The Ex's Confession

by L. C. Davenport

  “I think he’ll be good for Nicole,” Michael told Cassie when they were waiting for the car to be washed. Elliot had wandered over to speak with a salesman about the warranty on Rebecca’s new car. “She could use a man with a solid head on his shoulders. I’m glad she and Elliot like each other.”

  “Elliot doesn’t like Nicole that way,” Cassie said absently.

  Rebecca tried not to laugh at Michael’s surprised expression. “Sure he does,” he protested. “They flirt with each other all the time. I don’t think it’ll be too long before things get serious.”

  Cassie shot him a look that said quite plainly, ‘You have got to be kidding. Are you blind?’

  “Don’t bother,” Rebecca murmured in her ear as she answered her phone. “Hello?”

  “Rebecca? This is Haley. I have amazing news!”

  Haley sounded like she was going to bounce off the walls. “What’s up?”

  “It’s Ben. He’s in town… to play for the Cubs! Their second baseman got hurt and they needed a replacement, so he’s actually here, playing in the big leagues!” Haley’s voice was getting louder and louder until even Cassie and Michael could hear her.

  “That’s great, Haley! Are you going to the game tomorrow?”

  Haley let out an excited yell. “Of course I am! Ben has six tickets and you know how Mom and Dad feel about me dating a baseball player; they wouldn’t come down for this. Do you guys want to come? I’d like for you to meet him while he’s here.”

  “I’ll be there,” Rebecca said. “I’ll tell the others for you. Come on up for breakfast tomorrow. I’ll cook.”

  When she hung up the phone she looked at Cassie and smiled. “Do I need to repeat that for you?”

  Michael laughed. “I think even the people across the street know,” he said. “I can’t be gone from work tomorrow, so I’ll pass, but you girls have fun. Take Elliot with you.” He smirked. “It’ll be educational for him to take Nicole to a baseball game.” He and Cassie looked at each other for a long moment and then started to laugh.

  “What’s so funny?” asked Elliot, walking over.

  “Nothing. You get to go with the girls to a Cubs game tomorrow.” Michael clapped him on the shoulder. “Good luck, man. One word of advice. Ignore any sports comments Nicole makes. She won’t have a clue what she’s talking about.”

  Elliot raised an eyebrow. “I can handle anything.”

  ***

  The next morning, Haley knocked on the door bright and early. Rebecca had successfully avoided glancing at the newspaper, even going so far as to place it in the recycling bin in Cassie’s cleaning closet. She was determined not to read Elliot’s column that morning.

  Haley bounded into the kitchen and threw her arms around Rebecca. “I can’t believe it,” she said, her face alive with happiness. “It seems so unreal.”

  Rebecca hugged her back. “So I’m guessing you don’t want to break up with him after all.”

  Laughing, Haley shook her head. “No. I think that was just a bad Ben day. We hadn’t parted on the phone in the best of terms, and then my mom called and tried to convince me to break up with him.” She paused. “I saw him this morning.”

  “Already?” Rebecca was surprised. It was only 8:30 AM.

  “Yep. He came by the apartment to give me this.” Haley held out her hand almost shyly, a ring on her fourth finger.

  Rebecca grabbed her for another hug. “Congratulations,” she said sincerely. “I’m so happy for you both. You’ve talked so much about him over the past year, I feel like I know him already.”

  “We’re not getting married for a while,” Haley said, looking at her ring fondly. “At least not until the season is over. Is Cassie awake? I wanted you two to be the first to know.”

  Rebecca laughed. “She won’t be up for another hour or so,” she said. “Let me make you breakfast, and when it’s ready you can take her a plate and tell her when you wake her up.”

  Haley beamed at her. “Let me help. I’m not a whiz in the kitchen but I can set a mean table!” She headed to the cleaning closet to fetch the napkins and came out with an excited expression on her face. “You kept the paper!” she said. “I didn’t have a chance to read Elliot’s article yet.”

  Rebecca froze at the counter, the spoon she had been using to mix the pancake batter dripping unseen onto the floor. “How did you know that Elliot’s a columnist?”

  Haley sat down at the table and opened the paper. “He came over last night to give Nicole her key back. She was pumping him for information about his job. He said his editor had told him to write more personal columns and I was curious what he was writing about.”

  Rebecca put the spoon back in the bowl. Please, she thought, read it silently. I was doing so well.

  But Haley didn’t pay attention to silent pleas for help and started reading out loud, “To Whom it may Concern,” she read. “This letter is to answer all of your well-meaning, meddling questions concerning my recent columns.” Haley looked up. “What has he been writing about?”

  Rebecca shrugged and tried to pay attention to the batter, which was now too runny from over-stirring.

  Obviously intrigued, Haley scanned the article. “It looks like he’s just responding to emails the paper has received,” she said after a minute. “He must have been writing about a girl, because most of the questions are about her.”

  The spoon clattered to the ground. When she had finished wiping up the mess and washed the spoon, she asked as casually as she could, “Does he say what her name is?”

  Haley’s eyes ran down the length of the column. “No,” she said finally, “although she sounds really horrible. He says she broke off their engagement out of the blue and that he’s never really gotten over it.”

  Rebecca dropped the spoon again. This time she threw it into the sink. She had to get Haley away from that paper; she didn’t want to hear any more. “Will you finish these for me?” she said in desperation. “I should probably go see if Cassie’s awake yet.”

  Haley raised her head from the paper and looked at Rebecca with a quizzical expression. “You know I don’t cook. The coffee shop on the corner has a table reserved for me every morning, I’m there so often. And I thought I was going to take Cassie breakfast in bed,” she said, and then noticed Rebecca’s pale face. “Is something the matter?”

  “I’m fine,” Rebecca lied. She ladled pancake batter onto the griddle and then noticed she hadn’t turned it on yet. This was going to be the worst breakfast she had ever prepared. She hoped Haley was too excited about Ben to notice food.

  Haley laughed. “People ask the dumbest things. Why do they care what she looks like? He just says that it doesn’t matter, that his idea of a beautiful woman is purely suggestive, and that there are millions of women in the greater Chicago area with her same basic description. Someone wants to know how he feels about her now, and he says he’s ambivalent.” She paused. “What do you suppose he means by that?”

  For the life of her, Rebecca couldn’t come up with an explanation. “Ambivalent means that he doesn’t care about her one way or another,” she finally said, hoping that would appease Haley.

  “Oh. Okay. Someone else asked him if he’s going to get back with her now that they’re neighbors. He says, and I quote, ‘No way. I can’t afford the pain twice’. I don’t think she can really be a neighbor, do you? No one around here knows who he is except for us.” She paused and sniffed. “Do you smell something burning?”

  Rebecca groaned when she saw the blackened state of the pancakes, and then the fire alarm went off. The kitchen was silent save for the screeching of the alarm for a full minute before Haley spoke.

  “Maybe I’ll run out and get breakfast for you,” she said. “I don’t think I’m in the mood for pancakes anymore.”

  Then the phone rang. “Hello?” Rebecca hoped whoever was on the other end could hear her over the racket of the fire alarm.

  “Is this the Tanner residence?”

  “
Yes,” Rebecca said slowly. It was much too early for a telemarketer.

  “I am with the Chicago Fire Department. We received a call from the home alert system that monitors your home. They say you may have a fire.” The man paused. “I hear the fire alarm,” he said. “Is everything all right?”

  Rebecca covered her face with her free hand and then remembered she was still holding the pancake turner. I guess I’ll be showering again, she thought. “Yes,” she said wearily. “It was just a cooking mishap. Thanks for your concern.”

  After she hung up the phone, she rinsed the pancake batter down the sink while Haley went out to get breakfast. Then, figuring she grabbed the paper from the table, pulled out the matches, and set it on fire in the sink.

  ***

  Going to a baseball game with Nicole was free entertainment, Rebecca decided once they were on the train. It had taken Elliot half an hour to persuade her that the El was safe, that she wasn’t going to get mugged, and that rich people did occasionally use public transportation.

  “Why can’t we take the car?” Nicole whined.

  Taking a deep breath, Elliot looked at the Sky and said, “We’ve been over this before. Parking at Wrigley Field is almost non-existent. This is the best way to get there. Please, Nicole. Trust me. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

  Rebecca suppressed a smile at the look on Nicole’s face when they finally stepped onto the train. She refused to touch anything or even sit down, although there were plenty of empty seats, choosing instead to cling to Elliot’s arm as though her life depended on it. Rebecca settled herself in a front-facing seat and sighed. She had missed the El while she was in Michigan. You always met the most interesting people while riding it.

  Sure enough, at the next stop a clean-cut man dressed in a business suit got on and took the seat next to Rebecca. He smiled at her and then proceeded to take off his suit coat. When he yanked off his tie and began unbuttoning his shirt, Rebecca made a noise of protest and started to stand up.

  “Don’t worry, I’m not going to strip,” the man said easily. “I’m supposed to be at a business lunch but I’m really skipping out early to go to the game.” Underneath his blue button-down was a Cubs jersey. “I planned this all along,” he confided. “My boss never watches the games, so I figure I’m safe.” He stuffed his unneeded clothing in his briefcase, sat back in his seat, and took a deep breath. “There’s nothing like a day game at Wrigley,” he grinned.

  Rebecca grinned back. “That’s for sure.”

  The man eyed her speculatively. “Is that where you’re going, too?”

  Rebecca grabbed the baseball cap she had placed on her other side and put it on her head. “You betcha,” she said. “I’ve been wanting to go to a game for ages.” From across the train she could see Elliot watching her chat with the stranger. He didn’t look happy.

  He looked even unhappier when the man pulled a card out of his wallet and wrote something on the back. He handed it to Rebecca and said, “My name’s John, by the way. Call me any time you need someone to go with you to a game.”

  Rebecca turned the card over to find his home phone number. She smiled at John and thanked him politely before placing it in her pocket. When she looked up, Elliot caught her eye. He looked like he wanted to punch someone.

  When they arrived at Addison Street, half the passengers on the train got off and went up the escalators to the street level. Nicole looked around in confusion.

  “Where’s the field?” she asked, still attached to Elliot’s arm.

  Cassie pointed down the street. “About three miles in that direction.”

  “Three miles? How am I supposed to walk three miles in these heels?”

  Haley grabbed Nicole’s other arm and wrenched her away from Elliot. “Most people don’t wear three-inch heels to a baseball game,” she said. “Don’t worry, we’re not going to make you walk. We’re taking the bus.”

  Nicole looked appalled. “The bus?” she screeched.

  Haley rolled her eyes. “Yes, the bus. Come on, we need to cross the street to wait with all the people over there.”

  When they finally reached Wrigley Field, Nicole was a mess. Rebecca, Haley and Cassie ignored her, leaving Elliot to calm her down. Haley gave Elliot two tickets and told him they would meet them inside at their seats. “I’m sorry to leave you with her,” she said quietly, “but I really want Rebecca and Cassie to meet Ben.” She flashed a smile at him. “It’s best if you learn all of Nicole’s quirks now before it’s too late!” Nicole wasn’t too upset to glare at her sister.

  Haley sighed in relief when they were safely inside the ballpark. “I believe she’s faking most of that,” Haley confessed. “I think she likes the attention she gets from Elliot when she overreacts.”

  Rebecca raised her eyebrows. “I don’t think that was all made up,” she said. “Her reaction on the train was pretty convincing.”

  Shrugging, Haley led the way to their seats. “You’re probably right, but she would have recovered by now if she didn’t have a great hulking man like Elliot to take care of her.” She smirked at Rebecca and then cried excitedly, “There he is! Ben! Over here!”

  They were seated along the left field line, just behind the Cubs’ dugout. Ben looked over at the group and grinned. He was a good-looking guy, Rebecca thought. He looked like the sort of person Haley would fall for: tall, muscular, and blonde. He had the kind of face that looked like it rarely saw a frown. He beamed up at Haley.

  “Hey there, fiancée! I’m glad you could make it!” Ben reached up and grabbed Haley’s hand. She leaned over to kiss him before making the introductions.

  “Pleased to meet you,” he said. “Haley, I’ve got to go. Wish me luck!” He kissed her again and ran back to the dugout.

  Haley collapsed into her seat. “I can’t believe he’s really playing for the Cubs,” she said. “I don’t want to miss a minute of this game. When Nicole gets here, I want to sit as far away from her as possible.”

  Cassie and Rebecca grinned at each other. “No problem,” Rebecca said.

  When it was all said and done, Rebecca decided the best part about the game was watching Elliot and Nicole. Nicole seemed to have a knack for asking ridiculous questions just as something exciting happened.

  “Elliot, where are the goal posts?” Nicole asked just as Ramirez stole second base, which Elliot didn’t see because he was busy explaining the difference between baseball and football for her. By the seventh inning, Rebecca could tell Elliot was fed up and wanted to ignore her like everyone else. But every time Rebecca caught his eye, he would turn back to Nicole with a martyred expression.

  The best entertainment of the afternoon came in the bottom of the seventh inning when Ben hit a game-winning home run and the fans went wild. The man sitting behind Nicole threw his hands up in the air to celebrate, forgetting that his beer was still full–and in his hand. Most of it landed on Nicole’s head. Rebecca thought it was fortunate that no one could hear anyone else for a few minutes because she didn’t think it would be polite to be caught laughing at one of your sister’s family members.

  When they were back safely on the train, Rebecca sank into her seat and closed her eyes. Haley had stayed at the park to celebrate with Ben. Cassie was trying to explain to Nicole that things like that weren’t uncommon at baseball games, and that beer was really very good for your hair. That seemed to brighten Nicole up a bit.

  Halfway to their stop, Elliot escaped from Nicole’s grasp and sank gratefully into the seat next to Rebecca. “That was some game,” he said finally without looking at her.

  Rebecca smiled to herself. “Yes, it was,” she agreed. “Did you enjoy yourself?”

  Elliot grimaced. “Not really.”

  There was a long pause. “I’m sorry to hear that.” Rebecca couldn’t keep the amusement out of her voice. “I found it very entertaining. And it didn’t hurt that the Cubs won.”

  Elliot leaned over and put his head in his hands. He stayed th
at way for a while before turning his eyes to look at Rebecca rather accusingly. “What did that guy give you?”

  Rebecca looked at him blankly. “What guy?”

  “The guy who was taking off his clothes on the train earlier.”

  “Oh, John.” She patted her pocket. “He gave me his phone number. In case I ever need a buddy to go with me to a game.”

  Elliot scowled. “Yeah, right. Tell me you didn’t give him yours in return.”

  Turning her face away, Rebecca said, “I don’t see how it’s any of your business who I talk to. He seemed like a perfectly good person.” Who skips out on work to watch a baseball game, she added silently.

  “I don’t care who you go out with,” Elliot replied a little too loudly. “I was just worried for Cassie and Michael. I’d hate for something bad to happen to them because you gave their phone number out to some random guy.”

  Rebecca shook her head. “I trust my judgment,” she said. “Even if you don’t trust your own.”

  ***

  Rebecca had a hard time sleeping that night. Dreams of strange men dressed in Cubs uniforms and striped ties followed her around, and a beer-drenched Nicole flew through the Sky wailing about undesirable people using public transportation. So it was no wonder that she forgot her resolution to stay away from the newspaper the next morning. And, instead of burning it in the sink like she had the previous day, she sat down at the table to read it.

  The Other Curse

  by Elliot Winters

  A word to the wise: Never attend a baseball game with a woman if you want to follow the action on the field. I missed rookie Ben Toomer’s game-winning home run because I didn’t follow this advice.

  The game was exciting–I think. At least most of the fans sitting around me thought so. My experience was a bit more of a let down. After everyone in my party was safely at home, I wandered to my favorite Mexican restaurant, Jaime’s, to talk about the Cubs with the owner.