Has Cupid Gone Mad?: War Of Hearts

by Belinda Elkaim

  She foresees a day forth coming that she will be faced with the most difficult choice of sacrifice, but for the moment everything seems to be in balance so she tries to prolong silence and avoids the apprehension of having to lose the one thing that she can never have enough of – her husband’s wealth.

  Chapter Thirteen. Ecstatic over her first published story for Miami Life Magazine, Taylor arrives bright and early at the office to pick up a few fresh copies to proudly share with her friends.

  Heading over to the Art Department, she passes by Ivan’s office and is greeted by his warm smile and a friendly wave. Taylor blushes and reciprocates his smile but picks up pace and walks faster ahead to avoid further eye contact.

  She picks up a copy and heads over to the kitchen. Pours a cup of coffee and sits at the small round table to read her story. While sipping the morning brew and savoring her own words, an enormous smile grows on her face and it is virtually impossible to hide the joy that she feels for her new milestone.

  No longer merely a columnist and transcended as a published writer, she is grateful for Ivan’s vote of

  confidence and the opportunity that he has given her. Her gratitude must be expressed and as she stands up with the magazine tucked under her arms, the receptionist enters the kitchen and extends her warm congratulations on the brilliantly written story.

  Confidently she heads over to Ivan’s office, knocks on his door and waits for him to gesture her in.

  “Thank you.” Taylor expresses her gratitude before Ivan has a chance to greet her.

  With the most sincere expression on his face, Ivan congratulates her on the debut story “but seriously Taylor, this is just the beginning and I think you can do a whole lot better.”

  Taylor smiles and shakes her head slowly, raising an eyebrow she flaunts her hair playfully, “and why are you doing this again?”

  Ivan laughs and rocks his chair back and forth, “told you, I want to be your friend.” He smiles warmly “and one day, when you mature into an acclaimed writer please do remember to give me credit.” looking at his computer screen Ivan pretends to be focusing on his emails,

  “Have a little confidence in men, not every man has only sex on their minds.” He smiles to himself and disregards the perky grin on Taylor’s face.

  Unsure whether to laugh or to challenge his statement, Taylor chuckles and jokes flirtatiously as she stands up “I will give you credit in my Oscar acceptance speech.” With the grandest smile she turns around and walks towards the door.

  Turning around she looks at Ivan intently and hesitantly asks for a favor. “Can I ask you for a huge favor?”

  Ivan stops reading his emails and looks across the room. Eyeing her long sexy legs and the perfect view of her rear, he feels a little threatened and replies reluctantly “depends.”

  “Will you be the editor for my first book?” she asks with a sincere expression on her face.

  Brief silence fills the room “what is the title of your book?”

  Taylor smiles girlishly, “Broken.” Ivan returns her smile and leans back against his leather chair. He likes the title and could not help joking flirtatiously “Sure, I will fix that for you.”

  Finding humor between his lines, Taylor bursts into laughter as she digs into her bag. Bringing out a flash drive, she waves it in the air then hands it over to Ivan, “Thank you.” she smiles and leaves his office.

  She likes him more by the day but still does not know it.

  ******** With insatiable curiosity, Ivan inserts the flash drive into his laptop and opens the document “Broken.”

  After speed reading through the first few chapters, he comes to the

  conclusion that ‘Broken’ is an

  autobiography disguised by a fictional storyline.

  He realizes that Taylor is not

  troublesome, she is merely troubled by the inevitable dark phantoms of a broken past – a happiness deprived childhood battered by an abusive male figure, her father.

  “No wonder she has little confidence in men.” He whispers to himself and continues speed reading through the rest of the story.

  Chapter Fourteen. For the first time in weeks, Karina decides to step outside of her haven to get some much needed fresh air. Semirecovered from her broken heart and miscarriage, she scrapes up enough courage to leave the comfort of her home.

  Clad in Taylor’s baseball cap, a simple halter top and a pair of cut off denim shorts, she treads carefully over the plastic floor covers in the living room and walks pass the assorted paintings which still hang along the living room wall.

  Expressionlessly she ventures out of her apartment building and walks along the side street. Crossed arms and protective against the unforeseeable, she strolls slowly and avoids all eye contacts. Wandering purposelessly she sighs to herself and shrugs when her attention is drawn to a sign that is hanging on the display window of an art gallery:

  “Artist retiring. Looking for a breath of fresh air to take over my space.” Mesmerized by the abstract paintings on display, she decides to visit the gallery.

  Greeted by an older silver haired gentleman, Karina blushes “I love the colors of the paintings in the window.” A shy smile grows on her face and a warm glow appears, “I paint too but not like that.”

  The man studies Karina’s expressions and sees an underlying sincerity within her aura, reciprocates her smile and extends his hand in appreciation,

  “Theodore Rizzo” he introduces himself warmly.

  Curiously, “Are you the artist and the owner?” she inquires.

  “Are you my breath of fresh air?” his flirtatious humor makes Karina chuckle. Karina has not been able to work for the past few months and tries hard to avoid thinking about her rapidly depleting savings. If she does not get back into shape and resumes her work, financial disaster will be inevitable.

  Sincerely and briefly explaining her financial status while conveying her enthusiasm and passion in art, she touches a special spot within

  Theodore’s heart. While looking into her beautiful yet sad eyes, he can sense the hurt and the pain within her soul.

  “You have suffered a lot lately, haven’t you?” he asked softly in empathy.

  Karina does not appear surprised to hear that “is it that obvious?” “No, I am just highly perceptive of all the energies around me.” He explains “I would like to help you.”

  Karina takes a small step backward and hesitates “Why? Why do you want to help a stranger?”

  Theodore looks deeply into Karina’s eyes and tries to connect with her, “Because I have been there before.” Theodore pauses, “I was a young artist and would never have made it had it not been the help of this very special person, who came into my life just when I needed him most. He was my angel, God bless his soul.”

  His words are heartfelt and Karina feels tears of gratitude flooding her eyes. Fighting her tears back she remains quiet while trying to shrug away her stress,

  “Those are the most sincere and honest words I have heard in my entire life.” She tries to smile as mixed emotions creep up on her.

  “Those words are my truth. Today, it will be my honor if I can continue that tradition while I am in the position of helping others who need my help.”

  He offers her a glass of wine over some imported cheese to ease her tension. Feeling incredibly comfortable with his honesty and encouragement, Karina shares the depths of her heart, her aspirations, hopes and desires with Theodore, who listens intently and understands her as if she has been a lifelong friend.

  “We must have known each other in our past lives,” he smiles and toast to their new found friendship “I feel as if I have known you for eternity, and besides you remind me of someone that I know and that would be me.”

  He offers to take her to the little Italian Bistro next door; sharing a delectable dinner and an amazing conversation, they end up toasting to their new found collaboration over her favorite dessert, a slice of homemade Tiramisu.

  Fol
lowing her to her apartment after dinner, he reviews her paintings in silence and stops in front of her mural. Taking a step back to have a full view of the painting, he studies her brush strokes and utilization of colors, “from whom did you learn to paint like this?” he turns around and looks at her in bewilderment.

  Karina hesitates and stutters “Why, is this not good?” In disbelief Theodore covers his face with his hands “How old are you Karina?”

  “Twenty Seven” she answers quietly and tries to understand the reason for his question.

  With hands still covering his face he explains, “I met him when I was twenty year old. He accepted me as his apprentice and taught me everything about art. My angel who helped me when I needed him the most, God bless his soul, he died twenty seven years ago.”

  Uncovering his face and with tears in his eyes “Pucci Santoro was his name. You paint like him with the same radiance, same techniques, almost the same in every way.” Theodore pauses and silence fills the room,

  “Karina please do not be frightened when I say this, I do not believe in coincidence. I believe you might be his reincarnation. Either that or his spirit is guiding you when you paint.”

  Theodore mumbles to himself and walks around her living room to study the rest of her paintings “there is no other way to explain this.”

  Karina does not disagree with his spirituality and finds his theory fascinating. With no formal education in art, she does feel guided when the paintbrush is in her hand. Each stroke is propelled by the depths of her soul and she is moved by the sounds of an inner voice.

  A rather enchanting evening, by nightfall Theodore is confident to host an art opening for Karina and feature her paintings in his gallery on a consignment basis. Karina is eager to manage and run his gallery in his absence when he travels back and forth to Italy to spend more time with his ailing mother.

  It is a perfect collaboration between two strangers who has met under the most unexpected circumstance.

  There is no other way to explain this twist of fate other than it is her destiny’s call. Karina is ready to alter her path and is about to discover a shocking truth.

  Chapter Fifteen. Forever young and restless, Amber does not appear a day older than when she left the stage ten years ago, nor does she feel any older than all these twenty something years old performers, who are standing in front of her to audition for a part in her new Broadway musical “Life After Death.”

  She pours herself a glass of champagne and sits in a leather chair by the piano. As she watches Conrad speak to the performers and instructs them with the audition procedure, she begins to recollect the very first time when she sets foot on his stage. As if they resonated at first sight, she

  understood him instantaneously and delivered precisely what he asked for.

  She remembers his positive

  encouragement “Amber always look forward and never look back.” which she has incorporated into her life

  philosophy.

  Without him, she would not be whom she is today. Each performer sings an excerpt from Act III over a pre-recorded musical track while Conrad takes note of each candidate’s strength and unique characteristics. After hours of auditioning they finally break for dinner and Lizzie arrives to audition for her part.

  Amber introduces Lizzie to Conrad with pride on her face. Looking at him, Amber whispers in Conrad’s ears “just wait until you hear her sing.”

  He turns his head sideward and looks into Amber’s mesmerizing eyes,

  completely drawn into her beauty, he finds himself whispering back “Angel face, I trust you with my eyes closed.” He closes his eyes with a smile on his face “just like this.”

  Amber chuckles, stands on tip toes and gives Conrad a butterfly kiss on his cheek, “thank you Conrad. You can open your eyes now.”

  With unspoken words, the look upon his face expresses the gratitude that he feels “I am just happy you came home.”

  Refocusing on Lizzie “Now please show Conrad that I am right.” Amber sits at the piano and waits for Lizzie to walk towards the center of the studio. Amber begins to play an excerpt from the finale with the highest and most difficult notes to deliver.

  As soon as Lizzie begins to deliver the climax of the finale, everyone in the studio is captivated by her angelic voice.

  At this particular moment Conrad knows that between Amber and Lizzie, success is in their hands. If they can find the perfect male lead then success is adamant.

  ******** A week has gone by and they have screened all but the five remaining performers. Most of the cast has been found except for the male lead.

  Feeling slightly discouraged Amber studies the five remaining performers, only one of them is male and is he not quite who Amber has in mind to play the male lead ‘Turbulence.’

  Exhausted and distracted she watches Neyo walk to the center of the studio and is waiting for Conrad’s cue to begin.

  In his mid twenties and an incredibly attractive African American, Neyo appears athletic and extremely well built. Amber begins to ponder why he is auditioning for a Broadway musical while he should be auditioning for a role in an action movie instead.

  Her judgment might be apparently biased upon his ethnicity but as soon as he begins to deliver the excerpt from Act I, where ‘Turbulence’ turns the universe upside down, Amber stops checking her emails on her iPhone and is magnetized his deep sultry voice.

  Amber raises her eyebrow and stares at Conrad who returns her gaze. Both appear surprised and as if they can read other’s mind, he nods to her in affirmation.

  It is doubtless in their minds that “Life After Death” will become a huge success.

  ******** Officially the second female lead “The Voice” of “Life After Death”, Lizzie continues taking voice lessons from Amber and seeks her guidance to unleash her best potential.

  Grateful for the opportunity she humbly thanks Amber again and is reprimanded, “Please do not thank me again. You, Lizzie, have earned it rightfully. It is not a favor you know, you fit the part perfectly and the rest is up to you.” Amber delivers a strict lesson.

  “Thank you.” Lizzie insists with a smile and laughs. Amber sighs and softens up “I remember when I was your age” she chuckles “oh whatever” she continues with a laugh, “truthfully now, I can not perform on stage forever. You are young. I will teach you everything you need to know to become a star. Can you handle that?”

  “Affirmative!” excited about this new chapter in her life, Lizzie is overwhelmed with joy and cannot help leaning forward to hug Amber, “Thank you!” she squeals “I love you Amber, I love you forever!”

  Still tugged in her hug, Amber chokes and is near tears of happiness. She feels Lizzie’s excitement which reminds her of when she was younger, much younger. She hears Conrad’s voice in her mind “Amber, look forward and never look back.”

  Having survived a painful detour, Amber is back at where she left off some ten years ago. There is no more time to misuse indolently, she has much to accomplish and not enough time to do everything that she has in mind.

  Chapter Sixteen. Dressed in a sexy and provocative corset with matching lace thongs, Yvette has the intention of surprising Jean. When he walks through her door, she wants to heat up the passion and reassures him of her love.

  Impatiently she sits on the sofa in the living room and watches the clock tick. It is nearly 10:30pm and normally Jean always arrives at 7:30pm to share dinner with her every Friday night. She has texted him a few times earlier and has not heard back from him.

  He has never been late before and has always responded to her texts and phone calls almost immediately. She feels worried and wonders if he is alright.

  His silence is making her extremely nervous. Frustrated and can no longer wait, she heads to the kitchen and pours a shot of vodka. Looking at the shot glass she remembers how Jean always complains about her alcohol infused breath. She wants to be perfect for him tonight and pushes the shot glass away.

  Walk
ing slowly out of the kitchen, she is tempted to consume that irresistible shot of vodka, turns around abruptly and murmurs “what the heck.” She raises the shot glass and devours it in one gulp.

  After four shots of vodka, Yvette looks at her watch and realizes that it is past midnight. Extremely worried she decides to drive over to his condo across town.

  “Please be alright.” She chants to herself while driving impatiently to his home.

  She sees his car on the driveway of his townhome and parks right next to it. Walking up the steps she tugs her hair behind her ears and rings the doorbell.

  Unanswered, she continues ringing the doorbell while shouting “Open the door! I know you are home!”

  “What?” Jean finally answers the door and appears annoyed “what are you doing here?”

  Stunned by his reaction she reminds him that it is Friday night, the one day a week that they have been seeing each other for the past two years.

  “So what?” Jean answers “you obviously do not care about how I feel so I am drawing the line, this is it Yvette. I waited for you for more than two years, this is it. No more, I am not going to waste my time waiting on you like a puppy. I have grown up Yvette, I have grown up.”

  Completely taken by surprise “Are you drunk?” she raises an eyebrow “do you mean it?”

  Jean pauses in silence and looks at the woman he loves. It is murderous for him to break up with her, but he is fed up waiting for someone who is comfortably numb and who does not consider the fact that he also has feelings and needs.

  Seeing that her eyes are beginning to flood with tears, he softens and gestures her into his townhome “let us do this pleasantly.”

  In tears she tries to touch him on his arms but he shrugs away, “please do not touch me.” He pleads and disallows her femininity to influence his decision.

  Yvette turns around in the hallway and looks intently into Jean’s eyes, “I am sorry if I have hurt you and made you feel this way.” She bites her lower lip, “I guess I have been selfish, but I do love you, more than you think I do.”