Among the Ducklings

by Marsh Brooks

  “Let's hope it's Stacy,” Andy said, hope reflecting on his face, as he picked up. The conversation only lasted a few minutes.

  “What happened?” Stephanie heard Andy ask.

  “Is there anything you can do?” Andy kept asking. Andy was all white when he hung up. His eyes were moist.

  “What is it?” a worried Stephanie asked.

  “It was the Institute. They said it was a mix-up. My acceptance has been canceled,” Andy said. On his face, hope was replaced by despair and sadness.

  “How can they do that? A furious Stephanie asked.

  “Don't be upset,” Andy said. “It looks like I don't need the money after all,” a resigned Andy said.

  It was too much of a coincidence, Stephanie thought. She knew that Andy wouldn't believe that Stacy would do something like this. However, Stephanie wasn't Andy. You took my brother's heart, money and now his hope for a cure. “I will make you pay Stacy,” Stephanie said to herself. “Soon, the whole world will know the secret you have been hiding.”

  ##

  Phil was getting ready to leave work when Stacy called his office. “When are you leaving work?” she asked.

  “Actually, I was on my way out the door when you called.”

  “How about if I treat you to good food tonight?” Stacy asked.

  “Are you sure I'm not imposing?” Phil asked. Phil was grateful Stacy called. He didn't want to eat alone tonight. Whenever he was alone, images of Isabel would flood his head, reminding him of what could have been, if only Isabel cared more for him than she did for Richard. At least he would not eat alone tonight. As far he was concerned, Stacy was not bad company either.

  “Just pick me up in an hour,” Stacy said, she then gave Phil her hotel's address and suite number. She couldn't wait to spend the evening with Phil. Little did Phil know that she was going to take him down memory lane, remembering how everything started. Tonight, Stacy was to take Phil to the Japanese restaurant where he first took her, the day they met at the show.

  ##

  As Phil and Stacy were having dinner at the Japanese restaurant, Marcia was still in her office this evening. She had completed her work an hour ago, but had yet to get up from where she sat behind her desk. She was thinking about Isabel. When she had learned late in the afternoon that Isabel had decided to change the schedule for her therapy sessions from afternoon to the morning, she had called Isabel to ask why, but Isabel wouldn't say anything.

  “It's not about Phil, is it?” Marcia had asked.

  “It's about what's best for me,” Isabel had replied, avoiding the question altogether. Marcia then made a mental note to talk to Phil the next day. Maybe she'd learn something.

  ##

  “Plan a wedding? That's what he said?” Lucy asked. Lucy was talking to Isabel, who was recounting Richard's last words.

  “Yes,” Isabel replied. “He said he had found some help in Orlando and was flying in tomorrow for us to plan the wedding.”

  “How do you feel about that?”

  “Good.”

  “Did you talk to Phil since the dinner on Friday night?”

  “I did,” Isabel replied.

  “So, what happened?” Lucy asked.

  “Nothing really. I told him I didn't want to see him again and that I love Richard and was going to marry him.”

  “What did he say?” Lucy asked, her facial expression betraying her suprise.

  “He tried to make me change my mind.”

  “I guess he didn't succeed.”

  “No. In any event, it looks like he spent the weekend in the Keys with a Hollywood actress.”

  “How do you know?”

  “It's in the paper. They were all over each other on the beach.”

  “How are you taking this?” Lucy asked.

  “What do you mean?” asked Isabel, defensively.

  “How do you feel seeing pictures of Phil with another woman?”

  “It's OK. Remember, I told him that I didn't want to see him again, so as far as I'm concerned, what he does in his life is no business of mine,” Isabel replied, hoping that Lucy wouldn't be able to read the pain in her voice.

  “I guess you're right. Too bad. I thought he was a nice guy,” Lucy added.

  ##

  On the morning of Richard's flight, he had spoken to his divorce lawyer, who had said that he didn't have to refile divorce papers since his divorce case was only delayed. In six months, when Kristin received the money, he would finish the divorce, he thought to himself.

  “Once you're ready, let me know. It's just a matter of scheduling face time with the judge for the divorce,” Richard's lawyer told him. After his conversation with the lawyer, Richard then called Isabel's lawyer, whom he had known since high school, who told him that she had told Isabel that morning that the insurance company had accepted the offer. Richard could not believe it. He was going to get money from his divorce from Kristin, and then he would be marrying into money. On the plane, he pinched himself to make sure that he wasn't dreaming.

  ##

  When Phil woke up the next morning, his memory was fuzzy. He remembered going to the restaurant where the memories of their first dinner and the good times he and Stacy used to have had flooded his mind like a broken spigot jetting bursts of water. They drank sake and shared laughs about the adventures and misadventures they had had together. He remembered Stacy ordering a limousine for them after dinner. What concerned him most was that his memory failed him after that. How could he wake up in Stacy's bed and not remember what happened? He was naked in Stacy’s bed and he had a strong migraine. Stacy was coming back from the shower. Her beautiful naked body was tanned and inviting.

  “What a beautiful evening we had. I never thought that I would share these beautiful moments with you again,” Stacy said, as she came and kissed Phil on the lips. Phil didn't respond, and didn't know what to say because he couldn't remember, and for good reason. But he would never know why his memory had failed him, because Stacy had already thrown away the little bottle that contained the rest of the date rape drug that she had given him in the sake.

  ##

  Phil spent the whole day in bed, in Stacy's suite. He wasn't well enough to either work or go to the Center for his therapy. He attributed the drowsiness he felt to a hangover and promised himself to drink less, next time. Stacy was the perfect hostess. She helped Phil exercise his ankle, ordered food for Phil, and spent the whole day lying next to Phil and making sure that Phil was OK. Phil slept the whole afternoon and when he woke up, he had a set of new clothes, underwear, and shoes that Stacy had bought for him when he was sleeping. In the evening, Phil felt a little bit better, and he and Stacy had walked to the Side Cafe, a restaurant on Ocean Drive, in South Beach for a light snack. It was there that Stacy revealed to him that he was the only man that she ever truly loved. As he was looking at Stacy's beautiful face, he wondered how he could have been so foolish. He was chasing a dream with Isabel, a love that he would never receive, while Stacy was real, and loved and cared for him. Maybe he could learn to love Stacy again. At least he would try. It was so wrong of him to hate Stacy all of these years, not knowing how much Stacy had suffered because of their baby. He would give Stacy a second chance.

  ##

  Marcia was working late again for the second day in a row. She was worried. Phil had canceled his therapy session again, while Isabel was doing her best to avoid answering her questions. She picked up the phone and called Phil at home but no one answered. She then called Phil on his cell.

  Phil, who had taken another day off to completely recover, answered.

  “Phil, this is Marcia.”

  “Hi,” Phil answered.

  “Are you OK? You haven't come to the Center in two days.”

  Phil was sitting by the bar in Stacy's suite waiting for Stacy, who was taking a shower.

  “I have not been feeling well, but I am OK now.”

  “Are you coming tomorrow?”

  “I won't be able
to. I am flying to Costa Rica tonight and will return in three days.”

  “You'll be missing so many exercise sessions? That's not good.”

  “I'm sorry I didn't tell you. It was just a spur of the moment decision to get away. But I called my doctor and he arranged for me to have another doctor supervise some sessions, while I'm in Costa Rica,” Phil said.

  “Oh. I didn't know. I didn't get a chance to speak to him today.”

  “Don't worry, I'll be OK,” Phil said, regretting that he hadn't told Marcia of his plan to miss the sessions. He had told her staff, but he felt that somehow he should have told her directly.

  “Phil, are you OK?”

  “What do you mean?” Phil asked.

  “Did something happen between you and Isabel?” Marcia asked.

  “Why do you say that?” Phil asked, trying to avoid answering.

  “Well, yesterday, Isabel told me that she and Richard had set a date for their wedding and that they were getting married in seven months. Now you are going on trips and canceling your therapy sessions. I wasn't born yesterday, you know,” Marcia said.

  “What did Isabel tell you?” Phil asked.

  “Nothing, and that's why I'm asking you,” Marcia said.

  “Isabel told me this Saturday that she didn't love me and that she was marrying Richard.”

  “What did you say?”

  “She hung up before I got a chance to say anything,” Phil replied.

  “What are you going to do about it?”

  “Me? Nothing. I'm tired of being told that she loves Richard and doesn't love me, for that matter. In any event, I've given up and moved on.”

  “So you decided to give up so easily?”

  “I don't have a choice. By the way, did you respond to my Facebook request to join the alumni group?” Phil asked, trying to change the subject.

  “I did,” Marcia replied. “I think both of you are making a mistake. Are you coming back Friday?” Marcia asked.

  “Yes, but I'm coming late and it'd be too late to come to therapy.”

  “No it's not about that. We're having a reception in my condo in Key Biscayne on Saturday evening. It's a fundraiser that our church is doing to raise money for an orphanage in Guatemala. We'd be glad to have you.”

  “Do I need to bring my checkbook too?” joked Phil.

  “Definitely,” Marcia replied with a laugh.

  “Saturday is free. We'll be there,” Phil replied, as he jotted down the address of Marcia's house.

  “See you on Saturday,” Marcia said, missing Phil's reference to the word “we”

  “See you on Saturday,” Phil replied, and then added, “Don't worry about Isabel and myself. I wished things were different between us, but they’re not, and it's too late anyway,” Phil said and hung up.

  ##

  "Yes Isabel, it's too late. I have won," Stacy said to herself. She was hiding behind the kitchen door listening to Phil's conversation with Marcia.

  ##

  When Richard's plane landed the day before, he drove straight to Isabel's house. Isabel was sitting by the kitchen table reading the tabloid magazine, when Richard came in.

  “You don't believe in those tabloid stories, do you?” Richard asked dismissively.

  “I'm glad to see you too,” Isabel said, ignoring Richard's comment.

  “Actually, I'm very happy to see you. I can understand how hard it's been for you during the past few days,” Richard said.

  “Do you?”

  “Yes, and I promise to make it up to you.”

  “I'm glad you've found some help for your company. Maybe you'll be able to stay in Miami more often,” Isabel said.

  “Me too,” he replied. “What do you say if we get married in seven months?”

  “What? Why seven months?” Isabel asked.

  “That would be the best time for me to be able to get away from my construction projects,” Richard lied. Isabel accepted, not knowing that Richard was giving himself enough time to collect part of his wife's inheritance before getting a divorce.

  ##

  After Richard's departure, Isabel called her aunt to tell her the news.

  “You're getting married in seven months?”

  “Yes. We've chosen the day and all that is left to do is work out the arrangements with the church to make sure the date is available.”

  “Don't you think you're rushing into it?” Marcia had asked.

  “Tia Marcia, we've been engaged for years. It's about time.”

  “So why seven months?”

  “Because Richard has some projects to finish.”

  “Is that what you want?”

  “Yes. It has been too long already.”

  “Well then, do me a favor," Marcia said, "ask him what he does when he is in Orlando.”

  “I know what he does there,” Isabel responded.

  “I saw him a couple of months ago with a blond woman in a Brazilian restaurant in Orlando, and I just wanted to know who she was.”

  “Tia Marcia, Richard is a professional and I’m sure he has both male and female clients.”

  Isabel's last statement and blind devotion to Richard had caused Marcia to snap. “Why are you being so stubborn, refusing to listen to what I'm telling you about Richard?”

  “Tia Marcia,” Isabel had interrupted her, with a pain in her voice, “why are you doing this?”

  “All I'm asking is for you to at least ask Richard about the woman who was in the Brazilian restaurant with him that night. It didn't feel right.”

  “OK. I'll ask him.”

  “Good, at least you will know.”

  “I'm sure it's nothing, Isabel said as they hung up. She wasn't the jealous type, but her aunt had aroused her curiosity. She would ask Richard about the woman when she saw him the next day.

  ##

  The next day, when Isabel called Richard to ask that he come to her house, Isabel didn't know that Richard was having a very bad afternoon. He lived in a three-bedroom rental house in Coconut Grove. A few minutes before Isabel called him, he heard a knock on his front door. When he opened the door, to his horror, he was looking at a smiling Kristin holding the baby. Standing next to Kristin, was his mother with a grin on her face.

  “Your mom made me promise not to tell you about the surprise,” Kristin said.

  “Wow, what a nice surprise,” Richard said. Richard had always made Kristin believe that he was staying in Miami for construction projects, but he never believed that Kristin would come down because Kristin always told him how she hated Miami and the traffic.

  “We just wanted to be here with you for a couple of weeks. We know you're busy with your construction projects down here, but at least you get to see your daughter every day when you come back from work, plus you don't have to keep flying to Orlando almost every week,” said Kristin with a satisfied look on her face.

  “Everything will be OK,” Richard's mother promised. “We won't be in your way.”

  “The cab driver gave their luggage to Richard, who carried it in.”

  “Who is that?” Kristin asked.

  “Who?” Richard asked.

  “That woman that you're hugging in this picture?” Kristin said, pointing to a framed picture of Richard and Isabel together at some kind of party.

  Damn! Richard hadn't had a chance to hide Isabel's picture. “Huh, she is just a friend of mine,” Richard replied, hoping that Kristin would believe it. For one second, Kristin remained silent. She calmly carried the baby to another one of the bedrooms and then returned to the kitchen. Richard's mother also looked at the picture, and then turned to Richard, her eyes asking for an explanation. It was at that moment that Richard's Miami cell phone rang. Richard had left it on the kitchen counter. When Richard didn't make any move to pick up the phone, Kristin asked, “Aren't you going to answer the phone?”

  “It must be a client. I will call back later,” Richard said unconvincingly.

  “Before Richard could make a move, Kristi
n grabbed the phone from the counter.

  “Hello,” Kristin answered.

  “Hello,” Isabel said, unsure who picked up Richard's phone.

  “Who are you?” Isabel heard the woman ask.

  “Excuse me?”

  “It's a simple question. Are you the woman in the picture with my husband on the kitchen counter?”

  “I don't know your husband,” Isabel replied. “Can I talk to Richard?” At that moment, Isabel overheard Richard's voice in the background, “Kristin, stop.”

  “Not before you tell me if you're seeing my husband,” Kristin persisted.

  “Who is your husband?”

  “You have some nerve. You call my husband and now pretend you didn't know that he was married?” Isabel heard the woman say in a sarcastic tone.

  “Is Richard your husband?”

  “Of course Einstein, who else?” Kristin said before she slammed the phone down on Isabel.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Isabel could not believe that she was living a nightmare. She was engaged to someone who was married. She left a man she loved because she felt devoted to another one who was cheating on his wife. She didn't know how she could have missed the warning signs. Even her aunt had tried to warn her. But her trust in Richard had been unflinching.

  When Richard came to the house hours later, she wasn't sure whether to kick him out right away or hear his explanation, first before kicking him out of the door.

  “What do you want?” Isabel asked as she opened the door to let Richard in.

  “I'm so sorry, Bella. I didn't mean to hurt you,” Richard pleaded.

  “You have, please leave,” Isabel said in a forceful tone.

  “Please hear me out.”

  “Go ahead. I'm listening.”

  “When I first met you, I was separated from my wife. Then she had the baby. I couldn't just leave her.”

  “When were you planning on telling me that you were married?” a sarcastic Isabel asked.

  “I was going to divorce her and marry you.”

  “I've heard enough Richard. Get out.”