by Elle Limpkin
Listening to the impromptu plan, Eda feared that Polly’s made-up persona was too close to reality. If her actual plan was to get revenge by hooking up with this Michael fellow, Eda planned to make sure it would never happen.
Despite her fears, Eda had to admit Polly’s plan was better than hers, foreseeing possible problems in a way uncharacteristic to her old friend. Her concern was that Michael wouldn’t take the bait. That much time spent with so many women must have made him aware of possible cons.
Before accepting, Eda wanted to make sure she wouldn’t widen the depth of the hole into which her friend had fallen.
“You’re not thinking of sleeping with him, are you?”
Polly frowned. “What if I am?”
“Polly!”
“What? Joe and I are done. I can’t go back to that life.”
“You’ve been together for over fifteen years. Surely, you can--”
“We’ve been together too long.” Polly’s voice was calm.
Eda would’ve preferred her shouts, because it would’ve meant that she was reacting emotionally. But this calmness terrified her. “You need to think this through. Once you take this step, there’s no going back. Not only your life but the lives of your children will be changed forever. You think the change will be for the best, but you have no way of knowing that. Promise me you won't escalate things before you are one hundred percent sure you know what you’re doing.”
The time spent until Polly finally answered seemed an eternity. “Fine. I promise.”
With the disaster temporarily averted, Eda focused on the task at hand. “I will need a really good photo of you.”
Loyalty
The call Eda feared came the next day while she was at the office. Her team’s aisle bathed in laughter and good conversations, despite the high workload Matilda had poured on their lap at a moment’s notice, leaving the team in the dark about the fact that Eda was responsible for this change.
At the sight of the caller ID, she jumped in her chair, under At’s curious scrutiny. She hovered over the red button, weighing her options when she realized she couldn’t do the same thing she accused Polly of doing. With this thought in mind, she answered the call.
Joe’s feeble attempts at small talk and pleasantries gave her time to retreat into an empty conference room for privacy.
“Did you talk to Polly lately?”
The direct question gave Eda little room to breathe. She would’ve preferred giving an answer that was true and had the benefit of not betraying Polly’s trust either. If this answer existed, it escaped her.
“I can’t answer that,” she said, knowing full well that Joe would take that as confirmation.
“She’s with you, isn’t she? I knew it!”
“I didn’t say that,” Eda protested, hanging to a soft thread of hope she could still get out of it unhinged.
Joe’s voice was shaking, almost ready to burst into cry. “Is she with you?” A brief pause. “I need to know she’s fine. I’ve been worried sick. I’m trying to give hope to the kids, but I’m out of it myself.”
The reason why so many men disregarded their spouses but went straight into panic and depression as soon as their wives left was too hard to grasp, but judging by how many times Eda had seen this happening, it had to be a trend.
Joe hadn’t finished. “I want her back! Please tell me it’s not too late for that.”
Since Polly was going on a date with a womanizer that very night, this was another question she didn’t want to answer. “I can’t say that either. You know how Polly gets when she’s mad. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have to try to get her back. If you love her, show it. Let her hope that her life with you will be different this time around.”
Eda stopped speaking, realizing she’d said too much. I’m so sorry, Polly, she shouted in her mind.
“I don’t know how to do that,” Joe confessed.
“You need to find out.”
∞∞∞
A few hours before the big date, they fully realized that not only Polly’s profile had to be that of a rich woman but her attire too. Neither Polly nor Eda had clothes that screamed rich and available. Given the urgency, there was one person that could help. Talia was more than willing to share her wardrobe, but finding something that fit Polly was a different question.
“Your shoulders are too wide,” Thalia said while Polly was trying on a short silver dress.
“I think yours are too narrow,” the predictable protest came.
Luckily, Talia’s wardrobe was rich enough to accommodate everyone’s taste. After the make-over, Polly’s transformation was so complete that even Joe wouldn’t have recognized her.
“You look beautiful!” Eda exclaimed.
“I do, don’t I?” With a smile as big as the world, Polly glanced through the restaurant windows in excitement, as if she were going on a date with the man of her dreams...or maybe she was charmed by the lit green tables with wooden plates on top. “Have you ever been to a place like this?”
“No,” Eda answered.
“What have you been doing in New York?”
“Not going to luxury restaurants, that’s for sure. It is way out of my price range or of any man I’ve dated since I came here.”
“I didn’t know you dated anyone since you came.”
“I’m not a nun...”
“I should go in,” Polly said.
“Is he here?” Eda glued her forehead to the glass to capture more of the interior.
“I haven’t seen him.”
“Then you can’t go in yet. You have to be a little late, or you’ll seem desperate.”
Polly’s fiery red-colored lips formed a sly smile. “Sweetie, if you read our messages, you wouldn’t worry about that. He already thinks I’m desperate, which was the point, I guess.”
“I still don’t understand why you wouldn’t let me read your correspondence.”
“Because I don’t want you to be embarrassed or blush every time you see one of us.”
Polly went into the restaurant as soon as Johan arrived, looking as if he just got out of bed, with a 3-days beard and bags under his eyes.
“Are we ready?” he asked.
They waited a few minutes after Polly went inside, then followed. Eda was about to discover that eating while spying on her dear married friend flirting with a career womanizer was more than her stomach could take. That was her one chance to break bread with the rich, but the only chew she attempted from the well-cooked stake stopped in the middle of her throat and could only be compelled to move down with a full glass of water.
“You don’t like it?” Johan asked.
“I can’t eat.” She glanced at his ribs, still untouched. “It seems you can’t either.”
Johan put the fork back on the plate as a response.
“This can’t be easy for you,” Eda insisted. “This is the man Clara cheated on you with. Weirdly, she did it because she loved you.”
The lines on his forehead deepened. “First of all, we weren’t married when she slept with him. Second of all, you can’t say that what Clara did was out of love. She wanted me for some reason and was willing to do anything to have me. That’s not love. It’s selfishness. The opposite of love isn’t hate, is selfishness.” Johan took a deep breath before continuing. “Someone who truly loves always puts the other person’s needs above their own. They don’t lie. If I love a woman, I want her to be with me because she wants to, not because I force her through the circumstances I create.”
“I’m sorry,” Eda mouthed. “I didn’t mean to--”
“You know, forcing love on someone never works. My marriage had its fair share of problems. In the end, JP was the only reason we were still together when she died.”
Eda refilled her glass with water, looking for a way to change the subject that seemed to push him over the edge. “How is JP?” As soon as the question flew off her lips, she worried it would make his mood even worse.
�
�He came to my room early morning. Asked if he can skip kindergarten. He knows something is wrong but can’t understand what. I’ve been trying to let him live a normal life as much as possible, do the things boys his age do. But he sees the difference. It’s like his power is fading.”
“Did he ask about his illness?”
“He--”
Movement at Polly’s table broke the conversation short. It sure didn’t take them a lot of time before they decided to continue in the bedroom.
Eda and Johan waited for a few moments, then followed. He pressed the call button as soon as the elevator began to ascend and kept pressing it at constant intervals when it refused to come down.
“It’s taking too long,” Eda said.
Johan studied her intently, with the finger stuck on the call button. “Are you worried about what might happen if we delay? Your friend seemed to enjoy his company.”
“It was nothing but a persona she took on,” Eda protested.
The elevator doors slid open, saving her from continuing this troubling conversation. As soon as they reached the third floor, Johan raced to the sparkling white door, focusing his gaze on the gold digits—324. The Do not disturb sign was on, but he pulled it violently and threw it on the floor before knocking.
For a few moments, only cracks and pops came from behind the closed door, after which a tenor male voice asked, “Did you order room service?”
There was no answer they could hear. Johan raised his hand to knock again when the door opened.
Polly looked way too ravished for the few minutes they had before being interrupted. With messy hair falling on her face, but not enough to hide her red lipstick spread around her mouth, she moved aside to let them into the room.
“Who the hell are you?” Michael asked, without bothering to get up from the bed or button his shirt.
Polly picked up the black purse from the floor. “I believe my job is done,” she mouthed before storming out.
The sound of the door slamming against the frame was enough for Michael to throb and bounce on his feet. “I asked you a question.”
“I believe you and my wife had sex about six years ago,” Johan said abruptly.
Michael huffed. “Am I supposed to remember who I had sex with six years ago? And what if I did anyway? What kind of a whaco are you to come searching for me after all these years?”
“You don’t have to remember,” Johan said calmly, with both his fists clenched tightly. “Clara got pregnant that night, and I need to know who the father is. You’re my main suspect.”
Michael scrutinized Eda from head to toe. “I’m sure I’d remember sleeping with you, sugar.”
“Really?” Eda asked. “Is that all you can come up with?”
Johan seized Eda’s arm and increased the distance between her and Michael. “She’s not my wife.”
Michael picked up his jacket from the floor. “Clara, eh? I don’t remember any Clara. Sorry, you got the wrong guy.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Why don’t you ask her anyway?”
“She’s dead.”
“I wish I could help,” Michael said with obvious insincerity, “but I don’t remember. So, if you don’t mind...”
Johan put a stop to his swift departure. “We’re not done,” he threatened.
Michael engaged him in an eye confrontation. “And what are you going to do to stop me?”
“As I was saying, Clara got pregnant,” Johan said, barely moving his lips. “She gave birth to a son, JP. He’s sick now; he needs a bone marrow transplant. From his biological father.”
The mercy Eda expected to see on Michael’s face failed to appear. Instead, he was as inexpressive as always. “I don’t think I am his father. I’m careful about these things.”
“You are his father!” Eda exclaimed.
Michael glanced at her before turning his attention back at Johan. “You’d want that, wouldn’t you? Throw that kid on my lap! There’s no way I’m going to raise your wife’s progeny.”
“Is that what you’re afraid of?” Johan asked in a tone that threatened all his self-control was about to dissipate. “I’d never let my son live with someone like you. All I want is your bone marrow.”
“I decline,” Michael said. The situation seemed to amuse him more than anything else. “Move out of my way!”
“Not until you give me what I want,” Johan said.
Michael neared even further. “Move aside now, or your nose will bleed.”
Johan looked up for a few moments, nodding. “You know what? That’s a brilliant idea.”
Johan swung his right fist clenched in a ball of fire and hit Michael in the face. Michael lost his balance and danced chaotically around the room, ending up on the floor. He supported his back against the bed.
“You piece of--!” he shouted.
Regaining his previous composure, Johan used a napkin to gather some of the blood coming out of Michael’s nose and lip.
“You broke my nose!”
“You should thank him,” Eda said, now fully recovered from the shock. “Chicks dig it.”
Michael calmed slightly. “You’ll pay for this.”
“I can’t wait,” Johan taunted, following Eda to the door. “I’ll use this for a DNA test. Be sure I’ll be in touch if it proves you’re JP’s father.”
The victim rose again on his two feet. “JP is a stupid name.” He tapped his nose with his shirt sleeve. “How did you find me anyway?”
Johan laughed nervously. “I won’t tell you that. What, am I an idiot? I may need to find you again.”
“Tell that chick she doesn’t know what she passed on,” Michael shouted behind them.
Eda closed the door, a heavy weight lifting off her shoulders as soon as she was at a safe distance from Michael. “At least you don’t have to worry anymore that he’ll want to take JP from you,” Eda said while waiting for the elevator.
Johan’s scowl melted into uncontrollable laughter. “Yes, I suppose you’re right.”
After the due goodbyes, Johan retreated into his SUV, Eda tracking him with her gaze until he was out of sight. She could sense a new argument with Polly was about to start as soon as she got into her car. Should Eda ignore the fact that her dear friend crossed the line in her efforts to attract Michael into the room? In her place, Eda was sure she would’ve stopped much sooner.
Whether she decided to voice her opinion was irrelevant in the long term. Over the years, she’d concluded that Polly instinctively did the opposite of what people told her. Perhaps it was best to say nothing.
Holding on to that idea, Eda took the driver’s seat. Only after she’d turned on the engine and her car moved slowly out of the parking lot did she notice Polly’s red, swallowed eyes.
In the Dark
“What’s wrong?” Eda asked.
This simple question sprung new tears from Polly’s chocolate eyes. “I kissed him,” she spat with disgust. “I had to let him touch me.” At this, she wrapped her arms tightly around her body. “I never thought how sick that would make me feel.”
“Honey, you didn’t have to go so far,” Eda said, her eyes on the road.
“I did. When Michael was busy with my boobs, I took a peek at his driving license.”
“You did?”
“Well, I figured we wouldn’t be able to use the same ruse if we have to talk to him again. Now we don’t have to. His full name is Michael Reid, and he lives in the suburbs. I have his full address.”
“I wish you didn’t have to go through what you did to get this information,” Eda said.
“Part of me was curious about being with another man. Turns out it grosses me out. I’ve been with Joe since I was 19! He was the focus of my life for all these years. How could he do that to me?” Her soft cry turned into full-blown whelping. “How could he prefer a cold image on a tiny computer screen over me?”
Eda opened her mouth to answer but realized she had no explanation. “I think you should
ask him that.”
“I don’t want to.”
“You need to talk to him, Polly.”
“Talking won’t solve our problems.”
“Not completely, but it’s a start,” Eda argued. “You said before that you hurt because he wouldn’t talk to you. Now you’re doing the same thing. You need to get together and talk things through.”
“I don’t need you to tell me what to do!” Polly exploded. “You’re my friend; I need you to listen when I’m ranting nonsense! I can’t talk to him. I can’t even think about him without seeing that plastic woman naked on the screen.”
If that was all friendship required, even a monkey could be a best friend. Eda had loftier ideas about friendship, but, in this particular case, she wanted to slap herself for doing the opposite of what she’d intended by telling Polly what to do.
She tried to be nothing but an ear to listen and a shoulder to cry on the rest of the way home. Her efforts weren’t in vain. By the time they got into her building, Polly was much calmer.
“All I want right now is to crawl up in bed with a bottle of wine,” she said as they were climbing to the second floor.
The elevator doors opened, revealing the entire floor in complete darkness.
“Whoa!” Polly exclaimed.
“The lights should’ve turned on automatically,” Eda said to herself.
The lights remained off even after they took a few steps into the hallway. The elevator doors closed, the entire area immersing in complete darkness.
“I can’t find my phone,” Polly said.
“There’s no need. My door is only a few steps away.”
“Are you sure we won’t bump into anything?”
She had been, but Polly’s question threw all the certainty away. Now with every step, she imagined snakes and all kinds of creatures from her fantasy books lurking in the dark. “Hang on to me.”
Eda had to make use of all her willpower to keep her cool when Polly touched her body at random, ending up with a hand on her shoulder. It took them one hundred times longer than usual to reach the door, by Eda’s estimations. The tips of her fingers felt through the lock and inserted the key. Just when she worried that she somehow ended up at a neighbor’s door, the key twisted, and the door opened.