FLAWLESS

by Leena Varghese

  Max released her and stood uncertain as though letting go of a precious dream and finding himself empty-handed.

  “When do you have the catering order for the wedding?”

  “Next Wednesday, at 4pm in Kalpakkam.”

  Max raised his brow, checking the name on his phone. “It’s nearly two hours from here. Why is the venue so far away?”

  “The client was our neighbour who shifted to Kalpakkam a few years ago. Her daughter is the bride. She insisted that she wanted my catering services.”

  “How will you go?”

  “Hopefully, the van would be back from the garage. Or, I will hire a cab for the day.”

  “I’ll give you a lift.”

  Giana stared at him. “You don’t need to do that. It’s a working day!”

  “I can take the day off.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned against the counter. “The office complex we designed on East Coast Road is nearing completion. I want a break before the next project begins. When do you want me to pick you up?”

  “Are you sure about this? It might be a long boring day without much to do. I would be busy.”

  “I have no problem taking the day off, if that is what you mean,” he said with deliberate obtuseness.

  “Max...Do you think it is a good idea?”

  “What? Offering you a lift?”

  The sardonic question caught her off guard and she smiled sadly. “Spending time together.”

  “But you said that it was going to be a perfectly boring day for me because you would be too busy to talk with me.”

  “Max, you know what I mean.”

  “Giana, all I was offering you was a lift. Which part of it sounded like an indecent proposition?” His brow quirked with amusement.

  Giana broke into a smile in response. There was nothing more to be said. She was not going to refuse this opportunity to spend some time with him. Even though she knew that she couldn’t take it further than friendship. Having Max as a friend was a blessing. She promised herself that she wouldn’t expect anything more.

  She walked to the drawing room and picked up Toby. Max followed her to the door and kissed Toby’s cheek.

  “Check on him and text me before you sleep.”

  Giana smiled at his worried look and nodded.

  “Bring him to see Mutt tomorrow when you come to pick up your stuff. He must have seen the toy and gone into the storeroom.”

  “I will bring him,” she repeated.

  “Goodnight, love.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead. It was such a loving gesture that her heart felt full as though it would burst. The porch light lit her shimmering eyes and then she was hurrying out to the gate.

  *

  “I saw you come out of Max’s house.” Annabel confronted Giana with her hair a mess and a brush in her hand.

  Giana turned around to stare at her sister, the guilty rush making her giddy. She didn’t want to hide the truth. She sat down tiredly as she finally tucked Toby’s sheet around him. He had woken up hearing Carol’s voice, who for a change had not yelled at Giana when she reached home. She had explained that her shopping would be delivered the next day. It would not have been easy to dodge her mother if she had known that Giana had spent the evening with Max. Toby needed a wash and she had been preoccupied with him before changing his clothes and singing him to sleep.

  “He gave me a lift when the van broke down.” Giana pulled down her sister to sit at her feet and began to brush her hair.

  “Wow! Junker Francois has its uses. It broke down at the right time to let the knight on a royal steed to help the damsel in distress,” chirped Annabel with a starry-eyed look. “How did Max know that your van broke down? Did you call him for help?”

  “No! He was on his way home from a meeting.”

  “That was fortunate. What a coincidence, huh? Second time in months,” she said looking studiously at her nails. “So, you came directly home like a good girl?” she probed with a saintly expression.

  Giana hesitated, blushing. Annabel caught her out and twisted around to pinch her sister’s arm.

  “Out with the juicy details, right now!” she ordered imperiously.

  “There are no juicy details!” Giana grimaced, rolling her eyes. “Toby was tired after I finished my shopping, so we went to a restaurant and had food. That’s not so bad is it?” Giana asked guiltily.

  “Food? Is that all you could think about when such a wonderful man was at your disposal for the evening?”

  “Annabel!” exclaimed Giana, mortified laughter bubbling up to wipe out her trepidation. “Are you crazy?”

  “No, you are!” she jumped up to emphasise the point. “Especially, when the dragon wasn’t around to give you a long moral lecture on all things holy!”

  “Stop talking like that about Mamma! She is very unhappy and you know it!”

  “Oh, for goodness’ sake! When did she ever think of us as people with feelings? Never mind! Tell me all about Max!”

  “We ate and we came home.” Giana didn’t mention Toby’s disappearance and the horrifying time when she thought she had lost it all. She was grateful to God that Toby had been protected. Today had also been the day of revelations. Today shouldn’t be about sadness. She had discovered love. She wanted to cherish it. Even though, nothing was to come out of the love which was bound to be futile.

  “Ah, you are blushing. Did he say something dreadfully lustful?”

  “Annabel!” Giana stood with her hands on her hips. “Get out!”

  “He likes you, you know! You need to shed some of your inhibition and see where this goes.”

  “It’s not going anywhere!”

  “How long are you planning to live like Mamma’s slave?”

  “I am not anyone’s slave.”

  “You are punishing yourself for Mikey anna’s and Papa’s death. And Mamma is living in her own self-created hell and punishing you.”

  “Bel, that is enough!” scolded Giana.

  “Akka!” Annabel pleaded. “I miss anna and Papa just as much as you do. The void is too great to fill,” she conceded, the sparkling humour dimmed. “Look at us! Three unhappy women living in this old house. One always angry, the other always sad and the third...”

  “Talks too much!” finished Giana, on a severe note.

  Annabel grinned good-naturedly. “You need a man in your life! The only man in this house is hardly three feet tall and still wets his pants!”

  Giana laughed in spite of herself even though Annabel’s words were closer to the truth. “I am happy with the little man!”

  “Akka! Grab this opportunity! Max is a good man. I have seen the way he looks at you. He is not intimidated by Mamma like most people are! I haven’t seen anyone who can breach the fortress and ride through the thorns to reach the princess.”

  “Oh Bel, that’s dramatic!” Giana threw up her hands despairingly. “We are not living in a fairy tale. Max has serious issues to resolve. He has never talked about them. He loved his wife and kid who died in an accident. It is still hurting him. A man who loved his family so much would not look at another woman like that. Especially me.”

  “And what is wrong with you? Are you not young and beautiful? Or loving, hardworking and honest? He couldn’t have anyone better than you!”

  “Bel, that is irrelevant and too complicated. Mamma will be deeply hurt if she sees me with Max.”

  “She needs to know that the past is dead and you are still alive,” launched Annabel in annoyance.

  “Bel!”

  “You have a right to happiness. You don’t deserve this self-inflicted punishment or Mamma’s constant control. Why have you allowed people to run your life since Ricky the rat scuttled away? I used to know a different Georgiana.”

  “She died long ago.”

  Giana began to put away the toys and clothes that Toby had scattered, Peppy being prominent among the collection, reminding her of Max’s unforgettable presence in her life. She wasn’t ready for a d
iscussion on the topic that didn’t seem to have solutions. “Bel, it doesn’t matter. I am happy where I am.” She hugged Annabel when she began to protest and turned her around, marching her to the door. “Goodnight, Bel!”

  “When are you meeting him next?” Annabel whirled around to strut back in.

  “I am...not...”

  “Ah, you are meeting him again!”

  “Oh, all right! He is giving me a lift to the Kalpakkam wedding.”

  “Wear that cranberry silk gown that has been hanging in your wardrobe, crying for attention.”

  “That’s too dressy!”

  “I know! Perfect for a wedding! You look best in white though,” chortled Annabel.

  “It’s not my wedding!”

  “It will be, soon, if you do as I say!”

  “Bel, don’t make me box your ears!” Giana wagged her finger threateningly.

  “I will also ensure Toby’s absence on that day,” her sister continued, doing some swift calculations as though Giana had not spoken.

  “Enough! Good night!” scolded Giana, in disapproval, sputtering with laughter, and shoved her sister out of the room and shut the door.

  Six

  The wedding reception venue was swarming with the best-dressed gentry and Giana was thrilled to learn that her cake was the centre piece at the reception. Thankfully the cream and strawberry, fondant filigree design had not melted and she had touched up the pink icing roses once more. The fresh, chocolate nougats on the top surrounding the icing sugar bride and bridegroom were modified quickly. Her catering team had done a fantastic job right before the wedding ceremony.

  Thanks to Max, she had reached on time to prepare for the wedding. He had been untiring in doing those little things to put everything in place. Things that could have gone wrong without his unobtrusive help. But then that was Max. His quiet strength and dependability reinforcing her faith in him.

  The past week had been an eye-opener. Her love for him had grown deeper with acknowledgement and acceptance. And also despair, that it was futile. She knew that he was attracted to her and fighting it because somewhere in his heart he was still loyal to his wife. Giana admired that. What was love without loyalty and fidelity? How beautiful this man was and how unattainable!

  True to her promise, Annabel had ensured Toby’s absence today. A smile lifted the corners of her mouth as Giana remembered the frantic scene in the morning. The silk gown had been fished out, ironed, and laid on her bed! Her sister had crawled on all fours to drag the box of gold stilettos, wrapped in tissue paper from under the bed, with Toby chirpily assisting his aunt in the project by wearing them first and doing a click-clacking hop.

  Giana had even forgotten she owned that kind of footwear. It had been more than three years since she had dressed for an occasion. The image she saw in the mirror was pleasing to her. It boosted her confidence immensely. She had to remind herself that it was for the job and not because she was going with Max. Her sister had cleverly kept Toby at home, as Carol became busy with some repair work at the cafe. Since the maid had arrived on time to babysit Toby, Carol had not noticed anything amiss.

  Giana lifted the hem of her gown to step on the raised dais and looked around for Max, relieved to see that he was sitting near the bar with an iced mocktail in his hand, looking out over the lace-decorated railings. The weather had been threatening to pour since morning. As she stepped down, she stumbled on her precarious heels only to be caught by someone grabbing her waist. She wheeled around to see the one man she had never expected to see.

  “Ricky!” she gasped even as she tried to snatch her hand away from his.

  She should have known! Most people in their friends circle had connections with Ricky Bartholomew, the spoilt, rich brat. He was probably invited with his entire band by the bride herself. She recognized two of them on the stage as they set up their instruments for the evening.

  Ricky smiled his roguish smile which had charmed a horde of females since he had sprouted whiskers.

  But Giana was not part of that gullible horde anymore, having experienced the power of destruction in that smile once before. She refused to be beguiled by that deceptive persona. Slowly, she pulled her hand away from his grasp as inconspicuously as possible and stared at him.

  She could see that he had changed, though still good-looking in a rakish sort of way. The boyish, floppy hair was styled back with copious amounts of gel in a sleek, gangster look. His jaw had hardened and he seemed to have been working out to keep himself trim. And yet it was all so pretentious that she wondered what she had seen in him before. She smiled politely in reply.

  “You look fabulous in that dress! It suits your figure,” he commented, brazenly stepping closer, his gleaming eyes roving lower in slow appraisal. What used to be part of his charming trick to inveigle her into his arms once, felt like an insult now. “How are you, Georgie?”

  She took a step back, repelled. His favourite version of her name irritated her further. She nodded, refusing to thank him for his unwanted compliment.

  “I am fine thank you, Ricky. How have you been?” she asked offhandedly, trying to evade his grasp.

  “Great! This is my last wedding with the band tonight. I am planning on moving into event management in Goa.”

  “Good for you. I am a little busy. If you will excuse me!” She turned swiftly to put as much distance between them as possible.

  “Hey! Wait! I saw you arranging the cake. I heard that you are into catering for weddings these days.”

  “Yes, some of us have to work hard for a living!” she threw back, scathing in her reply.

  “It looks pretty cool! How much are they paying you for this?”

  “None of your business!” Giana grimaced in distaste and walked ahead to avoid him.

  Ricky was calculating fast. By the looks of the elaborate work she had done and the monetary worth of the bride’s family, she must be taking home quite a chunk. He had heard that she was working at her mother’s cafe and venturing into catering business. He had never been tempted to renew his relationship with her. He had no intention to revisit his past when greener pastures awaited him. It had been good while it lasted. He had been bored by her innocence quickly. He needed more from a woman. Not a binding marriage and a gaggle of kids to slow you down.

  But now, when he was floundering in the deep end without much help, he needed a buffer to get him going again. Here she was, doing so well for herself, while he was living in a one-room shack with three slovenly room-mates, waiting for the big break. He cursed his domineering father for that!

  It was time to get reacquainted with his ex-wife. His beautiful ex-wife, he thought with a shrewd smirk, his eyes following her swaying hips as Giana walked up to a table to enquire about the starters being served.

  When she turned to leave, Ricky was standing in front of her once more with an apologetic expression on his face. “Why don’t you join me for dinner after you are done with your work here? Let’s catch up on old times.”

  She faced him, her delicate face, uncharacteristically hard, impassive, and yet so threatening, that Ricky took his hand away from her arm immediately.

  “We are not long lost friends, Ricky,” she emphasized in a steely undertone. “You are my unsavoury past. It would be better if I don’t ever see you again.”

  “Georgie!” His shock was apparent. “You never used to speak like this. You were so...”

  “So...foolish and gullible?” she provided, her quiet voice dripping with ice, eyebrow arched in mock amusement. She gave a breathy laugh, laced with controlled anger. “Ah, yes...‘cheaply, available’...to be shared with everyone around, as I distinctly remember being described by you and your family.”

  At a loss for words, Ricky looked suitably ashamed and uncomfortable.

  “And that is just the beginning of it! Right, Ricky? Goodbye!”

  “I am sorry for the coward that I was.”

  Ignoring Ricky, she pressed through a stream of guests tow
ards the buffet table. She stopped the waiter and checked the starters on the tray, advising him to get more toothpicks and napkins. The newly-wed couple had not yet made an appearance, so her job was still unfinished and Ricky was tailing her again. She wanted to fling his hand from her arm as if it were a scorpion. It could very well have been, by the way he had checked her out earlier.

  But Ricky became more persistent in his pursuit. Quite unused to rejection from women, he was annoyed with her rebuttal. His ex-wife seemed to have developed a backbone. It pinched his ego that Giana, who had once been in complete thrall of his charms, was ignoring him now. He planted himself in front of her as she tried to slip away through the decorated doorway.

  “Please, Georgie. Sit down with me for a few minutes. It won’t take long to hear what I have to say.”

  She hesitated, looking at the grand wedding entry where everyone was gathered with trays of lemons, sandalwood paste and rose water to welcome the still absent bride and groom. She gritted her teeth at the inconvenience, hoping to catch Max’s attention. But Max had disappeared among the sea of people around her. She led Ricky to a vacated corner table that afforded them some privacy.

  “Speak...before I lose my patience.”

  A waiter brought them a couple of iced fruity drinks. Ricky picked his tall glass and sipped from it biding his time.

  “I heard about your father and Michael. Your mother must be devastated.”

  The fake concern rubbed salt into her old wounds. It disgusted her now that she had blithely worn rose-tinted glasses and followed him to hell.

  “Mamma is fine.”

  “I am sorry...about Michael.”

  “Really? Save your apologies for someone more stupid than you.”

  “I swear, I didn’t know that Michael...”

  “That they would make it seem like an accident?”

  “He was not supposed to threaten my family!” fielded Ricky, belligerently.