by Anne Carol
The next evening back at Uncle Ned’s I chatted briefly with my sister, Rachel, on the phone, getting updates as well as filling her in on my happenings. She was thrilled for me that I met David, but I didn’t mention anything about going to college in London. I wanted to wait a bit, not to mention some things were better said in person.
After we hung up, the phone rang almost immediately, so I picked it up.
“Hello?”
“Beth, is that you?” a familiar male voice said.
Crap.
“Hi, Rick,” I said in an uninspired tone.
“Hey, haven’t heard from you in a while. You haven’t forgotten about me, have you?” He was joking, I think.
“No, just been busy. You haven’t exactly reached out to me, either.”
“Are you kidding? I’ve called at least three times and left messages with your cousin.”
Oh, Jenny. Figures.
“Uh, my cousin must’ve had her mind on something else, because I didn’t get the messages. Like I said, we’ve been pretty busy.”
“Too busy to talk to your boyfriend?”
My stomach dropped. After what he did, he thinks we’re still together?
Trying hard not to explode over the phone, I simply responded, “I was trying to give you some space.
“Space you obviously needed.” I grumbled under my breath.
“What?”
Oh no. “Nothing,” I said, trying to backtrack.
“You think I needed space?”
I paused for a moment, weighing my options. To confront or not, that was the big question. As if to answer my question, an image of Rick embracing Denise popped in my head.
“Anything you want to tell me about a certain party a few weeks ago?”
The long pause pretty much answered my question.
“I got trashed. Big deal, it happens.” He sounded annoyed.
“What did you do with Denise?”
He let out a short breath. “If I did anything with that slut, I don’t remember, and besides, she came on to me!”
So it was true. “I heard you went upstairs with her. Did you sleep with her?” I tried hard to remain calm, even though I was about to fall apart.
“No! Of course not.” But the way he said it, it was like he was trying to convince himself. So I pressed on.
“Did you kiss her? Make out with her? Fool around?” I sniffed, much to my chagrin.
“It’ll never happen again, Beth! I was so drunk I couldn’t see straight!”
That was enough for me.
“Don’t ever talk to me again. We’re through,” I said through clenched teeth, my head swimming with mixed emotions.
“Beth!”
Slam! I hung up on him. But before I could comprehend what just happened, the phone rang again. I let it ring a few times before I reluctantly answered it.
“Hello?”
“You can’t be serious, Beth! It was one mistake!”
“One big mistake. I’ll never trust you again! It’s over, Rick.”
“It’s not over! It won’t happen again, I promise.”
“Doesn’t matter, you’ve ruined it for me. You cheated on me after only a few weeks! Do you expect me to believe you’ll stay faithful for two more months? Give me a break.”
“Dammit, Beth, I’m not letting you go. You’re my girl. Mine.” His voice changed from pleading to aggressive, and it unnerved me more than I thought possible.
“Not anymore. Goodbye, Rick.”
As I hung up, I heard him yelling something on the other end. It might’ve been “you bitch,” but I wasn’t sure. All I know is that I was shaky everywhere and my stomach had dropped to my feet, it seemed. I had to sit still for a moment and let my heart rate settle. It was the most difficult confrontation I’d ever had with Rick, yet I was amazed that I’d held my ground.
“Are you alright?” I gasped at the sound of Jenny’s voice. “I could hear you from the kitchen. You sacked him, didn’t you?”
I nodded slowly, half there and half replaying the phone conversation in my mind.
“Well, good for you, Beth. It needed to be done.”
I stared at the floor, feeling a heaviness all of a sudden. “I know, but why do I feel sick to my stomach?”
She didn’t have a chance to answer me. My nerves got the better of me and I had to run upstairs to the bathroom.
“I can’t believe you got sick. Are you sure it’s not something you ate?” Jenny asked my still figure as it lay on the bed.
“Nope, just nervous stomach. Although I’ve never had it that bad before.”
“I thought you’d be feeling incredible relief.”
“I am, believe me. I just wasn’t expecting his reaction.” I went on to tell her how Rick got all possessive over the phone and how creepy it made me feel.
“I don’t ever want to go home, Jenny. I wish I could stay here with you,” I said, hugging the hot water bottle Jenny had fixed for me.
“Me, too.” She sat on the edge of my bed. “But try not to dwell on that. Just think about how nice it’ll be to see David tomorrow.”
I smiled at the mention of his name. “Yes, I can’t wait. I’ve missed that guy.”
David and I had arranged to have an early picnic lunch at the park the next day before he had to go to work. When he appeared at the door, I ran to greet him with a big hug and kiss. On the walk to the park, I attempted to give him my full attention as he spoke of his visiting family.
But much as I tried, I couldn’t erase the ugly conversation with Rick from the back of my mind. Rick’s words burned a hole through the protective layer David had around me. No matter what David and I had right now, it wasn’t going to keep me from having to deal with Rick at the end of summer. In a word, I was scared.
“Something’s bothering you.” David’s soft voice drew me out of my thoughts as we strode through the soft grass.
“Why do you say that? Are you some sort of mind-reader?” I replied, not meaning to sound sharp.
“Not mind-reading exactly, but I can read your face and body language. And you’re unusually quiet.” The way he studied me made me realize I was never going to be able to hide anything from him.
I was silent as I contemplated an answer.
“Well?” he implored. “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” He had an anxious tone which matched his worried expression.
“Let’s go find a place to sit, okay?” I had to tell him about the phone call with Rick, but I wasn’t sure how he’d take it.
We found an isolated spot under a tree and took a seat on the ground.
“Rick called last night,” I gently revealed.
His shoulders dropped. “Oh.” He took a deep breath. “How did that go?”
“Terrible. I mean, he acted like nothing happened. When I called him out, he basically admitted to cheating, but said it was one time thing, that he was drunk and he’d never let it happen again.”
“Certainly you don’t believe him?” David asked, his eyes blazing.
“No, and I made it clear that I could never trust him again, that it was over between us.”
“Good,” he said, assessing me. “So what’s the problem?”
I sighed, looking away. “He’s not going to let this go, David.”
“Well, he’ll have to. He can’t force you to date him.”
“No, but he can make my life a living hell. He already has. You have no idea what the last several months have been like.” And just like that, I poured my heart out to David about how harshly Rick had treated me since he started pressuring me to sleep with him.
Though he sat quietly, listening, his expression darkened and he looked like he wanted to hit something. I swallowed hard. “Say something, please.” My voice shook.
“I don’t know what to say, except I can’t listen to any more of this. It’s absolute torture.”
“Well then I’ll save you from the torture!” I quickly got to my feet and stalked away.
>
“Where are you going? Let me explain! Beth!” His voice grew fainter as I briskly walked, to where, I had no idea.
As soon as I got out of hearing range I realized that I was overreacting, but rather than turning back, I took the chance to walk alone and clear my head.
What was I thinking, going on and on about my doomed past relationship with my new boyfriend? Everyone knew talking about your ex was a big no-no. What a drag I am.
The more I thought about it, the more I felt I owed David an apology. I knew the best thing was to crawl back to him and tell him I was sorry for not only blowing my stack, but unloading the dirty details of my past life.
I practically ran back to the tree, but when I got there he was gone.
“There you are.” I whirled around at the sound of his gorgeous accent.
“Where’d you go?”
“To look for you, silly girl.”
I smiled sheepishly. “I’m sorry I lost my temper.”
“Come here, angel.” He reached for my arm and pulled me into an embrace. “Now you know I only meant that I can’t stand hearing about you being hurt over and over again.”
“Yeah, I know. I wasn’t thinking. I just started babbling.”
“Clearly you needed to let off some steam, but all I wanted to hear was that you broke it off with him.”
“But what about all that possessive garbage?”
“Don’t worry yourself until it happens. He may not feel that way in a few months.”
He sounded more confident than he appeared. His expression, in fact, revealed an obvious insecurity, so I bravely spoke up. “Do you really believe that?”
“I think it’s possible. I mean he could easily take up with another girl before you’re back.” He paused, gazing at the sky. “On the other hand, he may insist on a second chance when you return home.”
“Does that make you nervous?”
“Of course,” he admitted. “I mean, you obviously put up with a lot of rubbish before. I fear he’ll use his magic powers over you and miraculously, you’ll go back to him.”
“That’s not going to happen.” I circled my arms around his shoulders and looked him in the eye. “I love you, brown eyes. Only you.”
He broke out in a big smile. “You love me?”
“Yes, that’s what I said.” I tugged him closer.
“I love you, too.” He dipped down and kissed me so hard my toes curled.
After we broke apart, I looped my arm through his. “Come on, I think we need to walk.”
“Agreed.”
A few minutes later as we strolled past an older couple with a dog, David asked, “So was that our first row?”
I couldn’t help laughing at his use of the English term for argument. It’s not that I was laughing at him, it was more that I was amused by our occasional language gap. Being around my English grandfather and American grandmother, I was used to and often giggled at these differences.
“Are you going to let me in on it?” He tapped his elbow to mine.
“It’s just that you made me think about my grandpa, you know, when he uses English words. It’s cute.”
“‘Cute?’” He tested out the word. “Grandpa Henry, I assume?”
“Yes. I never knew my other grandpa. He died when I was a baby.”
I’d already explained my family background to David, particularly the English connection. I couldn’t get over his response at the time. He’d cracked a huge grin and said, “Your family has quite a history with intermarriage.”
“Yes, you can say that,” I’d replied, nodding.
“Must be the accent.”
“Must be.”
After a few laps around the park, we went back to the same tree and got out our lunch. We spent a few minutes quietly eating our sandwiches, and when David left to go toss the trash, I lay back on the grass and stared at the overcast sky. When he returned, he lay down beside me and rested his head on my chest, directly over my heart, and draped his arm around me.
“Is this too much for you?” he asked. I think he already knew the answer, especially when I buried my fingers in his hair.
“Not at all.”
We lay quietly holding each other, enjoying the light breeze.
“David, can I ask you something?” I paused. “It’s … kind of sensitive.”
“What is it, Beth? You can ask me anything.”
I drew in a deep breath. “Did you and Josephine ever … sleep together?”
“No.”
My muscles relaxed, while the corners of my mouth turned up.
“She was a strict Catholic, so I didn’t expect it. Thank goodness for that.”
“So you’re a—?” I couldn’t say the word.
“Virgin? Yes.”
I sighed with relief. “So am I.”
“Well, I kind of assumed that. So we’re both virgins, that wasn’t so difficult.”
“There’s one more thing.” I hesitated, not sure what his reaction would be. “I want to wait until I’m married, or at least, engaged. But ideally my first time will be my wedding night.”
“Okay, I respect that,” he said nonchalantly, as if I’d just told him the grass was green.
“Just like that? You don’t mind waiting, I mean, assuming it’s you?” My face turned cherry red at my slip.
He turned his head and gazed up at me. “I certainly hope it’s me.”
He returned to his cozy position and continued, “Beth, that’s not why I’m with you. Don’t get me wrong. I know it’ll be amazing when it happens, but I can wait if it’s important to you. I won’t pressure you the way he did.”
Overjoyed, I found myself squeezing him hard. “You’re a dream come true, Mr. Somers.”
I loved how his mouth curved up into a dazzling smile.
“You want to know something?” I went on.
“What?”
“I’m going to talk to my parents about going to college here. Maybe we’ll visit a few before I go back.”
At that, he sat up and looked at me with hopeful eyes. “So you could be moving here next year?”
I nodded slowly. “Yep. Are you okay with that?”
He answered by leaning over and kissing me feverishly.
I wasn’t ready to leave David’s side yet, so I walked him up to the record shop and hung around for a little while, pretending to browse the record shelves, when really I was watching him work. Since he was still new to the job, he mostly stocked shelves and helped customers locate items. He kept a steady eye on me, and I was afraid I’d get him into trouble, so after a short while I headed for the exit.
As I approached the door, a familiar gray hat landed at my feet.
“Take that, looks like it might rain,” David said as he moved toward the back of the shop.
“Thanks!” I called, picking it up. “My hero,” I whispered as I slipped out into the cool afternoon.
About halfway home, the sky opened up and I popped his hat on, feeling warm all of a sudden, despite the cold drops of rain on my skin. I was on a complete high when I entered the house.
“Hello!” I hollered to anyone listening. I put my bag down and walked into the living room.
“Beth, you’ve got quite a following,” Jenny said as she sat on the couch with a magazine.
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“Just after you left this morning, you got three phone calls.” She looked toward the ceiling. “Let’s see … Melissa, Susie, and Rick.” The last name she said with a sneer.
Rick? Oh, great. When I figured the time difference in my head, I realized they’d called after one a.m. California time. Strange.
“Thanks. I’ll call the girls back, but I guess I’ll have to wait a few hours. It’s too early there. Wonder what’s up.”
“What about Rick?”
“I have nothing more to say to that creep.” I flopped onto the sofa next to her and grabbed the newspaper from off the side table.
Around four, I
dialed Melissa’s number hoping she’d be awake, because I was dying to know the reason for all these middle-of-the-night phone calls.
“Beth!” she shouted into the phone when she came on the line. “Oh my gosh, Rick is flipping out. Calling me, calling Susie, and God knows who else. What the hell happened?”
I rehashed the story of the awful phone call the night before, to which she sighed, “That explains things. Wow, Beth. You really told him to take a hike?”
“Yes?” I said tentatively, knowing she’d make a big deal out of it.
“I’m so proud of you.” She almost laughed, but then she went on to tell me that Rick called her up and screamed at her for blabbing about his indiscretion at the party. “He sure guessed that one, and I couldn’t exactly deny it.”
“He knows you can’t stand him.”
“Yeah, anyway I gave him a few choice words before hanging up on his temper tantrum. Poor Susie got it next. And then I guess he called you?”
“Apparently.”
“He’s got some ego, doesn’t he? But you sound like you’re doing okay. I wasn’t so sure after I talked to you last time.”
“Hmm … things are definitely better.” Without going into too much detail, I told her about David, and that she and Susie would no doubt approve of him.
“A British rocker? That’s a new one, Beth.” She demanded I send pictures, along with more details. “You know I’m dying to hear more, but you should call Susie and fill her in.”
Susie was equally excited about my new boyfriend and said she couldn’t wait to see a picture of him. When I asked her about Rick calling, she said he didn’t yell at her, but insisted that she try to talk some sense into me, and that he deserved a second chance.
“He might’ve been drinking when he called, I’m not sure. He was pretty obnoxious. I basically told him he should’ve thought of all that before he messed around with Denise. He didn’t like that.”
“I’m so sorry about this. Maybe I’ll call him and tell him to back off.”
“You might want to.”
I didn’t want to—I wanted Rick to disappear—but I couldn’t let him go on harassing my friends like that. It wasn’t fair to them. So as soon as I hung up with Susie, I bit the bullet and dialed Rick’s number.