If It Ain't Broke

by Brenda Barrett

  That had hit below the belt and Chris had looked as if he wanted to strangle her, a look she was seeing more often these days. He had resisted responding and had valiantly carried on eating. She hadn't seen him for the rest of the day and the curiosity was eating her alive.

  When she arrived at the Donahue house it was with a sense of relief to Pinky that Marie had taken the baby from her and Camille had drawn her to the patio where everybody had gathered.

  It was a happy and relaxed atmosphere and Pinky couldn't help but realize that she was the odd man out. It literally pained her cheekbones to smile. When somebody dropped off Mark and he came onto the patio—with a look of lively curiosity on his face—she didn't even try to crack a smile.

  Was she going to be one of those wicked stepmother's? She asked herself honestly. She stood back as the family swooped down on him, giving him welcoming hugs and introducing themselves to him with teary-eyed fervor.

  Even Chris was in his element. He was relaxed and smiling and happy, but Pinky felt resentful and peevish. Mark ran inside with his cousins and didn't take long to get into playing with them. They had commandeered him and he was whooping and hollering at the top of his voice.

  Pinky realized that she was sitting a bit apart from everybody else. Apparently, they had read her keep off sign and nobody was bothering to trouble her. Harlan had made sure that her apple juice was kept topped up and the rest of the family was tiptoeing around her.

  "I would like to propose a toast," Hyacinth was knocking her glass. "This one is for God. He has been good to our family. I’m especially grateful to him that I have all my grandchildren here under the same roof."

  "Here, here." Everybody was clinking their glasses and acting all teary eyed.

  "I would like to propose a toast," Camille stood up, "to my only baby brother, who finally got it right. Better late than never."

  There was laughter and a spattering of talking.

  "Thank you Camille," Chris responded. "And I would like to say thank you to my beautiful wife who has given birth to my lovely daughter and for..."

  "Just shut up," Pinky said standing up, "you don't have anything to thank me for. I am nothing to you. You love Kelly Palmer; always have; always will. Couple months ago I heard you on the phone telling her just that. I am going to take my child away from here so that you can get on with your life."

  She looked at the shocked faces of the family members and then at Chris who was surveying her grimly.

  "You were eavesdropping on a conversation that you did not even hear correctly."

  "I heard," Pinky said, bristling. "'Oh Kelly, you were my first love.' Tell us, didn't you say that?"

  Chris put down his glass on the side table beside him abruptly.

  "Pinky, I can't remember what I said. We were discussing me getting access to Mark."

  "Mark the prodigal son!" Pinky said a sob in her voice. "You love everybody in this place except me. If it's not Mark, it's Brea, or your parents, or your ex-married-lover. I am so low on the totem pole I don't even register."

  Chris cleared his throat. "I don't think this is the time or the place."

  "Why? Because I ruined your little Prodigal Party?" Pinky looked around wildly, "where's my baby? I want my baby. I am getting out of here."

  Chris opened his mouth and then closed it.

  His mother was looking at Pinky in alarm. She reached her first because she had crumpled in the chair crying hysterically.

  Camille came and stood beside Chris, a look of concern in her eyes. "How long has this been going on?"

  "This was a mistake," Chris said sadly. "I shouldn't have married her. I have destroyed what's good in her. She's like a spoilt child."

  "You can't think that way." Marie was holding Brea and came to stand beside Chris. "She's just coming from a difficult pregnancy. She is probably feeling stressed and she is channeling all her anger onto you."

  Chris sighed. "How long is this going to last?"

  Marie shrugged. "At the clinic where I work the symptoms can last for up to a year. She needs someone to talk to."

  Camille looked over at Brea and smiled softly. "I think it's more than stress. That girl feels unloved by you, Chris. Make it right."

  "How else can I show that I love her?" Chris said in exasperation. "You guys are acting like I ill-treat her or something. I’m attentive and kind, but I get my hand bitten off like she's a rabid dog, and if I keep my distance she shouts at me and carries on."

  "So maybe you should tell her," Marie said.

  They watched as Hyacinth coaxed a sobbing Pinky into the house.

  "I doubt that will make a difference," Chris huffed. "I am just unlucky in love, that's all."

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Two weeks after the celebratory dinner where she acted like a shrew and embarrassed Chris and herself, Pinky was filing her nails absently. She was at the back of the house, a gentle breeze was blowing and the day felt quite pleasant.

  Maud was humming some tune or the other and Brea was gurgling, pumping her little legs in the air and sucking up the attention.

  Pinky had shocked herself into contrition. She had come home subdued and quiet. Chris hadn’t spoken to her since then. Deep down, she felt that it was over. No man wanted to be embarrassed in front of his family in such a manner.

  Chris hadn’t really looked her in the eyes since that evening. He had even moved out of the master suite and into the room down the hall where she had stayed when she had been working for him.

  The temperature in the house was below zero. He hadn't even made an attempt to speak to her. She was really hoping to apologize but feared that she would never get the chance. At least before the party he had made an effort to communicate with her. Now, there was only silence.

  She had well and truly turned him off.

  The feeling of hopelessness at the pit of her stomach was turning into a bigger knot everyday. She needed to do something with her time and not be so caught up in her failing relationship. She was thinking of going back into the lab. Maybe she could do some more of her cosmetic chemistry work. At least the world could benefit from her misery.

  She almost jumped, so deep was she in her thoughts, when the phone rang beside her head.

  "Hello," she answered gingerly.

  "Hey girl." It was Phoebe Hoppings. "I was planning a ‘girls only’ party. Tanya mentioned that you could be free today at around twelve. Tanya is playing hooky from work for the rest of the day."

  Pinky cleared her throat, "I think I'll pass."

  "Why?" Phoebe asked curiously.

  "Because..." Pinky searched for a good reason, she couldn't claim that she had no one to baby sit. She looked over at Maud who was so engrossed in entertaining Brea that she hadn't even looked up when the phone rang.

  "Because..." Phoebe said persuasively.

  "I am not good company right now," Pinky said.

  "I know," Phoebe laughed, "Tanya said you needed a pick me up."

  "Do you and Tanya discuss me?" Pinky asked horrified.

  "Of course," Phoebe replied breezily, "she is my best friend. Your brother is her boyfriend. Your name comes up fairly frequently and I must say we are a little concerned." her voice turned serious. "If you can't come today we are bringing the party to your house."

  "All right, I'll come," Pinky said morosely.

  "Twelve o'clock," Phoebe returned. "I'll tell the security to expect you."

  Pinky hung up the phone, the last thing she wanted now was a hen meeting, where they'd peck through her life and make her feel even worse than she was already feeling.

  *****

  She drove to Phoebe's. They were practically neighbors except that Ezekiel Hoppings owned such a large part of Bluff's Head that she had to drive seven minutes to get to the main gate. The security guard waved her through and she parked beside Tanya's car.

  "Welcome." Phoebe was at the front door. She gave her a hug and led her to a vast pool area. Tanya was already sitting arou
nd a table eating ravenously. Erica Wright was also there, sipping juice. She was the last person Pinky wanted to see, she was the sister of her husband's only love.

  She almost spun around but a smiling Phoebe kept a firm hand in the middle of her back and practically shoved her down into a chair at the table.

  All three women were looking at her with anticipation. Pinky stared at them mutinously.

  "Traitor," she spat at Tanya.

  Tanya wiped her mouth and belched. "Now what do you expect me to do, your brother is so concerned about you he is putting off singing gigs and sitting around depressed."

  "Well," Phoebe said looking at her earnestly, "I became concerned because Erica and Tanya are concerned and I always liked you."

  Erica continued sipping her juice slowly and then lowered her glass. "I am just here to tell you that you are a jackass."

  "I beg your pardon?" Pinky asked faintly.

  "You are a jackass," Erica said sweetly. "You have one of the most handsome men in Three Rivers going crazy over you. Phoebe here stalked him; my own sister had an affair with him at the first opportunity, but he married you. You had his baby. And everyday you get up looking miserable and uncared for. I have insider information," she said at Pinky's speaking look.

  "Caleb and Chris are close and Caleb is worried about him. Chris is at his wits end about how to reach you. And here you are acting like a drama queen and driving him crazy. I am on Chris' side. Team Chris all the way."

  "He is in love with your, sister," Pinky said a spark of hope igniting in her at Erica's frank speech.

  "Chris was never in love with Kelly," Erica said rolling her eyes. "He was in lust with her. Like a dog in heat he sniffed her out and she refused him as a mate. He has never gotten it into his thick skull that all of that petrified longing and Shakespearean drama was misguided. He has to come to that conclusion for himself. But when I heard that you are running around claiming that you are unloved, I just had to call you a jackass.

  "I was at your house, the night after Chris found out that you were going to pull through your illness. He was so happy he could burst. He gave up that ridiculous custody suit revenge strategy against Kelly that night. He had all but given up on seeing Mark." Erica shook her head. "Girl you are mental."

  "I was there that night too," Phoebe said. "He was like a changed man, when he said your name, I thought to myself that Chris has finally found peace."

  "I was there that night too," Tanya added earnestly, "Caleb did a mean chicken curry. I can still taste the delicate combination of pimento and scotch bonnet pepper."

  Erica and Phoebe giggled.

  "You are off script," Erica said still giggling, "and yes my husband is the best chef this side of Jamaica."

  Pinky looked from one of them to the other, she was slowly relaxing. They were a nice set of girls to hang out with, but she had to bring it back to the topic at hand. "Chris only wants Brea, not me."

  Phoebe snorted. "When Chris heard that the pregnancy could take your life, he only saw one choice. He told us afterward, that no pregnancy would separate him from his Pinky."

  "Really?" Tanya asked misty eyed.

  "Really?" Pinky echoed.

  "Yes something like that." Phoebe nodded and then confessed, "with a little embellishment." She looked skyward. "Please forgive me."

  Erica giggled again. "I smell chocolate."

  "Yes," Phoebe said, "I asked my chef, to make some chocolate desserts especially for you Erica."

  Erica nodded. "Good girl. I have trained you well."

  Pinky looked over at the buffet. "I guess I could eat something."

  "Okay," Phoebe said in relief, "help yourself."

  The three ladies watched silently, as she helped herself at the buffet.

  Erica whispered to Tanya. "Is Charles really that depressed over Pinky's situation?"

  Tanya smiled. "A bit, but I did embellish a little, just like Phoebe did."

  Phoebe rolled her eyes. "I can't believe I am intervening in Chris Donahue's love life. Why does a perfectly sane human being turn into an idiot over a woman?"

  "Didn't Ezekiel buy you an island last week?" Erica asked sarcastically.

  "That's because I’m pregnant," Phoebe said grinning. "Oops sorry...that announcement should have come after we sorted out Chris and Pinky."

  "Ah," Erica said smiling, "it doesn't matter when it comes. I am so happy for you."

  They were hugging and fussing over Phoebe when Pinky came back to the table.

  "What's going on?"

  "Phoebe is gonna be a Mommy," Erica said excitedly.

  "And I'll be right here in Three Rivers throughout the pregnancy," Phoebe said smugly. "I will call upon you guys a lot for advice. I am afraid to ask my Mom for advice. She will smother the living daylights out of me."

  Pinky smiled at Phoebe, "I wish for you a problem free time of it. Lord knows my pregnancy was hell."

  "Thanks Hun," Phoebe smiled at her.

  *****

  Chris came home in the middle of the day. Today was the day when he would hog tie Pinky to a chair and make her listen to him. He was tired of the two of them living like strangers. He was tired of the dogged fear that their marriage wouldn’t make it. He was tired of the cold war and today it was going to end, one way or the other.

  He stormed into the house.

  "Pinky! Pinky!" He bellowed. He ran upstairs. She was not there and the nursery was empty.

  So she had really gone with the baby. Panic seized him, and he ran downstairs almost tripping on the last step.

  He walked through the kitchen and found Maud at the back, rocking the baby.

  "Where's Pinky?" he asked, panic lacing his voice.

  "Off with her friends," Maud said.

  "Which friends?" Chris asked aggressively.

  "Er..."Maud scratched her head. The baby began to cry and she hushed her, all the while looking at Chris, who was frantically pacing.

  "Hoppings," Maud said finally.

  "I didn't know Pinky and Phoebe were friends," Chris asked, "are you sure you heard the name, Hoppings."

  "Yes," Maud said, "definitely Hoppings."

  Chris practically ran towards his car and spun out of his driveway. She made him so mad and tied up inside. He drove up at Ezekiel's gate in record time.

  "My wife is in there," he said to the security guard without any preamble, the security was used to seeing him anyway.

  "I know," the security said, "let me just alert Mrs. Hoppings that you are here."

  He called the house and in what felt like forever, Chris was finally let through the gate.

  Phoebe obviously hadn't told Pinky that he was coming because she had opened the door took one look at him and grinned widely.

  "Follow me," Phoebe said over her shoulder.

  He walked rapidly behind Phoebe and onto the patio area. Pinky was chatting around the table with Erica and Tanya. She looked almost normal again and animated like the Pinky he remembered.

  He walked up to the table; her back was turned to him. Phoebe had drawn a chair and had sat down hurriedly. She, Tanya and Erica were looking at him with bright curiosity in their eyes.

  "Pinky Donahue." He had a thunderous expression on his face.

  Pinky spun around, she had noticed that the girls were acting strangely. She gasped. "Is something wrong with Brea?"

  "No," Chris said, "listen to me. I don't love Kelly. I got over that a long time ago. I think I got over Kelly when I saw her in Cayman at Phoebe's wedding."

  Pinky's eyes widened.

  "I had a thing for one Pinky Black at that time, but I was too stubborn to admit it and too set in my ways to acknowledge it. I..." he ran his fingers through his overlong curls. His hazel eyes were bright with passion.

  "I love you and only you. I don't love you because you gave birth to Brea. I don't love you because of whatever insane reason you have concocted in your head. I love you because you are Pinky. The only woman who has ever dredged up so many
emotions in this one man." He took a deep breath. "Whenever, you are not around I feel like the whole world has lost its color. And whenever you are around I feel alive.

  “Yes I may have started to say something to Kelly over the phone but I was not going to tell her that I love her now, because I don't. I loved her first, yes and I may have had some problems with detaching myself from that whole experience but I don't love her now. I may not have any corny poems to write to you but the truth is, when I wrote those poems to Kelly I was young and giddy headed and idealistic. My life is now so much richer because you are in it, even though you drive me crazy sometimes, I enjoy every single moment with you, even your cranky ones.

  Tears were running unchecked down Pinky's cheeks.

  "Oh Chris, that's all I have ever wanted to hear." Pinky got up and hugged him tightly. "And I am so sorry for the other evening at your parent's house."

  Chris kissed her soundly. "You are forgiven."

  He arched one eyebrow and looked over her head at the other women who were sitting around the table grinning.

  "Was this an intervention?"

  "Yup," Erica said nodding. "We took it upon ourselves to intervene in Chris Donahue's love life."

  "Well, er, thank you," he grinned, "but next time keep out of my love life. And with my very highly-strung wife there'll be a next time, I am sure."

  They all three nodded enthusiastically.

  Pinky hugged him even tighter and he grinned.

  Epilogue

  Three Rivers Summer Church Bulletin (Week One)

  Our very own beloved elder Chris Donahue was re-baptized. His baptism comes after frequent visitations to the church with his beautiful wife, Petrina, and lovely daughter, Brea.

  According to elder Chris, he had privately sinned but with public results so he needed to make an outward recommitment to God to let others see the seriousness of his intentions.