Authors: Vivienne Harris-Scott
“
Yes. Again.
”
I sigh.
“
Well, what are your plans?
”
she gently queries, always practical.
“
I need to think, and I need to speak to
James Marshall, because I
’
m
now convinced, not only he knew exactly who she was but there is a lot more he
hasn
’
t
told me
…
Clearly
I can
’
t
chase after her now
…”
I reply, anger flaring once again.
“
Wow. She really got you confused 16 ways
till Sunday! And apparently, there
’
s
even more to come!
”
she laughs incredulously, and adds in a serious tone
“
But Jul, what will this do to your
relationship with Ethan?
”
I
have asked myself the very same question just minutes after Vi left, and do not
have the answer, and I say so,
“
Mel,
E and I have a bond. It
’
s
more than friendship. There are things you don
’
t even know about
…”
my voice trails, filled with utter
sadness, as my thoughts wander to E. and what his reaction would be if he knew,
but I add,
“
The
last I spoke to E. about his wife was years ago. He was professing his love for
her, this was when she was pregnant with their son
…”
She
cut in, shrieking,
”
Hold
it! I was hoping that maybe they were divorced! So now you
’
re saying, she has a loving husband AND a
child? This is getting better by the minute!
”
her tone cynical, indicating her
displeasure at this new development.
“
Julian, you might want to reconsider your
involvement with this woman
…
I
mean, seriously, if she is married to Ethan and they have a child, I don
’
t think you need to sink any deeper
…”
her voice is faltering.
“
Mel, I can
’
t shake the way I feel about her. I tried,
trust me. And, what
’
s
worse? She feels as I do. Ethan or not. I saw it tonight. She couldn
’
t even deny it, and it wasn
’
t for lack of trying! She seems to
struggle as much as I do!
”
My tone is passionate with vindication. I needed to believe this.
Who
the hell am I trying to convince?
“
But yet, she told you, you two could never
be
…”
she reasoned.
“
Yes.
“
I admit.
A
silent pause occurs as we both think of the implications of my last statements.
“
My head is spinning. I don
’
t know what to think. I don
’
t know if I
’
m being manipulated or the extent of her
deceit, or if she truly loves me and we
’
ll need to figure out a way to make this
work
…”
I sip my scotch, and seeing my pale reflection in the bar mirror, I say, more
to myself than Mel,
”
For
the first time, I
’
m
having real regrets about meeting her
…
. She
’
s turning my life upside down
…”
“
And it seems, it only going to get worse
…”
my sister dryly punctuates.
“
Julian, I
’
m worried about you. This is very intense.
I see you are invested, but maybe, taking a step back wouldn
’
t be too bad right now... Maybe, her
leaving,
–
again! -, is a blessing in disguise allowing you to really examine your options
here
…”
she exhales.
“
You are between a rock and a hard place,
but at this juncture, you need facts, not conjectures anymore
…
You need to know exactly what you are
dealing with and regain some control before the whole shebang explodes in your
face! Ethan is not going to be thrilled if you are having an affair with her
…”
she presses on.
“
I know. He loves her
…”
I clip, and add sombrely,
“
And that would not even be the worst of it
…”
“
Look, the way I see it Jul, either you are
going to lose her, that is if it hasn
’
t already happened the minute she walked
out that door, or you are going to lose Ethan, maybe even both
…
She might never be in your life at all.
As it is, she left you twisting in the wind
…
dropping this little bombshell on her way
out, and you
’
re
dead in the water if you don
’
t
regroup and initiate, instead of just react after the facts!
”
Melissa advises adamantly.
“
Get it all together, and then make a
decision. You
’
re
my brother and I love you. You are man enough to deal with Ethan but also man
enough to walk away. Just be sure what it is you want most. And you will only
know the answer to that once you know exactly what she got you into...
”
she states matter-of-factly.
“
You must have all the information, not
just bits and pieces. Short of asking Ethan about the state of his marriage, I
suggest a long and hard chat with Mr Marshall. And if that
’
s not enough, hire someone else! But you
need to know what is going between the two of them, and why on earth she would
get involved with you of all people!
”
she admonishes.
“
I know
…
Of all women on the planet, it had to be
her
…”
my voice trails, still underlined with shock.
“
When was the last time you spoke to Ethan?
”
Mel asks.
“
You know. At the airport. The last time we
were home.
”
I reply sadly, as unwanted memories assault me.
An
awkward but knowing pause passes between the two of us, both reminiscing our
last visit to Australia.
I
finally clear my throat refusing to let the past engulf me, when the present
situation requires all my focus. Mel is right; information is the key. I have
been blind for too long, and it is damn time to get answers.
A
million questions still race through my mind, and I desperately want to talk to
Vi to get my answers, but since she has left, and Ethan is out of the realm of
possibilities for the time being, James is the next best thing. He will tell me
what I need to know, even if I have to beat it out of him.
Feeling
a smile creep to my lips as I visualise my next meeting with Mr Marshall, my
hands around his neck, I say,
“
Mel,
you are absolutely right. James is the one person who will tell me everything
…
whatever happened between them
…
after all, he claims they are friends and
he
’
s
keeping her confidences
…”
I sigh and adds,
“
Thanks
Mel
…”
((~~!~~))
After ending the call, Julian poured
himself another drink to dull the pain he felt all over.
The
questions that raced through his mind and tore at his heart would be answered,
one way or another.
He
needed to go home.
Vi
I can hear the sound of my heartbeat as it
races rapidly in my chest, my mind flashing back to what just happened a few
short hours ago. I can still feel his lips on mine. His hands on my
skin. His fingers weaving through my hair. His scent. Him.
Oh,
God.
But
what
’
s
embedded in my brain and won
’
t
leave me in peace, is his face; the expression on his face when I told him who
I was. I can
’
t
get it out of my mind. I hate being the one responsible for his pain.
I
can
’
t
breathe.
I
need to speak to someone.
((~~!~~))
“
C
’
mon
,
pick up, pick up, pick up
…”
I mumble, as I continue my frantic pacing in the waiting lounge, cursing the
heavens at each unanswered ring.
“
Allo
?
”
An irritated voice finally answers.
“
It
’
s about damn time!
”
I breathe a sigh of relief.
“
Vi
?
”
he asks in a low whisper.
“
Yes, it
’
s me. Why are you whispering? It
’
s the middle of the day in Lyon isn
’
t it?!
”
I let out a frustrated growl.
I
hear him sigh deeply.
“
I
’
m in the middle of a conference, and got
tired of my phone vibrating insistently against my leg!
“
he replies, still irritated.
”
And, I did not recognize this number. Why
are you in Qatar? What happened to your phones?
”
I
look at the rented cell phone I am holding and say,
“…
Remind me to never doubt your skills! Yes,
I
’
m
in Qatar. The reason? I told Julian who I am
…
I-I had to leave Dubai in a hurry...
”
“
What?
”
he shouts, and then says in a milder
tone,
”
Excuse
me for a moment.
”
I think he
’
s
talking to whomever he is with.
A
few more seconds pass and he repeats with his normal voice,
”
What did you do?
”
“
You heard me right, Kev. I told him
my name, my connection to Ethan
…”
I
sigh, plopping down in a plush armchair of Emirates
’
waiting lounge, thanking the Lord for small
favours as it is nearly void of any presence, but three passengers who are
slumped half asleep in their seats, waiting for the boarding call.
“
Well,
do you care to tell me how this happened? You just blurted it out?
”
he asks in a dry tone.
“
Kev, we had an argument two days ago, over
the phone. He wanted to talk about my husband, I didn
’
t. Things got heated, and I basically told
him to go to hell!
”
I retort, my voice rising at the recollection.
“
And?
”
Kevin urges.
“
And, he turned up at my door. Tonight
…
well, last night, 5 hours ago!
”
I sigh.
“
He came to Dubai, Kev, to confront me! And
when he was there
…
When
he was there, we almost ended up doing it on the bathroom sink
…
I lost control...
”
I cry out.
“
And this is when you told him about Ethan?
”
he asks again, sheer stupor in his tone.
“
No! Julian claimed me. He told me I was
his, and suddenly, I remembered the last time a man said that to me, did that
to me
…
so I had to put a stop to it! That
’
s
when I asked him if he was in touch with E
…”
I feel my throat contract, and I sigh
heavily,
“
You
should have seen his face Kev, when he realized why I was asking, when I told
him my name
…
it
was as if I slapped him!
”
“
Well, he was shocked, one would be
…”
he states, unconcerned.
“
Kev, this was more than shock. He was angry,
hurt, betrayed and all sort of other emotions I could not decipher
…”
my voice weakly trails off.
“
So, you just left?
”
he asks, incredulous.
Is
this boy dense?
“
Yes, I left. Didn
’
t I just say so?
”
I snap at him.
I
exhale. I
’
m
exhausted. It
’
s
1:00 a.m.
He
doesn
’
t
say a word.
“
I
’
m sorry.
”
I say after a few seconds, trying to
convey my own pain, feeling tears coming up.
“
I know. Don
’
t worry
”
he reassures me, but adds,
”
Why are you in Qatar? How did you even get
there if this happened just a few hours ago?
”
he asks worriedly.
“
I took a flight from Abu Dhabi, and I
’
m in transit here, waiting for another
flight
…”
I explain.
“
So, he can
’
t find you
…”
he says, understanding.
“
So, he can
’
t find me.
”
I confirm.
There
is a silent pause between us, until he finally asks,
“
Does this mean, it
’
s over between the two of you?
”
I
have no answer, so I say nothing.
Noticing
my non-answer Kevin says,
”
Okay,
so now you have two men with vast means looking for you...
”
“
What
happened after you told him? What did he say afterwards
?
”
I
let out a deep breath, running my fingers through my messy ponytail.
“
There wasn
’
t much he could say. As a matter of
fact, he didn
’
t
say a single word at all. He watched me leave in silence
…”
“
Are you serious, you guys didn
’
t talk?!
”
he questions, his voice rising again.
“
Kev, our eyes did all the talking. He was
so hurt, I couldn
’
t
bear to look at him, so I did the only thing I could. I bolted.
”
I hear Kevin chuckle.
“
Do you think this is funny?
”
I clip, exasperated.
“
Somehow it is.
”
I hear him say, before taking in a
deep breath
.
“
Ok, so what next?
”
he asks softly.
I
shrug,
“
I
don
’
t
know. That
‘
s
what I called you for.
”
I reply, feeling my shoulders slump.
“
Vi
…”
he starts.
“
I need some time to think. It
’
s happened too fast. I just need to think.
”
I interrupt him quickly.
“
You want my advice?
”
he asks softly.
“
Yes.
”
I whisper, already knowing what he
’
s going to say, but not wanting to hear
it.
“
Take the time you need. Recoup and
regroup. But eventually, you will have to talk to him
…
Running away in this case is a mistake. I
don
’
t
believe for a second that Julian McCarty would voluntarily hurt you. From what
you
’
ve
been saying these past few weeks, and the way you have been saying it, he
’
s in love with you, and you with him
…”
I
keep silent, and then softly hum,
“
Enamorados
tontos. Equivocados locos
…”