“I’d love to stay for dinner with you guys,” Anna beamed.
“Since when’re you so excited about food? You hardly ever eat anything.”
“I’m starving, that’s all,” she grinned.
“Well, we have from the box grilled Chicken Alfredo with broccoli and some wine for us to wash it all down with,” Cory said.
“That sounds wonderful to me, Cory.”
Cory laughed. She had immediately taken a liking to Anna. She was warm and friendly. She knew they would become good friends. If Adrian ever told her how he really felt about her. Memories of his deafening silence earlier on in the afternoon came to mind but Cory quickly snuffed them out. There was no reason to dampen her mood again.
Anna helped Cory set the dining table for three while Adrian continued to man the microwave. Cory took the salad she made out of the refrigerator along with the bottle of Merlot Adrian uncorked for her.
“So, Cory, it looks like we have a lot of catching up to do,” Anna announced as she touched Cory lightly on the arm.
Adrian rolled his eyes heavenward.
“Yes, we do,” Cory replied. “So what do you do, Anna?”
“Well, when I’m not chasing around my two boys, or looking out for my little brother, I read the news on television.”
“Oh, my God! I knew it. You’re that news anchor. The one on the government channel. No wonder your face looked so familiar,” Cory exclaimed.
“And since when do you look at the news?” Adrian interjected from the kitchen.
“Since recently.”
The three of them sat at the table and began to eat their modest dinner. The sounds of knives and forks scraped against the plates as they ate.
“Ooh, I knew I came by for another reason,” Anna interrupted the silence.
“Besides to snoop around?” Adrian grinned.
“I wanted to remind you of Aunty Claudia’s anniversary party on Saturday.”
“Damn, that’s this Saturday?” Adrian asked.
“Yes, it is, Adrian. And don’t tell me you forgot or you have to work.”
“No, I’m available. I just forgot the date, that’s all.”
“Well, I can see you have other things going on in your life now, so I’ll forgive you.”
“Gee, thanks,” Adrian said dryly.
It was very easy for Cory to notice the love these two siblings had for each other, even amidst the rivalry. She knew how much Adrian cared for his family. And she only now discovered just how protective Anna was over Adrian, even though he was a grown-ass man. It reminded her so much of she and Collin. God, she missed him so much.
“So you can bring Cory, then. And introduce her to the entire Mendez clan,” Anna happily added.
Only briefly, a look of absolute horror flashed across Adrian’s face.
“That’s a great idea,” he smiled at Cory but sounded a bit shaky. “So, I hope you have dancing shoes, baby.”
“Oh, shoes I have,” Cory answered cheerfully. Adrian would find out sooner or later about her little shoe fetish. Okay, maybe it was more like a shoe obsession but she just loved shoes.
“And does this also mean that you want your keys back, too?” Anna laughed again.
Adrian was serious, “That’ll be nice. Lord knows I don’t need you bouncing up in here, seeing things you shouldn’t be seeing.”
Anna and Cory burst out laughing. “Don’t worry, bro, you look like you’re in very good hands now,” Anna said. “Maybe you can give them to Cory now.”
Cory’s attention immediately snapped back to Anna and what she was saying.
“That’s a great idea,” Adrian responded in pretty much the same tone as before.
Cory looked at him in surprise but didn’t let it register on her face. Adrian was going to give her the key to his apartment. This was a big deal to her. The man was willing to give her a key to his apartment but was still refusing her the key to his heart?
Chapter 18
Now that the Carnival season was over till next year, so, too, were all her outbursts of love. At all costs, Cory avoided any mention of love and relationships with Adrian. She still couldn’t get over how incredibly dumb she had been. What was she thinking?
She knew she initially entered this fling just for the sex. What made her think that it would mean anything more for Adrian? Besides, what was better than exhilarating, no-strings-attached free sex for a man? Especially for a man like Adrian? Even when her feelings grew stronger by the day for him, she withheld from expressing them. Even when it was heart-wrenching and killing her emotionally inside, she still held them back.
Hence, she put off introducing Adrian to her father for as long as she could. What was she going to say? “Hi, Dad, meet Adrian, my sex buddy?” But Cory felt that her father should at least meet the man she was spending all this time with. She also knew her father well enough to know he’d soon begin asking too many questions. Adrian was the man she loved.
No. He was the man she loved sleeping with and sooner or later her father would just have to accept the fact. Cory planned to invite Adrian over to her house for dinner to meet her father and brother both.
“Do you want to take a walk?” Adrian asked her. They’d just finished having spicy tuna and shrimp tempura rolls at the Regent’s sushi bar. Cory was crazy about the stuff but she had to coax and bribe Adrian to have it too.
“Sure, I’d love to.”
Adrian held her hand as they exited through the back of the hotel. The sea behind them was calm as usual, the sky set aglow with magnificent hues of reds and deep oranges that signaled the setting sun for the evening. They took the stone pathway leading to the Waterfront. Walking hand in hand the two chatted away.
“And by the way, are you ever going to tell me why you really fled the States?” Cory asked.
“I didn’t flee the States. What makes you think that happened?”
“Because something definitely has you all hung up. What’s the deal with that?”
“Deal with what?”
Cory stopped walking and turned to face Adrian. “Look, it’s obvious that something happened there for you to just pick yourself up and head back to Trinidad like that. And if my suspicions are correct, I’ll say it was definitely because of a woman.”
Cory apparently hit the nail right on the head. Adrian immediately stopped walking, too. “What?” There was a distant look in his eyes now. He didn’t offer to say anything else.
“Adrian,” Cory began rubbing her hand on his arm. “You can tell me. It’s okay.”
“Her name was Natacha,” he began softly. “I fell for her and let’s just say, I was left hanging.”
“I’m sorry, Adrian.”
“Nah. Don’t be. That’s water under the bridge now.”
“Is it, though? It’s obvious that you’re still hurt over that, even though it has been what, a couple of years now.”
“Cory, I was bitter mostly because all of this happened while I was far away fighting a war and Natacha turned to a good friend of mine for comfort. She couldn’t handle me gone for so long. That’s when they both realized that they were in love with each other.” He shrugged. “When I came back home, she wasn’t there to meet me. And that said it all for me. She opted out on me when I needed her the most.”
“So why didn’t she come to meet you?” Cory asked.
“She couldn’t come. She was pregnant,” Adrian answered.
“Oh my God,” Cory gasped aloud. “What?”
“Yeah, but how could I really have expected her to go without sex for an entire year? C’mon she’s a woman, she had needs.”
“Yeah, but you had needs, too, Adrian,” Cory blurted.
“Cory, when you’re in a war zone, sex is probably the least of your worries. All you
see is the light at the end of the tunnel. Completing your missions, finishing your tour, and coming home alive and in one piece.”
“It’s still terrible, Adrian.” Cory wanted to wring this bitch’s neck, who she never saw before in her life, for hurting her Adrian like that. How could she do that to him?
“Tell me about it. You know, I had made up my mind to marry her. I was going to ask her as soon as I got off that plane and I saw her. I tried my hardest to stay alive for her. Loving her was the only thing that kept me going so that we could have had a life together.”
“Oh, Adrian.” She of all people knew what that was like. “So are they still together?”
“Yep. Married with two kids the last I heard.”
“At least we both have something in common. We were both left hanging by the people we loved just when we needed them the most,” Cory said. She then told Adrian about Preston and how he couldn’t handle her mourning the loss of her brother and mother. Preston had left her hanging, too. What a fool he turned out to be. Wasting three good years of her life and throwing away all they had together. All because he couldn’t handle her grieving for her family.
Cory remembered Preston saying she was taking too long to get over it. That she didn’t have time to give him what he really needed anymore. Imagine, what he needed? Well, what about her? She’d lost two family members in three months’ time. What did he expect? Did one ever get over the death of a loved one, anyway?
That was when he turned to the loving arms of her skinny-bitch-of-a-cousin. Yes, her very own cousin. How much sadder could it have gotten than that? Then she dumped him after he refused to pay her rent and bills anymore. Guess who had the last laugh?
When they reached the huge water fountain feature, she and Adrian admired it in silence, immersed in their own thoughts.
“I’m also guessing Anna did the same thing, too. Coming back here to escape her divorce. So it seems like this island has become a place of refuge for the broken-hearted, don’t you think?” Cory asked him.
“It would seem that way. But this is the best place to mend a broken heart.”
“I’m really glad you told me this, Adrian.” Cory turned to him. She only now realized what Adrian’s entire hang-up had been from the start. He only used his job in the military as an excuse to not go down the relationship road again. He didn’t have the time for a satisfying relationship because his job was holding him back? That seemed like such a load of bull-crap to her now. Now she knew the real reason. He was hurt very badly by this Natacha woman and wanted to make sure it never happened again with another. With her. Not that this revelation made her feel any better about her situation.
“This is lovely, don’t you think?” Cory asked him, pointing at the huge water fountain, sprouting the water high into the air.
“Not as lovely as you are, Cory,” Adrian kissed her on her forehead.
“You and that sweet talking,” Cory laughed. “Hey, I have an idea. Why don’t you come to my home for dinner? Meet my dad and brother.”
“Sure, I’d love to. Are you finally going to cook for me, Cory?”
“Sure, as long as you can settle for a sandwich and a salad,” Cory joked. “So how does 7:30 sound?”
“Good to me.”
Chapter 19
Adrian showed up at Cory’s house right on time, as usual. He had told her it was the military training; recruits were afforded little time to do almost everything: take a shower, eat a meal, even sleep, so one had no choice but to be punctual.
And which woman didn’t like a punctual man? Not forgetting polite, mannerly, and helpful. One who was strong and could go the distance every time. Who would give his life for his country? And a girl could surely appreciate a man she could count on these days. She had to admit that the military did train their men well.
Cory had made it home just in time to shower, change, and set the table. She’d had to pick up the food she had ordered from the restaurant on her way home. The island offered a gastronomic feast for food lovers like herself, but Chinese was one of her favorite ethnic foods — next to authentic Indian, of course. She went overboard and ordered fried rice, stir-fried vegetables, lemon chicken, char sue pork, Cantonese shrimp, and Singapore noodles for dinner. That should be more than enough for the four of them. Then there was still that decadent triple-layered chocolate cake she got from Gabby for dessert.
“Hey, baby,” Adrian greeted her with a warm one-armed hug as she opened the front door.
“These are for you.” He presented her with a bunch of fresh lavender roses he had hiding behind his back.
“These are so beautiful. Thank you.” The first thing she did was inhale their divine scent. “Now, how did you know I love lavender roses?”
“Let’s just say, you smell just like them all the time.”
“Wow, you are good.”
“So what did you cook for me?”
“Um, Chinese,” Cory giggled.
“I didn’t know what we were having so I didn’t know what kind of wine to buy. So will this do?” Adrian handed her the bottle, looking all optimistic.
“Pinot Noir,” Cory read the label out loud. “Oh, yeah, this would do just fine. And even if it doesn’t pair well, I’ll ensure it doesn’t go to waste. For a guy who doesn’t really drink, you sure know your alcohol.”
“Hey, I do learn from the best,” he grinned. “And I mean that totally in a good way.”
The evening started off well for everyone. When Cory introduced Adrian to her father, her father was civil toward him. It wasn’t the warmest but at least it was civil. Adrian got along much better with Christian, who seemed totally fascinated by him. Their attempt at male bonding made Cory smile. Now, if only her father would just try the same, for her sake anyway.
They ate their meal pretty much in silence. It was nothing like having dinner with Anna the other night, Cory thought. Fascinating conversation and loud laughter had filled Adrian’s apartment. A welcome addition to the usual loud moaning and groaning from their lovemaking. Neither was it like meeting the entire Mendez clan at the anniversary party, but Cory still tried her best to steer the little conversation they managed in the right direction.
As the night wore on, Cory noticed the expression on her father’s humorless face growing colder. Something had him unhappy. It couldn’t be Adrian, because he had been the perfect gentleman all evening long. It wasn’t until her father sprung the question that was possibly eating at him all along that things took a drastic nose dive for the worse.
“So, Adrian, what do you do for a living?” Jonathan Phillips finally asked.
“Dad?” Cory immediately interjected. “What does Adrian’s job have to do with anything?”
“It’s okay, Cory,” Adrian spoke up. “I’m a second lieutenant in the army, sir. Currently I’m attached to a task force in Port of Spain that handles extremely violent criminal behavior.”
There was definitely tension in the air now.
“So you’re a soldier?”
“Yes, I am, sir,” Adrian replied.
“Adrian used to be a U.S. Marine, Dad. He even fought in Afghanistan,” Cory added.
“So you fought under Bush?”
“Yes, I did, sir.”
“That’s the thing. Who gave you all the right to barge into somebody else’s country and just take over like that?”
A few seconds of silence passed before Cory squealed, “Dad?” What’re you doing?” knocking over her glass of wine in the process. Christian began feverishly wiping up the spill.
“With all due respect, sir, I was there. I saw firsthand what was going on. These people weren’t free. They were under siege from the Taliban. Men, women, and children were being mercilessly killed over there.” Adrian’s eyes never left Cory’s father.
“Spoken like a
true American. I see you still have your American sentiments intact and I’m not surprised,” Jonathan replied coldly.
“This has nothing to do with my American sentiments, sir, because I also have my Trinidadian sentiments as equally intact,” Adrian answered. His voice was beginning to rise from anxiety, “This is a war effort to rid the world of terrorist threats so that people can go about their daily lives in peace.”
“Adrian, don’t even waste your time trying to explain anything,” Cory interjected, disgusted and embarrassed beyond belief.
Adrian wasn’t finished yet. “Don’t forget that Trinidadian citizens also lost their lives in the World Trade Center. I cherished the opportunity to serve as a U.S. Marine under a United States of America-led war in Afghanistan. And if ever it’s required of me to serve my country in that capacity again, I’ll be more than honored to do it. Sir,” Adrian ended forcefully, ensuring Mr. Phillips got his point.
Everyone at the table again went completely silent. Cory looked back and forth at her father’s cold, now angry expression, then back at Adrian again. The silence was finally broken when Jonathan stood up from his seat, the chair scraping back against the tiled floor.
“Well, what can I say to that,” Jonathan began. “You were obviously there, young man, and I obviously wasn’t. So I stand corrected. Now, if you all will excuse me.” Jonathan then removed himself quietly from the room. As his short and stocky frame retreated, he left everyone a little more than stunned at the table.
“Adrian, I’m so sorry about this,” Cory began.
“Cory, it’s okay. I’m accustomed to this kind of stuff. I hear it all the time,” Adrian said. “Baby, please stop crying,” he pleaded with her as the tears started.
Christian was next to excuse himself from the table without saying anything other than good night to both of them.
“Adrian, I need to explain something to you. I should’ve told you this before. My dad doesn’t like the police … or soldiers … well, the entire military on the whole. Remember, I told you that I lost my brother?”
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