Remember This Day

by Mairsile Leabhair

  ~*~

  “Aidan? Are you okay? Aidan?” Jerry looked at his friend, who looked like she was a million miles away.

  Aidan rubbed her forehead, as if to rub the bad memory from her mind, but it was no use, the pain was still there. “It’s over, Jerry,” she snapped at him, “The wedding is off.” Aidan ordered another drink, and then gulped it down in one sip.

  “No. I don’t believe you. What happened, Sarge?”

  “None of your damn business, that’s what happened. Now leave me alone.”

  “I don’t think so. If you don’t want to talk, I’m cool with that, but I’ll just sit here and keep you company. It’s not good to drink alone when you’re upset like this.” Jerry knew what he was talking about; he had been there before, when his girlfriend sent him a Dear John email. He got so wasted he woke up in a different city.

  He wasn’t exactly sure what was bothering Aidan so deeply, that her forehead had creased in a mixture of sorrow and anger, but he knew from Vicky’s voice on the phone earlier, that something traumatic had to of taken place, if it meant the wedding had been called off. Vicky asked him to bring Aidan home, and that’s exactly what he was going to do, even if he had to drag her home, kicking and screaming.

  “I said go away, Jerry. I don’t want any company right now.”

  “What the shit is going on with you, Sarge? I haven’t seen you this upset since you kicked that Marine in his junk back in Texas.”

  “Why the fuck do you still call me Sarge? We’re not in the Army anymore. You’ve paid your debt to me, so move on already.”

  Jerry was taken aback by her stinging words. He ran his hand through his short curly brown hair, and took a hit off of his beer before he said quietly, “I can never repay you for my life, Aidan.” The stoic soldier who ran with a wounded shoulder, through strafing bullets and exploding RPG’s, to drag him back to safety, was not the same woman sitting beside him now, nursing her third drink, terrified of something that he knew instinctively could only have been caused by her father.

  “Fuck it.” She said, as she tossed a twenty on the bar and walked out the door.

  Undaunted, Jerry tossed a ten on the bar, and hurried after her. He caught up to her in the alley behind the pub, and pushed her from behind to get her attention, but she perceived it as aggressive, and shoved him against the brick wall of a building. She was so quick and so forceful that Jerry was caught off guard, and she grabbed his shirt and pushed her elbow against his throat. Jerry was medium height, coming up to Aidan’s chin, but he was strong, muscular and not afraid to fight, even a female, if he had to. But Aidan was his friend, his best friend, and he could tell, she was hurting beneath that strong aura of self-assurance. If a brawl was what she needed to get past whatever had happened between her and Vicky, then he would gladly take a punch for her, even if it came from her.

  “Go ahead, hit me if you think it’ll make you feel better,” he provoked her.

  When angry, and told to do one thing, Aidan usually did the opposite. She shoved Jerry again as she released her grip on him and stepped back. Even through her clouded, heartrending, inebriated brain, she remembered that Jerry was her friend, and she didn’t want to hurt him. It was that thought that helped her control her anger enough to walk away.

  But Jerry wasn’t about to let her wonder the dark streets alone in such a state of mind. He shoved her, this time with aggression.

  Aidan stopped, her hands balled into fists, her jaw muscles bunched as she gritted her teeth. She turned to face him, her eyes piercing, and her face gaunt with anger. “Back off, Jerry!”

  “Or what? You’ll kick your favorite part of my anatomy?”

  Though Jerry meant it as an incitement, Aidan almost laughed, which was enough to help her walk away.

  “Running away again, Sarge? That’s your answer for everything, isn’t it?”

  That one struck her deep, like a slap in the face, and she stopped instantly. Her mind went blank, her shoulder muscles clenched, and her hand flew through the air as she swung around, and pounded her fist into Jerry’s face.

  He reeled back, grabbing his jaw in shock, and then without forethought, he swung at her, connecting with her cheekbone just below her eye. He was instantly mortified because he had been taught all his life never to hit a girl, but Aidan was no ordinary girl, still, that was no justification to his way of thinking. While he dueled with his rationalizations, Aidan took advantage of that weakness and sent another punch to his face, knocking him to the ground this time. She flew on top of him and they scuffled in the dirt, each trying to gain the upper hand, before he pinned her to the ground. Jerry was a medal winner in pin downs, which Aidan knew, but she had rage on her side, and she over powered him, and shoved him off of her. She clambered back up to her feet and delivered a roundhouse kick to his head, sending him backward. She followed up with a tackle to his chest, and the two fell once again to the ground, fists flying, elbows connecting, and bruises emerging.

  Headlights flooded the alleyway as a police car pulled up, its lights flashing blue and red. A brawny officer stepped out from behind the steering wheel, his hand on his weapon holstered at his side. “That’s enough you two, break it up,” he demanded. When neither of them seemed to hear him, he had to physically pull Aidan off of Jerry and shove her to the side, while he pulled Jerry up from the ground. “Which one of ya’ll wants to explain why you were fighting, or shall I go straight to incarcerating you and skip the niceties?” He walked around them, checking for weapons, relaxing his grip on his weapon when he saw none.

  “It was my fault, I provoked her into it.” Jerry volunteered.

  “No, it was my fault, I had too much to drink.”

  “Aidan, that’s not true, I pushed you into it.”

  “What the hell are you talking about, Jerry?”

  “I provoked the fight on purpose.”

  Even the police officer was curious to know why.

  “You were so upset and I didn’t know how else to help you. I’m sorry about calling you Sarge.”

  The officer looked at Aidan more closely, scratching his head.

  “No, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. I like it when you call me Sarge; it reminds me of one of the things I liked most in the Army.”

  “You were a Sergeant in the Army?” The officer asked Aidan.

  “Not only that, but she was also decorated for valor by the President himself, when she saved my life in combat.”

  “Jerry, shut up.” Aidan snapped at him.

  “Well it’s true, ain’t it.” Jerry retorted.

  The police officer pointed at her, “That’s who you are! I thought I recognized you.”

  “Do I know you, sir?” Aidan combed the hair from her eyes and looked at the police officer more closely.

  “No, not me, but you saved my brother-in-law from an enemy attack in Iraq.”

  “That had to be the same attack Aidan saved me from,” Jerry exclaimed proudly.

  “Yeah, I was only in that one skirmish, but I’m sorry, Jerry is the only soldier I know from that attack. I hope your brother-in-law is well?”

  “Yes, he is, and he’s still stationed in Iraq. My wife saw you on some talk show a while back and told her brother about it. She’ll be so excited to know that I arrested you.”

  Aidan and Jerry looked at him incredulously.

  “Well, maybe if you two shook hands and promised not to fight in the streets anymore, I suppose I could let you off this one time.”

  They laughed and did as instructed and shook hands, and then Aidan slapped Jerry on the back and he nudged her with his shoulder. The officer was satisfied there was no animosity left between them. He pulled out his cellphone and waved it in the air.

  “Do you mind if I took your picture to send to my brother-in-law? It would mean a lot to him.”

  Aidan looked at Jerry, feeling embarrassed, but Jerry nodded his head at her, urging her on.

  “Uh, sure, but how about you get in the picture wi
th me, Officer?”

  “Please, call me Jake. And I would be honored, thank you.” He handed his cellphone over to Jerry and stood beside Aidan.

  After the officer left them alone in the alleyway, Aidan turned to Jerry and apologized again.

  “There’s nothing to apologize for, Sarge, except maybe to Vicky, when she sees that swollen eye of yours. Gosh I’m sorry I hit you. You have to know I didn’t mean it…, right?”

  “I know, Jer, we both were swinging pretty hard there. And you’re right, Vicky is going to freak when she sees me, but that’s the least of my worries right now.” Aidan looked away and rubbed the tension mounting again in the back of her neck.

  “You don’t have to tell me what happened between you two,” Jerry said, “but is there anything I can do to help?”

  “I don’t mind telling you, Jerry, and you’ve already helped me more than you can know.” Aidan said, and then went on to tell Jerry about the flashback Vicky had while they were making love. Jerry was sympathetic and insightful, but no matter what he said to her, he couldn’t convince her that it wasn’t her fault. Unknowingly, everything he said only convinced her more.

  Thirty minutes later, Jerry dropped Aidan off at her apartment, but she didn’t go in right away. Instead she stood outside, wavering. Then, with a heavy heart, she turned and walked away.

  Chapter 3

  The day before the wedding…

  Kate Moore, Executive Assistant to the hospital’s finance director, and sexual instructor to virgins everywhere, rose quietly from the bed and slipped on her blouse and slacks. She walked over to the window and pulled the curtains back just enough to slip behind them. She looked over at the bed and the naked woman sleeping on it, and then turned her gaze back to the window, and the city’s skyline. It was a few hours before dawn but the city streets below already had cars coming and going, their headlights adding to the metropolis’s illumination.

  Kate, whose nickname at the hospital was Kitty Kat Kate, of which she was most fond of, lost herself in concentrated concern for the future. Her future, with Ruth.

  Ruth Mason, a self-made millionaire, who works as a visitor liaison at her niece’s hospital, St. Frances, just to give herself something to do, had only recently come out of the closet and declared herself a lesbian. Kate wasn’t aware that Ruth was rich; she only knew that she was a virgin.

  Kate could tell at first glance, that Ruth had never lain with another woman before, and immediately plied her charms on the 56 year old. She learned later that Ruth’s niece was none other than the CEO of the entire health system, meaning that Ruth’s niece was ultimately Kate’s boss, but Kate didn’t see that as a deterrent, just part of the challenge.

  Kate smiled, her memories with Ruth playing like a video through her mind. She had never had a student with such an eagerness to learn as Ruth had been, nor had she ever derived so much pleasure from any one student before, when it was time to test what they had learned. Kate laughed at the fun they’d had together, and not just sexually, but publicly as well. Her close friends were those she had not been intimate with, as she preferred it, because it kept things from getting complicated. But her barriers didn’t work with Ruth, who was the same age as she was, with much the same interests, and before she realized it, they had become close friends. She had a special affinity for Ruth, more so than with anyone else before, and that’s what had her concerned.

  Kate looked back through the curtains at the nude body of the beautiful woman she had met last night at a restaurant. On a whim, or perhaps to prove something to herself, she seduced her, and took her to bed. The sex was exhilarating in that it was unchartered waters, which always added electricity to the lovemaking. That woman didn’t need Kate’s help, so to Kate’s way of thinking, there was no need to see her again, and therefore, no need to even ask her name.

  Making love with Ruth was wonderful too, mostly because Kate was in control, and because Ruth was so eager, and so much fun to be with. Ruth was naturally playful and opened to any sexual experience. Kate’s dilemma however, was her fear that Ruth was falling in love with her, and as much as she liked her, and their time together, she had no desire to settle down with one person, when there were so many other people out there who needed her expertise, both men and women.

  It was the little things Ruth did, that had convinced Kate that she was falling for her. Things like the date they went on where Ruth treated her like a queen. Only a person in love would spend the kind of money on her that Ruth had. Lavish gifts, expensive Champagne, and a thousand dollar a night suite at the hotel, was not something a person did just to impress a date, especially when it wasn’t so much a real date, as a homework assignment.

  Kate stared out the window, fogging the glass with her breath. Finally she made her decision. She would break it off with Ruth.

  *

  “Why are you up so early?” Ellen grumbled under the blanket, “Come back to bed.”

  “I have a surgery today, remember? Go back to sleep honey.” Joyce was sitting on the edge of the bed, willing herself to wake up.

  Ellen tossed the blanket aside and said, “That’s all right, I’ll fix you some breakfast.”

  “Ah, honey, we’re in a hotel, just call room service.”

  Ellen laughed, the cobwebs finally clearing from her groggy brain. “Well then, while their cooking it, perhaps you could‒‒”

  Joyce grinned and turned back to her, “Oh yeah, you read my mind.” She leaned over Ellen for a kiss. A warm, inviting kiss that probed her lover’s lips, her mouth, her tongue. Twelve years of marriage and still Joyce was instantly aroused at the feel of Ellen’s lips on hers.

  “Mm, as enticing as that is, I was going to say perhaps you could help me go over my list to check for any last minute preparations.”

  “Oh, uh, yeah, sure. That could be fun too I guess.”

  Ellen swatted Joyce on her bare butt and laughed. “Business before pleasure, please.”

  “Oh believe me, your pleasure is my business, baby doll.”

  “Cute.” Ellen smiled at her, “Now, when do you have to leave for your surgery class?”

  “In an hour, why?”

  “Give me fifteen minutes on my list and I’ll give you thirty minutes to play, which will leave you with fifteen minutes to shower and get to the hospital. Will that work?”

  “I love the way you can whip up a schedule in your head like that. You’d make a really good charge nurse.”

  “No thank you. I don’t like the color red, especially when it’s oozing out of someone’s body.”

  Joyce smiled. She knew Ellen was timid when it came to being in an operating room. The sight of blood made her queasy. And truth be told, Joyce wouldn’t have it any other way. What she did for a living, cutting into someone’s chest and stopping their heart, was a lusty power so consuming that without Ellen to keep her grounded, Joyce was sure that she would have masochistically cracked years ago.

  “By the way, I hadn’t had a chance to tell you how wonderful you were with Mrs. Montgomery at the shower yesterday. I think it really made her happy to be able to help, and a happy mother-in-law is a compliant mother-in-law. I can’t tell you how extremely important that is when planning a wedding.”

  “I can well imagine. I only wish we had someone like you at our wedding.”

  Ellen felt a cold tingle shimmer up her back, “Oh yes, our mothers were not very happy with us, were they. I don’t think my mom will ever forgive me for asking your mother to sing at our wedding.”

  “My mother has a wonderful operatic voice. I thought she sang beautifully.”

  “I thought so to, but that wasn’t the problem. She was up there on stage while my mother was in the corner handling the guestbook. An important job to be sure, but it wasn’t on the same level as your mother’s was. Mother still reminds me of that every time I see her. She’ll ask me when the last time I looked at the guestbook was. I haven’t the heart to tell her I can’t find it.”

 
“You know, we could always get married again, and this time it would be legal in New York.”

  “Oh, I like that idea. You know our anniversary is coming up, wouldn’t that be the most romantic way to celebrate it?”

  “What would you think about letting someone else design the wedding this time, so you could sit back and enjoy it?” Joyce knew what she was going to say before she asked, but she couldn’t help teasing her lover just a bit.

  “Absolutely not! I would not enjoy that at all. I’m surprised you would even suggest‒‒” She looked at the mischievous grin on Joyce’s face and realized she had been joking. “Oh you,” she swatted her on the butt again, and this time Joyce took it as an invitation.

  “Your fifteen minutes are up my dear, and you’re cutting into my time now. Come here.” Joyce combed her fingers through Ellen’s silky black hair as she cupped her hand behind her head, and pulled her to her lips.

  *

  “Aidan, Vicky, come in please. Thank you for agreeing to see me. I just wanted to follow-up with you both and see how things are going.” Dr. Kline welcomed them into his office and showed them to their seats. Over the last few months he had developed a history with these two women, counseling them on rape, abuse, and war. But this time he was interested in getting their thoughts on the upcoming trial of Aidan’s father, until he saw a contusion under Aidan’s left eye. He suppressed his initial shock, preferring to wait, before jumping into that conversation. He hoped that she would voluntarily explain it herself.

  “No problem doc,” Aidan said as the two of them took a seat across from him.

  Kline wasted no time, “Vicky, has the nightmares stopped?”

  “Yes thank God.”

  Aidan looked over at Vicky, “That’s not quite true, baby. You’ve had some dreams that I could tell were causing you pain, but I guess they weren’t bad enough for you to remember them.”