by Tiara Bosh
She looked, and Keith felt like he got the wind knocked out of him when she faced him. Since when has she been back in New York?
Her eyes grew wide and her lips formed a rueful smile. Eunice Daly was still as beautiful. She now sported shorter hair, but it was still the same Eunice with her vivid eyes and slight dimple. She was also dressed simply in their university sweater over leggings.
“Since when have you been back?” he asked. He had this impulse to envelop her into a hug, but it’s been eight years since he last saw her, and they haven’t communicated since then.
“Last month,” she said.
Keith couldn’t help but feel hurt that she didn’t even think of calling him. But then again, it was also Eunice who stopped their correspondence those years ago.
He just nodded.
“Where are you staying?”
“Corner of Twenty-first and Sixth,” she said.
“Have you had dinner?” he tried.
She nodded.
“Let’s go for drinks then so we can catch up,” he said, almost like a plead.
It took a while before Eunice nodded slowly. It was evident to Ben she was probably having second thoughts but she already agreed – that was good enough for him.
“I’ll wait till you’re done with your shopping,” he said.
She nodded, looking back at the cereal box she was checking earlier.
Not wanting to bother her, Ben forced himself to check out other items at the area. But he couldn’t concentrate, finding himself look back at her. It hasn’t totally sunk in yet that’s he’s seen her again after all these years. Waiting for her to finish her grocery shopping to talk to her again was nothing.
It was around five minutes until Eunice announced she was done.
They walked to the cashiers. There were people lined up, so Ben just followed Eunice to the same cashier.
While waiting for their turns, Ben had a million questions to ask, but he didn’t want to start with these strangers around them. He waited ten minutes more until they were walking out of Whole Foods. He carried both his and her shopping bags, after a short awkward battle with her.
“There’s a pub just down the road,” he said.
Eunice nodded then they made their way quietly. They’ve only taken a few steps when Eunice stopped and said, “I’m so sorry, Ben.” Her voice was trembling, and Ben immediately stopped on his tracks.
“I hurt you, Ben, yet you’re being so kind to me,” she said frankly, shakily.
Ben felt the hurt again, but he just sighed and looked down. “I’m sure you have a good reason for what you did.”
“Oh Ben…”
“Let’s talk about it, okay?” Ben said. He just wanted to hear her explanation.
Eunice nodded.
They started walking again, and they both remained quiet. Ben kept glancing at Eunice – with a mixture of nostalgia and hurt.
They reached the pub, and Ben led her to a booth that was a bit isolated. Ben waited for Eunice slide into one of the benches before he placed the paper bags on the other one and sat down.
Ben gazed at the bar list then looked up. “What are you having?”
“I’ll just have a gin and tonic.”
Ben nodded, and called the waiter. “A gin and tonic and scotch on the rocks please.”
When the waiter left, Ben turned to Eunice.
The questions came back all over again but he didn’t want to press her. Somehow asking her how she was didn’t seem right though.
All he could do was wait for her.
He watched as she played with a piece of bar napkin, tearing them little by little.
It was around five minutes later – felt like a lifetime – until she cleared her throat.
“My parents never knew we were together during college,” she started.
Ben felt like he’d been punched in the gut. They were together for three years. Eunice’s family was from Washington, and she never asked him to come home with her during spring and summer breaks. He suddenly felt stupid.
The waiter came right then to bring them their drinks.
Ben took a swig of his as soon as his glass was in front of him.
Eunice drank too before she continued speaking.
“I tried to tell you so many times. I also tried to tell them so many times. I was too scared. I made a mess of it all,” she rambled.
Ben tried to remember if his memory of Eunice was someone who was weak. Then suddenly he remembered bits and pieces of memories with her that showed how dependent she was to him then.
“What would they have had against me? That I was poor?” Ben had to ask. Eunice came from a wealthy family of politicians and oil magnates.
Eunice kept quiet, giving Ben his answer.
“I’m getting married in two weeks,” she said suddenly.
Ben instinctively looked down at her hand where a large diamond ring could be found. He guessed it was more than three carats, making him wonder how he could have missed seeing it earlier.
He couldn’t even offer his congratulations. He felt like he’s been robbed of his speech. He was in shock because all these things she was telling him.
“He’s the son of the state senator,” she continued after a while. “My parents practically had me engaged to him since I turned eighteen.”
Hearing those words suddenly angered Ben. They’ve been together all those years for nothing. She didn’t try to fight for him. He was just a college fling for her. And all those years after she left, he wondered about her and wondered what he did. He went after her, he tried calling her and emailing her. She didn’t face him or respond. She just prolonged his agony. He could have found out the truth earlier on and have just given up.
He took his glass and took a large gulp.
“I’m so sorry, Ben, for everything,” she said, slightly shaking and tearing up. “For what it’s worth, I loved you.”
But not enough, he thought, taking another swig.
Eunice scrambled for her purse, trying to look for her wallet.
“Forget it,” Ben bit out. He turned to retrieve Eunice’s grocery bag. He stood up, and passed it to her as she stood up as well.
“I’m so sorry,” she repeated, crying.
Somehow Ben has forgotten how to be a gentleman since she started talking. He felt like he was being stabbed from all directions.
Eunice quickly walked out of the bar, catching the attention of some customers. They turned to look at Ben, but he didn’t mind them. He sat back down and drank the rest of the scotch in his glass. Knowing it wasn’t enough, he got the attention of the waiter.
He raised his glass as the waiter approached. “I’ll have a double,” he said.
One just wasn’t enough to erase those three years with Eunice.
Chapter 18
Ben
Ben had a migraine the next morning, but he had to go to the RHS office. He needed some files from his desk before a meeting he had set in half an hour.
And the migraine seemed minor compared to the other shit he was feeling.
He still had his sunglasses on as he walked up the stairs. He just nodded at Will at the reception then at Miranda at her desk before entering his office. He still wasn’t in the mood for anything. He would have to put up a front for his meetings that day.
He first checked his tray for mail. With only ten minutes to spare before he had to leave for his meeting, he just scanned through the envelopes and documents, selecting those that seemed important.
While reading some emails, he got a text message from Alex that he and was at the hotel already where they were going to have the meeting. They were meeting a possible director for the film they were producing.
He had to leave.
He was just standing up when he heard a knock on his door.
“Hey Ben, do you have time?” Liz said, peeking in as she partially opened his door. “Henry told me to run by you the final plans for the fund-raising event next week.”
But as soon as the words left his mouth, Ben already regretted them.
And when he saw her face shift from surprise to hurt, Ben knew he was being a humongous ass.
"Liz –“ he called, but she had already left and closed the door behind her.
“Fuck!” he exclaimed. He already had to leave for his meeting.
He gathered the files he needed, then walked out of his office. He tried to ignore Miranda’s curious and worried look on her face.
He peeked to try to see if Liz was at her desk but she wasn’t. He didn’t have time to look for her, so he decided to leave.
He didn’t know how he managed to drive with the distraction of his guilt. The pained look on Liz’s face kept on flashing in his mind. He knew she didn’t deserve the words he said. He knew now she wasn’t like Eunice.
He thought of calling or texting Liz, but he felt she deserved something more than that.
As soon as he reached the hotel where they were going to have the meeting, Ben got out of his car to have the valet take care of it.
Getting his stub, he walked to the hotel lounge where he would be meeting Alex and Frank Marshall, the director. He found Alex and Frank chatting already at one of the tables with glasses of what seemed like scotch.
“Frank,” Ben greeted, extending his hand.
“Benjamin,” Frank greeted back. Frank Marshall was an esteemed director known for some war movies and some action franchises. Alex had already worked with him in a movie before and they had good rapport.
“Thank you for meeting with us,” Ben said.
“Of course,” Frank said. “The script you sent me was fantastic.”
Frank started talking about his ideas for the movie. Ben tried to concentrate, really, but his mind was all messed up. He was thinking how he was going to apologize to Liz.
The meeting finally ended with very little input from Ben. Ben knew anyway that it was Alex who would have more of a say on the director they will be getting since Alex was more familiar with the technicalities of filming a movie.
The three of them stood up; Frank shook both their hands. When Frank left, Alex turned to Ben.
“What’s up with you, man?” Alex asked. He wasn’t mad; just curious. “I’m not sure where your head was. And you kinda look like shit.”
“I feel like shit,” Ben admitted.
“What happened?”
“Eunice is in town,” Ben said, sitting back down on the seat he occupied earlier.
“Oh boy,” Alex said, sitting as well, quickly understanding Ben’s situation.
“I fucking gave her the benefit of the doubt, thinking she had a good reason why she suddenly disappeared and not face me when I went after her,” Ben continued, shaking. He rested his forearms on his knees and rubbed the side of his head with his palm. “But she’s been playing me all along – all those fucking years.”
“So what was her reason?” Alex asked.
“Apparently her parents expected her to marry the senator’s son since before she met me,” Ben said.
“Fuck,” Alex muttered. “And she never told you that. She didn’t even give you a chance to fight for her.”
“Well that shows how she really felt for me,” Ben sniggered.
“She wouldn’t have stayed with you for that long if she didn’t feel anything for you,” Alex reasoned.
“She’s fucking selfish,” Ben exclaimed.
“That she is, my friend,” Alex agreed. “It’s time for you to move on.”
Ben nodded. “Yeah, and I have something to fix.”
* * *
Ben had a couple more meetings after that – he didn’t know how he survived it. It was already seven in the evening by the time he was done.
He drove back to the office, knowing it would be empty by then – Alex and he were advocates of a good work-life balance. And of course, they were very grateful to the employees for working with the foundation despite the low salaries.
And right he was. When he went up to the office, the lights were off. He had to bring out his keys to open the door.
He headed to Miranda’s desk – he knew where she kept the files for the employees and he had a key for it too. He thumbed through the folders until he found Liz’s name.
He opened it and quickly looked for her address. The one he founded coincided with the street in Murray Hill where he dropped her off. At least now he knew her unit number.
He put the file back into place, taking out his phone from his pocket. As he made his way back to his car, he quickly searched for a florist that would be on his way home. He found one that was just walking distance from his place.
As he entered the flower shop half an hour later, he was greeted by a young girl who was probably still in high school or college.
“How can I help you?” she said, sleepily. He couldn’t help but think she looked like a girl who would work part-time at a tattoo parlor than in a flower shop.
Ben looked around, overwhelmed with the various kinds of flowers in pails and in their chillers. It’s been a while since he actually bought flowers for anyone.
Ben cleared his throat. “Hi, do you have a list of the flower meanings?”
“We have here in our computer,” she said. “What message did you want conveyed?”
“Uh, I want to say sorry,” Ben said.
The girl looked at him with a raised eyebrow, probably thinking he was some douchebag.
Well today he was one.
The girl bent down to check their database.
“It’s gotta be white tulips,” she declared.
“Okay, I’ll get a dozen,” he said. “Do you do rush deliveries? Like tonight?”
“You totally did a number on her huh,” the girl didn’t resist saying.
Ben was taken aback. He wondered if the store owner knew his employee spoke to customers that way.
But with the guilt he was still feeling, he let it pass.
“It will be an extra thirty dollars for the rush delivery. If she’s from New York, she can get them within two hours.”
Ben looked at his watch to see it was a little after eight. He guessed she would be home.
“Can I add an extra ten dollars so that it gets to her in an hour?”
The teenage looked at him gravely. She was also probably wondering why he wouldn’t bring it himself.
If only it was that simple.
“Fine,” she said. “My shift ends in ten minutes. I’ll bring it myself so she can get it in an hour. Don’t tell my boss I’m keeping the forty though.”
“Fine, sure, that would be great,” he said, relieved.
She gave him the total. He gave her the bills. He watched as she put the cost of the flowers in the cash register and pocketed the forty dollars.
“Here’s the card for you to write on,” she said. “Then here’s the form for her address.”
Ben filled out the form first since it was easier. When he got to the card, he tried to think what he should say. There was a lot he wanted to, but at the end, he just needed to communicate what was most important first.
He simply signed the card with an “I’m sorry” and his name.
“Here you go,” he said. “Make sure she gets them tonight okay? If you can personally hand it to her.”
“Yes, fine,” the girl said. She handed him the receipt.
“Thank you,” he said, turning to exit the shop.
“Whatever you did, don’t ever do it again!” she called after him.
He definitely wasn’t.
Chapter 19
Liz
“Are you sure you won’t get in trouble that I’m using this dress?” Liz asked, as Brian zipped her up.
It was the night of the fund-raising dinner and Brian was with Liz in her bedroom, getting ready. Emily was with Philip in Atlanta for a convention Philip was attending. Both
Brian and Liz were so excited that Philip asked Emily to join him and that Emily agreed!
Brian was able to lend her an Alice + Elizabeth dress. It was gorgeous. It was a sleeveless floral-print maxi dress with a semi-deep V-neckline and an A-line skirt that swept the floor. It was black but with a bold floral print of red, yellow and white. It was simple yet still elegant – it should be just right for the fund-raising event. Brian actually brought two dresses, but they both voted on what she was wearing.
“People always pull-out dresses from the store,” Brian said. “I’ll take care of it. I just want you to look gorgeous when Ben sees you.”
They both looked at the vase where Liz placed the tulips from Ben.
Liz could still feel the sting from Ben’s words that Tuesday morning. His words told her why he treated her that way when she first started with RHS. She didn’t know what he had against her parents’ money.
She already thought they were okay, then his words sliced through her heart.
It was the evening he blew up at her, and Liz was consoling herself with a glass of red wine and a new book she bought. She was distracted by the buzzer.
“Yeah?” she said into the intercom.
“Flower delivery for Ms. Elizabeth Hatton,” a young girl’s voice said.
Liz raked through the people she knew, who could possibly send the flowers. She wondered if it was Jack, trying to get back with her. But he already stopped contacting her a couple weeks after she broke up with him, when he finally realized that Liz has given up on him.
Liz pressed the button. “Hold on, I’ll go down.”
She was in leggings and a cotton shirt so she just wore her sneakers and jogged down the stairs. When she opened the apartment building’s door, she found a teenage girl carrying a bunch of tulips nicely wrapped in paper and plastic.
“Please sign this first,” the girl said, handing her a form.
Liz quickly signed then handed it back to the girl. The girl passed the bouquet to her. As soon as the flowers were with her, Liz expected the girl to leave immediately but the girl just stayed there.
“The guy who got the flowers – looked like he screwed up big time. Don’t worry, I told him off. But for what it’s worth, he looked really sorry. Maybe he deserves another chance, huh?” She then turned and walked away.