by Pike, Leslie
Memories of Parker and I making love right here flash through my mind. Son of a bitch. He works his way in without effort. What was he trying to tell me? What about her mother? I know they were close even though he felt sorry for her. That’s what he told me when he talked about both mother and daughter’s drinking problems.
Was that it? Was Nia so out of it she needed a ride to the hotel? NO! That wouldn’t be a good reason for him to leave me sitting there like a clueless wallflower. I apply a palmful of shampoo and get lost in my thoughts. Again.
But what if he actually had a good reason? Something so valid I’d have to admit my mistake. What in heaven’s name could that be? My cell pings and I wipe the steam off the glass door. Looking through I see the name Lux Dubai.
What? I haven’t heard from them since they sent the email explaining I wouldn’t be getting the exclusive on the condos. They went with a French team, who did a great job for them. I’ve followed the success of the sales. There’re only three condos left out of over a hundred.
What could they want? I quickly wash out the suds and step out. I need to see this.
Wrapping the towel around my hair I stand dripping on the bathmat. I scroll through the message.
Dear Ms. Coleman,
I hope this finds you well. Last we spoke I mentioned there might be a future project of ours you’d be interested in possibly representing. In November we are going to be releasing our first development with expatriates in mind. With your expertise in Southern California properties and your client list that rivals most others, I think we would work well together. Shall we take a meeting and discuss the possibilities? If you find this interesting please let me know. As before, you’d be living here in Dubai for a period of one year, the duration of your contract with us.
Until we speak,
Ahmad Dura
There’re little pin pricks all over my skin and it’s not just because I’m cold. I don’t know whether to be over the moon happy or deflated. For the first time in my life it’s not clear what I want. I don’t really want to live in Dubai for a year. It would be at the cost of my clients here. The business I’ve built. But I’d be passing up on the opportunity of a lifetime. This could catapult me to another level. There would be no doubt it would be a great addition to my resume and I’d command the attention of every broker and buyer that knew.
But even so, I’m not feeling excited. What the fuck? Why not? Quit looking away. It’s Parker. I had myself set on him being the biggest part of it. Now in one day I have to rethink everything. I know I would have gladly passed on the offer if we had stayed together.
The cell again. Unknown caller.
“Hello?”
“Don’t hang up! Listen to what I have to tell…”
I hang up. So he’s borrowed someone’s phone. Probably that whore’s. Even as I think it I’m admonishing myself. She’s no whore. Just a young girl who likes him. Can’t blame her for trying to remind him of whatever they had. Apparently it was more than he admitted to.
I dress in sweats and a T-shirt and make my way back into the living room.
Again with the phone! But this time it’s Bliss. That’s a first. We just exchanged numbers the last day of shooting. Oh, I get it! Parker has enlisted his friend to do the talking for him. To plead his case. He figures I won’t hang up on her. I’m a little too smart for you, boy. I’m just not going to answer. Let it go to voice mail.
I wait the required amount of time. Finally a ping indicating her voice message. I access it and listen.
BLISS: Hi! Hope your trip back was smooth. Listen, Nicki and I were talking about something we want to bring you in on. It’s too much to leave in a message. Call me!”
Hmmm. She didn’t even bring Parker up. Maybe I’m overthinking his ability to get at me.
What is it about today? The moon must be in retrograde or the stars must be aligned. Whatever makes seemingly random shit happen to a person. Parker, Dubai, Bliss. Two potential positives and one huge negative.
I make myself a Cup of Noodles and pour myself a glass of wine. It’s only three here, but it’s six on the East Coast so I feel like I can give myself permission. I may drink the entire bottle and pass out for the rest of the night. Not that I’ve ever done anything close, but it’s a definite possibility today.
Wait. I’m going to call Violet. She’s always asking me to join her on one of her pub crawls. This will be the closest thing I’m going to get to it. We can metaphorically crawl around my apartment.
I tap her name.
“Hello?” The low voice betrays her sex.
“It’s me. Want to come up and get blasted with me?”
“Are you kidding, girl? I’ll be there in a few.”
And she’s gone. She might be afraid I’m going to change my mind. My lightweight status with alcohol is known by all my friends.
It takes a mere thirty seconds for me to hear the knock on my door.
“What took you so long?” I say, swinging the door open.
This look is new. She’s wearing a crop top with fringe and tight short shorts. Where she tucks it is a mystery.
“I had to grab this,” she says, lifting a bottle of Patron Silver.
“Well, why not. My life calls for it.”
Violet looks at my face and sticks her bottom lip out. “What’s wrong baby girl? Don’t tell me it has anything to do with that hunk of man.”
My chin starts quivering and the tears build in my eyes.
“Let me get rid of this wine. It’s for pussies. Sit down. I’ll bring you a shot of tequila. That’ll put hair on your chest. Then we’ll match!”
I laugh at her sense of humor and do as she says, curling up in a corner of the couch.
“So what happened? Last time I saw you you were crazy about the boy.”
“I’ll tell you the whole sorted story when you get back,” I call.
I hear the cupboard open and the glasses being retrieved. She walks back in carrying the bottle and shot glasses.
Ten minutes later we’re into our second shots. I’ve laid out the sad story. Violet’s eyebrows are pulled together and her lips are pursed.
“Well, you really can’t say what he did. You haven’t given him the opportunity to tell you.”
My protest is immediate and a little too forceful.
“What possible reason could he have had? He left me sitting there without a clue. He didn’t call. What the fuck kind of a reason would explain that behavior?”
Her palms come up in resistance.
“I don’t know. But I’m just thinking about the times I assumed wrong about something. But it was always too late for me to change things. You sure you want to take that chance?
“I’ll put it this way. The answer is no, but I can’t afford to think that way. My weakness in that area bit me in the ass. I know what happened and I can’t make two and two equal five now.”
Violet pours us another shot and puts her feet on the coffee table.
“I didn’t know you when you were married, but I know there’s not a weak thing about you, Natalie.”
She’s making me cry again. I wipe away the tears.
“I saw how happy you were. I’d be surprised if you picked so poorly. As my mother would say, ‘Don’t be a dope and cut off your nose to spite your face.’”
Somehow I know I’ll be thinking about those words deep into the night.
Chapter 23
Parker
“I’ll be back by Sunday night,” I say, pulling the zipper of my duffle shut.
“Good luck, brother,” James says.
I can hear the giggles of Elizabeth in the background. He’s distracted. Can’t blame the guy. Those two haven’t had a bump in their road. Yet. That’s my new mindset. I thought Natalie and I were solid. I thought we might be unbreakable, in fact. Now that sounds naïve.
“You still there? Or am I interrupting your love-in?”
It takes him a few beats to answer and he leads with a chuck
le only he and Elizabeth understand.
“No, no. I’m listening to every word.”
There’s the laugh again, and it’s accompanied by a whispered message for his woman who must be fucking around with him. “Stop that!”
“Okay. I’m out of here. Call you on my way back.”
“You’re really in love with her, huh? I mean any man who is willing to drive four hours, spend a couple of hours there, then turn around and drive right back must be in love.”
“I’ve got to be back for work tomorrow. But yeah, it’s love on my part. We’ll see about the rest.”
“Hey, I know it’s going to work out. No shit, Parker. I think it’s just a giant misunderstanding and you two will figure it out.”
“Thanks. I’ll call you.”
* * *
Highway One stretches along the sapphire Pacific Ocean and is the perfect companion for a man who needs to do some thinking. I’ve never been in this frame of mind before. One minute I’m pissed, the next understanding, and it’s always accompanied by worry. What if this doesn’t get fixed?
What I know about Natalie’s past both calms and concerns me. I get why she’d question if a man could ever be faithful. At the same time it bothers me that she doesn’t see clearly that I’m not that man. Hasn’t she felt what I feel? The truth for me is that I trust her. I can’t see any situation or circumstances that would make me doubt her. And I want that for myself.
What if this is how it would be going forward? What if she was always looking over her shoulder when it came to other women? When a man is innocent of that kind of behavior, that kind of woman would drive him crazy. He would be receiving less than what he’s giving.
The hours pass pretty quickly, because I’m lost in my thoughts. All of a sudden I’m a mile from the turnoff. She blocked me, so calling her won’t work. I really don’t want to give her a heads-up anyway. It’s not a workday for her per se, so my best bet is to see if she’s home. I check the time. Two fifteen. Yeah, I’ll try the condo.
I steer the car to the off ramp and head west. I’m feeling kind of nervous. No shit, Sherlock! Yeah, of course I am. Somehow I have to make her see the truth. The traffic is light in the city, and it only takes five minutes to reach my destination. Pulling up right outside the condos, I take it as an omen. The luck may be with me.
Putting it into Park, I grab my cell and head for the front doors. I take two steps at a time and as a man is entering, I follow him inside.
“Afternoon,” he says as we get into the elevator.
“Hi.”
I’m not in the mood for any kind of inane small talk about the weather, so I pretend I’m scanning my messages. Obviously he feels the same way because he closes his eyes. Ha! Good one. I’m going to use that in the future.
He gets off two floors before mine, and doesn’t bother to say ‘Have a nice day’. That one surprises me. As the door closes and the elevator rises, my nervous stomach reappears. I squash down any more thoughts or acknowledgement it’s happening. Fuck a queasy stomach, you pussy.
I almost laugh at myself. That’s what I used to do when I was a teenager. Whenever I got afraid of something, I’d talk to myself like I was a drill sergeant. The elevator settles on Natalie’s floor and the door slides open.
Walking toward her condo feels like a slow moving dream. I take the steps, but it seems like I’m not getting there fast enough. Finally, I’m standing at her door. I don’t hesitate, giving it three loud knocks and a bell ring. I’m here, woman! Go big or go home.
Nothing. I try again. When there’s no response I lean my ear to the door and listen. She’s not here. There’s not a sound. Now what? I could talk with that girlfriend who lives here. What was her friend’s name? Shit. I’m so fucking bad at remembering names.
Hers was different. Kind of old fashioned, I think. What letter did it start with? Crap, I can’t get it. Was it something with a V or a W? I think it was a V. Vera? Velma? Think it was two syllables like that. Violet. That was it!
I have no idea which condo she lives in, but Natalie said she’s on this floor. What the hell. I’m just going to start knocking. I’ll either be arrested for stalking a stranger or rewarded by finding what I’m looking for. Otherwise, I have no idea where Natalie would be. I’d have to sit outside until it was time for me to get back in the car and drive back to San Juan Capistrano. That’s a shitty plan, but it’s all I got.
Okay. There’re only three other condos, I’m just going to start with the closest one. I ring the bell and wait. This time I hear heavy footsteps. I try to look as non-threatening as possible in case the person is looking through their peephole at the stranger at their door. But I hardly have to wait. The door swings open and Violet is greeting me.
“Honey! Hi!”
Her massive arms surround me. She could crush me like a grape.
“Hi! Hey, I didn’t know which place was yours, so I took a chance.”
“Come on in, sugar. I imagine you’re here to talk to Natalie. I know where she is.”
Violet stands back and I walk into her most unusual home. This is not what I expected. There’s kind of a fifties retro vibe happening. Large pictures of Vargas Girls and pin-ups hang, and there’s a lot of pattern. It’s feminine to the extreme. Overkill in my opinion. But obviously she likes it.
“Nice place. I like your pictures.”
“Thanks. Sit down, honey. I’m going to help you.”
“You are? Did Natalie tell you what happened?” I say, taking a seat in the polka dot club chair.
She plops into the oversized red beanbag and stretches her legs.
“She did. The bullet points, anyway. So let me ask you this. What the fuck were you thinking? Women need to know they’re number one in a man’s life. You didn’t do a very good job of that.”
I have to chuckle because Violet sounds like a truck driver but her words are all female.
I proceed to fill her in on all the details. If I fail to meet up with Natalie today, at least someone will have heard the real story and know why I didn’t have a choice.
“Shit. That makes sense. She needs to hear this just as I did.”
“Where is she? I only have a few hours till I have to go back.”
“She said she was headed for the beach a few hours ago. Usually we go to Main Street Beach, but if you don’t find her there, she also goes to The Coves. That’s where she does her heavy thinking when something is bothering her. It’s a few miles north of Main Street and kind of hidden, so I need to draw you a map. Once you get there it’ll be a mile walk on the sand. You up for that?”
“Violet, I could sprint it if I had to.”
“Good, darlin’. You better get going. The time’s a tickin.”
* * *
I skipped Main Street Beach altogether. I think The Coves are a better bet. My luck with parking ran out. That was the shortest stroke of good fortune that ever was. I had to grab any spot I could. Turns out three blocks from the sand was the best I could do. It’s hotter than I thought it would be at the water, and of course I’m wearing jeans, but no amount of discomfort is going to stop me. I roll them up and continue forward. I’m a man on a mission and this is going to be where things either get set right or I see they never will.
The crowd of swimmers, surfers, and sun worshipers dwindles as I get closer to the coves. It’s a fairly challenging walk because of the rocks dotting the shore. Ninety percent of the time there’s enough of a sandy path to continue down the beach. But every so often the way is blocked by the large boulders. I’ve had to climb a few to continue on. I passed the only walkers that have come this far, and don’t think they’re going further. I can see they’ve already begun to retrace their steps.
Here it is. There’s only another five hundred feet or so until the beach comes to an end and the way ahead is completely blocked. The rocky cliff on my right shows two caves where rock meets sand. She’s going to be in one of them unless my entire efforts have been in vain. Be there
.
My toes grab the cold sand of the shore and start to climb the small incline that leads to the caves. But I don’t have to wonder if she’s here any longer. I see her there, walking out of the far cave, brushing sand from her legs.
The first thing I think about is how beautiful she looks. I’m a man. The red bikini, her long loose flowing hair, what a picture it makes. My heart is full just looking at her. A take in a big breath of air. That’s when she sees me.
There’s surprise on her face, but it gets contained quickly. I don’t think she wants me to see the emotion that she’s trying to hold back. But I do see it. I walk toward her.
“Natalie! Please don’t walk away, I want to explain things!”
There’s no sign of her wanting to leave, and for that I feel a small victory. If I can get her to listen, I’m fairly certain she’ll understand.
“Thank you,” I say, standing before her.
She doesn’t say a word or show any signs of budging in her opinion of what went down that night. So I just start talking. This is it. My final shot to make things right again.
As I begin the wind comes up, lifting a long blonde strand of her hair. The ocean’s song is loud today, with thundering waves.
“I know you think I abandoned you. I know you think I disrespected you. I’m pretty sure you think I was disloyal. None of those things are true.”
Now I see a response. It’s disbelief with a serving of disgusted. I go on.
“Here’s what happened. As I came out of the bathroom at the wrap party, Nia went past me crying hysterically. Now, just the fact she was crying like that was unheard of. She’s not a crier. But I knew something bad had happened, so I followed her out to the lobby. She was drunk off her ass and I thought maybe she was thinking of driving. Anyway, what had happened was her mother had been in a car accident. It was a DUI and she was responsible. Nia got the call saying her mother was critical and not expected to live.”