by Kim Cano
I was surprised. He was kind of a hot shot without being full of himself. He seemed down to Earth. Normal.
“And you?” he asked. “What do you do?”
I felt a wall go up. I didn’t like talking about myself.
“I’m a mom to a seven-year-old son, Tyler. And I work at a desk during the day, processing paperwork.”
I was sure this would be his exit cue. Men always found a way to politely excuse themselves at the mere mention of children. That would be fine with me. I was ready to go home.
“You speak of your job like it’s not important. Do you think this way?”
He hadn’t left. I didn’t know how to respond.
“I guess not,” I stammered. “It’s just, compared to other people’s work, it seems trivial.”
He fixed his green eyes on me. “I see,” he said, nodding. “But you are a mother, too. That is the most difficult job. No?”
I smiled at him. It was a nice compliment.
“How about you?” I asked him. “Do you have children?”
“No. No children. Never married, either.”
This surprised me, but I didn’t say anything.
“You see. I am always working,” he said. “So many hours, all the time. There was a woman I loved once, back home in my country, Argentina, but she didn’t love me back. She ran off and married a bum.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Thank you,” he replied.
I guessed he was the type of guy who cured heartbreak by drowning himself in his work. Then, as the years go by, he’d find himself married to his career. I felt sad for him. But I wasn’t really sure what to say next. I wished Sabrina would rescue me, but of course, she didn’t.
“So how are you enjoying this party?” Miguel asked, lightening the mood. He wore an expression that hinted of mockery, which confused me a bit.
“It’s okay, I guess. But I’m going to be honest here. This is my first real cocktail party.”
That didn’t come out right. A grin appeared on his face.
“What I mean is, I usually only attend kids’ birthday parties. And my other friends don’t have things like this, and get all dressed up.”
The more I said the worse it got. I sounded like the boring person I truly was.
“I never would’ve guessed,” Miguel said, flashing a warm smile. “You’re so beautiful and glamorous. You seem completely at ease.”
I let out a nervous giggle. I’d never been complimented like that by anyone other than Justin. And I definitely was not at ease. I could feel my cheeks turning pink again.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I replied. “This glamour,” I said, while pointing to my outfit, “is all on loan from our mutual friend, Sabrina.”
Miguel laughed. “That’s Ms. Bergman,” he said. “Clothing is her life. Any chance she gets to plan things like this, she does.” Then he shook his head and made a tsking sound. “I don’t like wearing suits outside of work, but I did, because the invite said formal attire.”
“Sounds like you’re perpetually in costume,” I said.
He laughed again. “Sometimes it feels like that. But, soon enough I’ll be back home, relaxing and playing my guitar with Gordito.”
I thought he must have a roommate, a fellow musician.
“Gordito is my cat,” Miguel explained. “He’s very fat, and he loves music. Whenever I’m playing, he comes by and meows, like he’s singing. I’m happy to have him join in.”
I formed a mental picture and was struck by its silliness. “Maybe you two could compose something together. The YouTube crowd can’t get enough cats.”
He smiled, then all of a sudden looked rather serious. “Maybe I will compose a song for you,” he said.
Maybe this was meant to knock me off my feet or something. And yes, it was nice, but I wasn’t going there.
“That must get a lot of women,” I replied, straightening my stance and taking an unconscious step back.
Miguel didn’t move, looking unsure of himself. No doubt he wasn’t used to ladies who were so abrupt. I guessed they fell at his feet on a regular basis.
“No. It doesn’t,” he joked, “But it doesn’t hurt to try if I meet a woman as exceptional as you.”
I wasn’t exceptional and the poor man was wasting his time.
“Tell me about your family,” he said, quickly changing the subject.
I wanted to bolt, but it would’ve been rude, so I obliged him in conversation.
“Let’s see. My son is seven. My mom lives with us now. And my husband, Justin, passed away a few years ago from cancer. We were high school sweethearts.”
“I see,” Miguel sighed. He seemed to become more of a listener and less of a flirt.
I relaxed a little.
“Well, my family lives in South America,” he added. “Luckily, I get to see them pretty often, but my closest relative here is furry with four paws.”
I laughed. “Gordito.”
“Yes. My cat, my musical partner. The best friend a man could ever ask for.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I thought that was a dog.”
Miguel smiled. “No my dear. A cat is a man’s true best friend. Plus,” he added. “I don’t have to walk him.”
I giggled and was starting to relax, but then my stomach growled. Miguel acted like he didn’t hear it.
“Well I better go and find Sabrina. I’ve got to get going soon,” I told him. “It was nice to meet you.”
“It was very nice to meet you too,” Miguel said, then he reached for my hand and gently kissed the top of it.
A riot of conflicting emotions ran through me all at once. I pulled my hand free and waved. Then I flew out of that corner as fast as I could in high heels. I made a beeline for the kitchen.
I got their moments later, and found elegant appetizers arranged next to fine china and napkins. Starving, I took one and loaded it with a few highly-styled snacks. Then I went and sat down in a corner to relax and eat, alone.
I was a little disappointed Sabrina hadn’t spent any time with me yet. Hadn’t she been the one insisting she could use a friend at this party? I figured I’d better find her soon, and visit for a little while, otherwise it wouldn’t be polite of me to leave.
I devoured my small meal and washed it down with sparkling water. As I sat in the chair I closed my eyes. I was starting to feel stressed. Then I patted my lips with a napkin and got up, ready to find Sabrina.
While walking through the crowd I made no eye contact with anyone. I scanned the room for a purple gown, for the hostess. Once I spotted her, I snuck up on her left-hand side, not wanting to interrupt her conversation.
Sabrina kept talking to the little group while I watched her. She oozed charm and captivated her listeners, with both her witty conversation and sense of style. She had a magnetic quality. She clearly didn’t need me here. Everyone was already fascinated by her.
I wondered if Justin had been.
“Amy,” Sabrina said, turning to me. “This is Tatiana and this is Magda.”
She identified the tall, goddess-like women she’d been talking to.
“Hello,” I said, raising my hand up in a little wave.
Sabrina continued. “These two ladies model for us in runway shows and print ads.”
Of course they were models. People in real life just didn’t look that good.
“Nice to meet both of you. Sounds like fun, what you two do,” I added.
They both smiled and looked down at me like I was insignificant. Under other circumstances, they probably wouldn’t even have acknowledged me, but since their boss was standing right there, they behaved. Still, they didn’t ask me what I did for a living, or engage in any further conversation like the other guests I’d met. A polite smile was all they had to give. Then they excused themselves and walked away.
“So how are you doing?” Sabrina asked. “Are you having a good time?”
I answered with the best I could come up with
. “Yeah, I’m having fun. The food’s delicious.”
Sabrina gave me an inquisitive look.
I wore my blank face then asked, “How are you doing? Is everything turning out well?”
She surveyed the room and said, “I think so. It’s mostly business associates. I try to get them all together from time to time, to get to know each other.”
I nodded. She was doing a fine job, I thought.
“Sabrina,” I said. “I’m having a great time, but it’s a long ride back to my side of town. And I’m sure my mom and Tyler are up waiting for me. Would you be offended if I left a little early?”
She sighed. I could tell she was disappointed. “No. Of course, I understand. It was good of you to come.”
I was relieved. I didn’t think I could handle anymore mingling. “Thanks for inviting me,” I told her. “I had fun. I’ll have the dress cleaned and return it with the others.”
“Don’t worry about it,” she said, waving her hand. “Here, let me walk you to the door.”
Sabrina and I began heading toward the foyer, but then someone called out to her.
“Don’t worry about me,” I said. “I know my way.”
I waved goodbye as she went back toward her business associates, some of whom were now intoxicated enough to shout to her from across the room.
I did a quick scan for her friend, Miguel, but he was nowhere in sight.
I shut the front door and inhaled a breath of fresh, evening air. On the exhale, I let go of all the tension I’d built up about going to the party. I’d done it. And now I was heading home. It was a comforting feeling.
After taking a few steps, I heard a car door slam shut and someone talking. I recognized the man’s voice. He was alone, so he must’ve been on his cell phone. As he drew nearer, I discovered who it was.
“Doctor Friedman?”
“Yes,” he answered, stowing his phone in his suit jacket pocket. He looked confused. I could tell he recognized me, but couldn’t figure out from where.
“It’s Amy White,” I said. “You were my husband Justin’s oncologist.”
As he stared at me I could almost hear the gears turning in his head. Then they clicked.
“Yes. Of course,” he said, extending his hand. “How are you doing?”
“I’m hanging in there.”
He looked at me with his professional compassion, then put his hand on my shoulder. “I want you to know I did everything I could,” he said.
My heart ached. The old pain felt as fresh as the day he’d first spoken those words.
“I know,” I replied.
I wanted to disappear, to do anything to stop that memory from advancing. I quickly changed the subject.
“So Dr. Friedman, what brings you to this party?”
He grinned and said, “I was in town and wanted to surprise my cousin. Sabrina will be shocked to see me.”
With that, he waved and strode past me. I walked over to my car, climbed in, and shut the door. I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard. Dr. Friedman is Sabrina’s cousin?
I repeated the phrase over and over in my mind on the way home. Then I came to a realization. Dr. Friedman wasn’t from the Chicago area. He was from Minnesota. He practiced at the Mayo Clinic.
I remembered a head nurse telling me how lucky I was that a specialist like Dr. Friedman was in town helping Justin, that he was one of the top cancer doctors in the country.
The oncoming light turned red. I slowed and came to a stop. I remembered something else. I’d never received a bill from Dr. Friedman. In all the shuffle of papers and insurance claims, I assumed it had somehow been taken care of. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I had never received an invoice with his name on it. Of course, I never went in search of medical bills that didn’t arrive. And here I’d thought it was a fluke, or just plain Irish luck… but it wasn’t. This was Sabrina’s doing.
A well of emotions overflowed inside me and I began to cry. There was no stopping it. I lost all control. I sobbed, wondering why Justin had to die when he had one of the best doctors in the nation. I wondered for the thousandth time why he couldn’t be cured. I continued thinking these thoughts, feeling hopeless, while at the same time trying to pay attention to the road.
My sadness was soon replaced with something else— gratitude. I was so thankful Justin had a friend like Sabrina. Someone who cared enough to help, someone who knew important people. I wondered if she’d paid Dr. Friedman. Or if he’d done it as a favor to her.
I pulled up to my house and turned off the car. I wiped my eyes dry and sincerely hoped my mom and Tyler weren’t waiting up for me. I didn’t want them to get the wrong idea, to think I’d had a bad time.
Once I walked in, Mom came from down the hall to greet me. She could see I’d been crying. “Honey, are you okay? Did something happen?”
“No,” I said. “I’m fine. I just heard a song on the radio and it set me off. Must be PMS.”
She nodded.
“I had a good time,” I said. “I’ll tell you both about it tomorrow.”
I walked to my room and kicked my shoes off. They landed in a heap of undone laundry. I carefully unzipped and hung up my borrowed gown. Then, with all my might I pulled down the control-top nylons and flung those to the ground before putting on a t-shirt and sweatpants. After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I was finally in my bed, sweet bed.
My body said sleep but my mind said think. Luckily, it wasn’t a weeknight. I could stay awake all evening if I chose to.
What I chose to do was remember Justin. He was so excited about getting a real Mayo Clinic doctor, said it was a gift from St. Jude. He had me believing there was nothing to worry about. I guess that was just what he wanted me to think.
Did Justin know Dr. Friedman was related to Sabrina? Justin was a proud man. He wouldn’t have accepted a favor that large. Of course he didn’t know. And Sabrina was smart enough not to tell him.
God, how I wished things had turned out differently.
I tossed and turned for a bit, thinking about the evening’s events. I smiled, remembering Kathy’s heavy Irish accent. Some of the phrases she’d said were so funny to hear. The super-models were all right, as nice as they could be to an ordinary woman like me, I guessed.
I closed my eyes and began drifting off. Then, in a far corner of my mind, I found myself thinking about Gordito, the cat.
Chapter 14
Sunday morning I woke up to the smell of breakfast. Usually I helped with that, but my late night thinking threw me off schedule. If I were a normal person, I’d have a hangover.
I climbed out of bed and shuffled to the kitchen. “Hey guys,” I said.
“Hi Mom. How was your friend’s party?”
“Oh, it was okay. Lots of different kinds of people.” I paused, then added, “You know what was really good? The food.”
I sat down and pushed my chair in. I was starving. Mom and Tyler sat down too.
“So that’s it then?” she asked. “No details?”
I shrugged and put a scoop of scrambled eggs on my fork. “Let’s see,” I said. “I met a bunch of people. A doctor. A lawyer. A computer consultant from Ireland. Oh, and I met two super-models who do ads for Sabrina.”
“Neat,” Tyler said. “And you thought it wouldn’t be any fun.”
“Not as fun as hanging out with you,” I said, elbowing him.
“And your dress, did that work out?” Mom asked. “Did you get any compliments?”
I thought of what Miguel had told me. “Yeah. Sabrina said she loved it. That it was a perfect choice with my hair.”
Mom and Tyler seemed satisfied. We continued eating and then moved on with our regular weekend plans. Mom had to run some errands, so I cleaned up and got up to date on Tyler’s homework and art class project. In the evening, we did our workout routine.
•••••
Monday morning I got up early and dropped the borrowed dress at the dry cleaners. When I
arrived at work, I discovered a relaxed, easygoing atmosphere.
“What’s going on here?” I asked Barb.
She was sitting with her feet up on her desk and her arms crossed behind her back. She looked like she was sunbathing. Fatima sat in her chair, texting.
“Dave had a family emergency. He had to go out of town. He’ll be back Wednesday.”
“Who’s in charge then?” I asked.
Barb looked smug and replied, “Nobody.”
My co-workers were acting like crazy people. I decided to ignore their odd behavior and get started on my own work.
After a while, I heard Barb put her feet down, and papers start shuffling. The rapid clicking sounds ceased from Fatima’s direction, too. I guess if I wasn’t going to act mutinous, they wouldn’t either.
They suggested we go out to lunch, as a group. I didn’t want to be a stick in the mud, so I went along. Thank God we were back in time, because Dave called in. I just managed to make it to the phone.
“We’re holding down the fort,” I told him. “Everything’s fine, same as usual.”
The line cracked in and out on his end. “Things are not going well here,” he said, “but I’m doing my best. Tell everyone to just continue with their tasks. You ladies know what to do. I’ll call back tomorrow.”
Then he hung up. He never elaborated on what was going on with his family.
Later that evening I logged onto the computer to send an email to Sabrina.
I wrote: “Thanks for inviting me to your party and lending me the dress. I dropped it at the cleaners this morning. It will be ready on Friday. I hope everything continued to go well after I left.
Oh, and an odd thing happened to me on my way out. I bumped into Dr. Friedman. He said he was stopping by to surprise his cousin, whom I found out is you.
Sabrina… I know what you did for us. And I cannot find the words to express how grateful I am. You have no idea how much having Dr. Friedman there meant to Justin. He thought him showing up was a miracle straight from God.
I realize me bumping into him was purely by chance, and that you had no intention of telling me about it. But things happen for a reason, I guess.