Once Brenda checked into the hotel, she was delighted to find a large fruit basket, selected pastries, and a bottle of her favorite champagne when she entered her room, again, all compliments of Harry. “This is exactly what I needed,” Brenda whispered to herself. She unpacked her bags, put on her silk robe, and settled in while she waited for her lover, whose shift would end in less than an hour. It gave Brenda a charge knowing she was involved with a working-class man, going against the grain of her polished upbringing and the lifestyle to which she was accustomed. But she had to admit, Harry wasn’t your average working-class man, and that had been part of his intriguing appeal.
After dozens of phone conversations and three weekends filled with heated passion over the last six weeks, Brenda learned that he held a bachelor’s degree in business and had worked in some of the finest restaurants across the country and abroad. He was well versed in food and wine and could speak broadly on topics from politics to current events. She surmised that he made a comfortable salary. However, she wasn’t too impressed because it was miniscule in comparison to the money Ed pulled in. But despite the fact that she knew Harry wasn’t in her league, he was still a delicious distraction that she could use to alleviate her stress.
After Harry left work he came straight to Brenda’s room. He was right on time as he’d promised and he filled her evening with enough heat, lust, and salacious moans to make her forget about her problems at home.
The next day, Brenda attended her meeting at the museum and then made a brief appearance at the director’s dinner party that evening. She left early so she and Harry could continue where they’d left off under the sheets. Brenda loved the way Harry handled her in the bedroom, and she wanted to hold on to him while still maintaining her marriage to Ed. She was a woman who was used to having it all, and after her weekend romp was over, she intended to devise a new plan that would net her both.
It wasn’t until her final evening in the city that everything began to crumble in front of Brenda’s eyes. She and Harry had spent the day in bed, enjoying a variety of positions that had rendered them exhausted.When evening came, Harry made a suggestion that caused the entire deck of cards to come tumbling down.
Because all of their time together had been spent within the confines of hotel rooms, Harry wanted to take Brenda out for the evening. He made reservations at an intimate restaurant not too far from her hotel and suggested that they cap off the evening by listening to jazz at one of his favorite nightspots. He knew the best and most discreet places in town, and he wanted to show Brenda a good time. But almost as soon as he made the offer, she forcefully objected, making it clear that she didn’t want to be seen out in public—with him!
“Brenda, this restaurant is very private. I wouldn’t have suggested it otherwise,” Harry said, trying to persuade her.
“There are always eyes around,” she countered. “I can’t run the risk of being seen out with you.”
Harry stood, pulling his boxers up the length of his lean legs. “If someone happens to see us, you can just say we’re having a business dinner.”
“On a Sunday night?” Brenda scoffed, shaking her head at the ridiculous thought. She looked Harry up and down as he stood beside the bed. “You don’t even look like someone I’d be doing business with.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Brenda could hear the tension in Harry’s voice. Her time with him was supposed to be fun and free of hassles. Now he was acting as though he wanted more than what she was willing to offer, and she didn’t like it. “Harry, must you get so testy? I just meant that you’re not the business executive type . . . that’s all.”
Harry smirked. “Neither are you, so what’s the big deal?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“You’re an attractive, well-kept housewife who volunteers with museums and charities to make yourself feel good.You shop all day and drink all night. I may be wrong, but that’s a far cry from a high-powered business executive.”
Brenda sat up in bed, completely beside herself with indignation. “You have some nerve talking to me that way.You don’t know a thing about me!”
Harry laughed and gave Brenda a sly smile. “I know you a lot better than you think.”
This time the tone in Harry’s voice unnerved Brenda because it matched a strange knowing in his eyes. A knowing that sent a slight chill through her body.
Harry dressed quietly, pulling on his shirt with care.
“Oh, Harry, come back to bed,” Brenda purred. “Let’s not spend our last night together squabbling over silliness.”
To Brenda’s dismay, he ignored her. Harry continued to dress in silence, and once he was finished he turned and spoke. “You don’t remember me, but I remember you.”
The chill that Brenda had felt a moment ago suddenly returned. She didn’t know how she knew it, but she was sure that Harry was going to tell her something devastating . . . and she was right!
“Think back in time. Way back,” Harry said. “Martha’s Vineyard. The summer of 1973. Tuesday nights at the cove beyond the beach. The country boy from Ocean View Restaurant with the high-top Chuck Taylors. Any of that ring a bell?”
Brenda drew in a sharp breath. Her past had just walked into her present. She had experimented with several boys when she was a budding teenager during her summers on the Vineyard. Those days had been an easy way for her to test the sexual waters without damaging her reputation back home. She had a good time practicing techniques that had prepared her for womanhood, and particularly for Edward Baldwin, whom she’d wanted since she was twelve years old. As Brenda’s mind raced back in time, she formed a memory of the lone boy who had stood out from the rest. “Henry?” she gasped in astonishment.
She remembered the mysterious, dark, sinewy boy who worked in the kitchen at Ocean View Restaurant. He’d boasted baby-smooth skin, a bright smile, and an almost mystical allure that had made even the grown women on the beach take notice. He wore T-shirts and jeans every single day, and he somehow managed to keep his white high-top Chuck Taylor Converse sneakers immaculate, as if he’d just picked them off the shelf at the shoe store. He hadn’t been her first, but he had definitely been her best.
Over the years, she’d pushed the memories of those summers to a secret place she no longer had use for. Now, as she peered into Harry’s intense brown eyes and studied his face, a sliver of recognition began to form, placing him back on the Vineyard, to those steamy nights of young passion.
“Yes, Brenda, it’s me.” Harry nodded. “You always called me Henry, instead of my real name. But after two or three times, I just stopped correcting you.”
Brenda was so flustered she gathered the bedsheet up to her neck, as if a Peeping Tom were lurking at the window. “How . . . how did you know it was me? And why didn’t you say anything before now?”
As Brenda sat with her mouth slightly agape, Harry went on to tell her that when he had initially spoken with her over the phone, he thought she was merely a disgruntled guest voicing her dissatisfaction with the hotel’s room service. But as he listened to her speak, there was something strangely familiar about her voice, prompting him to deliver her meal himself, which was something he rarely did.
When she opened the door, he immediately recognized her as his secret love from the special summer of his past, even though nearly four decades had gone by since he’d last seen her. He revealed that he’d often wondered what had become of her.
“You were the prettiest girl I’d ever seen,” Harry said, “and more sophisticated than anyone I’d ever met. After that summer I wanted to contact you, but I didn’t know your last name, or your real first name, for that matter.”
Brenda covered her mouth and shook her head, remembering she’d told her summer lovers that her name was Betty, and that she and her family were from Boston, not Washington, DC. She continued to sit in astonished shock as Harry spoke.
“I knew right away that you had no clue who I was, and I didn’t tel
l you because I wanted to see if our connection would naturally click as it had in the past . . . and it did.” He smiled. “I can’t offer you the grandeur of the life that you now lead, but what I can give you is happiness, laughter, and love.”
Brenda blinked back her confusion. “I don’t understand.”
“I care about you, Brenda.You haven’t talked about your marriage, but I know you’re not happy. If you were, you wouldn’t be here with me.”
“My marriage doesn’t concern you.”
Harry’s mouth formed into a frown. “Since I’m the man you’re having an affair with, I think it does.”
“Well, we can fix that rather quickly,” Brenda said, her voice turning icy like the winter wind. “Get out!”
“What?”
“You heard me. Leave! And if you don’t, I’ll have you escorted out by security.”
Harry looked at the coldness behind Brenda’s eyes, realization sinking in. “I guess I didn’t know the real you. I’ve been holding on to the fantasy of my youth.”
“Get out, Harry!” she hissed. “And as I said, if you don’t leave, I’ll call security.”
Harry shook his head calmly. “No, Brenda, you’re not going to do that.”
“Give me one reason why I’m not.”
“I’ll give you two.”
The chill returned to Brenda’s body as she held her breath, bracing herself for what Harry was going to say next.
“For one, you don’t want to bring that kind of unseemly attention to yourself. And two, you don’t want Ed or Samantha to find out about us, now do you?”
Brenda couldn’t think straight. “How—”
“It’s the Internet age,” Harry interrupted. “When you stayed at the Four Seasons, I got your information from the hotel computer and did a little research.”
“What are you going to do, blackmail me?”
“I’m not sure yet. But once I decide, you’ll be the first to know,” Harry said, then put one freshly polished wingtip in front of the other and walked out of the room.
Brenda sat in bed, completely dazed. But unbeknownst to her, she had little to fear from her smooth, ebony-hued lover because once Harry reached the elevator, he lowered his head with disappointment. Brenda didn’t know that Harry had hoped that after so many years she would’ve grown beyond the spoiled little rich girl who had captured his heart. She was a dream he’d fallen in love with, one that couldn’t hold up to the reality of who she really was.
Sitting in her room, trembling with fear, Brenda never saw Harry as he stepped inside the elevator feeling torn about his hint of blackmail. He wasn’t a malicious person, so he felt remorseful about what he’d said, but not enough to give Brenda the relief of lifting the threat he’d loomed over her head. He decided to make her squirm a bit before letting her off the hook, thinking it was the least a country boy like himself could do.
As Brenda’s flight began its descent into National Airport, she felt as though her world was coming apart at the seams. One minute she was in control, ready to orchestrate a new plan that would set her life back on its proper course, and the next, she was falling in a nosedive, headed straight for the ground without a parachute.
Chapter 35
Emily . . .
Don’t Let Nothing Steal Your Joy
Ed and I were both early risers, even on weekends. We usually greeted the sun on our way out the door, but this morning we lay in bed a little longer than usual. It was Monday, a teacher workday at school, and I was happy to have the day off. Since Ed didn’t have any early-morning meetings, he decided to lie next to me after he made a call to attorney Longfellow. Brenda wasn’t returning until sometime this afternoon, and even though she and Ed didn’t see much of each other these days, the absence of her physical presence took a great amount of pressure off both our minds.
It felt good lying beside Ed. I nestled in his arms as I watched his right eyelid gently flutter while he continued to sleep. My heart was overwhelmed with joy, knowing that my child would have a strong, loving, and genuinely good father. I couldn’t help but smile with nothing less than humble gratitude.As improbable as it seemed, our complicated situation was going to bring forth new hope and new life.
When Ed and I discussed raising our child, he was concerned about his age, and frankly, I was, too. It was a reality we had to face. When our son or daughter graduated from high school, Ed would be in his early seventies. I’d lived most of my life without my father in it, so naturally I needed to talk my feelings through the delicate subject. But in the end, we both agreed that no one’s future was promised, and we couldn’t predict what would happen to either of us. All we could do was live the best life God blessed us to have and shower our child with as much love as we could.
Noon was approaching, so Ed and I finally rolled out of bed, showered, and got dressed. I fixed him a cup of coffee and a toasted bagel. It was funny how some things in life dramatically changed, while others remained steadfastly the same. I sipped my herbal tea as Ed finished his coffee, smiling at me across the table in my bright, sun-filled dining room.
Ed was headed to work, and ironically, I was headed to his house. I was going there to pick up CJ. He’d been looking forward to us spending this day together for the last two weeks. And because Samantha was becoming more involved in his life, I thought it would be nice to include her. After I picked him up, I planned to drive to the airport to pick up Samantha, who was returning from her trip in Atlanta. Afterward, the three of us were going to spend the rest of the day together.
I didn’t want to run into Brenda, so I asked Ed, “Um, what time will Brenda be arriving home this afternoon?”
He put down the Washington Post and looked at me. “She’s already there.”
“What!” My eyes bucked and my throat went dry.
“Remember, I told you that she always takes the first flight out when she travels.”
He was right, he had mentioned it Friday night. But I’d been so worked up over the pregnancy news and him getting caught by Samantha at Neiman that I hadn’t thought twice about it. I removed his plate and coffee cup, placing them in the sink as I cursed my bad memory and bad luck. “She doesn’t get out of bed until close to noon most days, but she prefers early-morning flights? I just don’t understand,” I pondered as I shook my head.
“I know, it’s the damndest thing. Don’t get me started.” Ed scowled.
Lately, the mere mention of Brenda frustrated him. Ed rose from his chair and slipped his charcoal gray jacket over his French-blue shirt. “But don’t worry, you won’t run into her. The first thing she does when she comes home from an early-morning flight is head straight to bed.After that, she won’t be seen until the sun goes down, then she’ll rise again.”
His description reminded me of a vampire, conjuring up images of Brenda ascending from a silk-and-lace-draped coffin. I tried to put her out of my mind as I gathered my purse, put my scarf around my neck, and grabbed my keys. “I’m headed over there now.”
Ed looked out the window of my back door, staring at our vehicles parked beside each other. “Baby, I’ve been meaning to ask you . . . we need to go shopping for a car soon.”
He wasn’t asking me, he was telling me that ol’ Hazel just wasn’t cutting it. I had to admit that Hazel hadn’t held up well since the long road trip here. I should have shipped her, which would have given her a few extra months of life. But now she was on her last leg, and with a baby coming I knew I needed reliable transportation. I nodded, acknowledging agreement.
Ed smiled. “I know what Hazel means to you.We can keep her garaged, but we need to get you into something that won’t leave you stranded. I worry about you every time you get on the road.”
I walked over to the door and looked out at my old jalopy, parked snugly beside his luxury SUV. It was like looking at the two of us. Even though we might not match on the surface, we fit perfectly together where it counted.
Ed looked at me, smiling the way he does when
we’re in bed making love. He walked over to me and planted one hand on my behind, the other firmly on the small of my back. He drew me into him, giving me the last taste of his coffee. His java tongue melted in my mouth the way my body always did in his arms. After a long, sensuous kiss, he looked into my eyes and calmed my fears. “Emily, everything’s gonna be all right.”
I thought back to my first day in DC. Those were the same words Samantha had said to me. I smiled, knowing this was a sign. A very good sign.
I was nervous as I parked my car in front of Ed’s house. It was a simple exercise I’d done so many times in the past, but now things were very different. And despite what Ed had told me, I was still worried that I’d run into Brenda. What I was doing with her husband was morally wrong at best, and I knew I couldn’t look her in the eye. I hadn’t seen her since the night of the party, and I wanted to keep it that way. I took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.
“It’s so good to see you. Come on in.” Ms. Gerti beamed, hugging me into her chest.
I missed Ms. Gerti. I saw her every now and then when she picked up CJ from school on the days that Samantha’s schedule wouldn’t allow, but we never had a chance to talk. I planned to set aside some time to spend with her in the coming weeks.
CJ was still upstairs playing with his games, so I joined Ms. Gerti at the kitchen table for a quick chat. Thank goodness Ed had been right, Brenda was nowhere in sight. I breathed a little easier as I sat back in my chair. “So tell me, how’ve you been?” I asked.
“Oh, you know me. I’m just fine.” She smiled. “How’re you doin’, sugar?”
I smiled back, unable to hide my love high. “Actually, I’m great.”
Ms. Gerti put her hand on top of mine. “I’m real happy for you, sugar.You’ve got that glow.”
I peered at her, wondering if she sensed my pregnancy.
“I can see the joy in you. The emptiness you used to carry in your eyes is gone.”
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