Among the Ducklings (21 page)

“What did
Isabel tell you?” Phil asked.

“Nothing,
and that's why I'm asking you,” Marcia said.

“Isabel
told me this Saturday that she didn't love me and that she was marrying
Richard.”

“What did
you say?”

“She hung
up before I got a chance to say anything,” Phil replied.

“What are
you going to do about it?”

“Me?
Nothing.
 
I'm tired of
being told that she loves Richard and doesn't love me, for that matter.
 
In any event, I've given up and moved on.”

“So you
decided to give up so easily?”

“I don't
have a choice.
 
By the way, did you
respond to my Facebook request to join the alumni group?” Phil asked, trying to
change the subject.

“I did,”
Marcia replied. “I think both of you are making a mistake. Are you coming back
Friday?” Marcia asked.

“Yes,
but I'm coming late and it'd be too late to come to therapy.”

“No it's
not about that.
 
We're having a reception
in my condo in Key Biscayne on Saturday evening.
 
It's a fundraiser that our church is doing to
raise money for an orphanage in Guatemala. We'd be glad to have you.”

“Do I need
to bring my checkbook too?” joked Phil.

“Definitely,”
Marcia replied with a laugh.

“Saturday
is free.
 
We'll be there,” Phil replied,
as he jotted down the address of Marcia's house.

“See you on
Saturday,” Marcia said, missing Phil's reference to the word “we”

“See you on
Saturday,” Phil replied, and then added, “Don't worry about Isabel and
myself
. I wished things were different between us, but
they’re not, and it's too late anyway,” Phil said and hung up.

##

"Yes
Isabel, it's too late.
 
I have won,"
Stacy said to herself.
 
She was hiding
behind the kitchen door listening to Phil's conversation with Marcia.

##

When
Richard's plane landed the day before, he drove straight to Isabel's house.
 
Isabel was sitting by the kitchen table
reading the tabloid magazine, when Richard came in.

“You don't
believe in those tabloid stories, do you?” Richard asked dismissively.

“I'm glad
to see you too,” Isabel said, ignoring Richard's comment.

“Actually,
I'm very happy to see you.
 
I can
understand how hard it's been for you during the past few days,” Richard said.

“Do you?”

“Yes, and I
promise to make it up to you.”

“I'm glad
you've found some help for your company. Maybe you'll be able to stay in Miami
more often,” Isabel said.

“Me too,”
he replied. “What do you say if we get married in seven months?”

“What?
 
Why seven months?”
Isabel asked.

“That would
be the best time for me to be able to get away from my construction projects,”
Richard lied.
 
Isabel accepted, not
knowing that Richard was giving himself enough time to collect part of his
wife's inheritance before getting a divorce.

##

After
Richard's departure, Isabel called her aunt to tell her the news.

“You're
getting married in seven months?”

“Yes. We've
chosen the day and all that is left to do is work out the arrangements with the
church to make sure the date is available.”

“Don't you
think you're rushing into it?” Marcia had asked.

“Tia
Marcia, we've been engaged for years. It's about time.”

“So
why seven months?”

“Because
Richard has some projects to finish.”

“Is that
what you want?”

“Yes. It
has been too long already.”

“Well then,
do me a favor," Marcia said,
 "
ask him what he
does when he is in Orlando.”

“I know
what he does there,” Isabel responded.

“I saw him
a couple of months ago with a blond woman in a Brazilian restaurant in Orlando,
and I just wanted to know who she was.”

“Tia
Marcia, Richard is a professional and I’m sure he has both male and female
clients.”

Isabel's
last statement and blind devotion to Richard had caused Marcia to snap. “Why
are you being so stubborn, refusing to listen to what I'm telling you about
Richard?”

“Tia Marcia,”
Isabel had interrupted her, with a pain in her voice, “why are you doing this?”

“All I'm
asking is for you to at least ask Richard about the woman who was in the
Brazilian restaurant with him that night.
 
It didn't feel right.”

“OK.
 
I'll ask him.”

“Good, at
least you will know.”

“I'm sure
it's nothing, Isabel said as they hung up. She wasn't the jealous type, but her
aunt had aroused her curiosity. She would ask
Richard about the woman when she saw him the next day.

##

The next
day, when Isabel called Richard to ask that he come to her house, Isabel didn't
know that Richard was having a very bad afternoon.
 
He lived in a three-bedroom rental house in
Coconut Grove.
 
A few minutes before
Isabel called him, he heard a knock on his front door.
 
When he opened the door, to his horror, he
was looking at a smiling Kristin holding the baby.
 
Standing next to Kristin, was his mother with
a grin on her face.

“Your mom
made me promise not to tell you about the surprise,” Kristin said.

“Wow, what
a nice surprise,” Richard said. Richard had always made Kristin believe that he
was staying in Miami for construction projects, but he never believed that
Kristin would come down because Kristin always told him how she hated Miami and
the traffic.

“We just
wanted to be here with you for a couple of weeks. We know you're busy with your
construction projects down here, but at least you get to see your daughter
every day when you come back from work, plus you don't have to keep flying to
Orlando almost every week,” said Kristin with a satisfied look on her face.

“Everything
will be OK,” Richard's mother promised.
 
“We won't be in your way.”

“The cab
driver gave their luggage to Richard, who carried it in.”

“Who is
that?” Kristin asked.

“Who?”
Richard asked.

“That
woman that you're hugging in this picture?”
Kristin said, pointing to a framed picture
of Richard and Isabel together at some kind of party.

   
Damn!
Richard hadn't had a chance to hide Isabel's picture. “Huh, she is just a
friend of mine,” Richard replied, hoping that Kristin would believe it. For one
second, Kristin remained silent.
 
She
calmly carried the baby to another one of the bedrooms and then returned to the
kitchen.
 
Richard's mother also looked at
the picture, and then turned to Richard, her eyes asking for an explanation. It
was at that moment that Richard's Miami cell phone rang.
 
Richard had left it on the kitchen counter.
When Richard didn't make any move to pick up the phone, Kristin asked, “Aren't
you going to answer the phone?”

“It must be
a client. I will call back later,” Richard said unconvincingly.

“Before
Richard could make a move, Kristin grabbed the phone from the counter.

“Hello,”
Kristin answered.

“Hello,” Isabel
said, unsure who picked up Richard's phone.

“Who are
you?” Isabel heard the woman ask.

“Excuse
me?”

“It's a
simple question.
 
Are you the woman in
the picture with my husband on the kitchen counter?”

“I don't
know your husband,” Isabel replied. “Can I talk to Richard?” At that moment,
Isabel overheard Richard's voice in the background, “Kristin, stop.”

“Not before
you tell me if you're seeing my husband,” Kristin persisted.

“Who is
your husband?”

“You have
some nerve.
 
You call my husband and now
pretend you didn't know that he was married?” Isabel heard the woman say in a
sarcastic tone.

“Is Richard
your husband?”

“Of
course Einstein, who else?”
Kristin said before she slammed the phone down on Isabel.

Chapter
Thirteen

Isabel could
not believe that she was living a nightmare.
 
She was engaged to someone who was married.
  
She left a man she loved because she felt
devoted to another one who was cheating on his wife.
 
She didn't know how she could have missed the
warning signs.
 
Even her aunt had tried
to warn her. But her trust in Richard had been unflinching.

When
Richard came to the house hours later, she wasn't sure whether to kick him out
right away or hear his explanation, first before kicking him out of the door.

“What do
you want?” Isabel asked as she opened the door to let Richard in.

“I'm so
sorry, Bella. I didn't mean to hurt you,” Richard pleaded.

“You have,
please leave,” Isabel said in a forceful tone.

“Please
hear me out.”

“Go ahead.
I'm listening.”

“When I
first met you, I was separated from my wife. Then she had the baby. I couldn't
just leave her.”

“When were
you planning on telling me that you were married?” a sarcastic Isabel asked.

“I was
going to divorce her and marry you.”

“I've heard
enough Richard. Get out.”

“I want to
marry you. I don't care if you remain an invalid. I was the one driving that
night.
 
I promised myself that I will
take care of you,” Richard implored. “Let me
take care
you.”

“I don't
need your pity, Richard. Get out and don't ever come near me again,” Isabel
said, as she slammed the door behind Richard.

##

In the
morning, when Stacy had told him that she wanted to take him to
Arenal
in Costa Rica, Phil was amazed that Stacy
remembered.
 
He had always wanted to
visit Costa Rica, especially
Arenal
, a volcanic area
that was about four hours from San Jose. He had heard that the area had
beautiful vegetation with unpredictable torrential rains, caused by the
volcanic ashes.
 
He had also learned that
some of the nearby hotels boasted natural basins from the running springs that
were heated by the volcanoes.

“You're
awesome Stacy.
 
I can't believe you
remembered.”

“You were
never out of my mind, Phil.
 
You should
know that by now,” Stacy had said, as she came and planted a teasing kiss on
Phil's forehead. He was still lying on the bed, her breasts rubbing
against Phil's face, awaking Phil's desires.

“I can get
used to that,” Phil teased.

“I hope
so,” Stacy replied.

While
Isabel was locking her front door, after Richard’s departure, Phil and Stacy
were already on a flight to Costa Rica.
 

As the
chartered plane approached the Juan
Santamaria
International Airport, near San Jose, the Costa Rica capital, the attendant
came and confirmed that a helicopter was waiting to take them to Fortuna, the
town adjacent to the
Arenal
Volcano National Park.

“Perfect,”
Stacy replied.
 

Although
Phil had lost the love of his life, Stacy was teaching him how to enjoy life
again.
 
With time, I will forget you Isabel.

“You're
right,” Phil replied. “This is perfect.” This time, he meant it.

##

Vanna
Francis was having lunch when her cell phone
started to vibrate.
 
She had already
gotten a hefty sum from The Query, the tabloid magazine that printed her story
about Stacy on the beach with her new man. She had enjoyed her stay in
Miami.
 
She was able to wire money to her
elderly mother who lived with
Vanna
, to help take
care of
Vanna’s
teenage son. Although
Vanna
lived in Eagle Pass, a town in Texas that bordered
Mexico, she was never home, always on the move after the next story to help put
food on the table for the three of them. It was
Vanna's
first time in Miami, however, and she made a point to sample a variety of food
she didn't usually find on her travels.
 
Her passion for food was what brought her to lunch today at a Haitian
Restaurant, in Miami Beach.