Love Letters

by Geraldine Solon

  “Sshh, he’s back!”

  “Sorry, had to take an important call,” Richard said, taking a seat.

  Suzanne raised her eyebrows while continuing to chew her lamb.

  “Chloe, I know it’s a last minute thing, but do you think we could leave in thirty minutes? I need to meet a key client in the city. We’re cooking up a big deal,” Richard said, looking at his watch.

  Before Chloe could answer, Suzanne opened her mouth to speak. “Do you expect me to choke on my food?”

  Richard laughed. “Chloe, you never told me that your mother had a great sense of humor.”

  Chloe felt the blood rush to her face. She took big gulps of water to wash down the wine, but it was too late because Suzanne took the opportunity to speak up again.

  “It’s okay, Richie. You can go to your meeting in San Francisco. Chloe and I can take a cab. Your meeting is obviously a lot more important than having dinner with your fiancé and future mother-in-law.”

  What is mom doing? Richard appeared totally clueless. Didn’t he know that first impressions were important?

  “Mrs. Rogers, I knew as soon as I met you that we would get along well. You remind me so much of my mother.”

  Suzanne gave him her fake smile again as he hurriedly ate his food and kissed them goodbye.

  As soon as he left, Chloe poured more wine in her glass. “What was that all about, Mom?”

  “Let me ask you a question? Why can’t you control your man?” Suzanne asked, drinking her wine for the first time.

  “I’m not controlling like you, Mom,” Chloe said.

  “No you’re not, but he sure is.”

  “Is that why you don’t like him, because he’s controlling?” Chloe wasn’t sure why she was protecting Richard, yet she didn’t know what else to do.

  “I’m not the one marrying him, Chloe, it’s you, and if I remember quite well you don’t like being controlled.” Suzanne grinned. Touché.

  Chloe didn’t answer. She knew that nothing she said could prove that Richard wasn’t controlling. She thought he’d just closed a deal and made amends with her. Now she wasn’t sure when or if this behavior of his would ever end. She knew it was up to her to put a stop to it.

  “I can’t believe it, Chloe. I only spent an hour with him and I don’t like what I see.”

  Chloe sighed. “Maybe the two of you just aren’t compatible.”

  “Chloe,” Suzanne said, slapping her napkin onto the table, “he’s not only controlling, but he’s self-centered and rude. He didn’t bother to open the car door for me. He’s constantly on the phone, and couldn’t care less what we wanted to drink or eat,” Suzanne said. “Aside from brains and good looks, frankly, I don’t know what you see in him.”

  Chloe took a deep breath but refused to comment. They ate in silence, picking their food until Suzanne broke the silence.

  “Chloe, you’re old enough to decide what you want in life. I only want what’s best for you. I’m not going to meddle in your life.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means that you’re a grown-up woman, and whatever makes you happy will make me happy.”

  “Let’s order some dessert, Mom,” Chloe said, confused by her mother’s change of heart. She wished she could see Josh. She didn’t want to tell her mom or Nicole about Josh because she was sure they would be biased. Short of seeing Josh, she needed time to be alone and think.

  They both ordered the Chocolate Mousse Bar and, at nine o’ clock, Suzanne suggested they call a cab. Chloe felt guilty for Richard’s behavior and decided to call Nicole to pick them up.

  Nicole arrived at the restaurant twenty minutes later. She was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt. “I was almost in bed when you called. I can’t believe your date left both of you here.”

  Suzanne hugged Nicole while Chloe squeezed her arms tight. “Thank you for coming over.”

  They all went to Nicole’s car. “I rushed as soon as you called. Chloe, this is too much. You can’t let Richard treat you this way.”

  Chloe was silent as Nicole drove them home and parked the car outside her driveway.

  Suzanne didn’t bother to comment as she kissed the two women goodbye. “Let’s plan something soon, Chloe.”

  “I’m glad we spent the whole day together, Mom,” Chloe said, giving Suzanne a big hug.

  Suzanne waved goodbye to them as Nicole followed Chloe inside her house.

  “I still can’t believe Richard would do such a thing. How could he leave you and your mom at the restaurant?” Nicole said, sitting down on the couch. “Chloe, you have to put a stop to this.”

  “I know, Mom said the same thing. He was supposed to make a good impression, but he really blew it. Now Mom doesn’t like him,” Chloe said.

  Nicole rolled her eyes. “Chloe, Chloe, Chloe, you don’t get it, do you? It’s not about pleasing Suzanne. Don’t you see that Richard could care less about anybody but himself? He doesn’t have any respect for you, girl. And because of that, I’ve lost any respect I’ve had for him, if there ever was any left.”

  Chloe felt a burning at the back of her throat. “Nic, I’ve had enough of hearing about Richard all day. I don’t want to talk about him anymore.”

  “Fine, suit yourself.” Nicole stood up and walked towards the door. Chloe followed her.

  “Please, Nic, I don’t want to fight with you.” Chloe pulled her arm.

  “You refuse to listen and you don’t want to talk about it. You’re stubborn, Chloe.” Nicole huffed. “I need to go, Matt’s waiting for me.”

  Chloe sighed. She wanted to talk to Nicole about her feelings for Josh and how confused she was, but she knew Nicole would tell her to dump Richard immediately. If Chloe were to break up with Richard now, she knew it wouldn’t be easy because the wedding was only two months away and a part of her wanted to make their relationship work. She didn’t want to give Josh false hopes either. Maybe it would be better if I were alone. No Josh; no Richard.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow.” Nicole waved from the doorstep.

  Chloe followed her outside carrying Greta. She had so much on her mind. She hated being caught up in this situation. She stared at the stars and shook her head. How could I forget? I have to get the pictures at Walgreens.

  She ran to her Jetta and drove to pick up the photo from Walgreens. She was glad that they were open twenty-four hours. They had definitely done a great job and now she could see how handsome Ignacio was. Moments later, Chloe was back home on her computer logging into Facebook. She noticed she had two messages, both written in Spanish. She couldn’t understand what they said, so she went to Translator.com to translate. The man with no photo said that he had never met a Suzanne Rogers, but would be interested in meeting her. The man with the photo said the same thing. It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.

  She decided to call it a night. While she was asleep, she dreamt of a couple at the altar. When she saw who it was, she woke up gasping for breath with tears in her eyes. It was Josh and another woman with blonde hair. She went to the kitchen to get a glass of water and then came back to bed hugging her teddy bear. Is this a sign that if I wait much longer, I might lose Josh?

  Chapter Ten

  “Hon, what color should I use for the invitations? Two weeks had passed and she still couldn’t decide on the color for the invitations. Do you think silver would be nice? Or should I stick with ivory and sky blue?” Chloe asked Richard over the phone. She was at her office looking at some sample invitations that the printer had sent her.

  She could tell from Richard’s quiet response that he was only half listening to her. “Did you hear what I just said?”

  She could hear him typing on his computer. “Baby, you’re a woman and you’re good at the wedding details. Whatever you choose will be fine for me.”

  Chloe fumed in silence. The wedding that she had dreamed about when she was a child wasn’t turning out the way she had expected.

  “Is everything
okay?”

  She pinched her nose to ease the tension. “No, Richard, it’s not okay. When we were dating, you used to give me your undivided attention. Then you said you were working long hours so that I could have the wedding of my dreams, but that’s not what I want, Richard. I could be happy with a wedding on the beach in bare feet and a plain dress as long as I loved that person and he treated me with respect.”

  “You know very well that I’m long hours for our future.”

  Chloe took a deep breath. “How is this helping our future? I hardly see you, and when I do, you’re always busy. The wedding is a month and a half away, and we haven’t spent quality time together in months. You were never like this when I met you.”

  “Can I put you on hold for a moment? I have an important call.”

  Chloe removed the phone from her ear and stared at the invitations, tears pooling in her eyes. She was the only one making an effort in this relationship. How many times did she have to tell Richard how she felt? He never listened. Did he even care about her? Where had all the love gone and what were all these plans for the future compared to the useless moments they’d spent together recently. But was she ready to give up on Richard? Tears spilled onto her cheeks.

  “I’m sorry, baby, where were we?”

  Chloe pulled out a tissue and dotted her eyes and nose before speaking. “Do you ever take time to chill?” Chloe sniffed. “I thought you just closed the Sacramento deal.”

  “You’ve got to understand, Chloe, if I take time off I won’t be able to provide you with a good life when we’re married.”

  “Define a good life, Richard,” she said, frowning. “For me having a good life is spending quality time and building memories together. You’re always on the go and never seem to step on the brakes. I’m a simple lady. I don’t need many luxuries.”

  “I’m doing this for us, honey. I want to retire young and I need to work hard now to be able to do that.”

  Chloe put her hair to the side. “I understand your goal, but you can’t do it alone. I don’t have to give up my job, and I already own a house free and clear. You wouldn’t have to work so hard and then we could enjoy our weekends together.”

  Chloe put the phone on loud speaker so Richard wouldn’t hear her crying.

  “You know what?” Richard paused. “You’re right, baby. I’ve been too focused on these deals and I could use some time off.”

  Chloe rubbed her eyes. “You’ll do that?”

  “Why not? I need a break and what better way to spend it than with my fiancé?”

  She shook her head. “Will you honestly do that for me?”

  “I really miss you,” Richard said. “Maybe you can request Saturday off. Let’s leave Friday night and come back on Sunday.”

  In their early years of dating, Richard had been quite attentive to her. They often took ski trips to Tahoe during the winter and would take day trips to Napa Valley or Monterey. She couldn’t remember when he had changed. She had never noticed how controlling he was until Josh came into the picture. “Ok, great, I’ll do that.”

  Richard told her he would call her later for the details while Chloe circled the dates on her calendar. Yosemite will be perfect. Richard wouldn’t get too distracted if they were surrounded by nature. Plus, with any luck she realized with a smile, the cell phone wouldn’t work out there. She called and booked two nights at the Evergreen Lodge in Yosemite. She had no sooner hung up and put her cell phone in her bag, and then it began ringing. Nicole. “Hi, Nic, how are you doing?”

  “Better. My mom is working with the bank for her new loan and it looks like she can afford her monthly payments now.”

  “That’s great news.”

  “Yeah, thanks to Josh,” Nicole said.

  When Chloe heard Josh’s name, she hesitated.

  “Chloe, are you still there?” Nicole asked.

  Chloe cleared her throat. “Um, yes.”

  “I don’t know about you, but lately it seems like your thoughts are far away every time I talk to you. Are you still trying to find your mom’s lover?”

  Chloe exhaled, relieved that Nicole was so off base. “I’ve been looking for Ignacio on Facebook,”

  “Ignacio, your mom’s ex? You did not! Chloe, do you know what you’re doing?”

  “Yup, in fact I’m on Facebook now,” she said, logging in.

  “Whatever! Don’t forget about Wednesday night. It’s my birthday.”

  Chloe slapped her head. She’d been so caught up with Josh, and now Richard, that she had completely forgotten. “Nic, you’re my best friend in the world. How could I forget your birthday? I have it written in my calendar.” She glanced at her calendar. “April 23 and it’s all in red.”

  “Yes, but this year Matt suggested that we do something different.”

  “What does he have in mind?” Chloe asked, while she searched for Ignacio Rodriguez in New York.

  “He suggested we go to the city and drink. He invited Phil, Amber, Heather and Josh.”

  Chloe’s heart felt as though it had stopped. She knew she wanted to see Josh again, but how awkward would it be to have Josh and Richard in one place. Could she handle it? “Josh?”

  “Yes, Josh,” Nicole said. “Oh wait a minute… don’t tell me you still lik—”

  “It’s not what you think,” Chloe cut her off.

  “Oh c’mon, you can tell me. I’m your best friend.”

  Chloe bit her lip. She decided it would be better to talk to Nicole in person about how confused she felt about Josh and Richard.

  Before Chloe could say anything, Nicole said, “You want to know what I think? You need to get rid of your guy and hook up with Josh. You’re so right for each other.”

  Chloe closed her eyes. She knew that Nicole would always root for Josh over Richard. Maybe it would be better if she dealt with the situation herself. For now, she was trying to give Richard a chance. Three days in Yosemite would help him realize he truly had been neglecting her. She was hoping he’d have a change of heart and agree to her terms.

  “I’ll bet you a hundred bucks that Richard will be a no show on Wednesday night.”

  “Save your money, he’s coming,” Chloe said, tapping her pencil on the phone. “We’re also going to Yosemite this weekend to spend time together.”

  “Really, I’m sure it was your idea,” Nicole said.

  “It was actually his idea.”

  “Hmmm. Well, you’re old enough to know what you’re doing,” Nicole said.

  It was clear to Chloe that Nicole had her mind set about Richard and she couldn’t blame her. “What bar are we going to on Wednesday?”

  “Matt suggested the Bistro 21 in San Francisco. Are you familiar with that one?”

  “Hmmm, I think Richard mentioned that place once. Sounds good to me. Who’s driving?”

  “We figured since it’s my birthday, we should all drink. Therefore, let’s take a cab.”

  “That sounds like a great idea. What time do we leave?” Chloe moved the phone to her other ear.

  “We’ll pick you up at nine,” Nicole said. “You can tell Richard to meet us at quarter to ten.”

  “Are Josh and Phil joining us in the cab?” Chloe asked.

  “Phil and Josh are riding with the Barbie twins, Amber and Heather. After Phil’s party, he hooked up with Amber and she’s taking her best friend Heather,” Nicole said. “They can only stay till midnight because Heather has an early day the next day.”

  Of course Chloe remembered Heather. She couldn’t forget how she’d thrust her tongue in Josh’s mouth during the Truth or Dare party. Now, since Phil was dating Amber, of course she had to bring her best friend. “Okay.”

  “See you on Wednesday, and please be ready.”

  “I will,” Chloe said, snapping the cell phone shut.

  She sighed. Why do the Barbie twins have to come? She put her phone in her purse and decided to continue her search for Ignacio. She found one Ignacio Rodriguez with New York listed as his netw
ork. The man had no picture, but she felt compelled to send him a message.

  She wrote in the subject line, “Looking for my long lost love.” In the body of the message she wrote,

  “I’m Suzanne Rogers, sixty years old and a widow. Forty years ago I met a wonderful sailor named Ignacio Rodriguez. We fell in love and wrote to each other while he was away at sea. He came back to marry me, but I was already engaged to someone else. He eventually married and had four kids. I haven’t heard nor seen Ignacio in the past twenty-eight years. If you’re the Ignacio I knew and loved, please reply.

  Love,

  Suzanne”

  Chloe felt a heavy load leave her chest after she sent the message. Something tells me that this is the Ignacio I’m looking for.

  Chloe logged off of Facebook after she sent the message. She came out of her office to help some clients choose gowns and, before she knew it, it was time to go home. When she was about to leave, she called to remind Richard about Nicole’s birthday on Wednesday and that she had booked their stay at Yosemite Evergreen Lodge.

  “Yosemite, that’s perfect. I’m looking forward to going away this weekend,” Richard said.

  “I’m so happy that I’ll get to see you on Wednesday and this weekend.”

  “I deserve a break, don’t I?”

  “Of course you do,” Chloe said.

  ***

  Nicole knocked at Chloe’s doorstep at exactly nine o’ clock.

  “I’ll be down in a minute,” Chloe called, spraying on some perfume. Chloe was wearing a black, tight-fitting dress and open-toed high heels. She had flat-ironed her hair and applied her usual mascara, blush and a darker shade of lipstick. She rushed downstairs to open the door.

  Nicole gasped when she saw Chloe. “You look gorgeous.”

  “Thanks! Happy Birthday to my best friend in the whole wide world,” Chloe said, giving Nicole a kiss and handing her a card.

  “Oh that is so sweet of you.” Nicole opened her card.

  “I didn’t know what to get you, so I decided I’d give you a Macy’s card since you love to shop there.”