by Marsh Brooks
“Wake up and smell the coffee, Phil,” Jeremy impatiently said. “You both claim to be in love with each other, but she didn't promise you that she would break up her engagement. How do you know that she won't go ahead and marry her fiancé anyway?”
“Jeremy, you have to understand that it's hard for her,” Phil said, trying to convince Jeremy. “Isabel and her fiancé had been together for several years before I came into the picture.”
“I hope you're right. In any event, I can't wait to meet the woman who has made you lose all of your senses,” Jeremy said before hanging up.
Jeremy's call had Phil worried. Now he was not so sure anymore about himself or what Isabel would do. Would Isabel sacrifice their love and marry Richard because of her promise to Richard? Would Jeremy prove to be right? Would they become ill-fated lovers like in the tragedies?
##
That afternoon, when Phil reached the Center, he was hoping that the sight of Isabel would wipe away all of the doubt he had about the two of them since his conversation with Jeremy. He sat on the bench and waited for two long hours, but Isabel never came. The ducklings were not there that day. It was as if Isabel's absence had silenced them. Phil never believed in fate. But now he wondered whether he should. As he was about to leave, Marcia then came to join him.
“Waiting for Isabel?” she asked.
“Yes, but I'm worried. I thought she had a therapy session today,” Phil asked.
“She did, but she didn’t show up,” Marcia simply said.
“Is she OK? Do you know where she is?”
“I don’t know. I called but she wasn't home,” Marcia answered.
“You're not worried?” Phil asked, with his own worried look.
“It has been a tough week on Isabel. Besides her accident and everything going on at home, now she must make a decision about you and Richard,” Marcia simply said.
“But you said she wasn't at home,” Phil said, not understanding why Marcia didn't seem worried.
“You know,” Marcia began, “the day Isabel's mother passed away, Isabel walked out of the hospital and for several hours everyone was looking for her and couldn't find her. Do you know where she was?”
“Me? No, I don't,” Phil replied, realizing that Marcia was waiting for him to answer.
“Well she had gone to church to pray. You see, since Isabel was young, when she was in pain or hurt, she would go to her room and pray. She is a very special woman. I hope that you know that anyone that she loves should consider himself lucky,” Marcia said.
She was looking at him as if giving him a warning to never hurt Isabel. How could he ever hurt Isabel? All he wanted was for them to be happy and to spend the rest of their lives together.
“Do you think she went to church to pray because of us?” Phil asked, with an incredulous look on his face.
“I don't know. You should ask her when you see her,” Marcia said before she walked away, leaving Phil staring at the silent lake.
##
Stacy hated when things didn't go as planned. This afternoon was one of these afternoons. She had gone to the Center and walked to the back, by the lake. Incredibly, no one asked her anything. She had learned from one of the landscapers that the woman who liked to sit with Phil by the lake was the niece of the director of the Center, and her name was Isabel. As she walked by the empty bench, she looked at the still lake, wondering if something ominous was lurking beneath. Stacy never liked Florida lakes because you never knew when an alligator would show up.
Stacy remembered one day visiting a park near Tallahassee, Florida, called Wakulla Springs State Park. The park had a large lake that was full of alligators. She didn't have a problem with tourists wasting their money on boat rides to see alligators. What she didn't understand was that a lot of the kids were swimming in the water, not understanding they might be an alligator's next snack. Apparently, they were doing this because statistics showed that there had only been one accident involving a fatality at the park, and that was a very long time ago. Stacy called this type of irrational behavior, the NOT ME theory. It was the same thing with shark attacks. They rarely happened and when they happened, experts always tried to explain them as rare accidents, making people feel more comfortable that it would never happen to them. Each person going into the water thinks, it’s not going to happen to me. NOT ME. Unfortunately, it usually happens to one of them. Stacy didn't like sharks or alligators, and didn't believe in the NOT ME theory.
In fact, the only time Stacy had ever come close to an alligator was having a fried alligator tail on her plate. She wondered whether that man-made lake had any alligators in it. She didn't see the ducks that were playing the day before. They must have been eaten, she assumed. She didn't like ducks either.
As she walked back to her car, she thought that Isabel must be one lucky woman for choosing not to show up the day she chose to talk to her. Sooner or later, Isabel's luck would run out. Sooner or later, Isabel would meet Stacy.
##
As Isabel was driving home from church, her phone rang. The caller ID showed the call was coming from the Center.
“Hi, Tia Marcia,” she said through the Bluetooth-enabled speaker. Soon after her accident, she had bought a used minivan which was retrofitted with car hand controls to bypass the pedals. Without blue-tooth technology, it would have been nearly impossible for Isabel to use the phone and drive at the same time.
“Isabel, Phil was here this afternoon and was worried about you.”
“I was at church.”
“I guessed that, when the nurse told me that you had canceled today's therapy session," Marcia said. “Have you decided what you are going to do?”
“About what?”
“About you and Richard.”
“I don't know. I did make a promise that I would marry Richard.”
“Oh yes, where is he? I have not seen him lately. Is he in Orlando?”
“Yes. He is going to be there for at least another week or so, because of construction projects.”
“I bet.”
“What?”
“Nothing,” Marcia said. “Phil seemed to really love you.”
“I love him too, but I can't just walk away from Richard.”
“Let me know how I can help you. I like Phil myself,” Marcia said
“I can tell,” Isabel said. “Somehow, I always sensed you had something against Richard. But I don’t know why.”
“Why don't you ask him what he does when he goes to Orlando?”
“I told you what he does,” Isabel said, not understanding her aunt's fixation with Orlando. As far as she knew, her aunt had never even gone to Orlando.
“I guess you're right,” Marcia said, giving up. “By the way, before I go, I did speak with Mark's parents today.”
“What did they say?”
“I didn't tell them about the pregnancy but they knew something was up when I told them that we wanted to talk to them about Mark and Rebecca.”
“Did they say anything?” Isabel asked.
“We are meeting them this Saturday for lunch at the Habana Cafe on Bird Road.”
“Why the cafe? Do they like Cuban food?” Isabel asked.
“We’ll find out, won't we? Besides, they’re not paying so they have nothing to complain about,” Marcia said. “And, Isabel?”
“Yes.”
“Don't miss any more of your therapy sessions.”
“Yes, Doc,” Isabel laughed.
##
Isabel reached home as the phone in the kitchen was ringing. She picked it up and her heart jumped when she heard Phil on the other line.
“Isabel?”
“Hi Phil, how did your exercises go today?”
“Boring and painful. Are you OK?”
“I’m feeling better,” she said.
“When I didn't see you today, I was really worried.”
“I needed to go to church and pray. Tell me, Phil, Are you Catholic?”
“Me? Does it mat
ter?” Phil asked. He was afraid to say the wrong thing. He didn't know where this was going.
“Not really. But I just wanted to know. Do you go to church?” Isabel then asked.
Phil didn't know what to say. “You mean on Sundays?” Phil asked. Phil was buying time. He needed to think. Was it a test? Was there any meaning behind the question? He understood that women were complicated. Was there a double meaning behind most of their questions?
“No I just wanted to know if you go to church,” Isabel simply said. She could feel that Phil was scrambling to give her the correct answer and said reassuringly, “Whatever the answer is, it will not make me think less of you Phil.”
Phil, a little relieved, said, “I go sometimes.”
“When was the last time you were at church?” Isabel asked.
“At my friend Jeremy's wedding. I have also gone to the typical masses, weddings, funerals, birthdays, etc,” Phil said.
“There is no birthday mass,” Isabel said with a laugh.
“I mean baptism,” Phil immediately corrected himself. He was failing the church test.
Changing the subject, Isabel said. “I missed you today too, but I needed to go and pray. It's been a very difficult time for me and I just wanted some divine guidance, if you will.”
“I know. I would like to help, but I don't know what to do.”
“No thanks,” Isabel said with another laugh. “You have done too much already.” Isabel was in a good mood. She still didn't know what she was going to do. She knew that Richard would be coming back in a week. He had called but she had yet to return his call, afraid of what she might say. If only a week wasn't so short, she thought.
“Isabel, my friend Jeremy is coming to town this evening and I wanted to know if you have any time in the next day or so. I told him a lot about you and he would like to meet you,” Phil said.
“I can do better. Why don't the two of you come over tomorrow evening to have dinner with my sister and me? She makes a mean pasta.”
“How can pasta be mean?” Phil asked.
“Have you ever seen a jalapeno spaghetti sauce?” Isabel teased.
“Nope. That sounds scary.”
“Well, prepare yourself to be very afraid tomorrow,” Isabel said with a laugh.
For the next hour, Isabel and Phil talked about everything and nothing, laughing and teasing each other. It was as if time stood still, as if Isabel was not engaged. As she hung up the phone, Isabel noticed the engagement ring around her finger. She regretted having accepted Richard's marriage proposal. She knew it was childish to feel this way. She didn’t know at that time that she wasn’t in love with Richard. All she knew now was that she was an engaged woman, and the love that she and Phil felt for each other could not make the ring disappear.
Chapter Nine
When Phil’s secretary knocked on the front door of Stacy's rented beachfront penthouse in Miami Beach, Stacy didn't come to the door. Instead, Myra heard Stacy's voice telling her to enter. When she entered, she was amazed to see how beautiful the penthouse was. It had high ceilings and was richly decorated, with views of the Atlantic Ocean in every room. She gave Stacy a hug and said, “It is nice to see you again, Stacy. You haven't changed a bit.”
“It's nice to be seen,” Stacy replied.
Myra looked a lot chubbier than before. You don't get to look like me by eating cheap hamburgers, Stacy thought. But Stacy was grateful that Myra had agreed to be her personal secretary during her stay in Miami. Willingly or unwillingly, Myra was going to help her with Phil. Stacy knew that Myra would tell Phil about everything that they would be doing or saying. That's what good secretaries do: Protect the boss. Stacy expected that. That was part her plan too. Except for not seeing Isabel by the lake, the script was developing perfectly.
##
Phil lived in a two-story four bedroom house located west of Baptist Memorial Hospital. The house was situated at the end of a corner street in a gated community. Phil didn't like gated communities. But he had bought the house at a fairly good price and the neighborhood had everything a neighborhood is supposed to have, even a noisy flirtatious neighbor. In his case, the neighbor was in her early fifties and seemed to enjoy spending more time with her black cat than her husband. When Jeremy pulled his rented SUV into Phil's driveway that evening, Phil was outside chatting with his neighbor about the neighbor's preference for cats over dogs.
“It's about time,” Phil said to Jeremy, after Jeremy parked the car.
“Miami traffic, you know,” Jeremy replied. “Hi Pamela. How have you been?” Jeremy knew Phil's neighbor always tried to find an excuse to come talk to Phil when Phil was outside tending to his yard.
“Hi Jeremy, you look well,” the neighbor replied. “Anyway I've got to go. See you later Phil.”
“Bye,” Phil said, and turning to Jeremy, “Pam is right. You look well.”
“I see that your ankle is looking better,” Jeremy simply said, pointing to the boot on Phil's leg.
“I have a ways to go. But overall it's OK.”
Jeremy then picked up his carry-on from the back of the car and said, "let's go in.”
Phil's house had one guest bedroom downstairs. On the second floor, there was the master bedroom, a bedroom converted into an office and another guest bedroom. Since the accident, Phil had been sleeping in the guest bedroom downstairs and Jeremy carried his luggage to the second floor guest bedroom.
When Jeremy came back down, Phil was in front of the bar by the kitchen, fixing himself and Jeremy drinks. The house was very spacious, with a private dining room situated between the living room and the kitchen. The swimming pool could be seen through the French doors that opened from the dining room to the outside patio. At the other end of the dining room, near the kitchen, was the bar.
“Scotch?” Phil asked.
“Thanks, Phil. This traffic drains you. I need one,” Jeremy answered.
“I have a surprise for you, Jeremy. You and I have been invited for dinner tomorrow evening at Isabel's place,” Phil said.
“Is her fiancé going to be there too?” Jeremy said, before emitting a laugh. “Relax Phil, I will be on my best behavior. Besides, I really want to meet her.”
“You'll like her. She is exceptional. I don't think I could ever endure what she has endured as a result of the accident.”
“Strong woman, I like that,” Jeremy said. “What is she going to do with her fiancé?”
“Give her time. She loves me and I know she will do what's right.”
“Remember, Phil, what's right for you may not be what's right for her,” Jeremy added. “What's she making for dinner?”
“Actually, I think the sister is cooking,” Phil said.
“You mean the sister is going to be there too? I hope for your sake, the sister is not friends with the fiancé.”
“I don't know, but I trust Isabel's judgment,” Phil simply said. “How is Michelle?”
“She's fine. By the way, I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“What is it?”
“I overheard Michelle talk to Stacy about you,” Jeremy said.
“About what?”
“I don't know. Apparently, Stacy is planning on coming to Miami.”
“Actually, I've not seen her, but she’s already here.”
“Just be careful. Sooner or later, she will come to look for you,” Jeremy warned him.
“I know.”
“Michelle thinks she still wants you and will do anything to get you back,” Jeremy said.
“I doubt it. She is a celebrity now and has many men who want to be with her.”
“All I am saying is for you to be on your guard, when she comes calling.”
“I will,” Phil said, making a mental note to talk to Myra about what she and Stacy had been doing. With a new woman in his life, he didn't want complications.
##
At the same time Phil was talking to Jeremy, Isabel was debating what to tell Rebecca about Phil. I
sabel knew that Rebecca liked Richard, but Isabel didn't have a choice but to talk to her about Phil. Sooner or later, Rebecca would have to meet Phil, and tomorrow was as a good day as any. Her cell phone rang and it was Lucy.
“Hi, Lucy.”
“Hi, Isabel. Where is Rebecca?” Lucy asked.
“She’s in her room. Why?”
“I saw her today at the supermarket. She told me that she wasn't feeling well, but she looked like she was pregnant.”
“She is.”
“You're kidding me. When did you find out?”
“We found out early this week and Tia Marcia and I are meeting with Mark's parents to discuss this.”
“Do they know about the baby?” Lucy asked.
“I don't think so.”
“What are you going to discuss?” Lucy asked.
“Finances, raising the baby. Tia Marcia will help me handle it,” Isabel answered.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“What?”
“That she was pregnant, instead of me guessing for myself?”
“I just found out,” Isabel said.
“I’m sorry about that. You didn't need that right now.”
“Tell me about it,” Isabel said.
“By the way, how is your fling going?”
“It's not a fling,” Isabel protested.
“OK. Don't be so defensive. I am just playing with you. How is it going?”
“Fine. Phil and his best friend are coming to have dinner with us tomorrow evening.”
“His best friend is coming and you didn't invite your best friend?”
“It wasn't like that. His friend wanted to meet me and I wanted Phil and Rebecca to meet.”
“Did you tell Rebecca about him yet?”
“I was going to tell her when you called.”
“Well, I'll let you go. At what time is the dinner tomorrow?”
“6:30 pm. Why?”
“Like his best friend wants to meet you, as your best friend, I want to meet him too. I forgive you for not inviting me.”
“I’m sorry. I was not thinking along those lines,” Isabel said, apologetically.