“What do you mean?” Fred asked in surprise.
“I arranged it all. I made sure she arrived at my apartment, but all she wanted was to organize a surprise birthday party for you. I added a double and blurred the photos. I didn’t want her in your life…in our lives. Now I understand what a terrible mistake I’ve made, and I want to apologize and make it up to you.”
Fred was left speechless.
Ben continued. “I spoke to Josephine and apologized to her too. I told her that it was all my fault, and I made sure she believed it really wasn’t yours. She’s waiting for a phone call from you...”
Fred didn’t respond.
“I bought you two open tickets to anywhere you like, and as soon as you decide, I will pay for a month-long dream vacation to any destination you choose—money isn’t an issue.”
Fred sat frozen like a statue on the sofa in his living room with a stern look in his eyes. Ben knew that look. He saw it whenever he got himself into trouble and Fred had to help him out. But this time the trouble was with Fred himself.
“Get out of my house,” Fred said quietly.
Ben didn’t like his friend’s reaction and wished to explain himself better.
“Get out of my house,” Fred said more loudly.
Ben sighed and got up.
“Okay, I’m going.”
“I don’t want to hear you at all, just go!” Fred yelled at him.
Ben walked slowly out of the house, leaving the plane tickets on the table. He climbed into the car heavily. Shira understood without any explanation.
“You did the right thing,” she said, and kissed him on the cheek.
He knew he had done the right thing, but he didn’t understand why he had to feel so terrible.
They drove back home. Ben remained silent the entire way. He understood Fred’s reaction. He realized that if his friend had caused him and Shira to break up, he would have been ten times angrier and upset.
DAY 3
The following day Ben felt better. His arms were fit and well, and his usual practice was very successful.
He and Shira ate together and enjoyed each other’s company. In the evening, they watched another movie and he found consolation in her arms.
DAY 4
It was morning again. Ben woke up to the sound of plastic wheels rolling on the floor, zippers closing, and clothes being piled up.
“What’s going on?” he asked sleepily.
“You’re going home today.” Shira smiled. “Half of your things are already packed in the car and half are here. I’ll be done here soon and bring the rest to the car,” she said, shoving his last item of clothing into the suitcase. She took a long strap, wrapped it around the suitcase, and smiled.
“You see, you can close it this way too,” She tried hard to fasten the intricate contraption as well as she could. After all, she was the one who had ruined the suitcase to begin with when she had taken out Ben’s personal belongings.
Ben didn’t cooperate. He followed Shira to his car reluctantly. She drove all the way to his apartment.
When they arrived at his apartment building, the workers welcomed him back, and one of the doormen who saw Shira dragging Ben to the lobby elevator said, “I hope this is the future bride, eh?”
It was nearing noon. Shira opened Ben’s apartment door and dragged him inside. She searched for the light switch and turned on a small light. The room was still dark, so she searched for another light switch and flicked it on too.
Ben sat down on the edge of his bed and watched her struggle to bring in all of his suitcases and belongings neatly. She opened each and every suitcase and bag and arranged his personal belongings in all the various closets. She made sure everything was in place. After about two hours and no breaks, she was done. Her curly hair was astray, sticking out of her ponytail in a funny hairdo. She went to the bathroom to fix it.
It took her a long time in the bathroom, but she looked all freshened up when she came out. She sat down next to him and put her hand on his thigh. He looked down at it.
“Ben, I have faith in you. You’ll overcome this. Go back to your routine tomorrow, and things will fall into place—you’ll see,” she tried to reassure him. She kissed him on the cheek, and he placed his hand on hers.
“Think about it as our last challenge in the treatment.” She hesitantly slid her hand out from under his and got up. She left his keys on the dresser and walked out with a straight face.
Ben didn’t move for a long time. He was fixed to his spot, shocked. Finally, he dropped backward on the bed and fell asleep.
DAY 5
It was morning. Ben woke up. Where was he? What did he need to do now? He was at home. So what time was it again? Oh, morning? What was he supposed to do in the morning? Get up? Go on sleeping?
“Shira, what have you done to me?” he mumbled.
He catapulted his body out of bed. “Fifty minutes of workout!” he ordered his body. He followed the exercise with a hot shower and a shave, then he dressed smartly.
A quick glance in the mirror reflected back the Ben Brattler he remembered. He forced a smile at the mirror, gathered his things, and left his apartment.
Passersby who knew him continued to welcome him back and wish him a good day. He gave them a half-smile. The doorman from the previous day was surprised to see that the woman he went in with was gone. Ben sensed that and avoided him before he could comment on it.
He arrived at his office building and entered the elevator. Penny from the finance department entered the elevator with him. “Oh, welcome back, Ben.” She smiled.
“Thank you.” He smiled back at her.
“How was it?”
“Just wonderful.”
“Great, great. I’m glad,” she said.
Awkward silence.
She got out at her floor, while he continued up to his office.
“Good morning, Mr. Brattler,” said Agnes, the receptionist.
“Good morning, Agnes,” he said with a half-smile, and quickly entered his office. He opened the door and turned on the light. The space remained just as he had left it three months ago. He sat down at his desk and exhaled. “Everything is fine,” he told himself. “You’re doing great.”
He placed his briefcase on the floor and pulled out his cell phone. He looked at it: no missed calls. He dialed Shira, but the call went straight to her voicemail. He hung up.
He was startled by the intercom. “Ben, your father would like to speak to you,” Agnes said.
“Tell him I’m coming.”
He reached his father’s office and knocked on the door.
“Come in,” his father’s voice said.
He entered and stood in front of his father’s desk. Amos sat there, busy with paperwork as usual. “You’re back for good, I hope?” his father asked, his head still buried in his tasks.
“Yes, sir.”
“Just when Fred suddenly decided to take an unpaid leave for a whole month. Do you have any idea what’s going on with him?”
“No, sir.” Ben grinned.
“I have a lot of tasks for you. The most important one is to finish the I Do website project.” Amos lifted his head for the first time to examine his son.
“I thought that…” Ben started to say.
“You thought what? That it was over? You left such a mess with it! Luckily, they aren’t threatening to sue us for such a major delay. But you don’t have to handle them. I’m the one who’s dealing with them on this tough matter; you just have to finish the project. George has been working on it for a few months, and now I want you to work under him and help him get it completed.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Perhaps with joint forces we can prevent the situation from deteriorating.” His father spoke to himself.
Amos continued to inspect his so
n. He stared at him. Ben looked back at his father. A long silent and awkward moment passed.
“Is there anything else?” Amos asked.
“No, sir.”
“Then you’re free to go.”
Ben left his father office. His head was in a cloud. His feet took him to George’s office.
“Ben!” George said happily. “Welcome back!”
“Hey, George.”
“Is that how you return from your dream vacation? Just ‘Hey, George’?” George laughed. “Tell me how it was! What did you do there for three months?”
“It was very nice, but I’ll tell you all about it another time. My father sent me to help you finalize the project.”
“Okay, so I’ll organize a little party only for us, close friends, and you’ll be the guest of honor!” George said excitedly. “Meanwhile, I’ll give you something simple to start with. Later you can help me with the things I’m really stuck on.”
They got to work. Time flew by without Ben noticing. Only at the end of the day did he realize that he had succeeded in working an entire day. It was all thanks to George, who had encouraged him without even realizing it. He glanced at his cell phone. No calls yet.
“I’m arranging the party for tomorrow night—you’re free, right?” George asked.
“Yes, yes, sure.” Ben smiled. His smile was bigger and brighter.
“Awesome. I’m off to take care of business. Tomorrow will be fun!”
DAY 6
They continued working the following day. Ben glanced at his cell phone every so often. No calls.
“Ben, I have to leave early so I can get the last things ready for the party tonight. Are you staying behind to work?”
“Yes, no problem,” he answered.
Ben stayed till late to tie up some loose ends. Suddenly, his cell phone rang. Shira! Ben was excited. Just in time. He wanted to tell her about the progress he’d made at work. He pulled out his phone, disappointed to see it was Tina calling.
“Hello,” he answered.
“Ben! You’re back?” Tina’s voice asked in surprise. “Why didn’t you call me? I want to meet up!”
“I’m busy tonight.”
“Then tomorrow! I insist. Let’s have lunch at our usual spot!”
“Okay.” He hung up.
He sighed. Why was Shira not getting back to him? He called her again. No answer. He stared at the cell phone for a long moment. Then suddenly he got a text message. It was from Shira! His heart jumped.
“Hi Ben. I hope you’re well. I’m very busy. I got a new assignment. I’ll call when I can.”
A new assignment? He was confused. He read the words over and over again, looking for something to grab onto among the few words she had sent him. He found nothing.
Has she taken on a new patient?
He kept staring at the screen for a while longer, then finally placed the cell phone in his briefcase, picked up his things, left George’s office, and headed toward the elevator. He got on it, his mind elsewhere.
The lift stopped on its way down, and Nora Frenkel from the PR department walked in. His pupils contracted.
She pushed the lobby button though it was already pressed, and turned her back on him.
Ben had a weeklong relationship with Nora that didn’t end nicely on his part. She was a sharp, smart, and cynical woman. He didn’t like that about a woman.
“Hello, Ben” she said coldly without turning to face him.
He was quiet. He felt vulnerable near her—too vulnerable.
“What happened? Did a cat catch your tongue?” She laughed at him. Her laughter rolled inside the elevator, stripping him of all pretense.
He pushed the button of the next floor. Nora turned to him with an examining look. He tensed up.
“You’re acting strange,” she said.
The elevator doors opened and he leaped out without looking back. He reached the emergency staircase and descended. He didn’t understand why he felt such panic, nor did he try to.
He reached his apartment, got dressed and ready, and left for the party George was throwing in his honor.
The party was in a small, quiet bar, but when he entered, the noise and hustle his friends made got louder. They gave him alcohol and tried to goad him into talking about his vacation.
“So, how many girls did you meet there? A lot?” Danny asked.
“Yeah, you know,” Ben said with a drunken smile.
“Aww!” said George. “This guy is getting humble all of a sudden.” He laughed and everyone laughed with him.
“More drinks, boys?” the redheaded waitress asked. She was wearing a low V-neck shirt.
“Sure!” another friend yelled.
The waitress smiled at Ben, and he smiled back at her. “I’ll get you something special,” she said seductively.
The gang cracked up.
“Ben, we missed you!” George said. “It was boring here without you!”
They kept drinking and laughing into the night. Ben didn’t remember how he got home.
DAY 7
In the morning, Ben woke up to realize he wasn’t alone in bed.
“Shira?” he whispered, looking at the woman beside him and stroking her curly hair. The hair came off as he stroked it, revealing straight blond hair underneath the wig.
He jumped. “What’s that?” he asked. “You’re not Shira, and what’s with this wig?” He felt cheated.
The woman beside him woke up.
“You asked me to wear that wig, remember?” she said in a sweet, seductive voice.
He didn’t recall.
“I showed you my wig collection, which I like to alternate, and you chose this one.”
He examined the wig. It looked similar to Shira’s hair. Then he looked at the woman in his bed. She looked nothing like Shira, and he couldn’t remember who she was. He blinked.
“I wore this wig yesterday.” She pulled out a red-haired wig from under the bed. He recalled her as the waitress from the previous night.
“I thought it would turn you on, Ben” she said. She knew him from the media and tabloids.
He felt uncomfortable—he didn’t even know her name. Even in his worst days, before the treatment, he had not reached such a low.
“I’m sorry,” he blurted. “This was a mistake.”
“What do you mean, a mistake?” the woman asked, surprised and insulted.
“I don’t even know you.”
“Really? Well you knew every area of my body in detail last night,” she said reproachfully.
“I’m sorry, what’s your name?”
“Sandy!”
He felt very uneasy. The newfound conscience recently added to his character made it hard to think clearly and express himself.
“I… I’m really sorry, Sandy. You seem very nice, really… It wasn’t supposed to happen—I don’t know what to do. But… But I’ll make it up to you!” he said, and quickly pulled out his wallet.
He opened the wallet and took out everything he had—five hundred dollars. “Here, take it!” he said, and handed the money to her.
She got up and slapped him hard. “Money? You’re offering me money? What do you think I am? A whore you picked up off the street?” She was stunned. “You really don’t know me. I could have made you happy!”
She dressed quickly, collected her belongings and wigs, and slammed the door behind her. Ben remained seated on his bed, one hand holding the money and the other supporting his head. What the hell was he thinking by offering her money? But that was the only way he knew how to solve problems.
After partially recovering from this unpleasant event, he began his morning ritual, and after he finished, he left for work.
❧
“Good morning!” George said cheerfully when Ben entered his o
ffice. “You haven’t recovered yet, eh?” he asked, alluding to the fact that it was nearly noon. “So, how was the waitress? Did you tip her at the end?” He laughed.
“Her name is Sandy,” Ben said quietly.
“What did you say?” George didn’t hear him.
“Never mind.”
“Okay, fill me in on the details at lunch,” he concluded and they got down to work.
At noon, Ben remembered he had a lunch date with Tina. George wasn’t happy about it. “Don’t take too long, okay?” he said, “We have a lot more work to do. No hanky-panky with Tina, all right?”
“All right, George; don’t worry,” he said, and left for the restaurant.
❧
Tina waited for him in the smoking area outside, wearing large shades. He bent over and gave her a friendly kiss before sitting down.
“So, how was it?” she asked, and exhaled a cloud of smoke. She was restless and slightly agitated. She sat cross-legged, her top leg jerking irritably.
“Okay. You know,” he said.
“No, I don’t! You didn’t get back to me, as usual.” She inhaled more smoke, her leg continuing to move restlessly.
He was ready to come up with excuses, but finally just said, “Sorry.”
Tina lifted her shades and examined him. Her leg stopped moving. “Is everything all right?” she asked.
He looked at her. They had known each other a long time as good friends—there was no way he could hide anything from her. He kept silent.
“You look different,” she said. “Did something happen on this trip?” Her curiosity grew. She read him like an open book. “You didn’t get a tan either,” she said, proving to herself that something wasn’t right.
“Yes, I didn’t have time. You know me,” he said in an attempt to cover up his tracks.
“You really think I’m going to believe this nonsense?”
He didn’t answer.
“Talk to me! I know you—you can’t hide it from me.”
At that moment, the waiter arrived to take their order. Tina signaled him with a wave of her hand to come back later.
The Light Between The Shadows Page 22