Among the Ducklings

by Marsh Brooks

  “I doubt it,” Isabel replied.

  “Do you think Kristin will stay with him?”

  “He has a chance. At least he came clean with her.”

  “She seemed determined to get rid of him,” Lucy said.

  “They have a child together. I don't want to talk about that creep. Can we talk about something else?” Isabel asked.

  “Good idea,” Lucy said. “We have to go get ready for the party.”

  ##

  When Lucy and Isabel reached Marcia's place, after their meeting with Kristin, it was still early and the guests had not arrived yet. Marcia was still getting ready. Her condo was almost twenty-four hundred square feet with views of Miami Beach's Fisher Island in the living room and Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park in the kitchen. It was already dark when the first guests started to arrive. To Isabel's utter shock, Mark came with another girl to the party. Although Isabel had been making great improvement with her therapy, she decided to use the wheelchair this evening to avoid standing for a long time. She went to Mark and asked him to follow her alone into one of the guest rooms.

  When they got into the room, Isabel, who was furious, said, “You have some nerve showing up here with another girl. Where is Rebecca?”

  “Rebecca didn't tell you?”

  “Tell me what?”

  “We broke up two months ago.”

  How convenient, Isabel thought. “So why haven't you returned my calls?”

  “I figured you were going to talk to me about Rebecca being pregnant and I spoke to my mom and she said she was going to take care of it.”

  “You mean when I met your mom at the restaurant, she already knew that you and Rebecca had broken up?” Isabel asked.

  “Yes,” Mark answered.

  “Did you break up because of the pregnancy?”

  “No, replied Mark.”

  “Then why did you two break up?”

  “Why don't you ask Rebecca?” Mark answered.

  “I will.”

  “Do your parents know why the two of you broke up?”

  “Only my mother knows. She said she would tell my father when it was a good time.”

  “So, are you going to tell me why the two of you broke up?”

  “I think that the person you should talk to is Rebecca and not me,” Mark said, and he walked out of the guest room, leaving Isabel alone and angry.

  ##

  When Phil and Stacy entered Marcia's condo, a large number of guests were already there. At the end of the living room was a small desk, and behind the desk sat a Spanish priest answering questions regarding the pictures that were on the desk that showed an orphanage and various orphan children. When Marcia saw Phil, her face beamed and she excused herself and came toward him.

  “Hi Marcia. Nice party,” Phil said.

  “Thanks.” Turning to Stacy, Marcia said. “You must be Stacy. Rebecca showed me pictures of you and Phil in the Keys. It's nice meeting you. Whatever you need, please let me know.”

  “It's nice meeting you too,” Stacy replied. Phil, who was surprised that the news could reach this far so fast, didn't say anything.

  “How was Costa Rica?” Marcia asked, turning to Phil.

  “Great. The weather was unpredictable but nice.”

  “I hear you,” Marcia said. Then grabbing Stacy by the arm, she added, “Come with me Stacy, let me introduce you to Father Dominguez.”

  As the two walked away from Phil, Marcia continued, “I had the feeling that you might come with Phil and I told Father Dominguez about it. He always is on the lookout for additional fundraising help. He is doing a lot of good work over there.”

  ##

  Phil, who was left alone, heard a voice behind him say, “She's very beautiful.” It was Lucy. Phil was glad to see her. Lucy seemed to Phil to be the type of person you would want at every party. She was as funny as she was unconventional.

  “Who?” Phil asked.

  “Your date.”

  “You mean Stacy. Yes, she is,” Phil replied. “By the way, how is Isabel? I haven't seen her tonight.”

  “So so, Lucy replied. You heard the news, right?”

  “What news?” Phil asked.

  “She broke up with Richard.” For one moment, he felt a jolt of happiness. Then he remembered Isabel confessing her love for Richard.

  “Well, I hope they get back together, because she loves him very much,” Phil said.

  “I doubt that would happen,” Lucy replied.

  “That would be too bad,” Phil said.

  “By the way, was she the one you were kissing on the beach?” Lucy asked.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “This afternoon, Isabel showed me pictures of a woman that looked like her in your arms on the beach the day after the dinner at Isabel's place,” Lucy continued.

  “It wasn't like that,” Phil replied.

  “I thought you loved Isabel,” Lucy said.

  Phil sensed where Lucy was going and said, “Let it go, Lucy. It's too late. There are choices you make that you can never take back. Isabel has already made hers.”

  “OK, I won't push it.”

  “You know Isabel is lucky to have a friend like you,” Phil said. He meant it.

  “Actually, I'm the lucky one. She has a heart of gold, and frankly she is the nicest person one can ever hope to meet,” Lucy replied and she also meant it.

  A few minutes after Lucy left, Phil was surprised to see Stacy talking to Isabel across the room.

  ##

  In fact, after talking to the priest and excusing herself from Marcia, Stacy had walked straight toward Isabel. She wanted to see the face of defeat.

  “You must be Isabel,” Stacy said pretending not to know who she was. Stacy liked the fact that she was standing and that Isabel was sitting in the wheelchair. It was as if she was a soldier standing victoriously over an enemy that she had just vanquished.

  “Yes and you are?” ask Isabel, vaguely remembering where she saw her face.

  “I'm sorry. Where are my manners?” Stacy said. “My name is Stacy and I'm Phil's girlfriend.”

  “Oh, you're the actress,” Isabel replied. “It's nice meeting you.”

  “Nice meeting you too. Nice party. I told Father Dominguez that I will have a fundraiser too for him as soon I'm settled in my new house,” Stacy said.

  “I'm sure he will appreciate it because the kids need help,” Isabel said. She was uncomfortable around Stacy and wondered how Stacy knew who she was.

  “Anyway, I have to go to tell Phil,” Stacy said as she walked away, satisfied. “It will be his house too, after all. Take care.” Before Isabel could respond, Stacy was already gone.

  When Stacy returned, Phil said, “I see that you're meeting a lot of people,” referring to Isabel, not wanting Stacy to know who he was referring to.

  “You mean Isabel?” Stacy replied, knowing what Phil was doing.

  “Yes, her too. Do you know her?”

  “Not really. We were just talking about Father Dominguez. By the way,” Stacy continued, “I promised Father Dominguez to have a fundraiser for him in Miami Beach.”

  “Great. I'll come for the free food,” Phil replied. Stacy laughed, remembering that she had told Phil the same thing, the first time they met at the art exhibit.

  “I'll give you more than free food,” Stacy said, with a seductive wink.

  ##

  The few times Phil saw Isabel that evening, she was always busy talking to other guests as if she were trying to avoid him. She looked beautiful, Phil thought. Their eyes made contact once, and she turned her head quickly. Phil wished at that instant that he could hold her in her arms, kiss her and make love to her. After that brief eye contact, Phil saw Isabel talking to Rebecca and both went into what Phil thought was a guest room. They never came out.

  ##

  Back in the guest room, a furious Isabel was having an argument with Rebecca, who was sitting on the bed.

  “Why didn't you tell m
e that you had broken up with Mark?”

  “Does it matter?” Rebecca asked.

  “You tell me?” Isabel said, her face all red. “I spoke to Mark earlier this evening, and I asked him why. He told me to talk to you.”

  “I don't know why he would say that,” Rebecca replied. “Frankly, I don't know where all this is going, Isabel. Yes we broke up. Yes I'm pregnant. There is nothing I can do about it.”

  “Why did you break up?”

  “It's none of your business,” an angry Rebecca answered.

  “You know, you've made such a fool of all of us,” Isabel said.

  “I don't know what you're talking about,” Rebecca protested.

  “All this time, we thought you were carrying Mark's baby, and you didn't say anything. Now I see why Mark's mother wanted a paternity test. She knew, didn't she?

  “Knew what?”

  “Don't lie to me,” a furious Isabel said. “I know that you slept with Richard. He confessed it to his wife, who came to see me because she was concerned that you might be carrying Richard's baby.”

  “It happened only once,” Rebecca started to sob. “Both of us realized it was a mistake and promised never to talk about it again.” Isabel couldn't believe that her own church-going little sister could be such a liar and a cheat. She trusted Rebecca so much that she didn't believe Kristin when Kristin told her the story. But when she talked to Mark and found out that they had broken up, she began putting two and two together. She wasn't sure whether she still wanted to live under the same roof with her. That would be a decision she would have to make very soon.

  “So you're carrying Richard's baby?”

  “No. It's not Richard's baby. I told Mark about what happened between Richard and me, but since then he refused to believe that I'm carrying his baby.”

  “So when you told me that you were going to the movies with Mark and his sister, was that a lie?”

  “It wasn't. Mark didn't want to go and I went with Mark's sister.”

  “When I stormed out of the restaurant because Mark's mother was accusing you of sleeping around, she was right all along?” Isabel said.

  “I don't sleep around. It only happened once with Richard. I didn't know that Mark told his mother,” Rebecca protested.

  “Rebecca, you're not the person I thought I knew. I can never trust you again. You're free to leave now and rejoin the party outside, we'll talk about this later,” Isabel firmly said. Instead of leaving, Rebecca remained seated on the bed, sobbing, with her two elbows resting on her legs, right above her knees, and her face in the palms of her hands. Isabel didn't leave either. She was debating what to do about Rebecca.

  ##

  When Phil and Stacy reached Stacy's suite later that night, they were exhausted. Before going to bed, Phil had proposed that they move back to his house and save money on the hotel. But Stacy had told him that the hotel was paid for already, for the whole month, and that they would move in together when the short term lease ended. In reality, Stacy didn't have any intention of moving into Phil's small house. Her attorney had made an offer on a mansion on Fisher Island, and that's where she wanted to be with Phil. Instead of her moving in with Phil, Phil would move in with her.

  As Phil was sleeping, Stacy checked her email. Her last email from her publicist was about an hour ago, saying that it was urgent that she call.

  “Stacy picked up her cell phone and went down to the lobby.

  “What is it?” Stacy asked.

  “A friend of mine called me and told me that Vanna has been shopping the story around.”

  “Has she found another magazine?”

  “At least one other paper refused, but my friend thinks it's only a matter of time. All I'm saying is if we cannot block the story from being published, we have to be prepared to spin it our way when the story comes out.”

  “OK, When you come up with something just let me know,” Stacy said, ending the conversation.

  ##

  Isabel didn't return home that night. By the time the last guests left the party, it was later than expected, and Isabel decided to sleep over instead of driving back so late. When she woke up the next morning, the smell of cafe con leche, coffee with milk, hung over the entire kitchen, reminding her of how her mother used to dip fresh tostada, pressed Cuban bread with butter, in her hot coffee with milk. Her mother was the pillar of the family. She missed her mother's strength and wisdom. How would her mother have dealt with Rebecca? What would her mother have told her about Phil? Would she have told her to talk to him, instead of avoiding him, as she did all night? Phil looked so good last night, making her wish she was in his arms, and envying Stacy for being with him. If only she had the strength to face him, even though he was with another woman. He had told her how much he loved her and love doesn't dissipate so quickly. She knew because she was still in love with him.

  Chapter Fourteen

  A few hours later, both Isabel and Marcia were sitting on the balcony, looking at the water below.

  “Do you believe that it's Mark's baby?” Marcia was asking, after Isabel told her what had happened the past few days.

  “Beats me. She says so. But how do we know? She seems to be good at lying,” Isabel said. “Last night, she said it wasn't Richard's.”

  “Well, we'll know when the baby is born, won't we?” Marcia said.

  “Are there tests that can be done before that to determine who the father is?” Isabel asked.

  “Right now, there are two types of tests that also allow for collection of DNA sampling for testing during the prenatal phase, but each test is a little invasive and carries risks of miscarriage.”

  “That sounds scary.”

  “Well these tests are usually done together with ultrasound testing to find out if everything is OK with the baby. So the short answer is yes,” Marcia said.

  “I guess it all depends on Rebecca and what she wants. She's an adult, after all,” added Isabel.

  “But she has betrayed your trust. What are you going to do with her?” asked Marcia.

  “I still don't know. I'm very disappointed in her,” Isabel replied. “I'm not sure what I could have done differently.”

  ##

  While Isabel and Marcia were at the condo talking about Rebecca, Frank and Melinda were having lunch at home. Melinda had decided that now was the time to tell Frank more about the situation with Rebecca. When Mark had come home the night before, he had told her about his conversation with Isabel. Apparently, Isabel didn't even know that Mark and Rebecca had broken up over Rebecca's cheating with Richard.

  “Mark told me that he talked to Isabel last night,” Melinda began.

  “I was thinking that we should call her to apologize,” said Frank. “No loving sister would ever let someone accuse her sister of being promiscuous.”

  “Actually, Mark and Rebecca broke up two months ago because Rebecca slept with Isabel's fiancé.”

  “Is that true? How did you know about it?” asked Frank, with a stunned look on his face.

  “Mark told me.”

  “How would Mark know about it?”

  “Rebecca told Mark,” Melinda said.

  “So is this why you thought that the baby might not be Mark's?” Frank asked.

  “Yes. I'm sorry about what happened at the restaurant, but I could not just come out and tell Isabel that her fiancé was sleeping with her sister.”

  “I bet your reputation for being mean grew since that day,” Frank said with a laugh. “I hope Isabel doesn't know some your employees.” Frank was referring to Melinda's bad reputation among her employees.

  “If I was a man, people would say that I'm a good leader. Since I am a woman, people say that I'm a bitch for expecting my employees to do their jobs,” Melinda said. Melinda's last statement caused Frank to laugh louder.

  “Be serious, Frank. Doesn't it bother you when you hear people say all these bad things about your wife?”

  “Nope. I know my wife. She is the most beautiful pe
rson inside and out,” Frank added while winking at Melinda.

  “How much do I owe you for saying that?

  “Do me a favor Melinda,” Frank then said, “just call Isabel and see how we can patch things up. After all, if the baby is really Mark's, we wouldn't want to end up with egg on our face, and in court fighting for visitation rights.

  “Why can't you call her yourself? She seems to think you're the nice one in the family.” Melinda said.

  “Once in a while, it's OK for you to play the good cop in the family. Don't worry, I won't ruin your reputation by telling your employees that you are nice,” Frank said, chuckling, before planting a wet kiss on his wife's lips.

  ##

  At the same time Frank was discussing the situation with Melinda, Phil was on his way back to his house from Stacy's hotel. He had not been there in days and was looking forward to sleeping in his own bed. Stacy had promised that she would come by later, after taking care of some business with her concierge.

  It was almost evening and Stacy had not come. He was going to call her when his home phone rang.

  “Phil?”

  “Isabel, is that you?” Phil asked.

  “Yes, how are you?” Isabel replied. She sounded hesitant.

  “I am OK. You looked good last night,” Phil said.

  “You too.” She didn't know how to say it. She was missing him and was hoping that she had not lost him. After talking to Lucy yesterday, she felt that she owed it to herself to at least try to get Phil back.

  “Isabel, why are you calling me?” Phil asked.

  “When I saw you last night, I realized how much I missed you and wanted to know if you at least missed me a little bit.”

  “Why are you doing this, Isabel?” Phil asked. Isabel felt uncomfortable and didn't know how to respond, but Phil, who didn't notice, continued, “The last time you called, you told me that you were in love with Richard and you didn't want to see me again.”

  “But you did say you loved me, and when I saw the pictures with you and that actress, I didn't know how to take it.”