bit and said, “Ari!”
“Yes?” Max and I both turned around and saw Ari leaning against the doorway with a huge, beautiful smile stretched across his face. I set Max back down and he ran over to Ari and hugged his leg. I was right behind Max and wrapped my arms tight around Ari’s neck.
“What are you doing in Margaux’s office?” he asked curiously.
“I guess I just had to see it for myself.”
“Ah, well, she’s still around here somewhere, so let’s hurry up and go.”
I flipped the light off and shut the door. Ari picked Max up and carried him back down the hall, tickling him the whole way. The hall rang with Max’s giggles, but Ari didn’t stop. He didn’t care at all that people were working or on the phone, he just tickled Max harder, causing even bigger laughs. I stayed a few steps behind him and saw how happy he was. How would I be able to tell him that I had agreed to let Aggie take Max? Pain attacked my stomach when I thought of what I had done.
Once we arrived back to Ari’s office, he handed Max off to Aggie. Then Ari pulled me into his arms and kissed me passionately. I could feel my cheeks getting pinker and pinker by the second.
“Alright,” Aggie finally said. “Some things are better done at home.”
Ari pulled away and smiled at me again, looking at me in my eyes. He tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear and gave me one more little kiss. Max whined and pushed out of Aggie’s hands and wrapped himself around Ari’s leg.
“Ari, Margaux stopped by here looking for you. She said she needed to speak with you.”
“About what?” Ari asked as he picked Max back up into his arms. “I just spent the entire afternoon stuck in a meeting with her.” He rolled his eyes. “What more could she have to say?”
“I wouldn’t know, darling. She said she was looking for you – you weren’t here so she said she would talk to you when she got back from her trip. We chatted for a bit and then she left.”
Aggie took a step and stumbled forward towards the floor. Ari, with Max still in his arm, jumped towards her and grabbed hold of Aggie, steadying her on her feet.
“Jeeze Ma, are you alright?”
She looked up at him and slowly shook her head. “I’m ok. I’m just a bit dizzy; jet lag from the long trip.”
“Sit down,” he ordered.
Aggie smiled. “I’m fine now, Ari. Let’s go home.”
He gave her a sideways glance, she patted his cheek sweetly and we left his office.
“Have a nice evening, Fauna.” Ari knocked on his assistance’s desktop with his knuckles and she waved goodbye while she talked on the phone.
Ari grabbed hold of my hand and we w
alked through the halls towards the elevators with every single person saying goodbye or wishing us a nice evening. I had a feeling of uneasiness while in the baio office, and the feeling seemed to stay with me as we left and headed for home.
Ari continued to hold my hand on the ride home, kissing each knuckle seemingly a hundred times and stroking the back of my hand with his thumb. He asked how the trip was. I filled him in on the details of Maya’s funeral and of going through her meager belongings. When I was through, he told me I hadn’t missed much at home other than a squabble between Rory and Julia over whose turn it was to do the laundry.
“I didn’t get any furniture yet for the extra bedroom so Max will just have to stay with us in our room until we can pick out some things. The three of us can shop this weekend. I called the painter; he will come out Monday morning to paint the room and … ”
“Uh … Ari? I think Max is going to stay with your parents.”
He furrowed his brow and looked over at me.
“What? Why?”
“It’s just … he isn’t safe staying with us. I have to figure this out with the last Kakos and deal with him. Aggie and I talked things through and both of us agreed that Max will be safer with them.”
“Ava, why didn’t you talk with me about this?” Ari was clearly angry and a bit crestfallen.
“Your mom and I talked about the situation on the plane. This is the first chance I have had to talk with you. It’s for the best, Ari, really.”
He sighed. “Are you sure you are up for it, Ma?” Ari looked back at his mother in the rearview mirror.
Aggie laughed in the backseat. “Of course, Ari; I’m not that old.” I peeked back at her and Max. He had tears in his eyes and I felt a sudden pain in my heart.
“Ok, well, Ava and I will get you whatever Max needs.”
“What and take all the fun shopping away from me? I don’t think so.”