Among the Ducklings (23 page)

“Are you
going to call Phil?

“Rebecca
didn't tell you?” Isabel asked.

“What?”
Lucy said, puzzled.

“He was
seen in the Keys with another woman,” Isabel answered.

“Did you
talk to him about it?” Lucy asked.

“No. What's
the point?”

“Didn't you
tell Phil on two different occasions that you didn't want to see him?”

“Yes. So?”

“You didn't
expect him to just wait around forever, did you?”

“What are
you getting at?”

“He's good
looking, charming, nice and has a good job.
 
Lots of women would be after the guy. All I am saying is that the ball
is in your court.”

“You didn't
hear me. He was seen with another woman,” Isabel insisted.

“So? You
were with Richard.
 
What did you
expect?
 
Talk to him.
 
There may be a simple explanation.”

“There is
nothing to talk about,” Isabel replied.

“Didn't you
talk to Richard and give him a chance to explain himself after you found out
about his cheating?”

“Yes,
But...”

“My point,”
Lucy said, with a satisfied look on her face. Beside Lucy's unpredictability,
what drove Isabel crazy was Lucy's tendency to make Isabel see and do things
that Isabel tried to avoid doing.
 
At
that moment, Lucy was driving her crazy.

##

When Lucy
and Isabel returned to Isabel's place, it was late in the afternoon. They were
sitting and drinking lemonade by the kitchen table, when the
door bell
rang.
 
Lucy
got up and opened the door.

“Are you
Isabel?” the young pretty blond woman asked Lucy. She looked to be in her early
thirties.

“No.
 
May I help you?” Lucy asked.

“I need to
talk to Isabel. Is she here?”

“May I ask
who is asking?”

“Tell her
that I'm Kristin, Richard's wife and that it's very important that I talk to
her.”
 
Lucy was speechless. She couldn't
believe that the woman would come here.

“Who is
it?” Isabel's voice was coming from the kitchen.

“Richard's
wife.
She wants to
talk to you,” Lucy replied.

After a
long pause, Lucy heard Isabel say, “Let her in.”

##

By the
name, a person would think that Key Biscayne is part of the Florida Keys.
Actually it isn't. It is a small island located east of Miami and connected to
Miami by the Rickenbacker Causeway, which is mostly a long bridge with a toll
booth.
 
Phil had not gone to the island
since his early college days when he and his college buddies used to go to a
Hispanic night club there, and dance to salsa and merengue rhythms.
  
This evening, as he and Stacy were crossing
the bridge that would lead them to Marcia's condo, he wondered what he would
say when he saw Isabel.
 
He had tried his
best to forget her. But it hadn't been easy.
 

He was
sitting next to Stacy, who was driving a rental yellow Ferrari convertible. The
convertible top was on.
 
He never knew
car rental companies carried these types of cars and wondered how Stacy managed
to change cars so often. He would have preferred a less conspicuous automobile,
but the car had already been delivered to Stacy.

“Turn left
here,” Phil said to Stacy.
  
He had
printed the directions from the internet, and was holding the piece of paper in
his hands.

“I think
we're here,” Stacy said at the sight of the majestic front of the resort and
condominium building at the end of a
cul
de sac. The
night was dark and crisp, and the smell of the salt water carried by a light
wind was strong and pleasant.

In the
resort parking lot, Stacy looked at herself in the mirror one last time before
both got out of the car. She then grabbed Phil's arm as they entered the
building. Stacy was excited and could not wait to meet Isabel face to face,
just to see the look of defeat on her's face.
 
She sensed that Phil tensed as they
approached the elevator that would take them to Marcia's condo on the top
floor. She turned and with her nicest and warmest smile said, “Don't worry
honey, I will be there with you and everything will be OK.”

"
I wish I was as sure as you are
,"
Phil thought, as they stepped into the elevator.

##

Hours before, after
Kristin had left Isabel, Isabel made Lucy promise that she would not reveal what Kristin
had told them. At first, Kristin insisted that she speak with Isabel alone. But
Isabel wouldn't have that. She wanted Lucy to be there. Both of them were still
in shock, after Kristin's departure, when Lucy asked, “Do you believe that
really happened?”

“I doubt
it,” Isabel replied.

“Do you
think Kristin will stay with him?”

“He has a
chance. At least he came clean with her.”

“She seemed
determined to get rid of him,” Lucy said.

“They have
a child together. I don't want to talk about that creep. Can we talk about
something else?” Isabel asked.

“Good
idea,” Lucy said. “We have to go get ready for the party.”

##

When Lucy and Isabel
reached Marcia's place, after their meeting with Kristin, it was still early and the guests had not arrived yet. Marcia was still getting ready. Her condo was almost twenty-four hundred square feet with
views of Miami Beach's Fisher Island in the living room and Bill
Baggs
Cape Florida State Park in the kitchen.
 
It was already dark when the first guests
started to arrive. To Isabel's utter shock, Mark came with another girl to the
party. Although Isabel had been making great improvement with her therapy, she
decided to use the wheelchair this evening to avoid standing for a long time.
She went to Mark and asked him to follow her alone into one of the guest rooms.

When they
got into the room, Isabel, who was furious, said, “You have some nerve showing
up here with another girl.
 
Where is
Rebecca?”

“Rebecca
didn't tell you?”

“Tell me
what?”

“We broke
up two months ago.”

How convenient
, Isabel thought. “So why haven't you
returned my calls?”

“I figured
you were going to talk to me about Rebecca being pregnant and I spoke to my mom
and she said she was going to take care of it.”

“You mean
when I met your mom at the restaurant, she already knew that you and Rebecca
had broken up?” Isabel asked.

“Yes,” Mark
answered.

“Did you
break up because of the pregnancy?”

“No,
replied Mark.”

“Then why
did you two break up?”

“Why don't
you ask Rebecca?” Mark answered.

“I will.”

“Do your
parents know why the two of you broke up?”

“Only my
mother knows. She said she would tell my father when it was a good time.”

“So, are
you going to tell me why the two of you broke up?”

“I think
that the person you should talk to is Rebecca and not me,” Mark said, and he
walked out of the guest room, leaving Isabel alone and angry.

##

When Phil
and Stacy entered Marcia's condo, a large number of guests were already
there.
 
At the end of the living room was
a small desk, and behind the desk sat a Spanish priest answering questions
regarding the pictures that were on the desk that showed an orphanage and
various orphan children. When Marcia saw Phil, her face beamed and she excused
herself
and came toward him.

“Hi
Marcia.
Nice
party,” Phil said.

“Thanks.”
Turning to Stacy, Marcia said. “You must be Stacy. Rebecca showed me pictures
of you and Phil in the Keys. It's nice meeting you. Whatever you
need,
please let me know.”

“It's nice
meeting you too,” Stacy replied. Phil, who was surprised that the news could
reach this far so fast, didn't say anything.

“How was
Costa Rica?” Marcia asked, turning to Phil.

“Great. The
weather was unpredictable but nice.”

“I hear
you,” Marcia said. Then grabbing Stacy by the arm, she added, “Come with me
Stacy, let me introduce you to Father Dominguez.”

As the two
walked away from Phil, Marcia continued, “I had the feeling that you might come
with Phil and I told Father Dominguez about it. He always is on the lookout for
additional fundraising help. He is doing a lot of good work over there.”

##

Phil, who
was left alone, heard a voice behind him say, “She's very beautiful.”
 
It was Lucy.
 
Phil was glad to see her.
 
Lucy
seemed to Phil to be the type of person you would want at every party.
 
She was as funny as she was unconventional.

“Who?”
Phil asked.
 

“Your
date.”

“You mean
Stacy. Yes, she is,” Phil replied. “By the way, how is Isabel? I haven't seen
her tonight.”

“So
so
, Lucy replied. You heard the news, right?”

“What
news?” Phil asked.

“She broke
up with Richard.” For one moment, he felt a jolt of happiness.
 
Then he remembered Isabel confessing her love
for Richard.

“Well, I
hope they get back together, because she loves him very much,” Phil said.

“I doubt
that would happen,” Lucy replied.

“That would
be too bad,” Phil said.

“By the
way, was she the one you were kissing on the beach?” Lucy asked.

“What are
you talking about?”

“This
afternoon, Isabel showed me pictures of a woman that looked like her in your
arms on the beach the day after the dinner at Isabel's place,” Lucy continued.

“It wasn't
like that,” Phil replied.

“I thought
you loved Isabel,” Lucy said.

Phil sensed
where Lucy was going and said, “Let it go, Lucy. It's too late.
 
There are choices you make that you can never
take back. Isabel has already made hers.”

“OK, I
won't push it.”

“You know Isabel
is lucky to have a friend like you,” Phil said. He meant it.

“Actually,
I'm the lucky one. She has a heart of gold, and frankly she is the nicest
person one can ever hope to meet,” Lucy replied and she also meant it.

A few
minutes after Lucy left, Phil was surprised to see Stacy talking to Isabel
across the room.
 

##

In fact,
after talking to the priest and excusing herself from Marcia, Stacy had walked
straight toward Isabel.
 
She wanted to
see the face of defeat.

“You must
be Isabel,” Stacy said pretending not to know who she was. Stacy liked the fact
that she was standing and that Isabel was sitting in the wheelchair. It was as
if she was a soldier standing victoriously over an enemy that she had just
vanquished.

“Yes and
you are?” ask Isabel, vaguely remembering where she saw her face.

“I'm sorry.
Where are my manners?” Stacy said. “My name is Stacy and I'm Phil's girlfriend.”

“Oh, you're
the actress,” Isabel replied. “It's nice meeting you.”

“Nice
meeting you too. Nice party. I told Father Dominguez that I will have a
fundraiser too for him as soon I'm settled in my new house,” Stacy said.

“I'm sure
he will appreciate it because the kids need help,” Isabel said.
 
She was uncomfortable around Stacy and
wondered how Stacy knew who she was.

“Anyway, I
have to go to tell Phil,” Stacy said as she walked away, satisfied. “It will be
his house too, after all. Take care.” Before Isabel could respond, Stacy was
already gone.

When
Stacy returned, Phil said, “I see that you're meeting a lot of people,”
referring to Isabel, not wanting Stacy to know who he was referring to.

 
“You mean Isabel?” Stacy replied, knowing what
Phil was doing.

“Yes,
her too.
 
Do you know her?”

“Not
really.
 
We were just talking about
Father Dominguez. By the way,” Stacy continued, “I promised Father Dominguez to
have a fundraiser for him in Miami Beach.”