by Denise Daye
“He wasn’t pulling my leg after all,” she mumbled, wishing she could say that out loud to an actual person. Moving around the large courtyard, which looked like it was being prepared for a high-profile wedding, Ava felt excitement surge through her body.
Blue and white ribbons were strung all around, and chairs lined row after row. Benjamin had gone all out—he’d hired a Michelin-starred catering service and a live band; countless tables were covered with beautifully patterned cloths, where various plates and wine glasses were waiting to be filled with the best food and wine in the country.
One hundred seats. Ava counted the chairs and couldn’t help but picture one hundred super-rich guests all seated together, contributing money for a great cause.
The air buzzed with excitement—staff from the shelter moving about, trying to put things in order. Ava stood and watched it all, her stomach a mix of nerves and excitement.
Her father joined her, and they overlooked the buzz together.
“You look beautiful,” he said commenting on her elegant evening dress. It was in a light blue and about knee-high. She was wearing matching pumps and had put her hair up.
“Thanks dad, you too,” she said and gave him a loving kiss on his cheek.
“I am glad to see thing are going so well between the two of you.”
Ava thought about it for a moment, but the only thing she could add was: “Yes, me too.”
“You know, sweetie,” he said to her putting a hand on her shoulder, “I was always wondering if you two would find your way together again.”
“Dad…” She wanted to protest. He was going a bit overboard there. But for some reason she couldn’t.
“Benjamin is a lucky man that you both did…”
“I couldn’t agree more, James. Although, she is pretty lucky, too,” Benjamin’s jokes from behind, mingling into the conversation. James laughed out loud.
“If only he’d become a little humbler,” Ava teases him back. Seeing Benjamin dressed in a dark suit, well-tailored and almost without crease, the jacket buttoned, made her aware once more how incredibly handsome this man was. Butterflies spread though her stomach when he threw her a breathtaking smile.
“Well, guess it’s almost time. I’ll sit my old bones down over there,” James said, nodding at one of the empty chairs.
Ava checked the time on her cell again. The event was supposed to start at eight and it was already a few minutes past. Weren’t the first guests supposed to show by now? Ben noticed her worried look.
“Rich people are lazy,” he joked, “they will be late as always.”
But the time went by without a single soul making an entrance. The buzz already had holes in it, and Ava could see people nervously glancing at her. Maybe they just got the time wrong you know, rich people, she kept telling herself.
An hour later, nothing. The staff had already occupied some of the chairs, turning them in various directions and staring at their phones.
Ava frantically checked for any cars approaching, nothing. By the time it became 10. p.m., it was obvious nothing would be happening.
Her denial caved into devastation. When Father Brown threw her another of his well-intended smiles, she literally could feel her legs wobble.
“Ava,” Benjamin went to meet her. His confidence had turned to worry, his forehead rumpled and glistening with sweat. A collar of his shirt was unbuttoned, the jacket gone.
“No one showed,” she whispered and shook her head in disbelief, as if the mere mention of it had snapped her out of a dream. A nightmare.
“I don’t understand… it’s as if the world is against me… against justice and the poor,” she mumbled in a sad voice and made the horrible walk over to her coworkers and Father Brown. To apologize… to feel their sadness as her own.
Benjamin tightened his fists and muttered under his breath, “…not the world… but a very bitter human being…”
Benjamin wanted to say something to Ava, but what could he say? He knew what was going on here, and he felt the urge to correct it—right away.
He found his mother down the walkway on the terrace, sipping a glass of wine as she watched the people who’d now resigned themselves to clearing what they’d spent hours putting together.
“I’m so sorry, Benjamin,” she said in a monotone voice. Benjamin shook his head.
“Please tell me you had nothing do with this?”
She took another slow sip and looked at him, a mask of contempt on her face.
“Don’t be absurd,” she said, narrowing her eyes, staring at the wine like it’d just turned sour. Hard to believe. Benjamin was ready to have a showdown with her right here and there, when he looked down and saw Ava. She glanced at him for a short moment, her eyes full of hurt, and then she bolted out into the garden and was gone.
“Shit,” he cursed, running a few feet into her direction, but then he stopped as he realized there was more he could do then try to comfort her with empty words.
Taking out his phone, he called his lawyer. He was no Elijah Radcliff, but Benjamin was still a man of his word. And he was certainly not a little boy that would let his mother push him around like this. His eyes remained on part of the garden where Ava had disappeared moments ago.
“Ben, what’s the matter?” Walter answered the call sounding worried.
“I’m fine. Sorry to call so late but I need some money transferred anonymously. It is extremely important. How soon can it be done?”
“Well, it could be done overnight, but only if the transfer is not in another account for you, unless the amount is less than $100,000. In his will your grandfather…”
“It’s not for me. It’s for a church. $10,000,000.” Benjamin was shocked for a second how casually he had thrown that out there. It was as if the amount of his own wealth had shocked him for the first time since—ever. Walter grew silent.
“Walter?”
“Y-yes, I am still here. Did you say a church?”
“Yes.”
“Well, technically that would not be an issue if we run it through the Radcliff charity organization, but it would still come out of your personal inheritance.”
Ben felt a huge relief. That he could do this for Ava, but also that he did not care the least about the fact that it was his own money that would be used for this. Walter could use it all, for all he cared. Had he gone crazy? No not crazy… bewitched by his wife was more accurate.
“Do it,” Benjamin said with a smile on his face that came from the deepest corners of his heart.
Ava shivered each time she pictured the disappointed looks on her co-workers faces.
“I knew it was all too good to be true,” she muttered. At first, she’d thought it was Benjamin’s doing; that he’d finally gotten to her, raised her hopes high up and left it to come crashing down. But he’d also had that look of utter shock on his face when no one else showed up. And in her heart Ava knew that Benjamin was not that sort of guy. No, he wasn’t behind this. There was no masterplan on his end.
Ava sighed and fell on her bed. She felt the overwhelming urge to go see her father, talk to him and cry. He would be the only person who understood how crushed she could get when she got her hopes up and was disappointed in the process. But she did not want to worry him too much. He just wanted to see her happy; crying in his lap all the time would only sadden him.
A soft knock on the door got her attention. Benjamin came in, a wide smile spread across his face.
“You ready to get back on the horse?”
She sniffled and wiped her eyes, “Not quite yet.”
He came closer. “Well. You better get ready anyways because guess what?”
Ava smiled at him and rolled her eyes at the same time. “I’m not good at guessing.”
He clicked his tongue and came a step closer. “Heard that before. Anyway, we got an anonymous donation for the shelter. Just thought I’d let you know. It was—”
“No way! You’re kidding!” Ava jumped to her feet; her eyes wide.
“Joking about a donation to the homeless? Who do you think I am… a cold-blooded serial killer?”
She ignored his joke. “Who would do such a thing?”
“Who knows, rich people are crazy. Probably some guy trying to buy his way into heaven.”
Still grinning, he showed her the transfers, each wired in anonymously. He was saying something about how the money came in split in two, “Five million each. I mean, I guess all I can—”
His words were cut short when she squealed and threw her arms around him. Stuck in surprise, his arms remained frozen, as if he was not sure if he should hold her tight or just let her be. Her excited squeals soon turned into soft sobs. Her body was fragile against his, and her heart thumped so fast when he held her.
“So? Ready to get back up then?” he said with a smile.
Her body shook as she chuckled. “Ready to get back up on the horse,” her voice muffled into his shoulder.
“Good. For a moment I thought I had lost my feisty Ava. Who else would keep me in check?”
“You mother?” she joked. He rolled his eyes.
“I said keep me in check, not drive me insane.”
They broke the embrace, and both laughed, looking right at each other.
“I told you it’d be alright,” Benjamin said. She smiled timidly and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Yes, you did.”
“That makes me a good husband, right?”
Gorgeous, wonderful, kind, incredible, she almost blurted out but held her tongue. “Don’t get cocky,” she giggled, giving his arm a light jab. “But yeah, maybe you are a good husband.”
They became very aware of how close to each other they stood, and of the increasing tension sparking between them. She looked up at him, her eyes deep and soft, and he held that gaze, tempted to reach out and hold her again.
Not sure how she’d react, he touched her cheek. “I’ll see you later, okay? Make sure you do a lot of good with that donation.”
“Yes, sir!” she said and watched him leave the room.
“Yes, sir…” she repeated and smiled, holding her right hand with her left to stop the fidgeting.
Ava was late for work, which was unusual for her. She had slept in, something she never did. But in her defense, she had remained awake all night, filled with the excited anticipation of showing up to work with the donation. When she had finally closed her eyes, it was well past 4 a.m.
She rushed into the bathroom to brush her teeth when she heard Lucy yelling in the hallway. Again. She thought about the endless lists of things she might have done this time to upset her. Forgot a glass in the kitchen or maybe just breathing the air of the estate? She walked out her room to see if Lucy shouted her name. But this time it wasn’t her name she heard thunder in the world-famous Lucy yell.
"You did what!" Lucy shouted.
"You shouldn’t have messed with the fundraiser. It was—"
"Cut that out! How could you give so much? You didn’t even consult me!"
He scoffed. "It’s my money. Besides, you want me to consult you and yet all you seem to be doing nowadays is looking for ways to oppose me or plot behind my back! I’m done talking about it, mother." With that, he left.
A cold shiver rushed through Ava as she let that conversation run though her head again. “Benjamin…” she mumbled to herself, rooted to the ground like a tree even long after the argument between mother and son had already ended.
Ten million dollars! Why did he do it? For the church? For her? She shook her head at the latter thought.
At this point it didn’t matter why he did it, only that he did it. Of course, she couldn’t ask for the money back from the church just because she was uncomfortable with Benjamin donating such large sums. Thanks to her wonderful husband, the church could now build the new shelter and fix the building.
Ava shook her head in shock. How did they get here? From hating each other to this? Was this what Elijah Radcliff had planned all along? Save them both from a lonely death, one drowning in money, the other starving in poverty?
She had to come up with the biggest “THANK YOU” she had every produced in all of her life. Benjamin deserved nothing less. Her husband deserved nothing less…
A
ll through that day Ava wondered how she would thank Benjamin for the donation. In the end she came up with a reservation at GINO’S, his favorite Italian restaurant. Not that this would be all she had in mind for him, but it was a start.
Ava walked up to the restaurant, deep in thought. If Benjamin was trying to erase his past, his dark past with this act of goodwill, then it was indeed working.
“It wasn’t me, really,” she kept telling her coworkers, but they reminded her that she’d been the one to bring in their biggest donor yet.
Still reeling with excitement, she walked into GINO’S, scouting the tables for Benjamin. She genuinely couldn’t wait to look into that handsome face of his and listen to his jokes.
GINO’S was packed, but Benjamin still stood out wherever they went. He was incredibly tall and good-looking. She found him at a table in the corner, next to the bar. He saw her too and waved her over.
Ava sat down next to him. All through the drive here she had wondered how she’d approach him; how she’d thank him. She came up with this and that, but now that he was right here in front of her, all that she could get out was: “From the bottom of my heart…Thank you!”
Ben looked up from the menu and straight at her. “You’re welcome. But for what?” he asked innocently.
“I know it was you. No need to pretend.”
Ben pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes as if he wanted to see if this was a trick question. But Ava withstood the test and he ultimately let out a loud sigh. “Barney?” was all he asked.
Ava shook his head.
“My mother’s high-pitched yell this morning?”
Ava nodded with a big grin.
“Yeah… she is a charmer, isn’t she?”
“The best,” Ava joked.
“Well, if you really want to thank me, then please, I beg you, let’s not make a big deal of it.”
“You donate millions and want to be humble about it?”
“Ben nodded. “Pretty much. Consider us even now... For the thing with the police.” He looked at the menu again as if the conversation was over. But not for Ava.
“That is one expensive police incident you got yourself there. Should have paid the littering ticket instead.”
Ben didn’t answer but nodded with a smile.
“Fine. If you really want me to, I will forget about it.”
“I really want you to,” he reassured her.
Ava smiled shaking her head in disbelief. “All right. Ten million. No big deal. Right?”
“Right.”
“But I have to say…” she said as he sighed, “Benjamin Radcliff, you are something else. But all right, if you truly insist, we won’t make a big deal of it.”
“Good.”
Ava still stared at him with eyes sparkling as bright as the stars, as if she was looking at the modern version of Ghandi.
“Ava… you’re doing that sparkling thing with your eyes.”
“Am I?” she beamed still staring at him.
“Just look at me like you used to, not as if you like me all of a sudden,” he said with his usual grin on his face.
Her face turned serious. “Would that be so bad? I mean, if I did, you know…I mean, like you,” she almost stuttered, her cheeks flaming nearly as red as her lipstick.
Ben now looked up from the menu, his eyes meeting hers. “No,” he said, smiling. “It wouldn’t. Shockingly, it actually feels really good when your wife doesn’t despise you.”
Ava smiled back at him. “Good. Because I think I like it better this way too.”
For a moment, Ben’s gaze got caught on her beautiful smi
le, her full soft lips, almost as if he was wondering what they would taste like. Ava noticed his stare. He blushed and snapped out of it.
“Let’s order. I am starving,” he mumbled.
“Yeah, me too.”
“You know, I think it’s a lovely night for a short walk. I find that walks tend to clear the mind. And belly,” Ava said rubbing her full stomach.
The dinner had been wonderful. They joked, laughed, ate, and drank good wine. It was an evening straight out of a fairytale. The perfect date.
“I could walk that off too,” he said placing his hand onto his stomach that even through his shirt left no doubt about how well he was built—nothing but lean muscles.
“I’ll pay the bill and meet you outside.”
“This is my treat,” Ava protested.
“We are married, you know, technically it is coming out of the same bank account.”
Ava accepted that answer. It was true. Sort of. Although she had barely touched any of that money, some of it was hers in form of an allowance, just as Elijah Radcliff had demanded it in his will.
“It really is a nice night for a walk,” Benjamin said as they walked down the sidewalk of a small street filled with shops. It was late so they were all closed, but their illuminated windows turned the street into a warm light. They street was almost empty, aside from the occasional pedestrian or dog walker.
Benjamin pointed at the sky. “You know, my father once told me something about stars and wishes. I think there was a catchy song about it.”
“Really, what was it?” she smiled.
“Uh… it’s been so long… I don’t think I remember.”
Ava nodded. “My father told me that the brightest star grants wishes.”
Benjamin touched her arm. “Ah yeah, I think it’s something like that. It’s coming back to me.”
With a teasing smile, aware that he still had his hand on her arm and how seducing he could be, she said, “Well sing it then.”
He looked at her, a bit embarrassed, “I don’t sing.”