Sample Chapter 7

Seven

 

     Isabel's therapy sessions consisted mostly of two hours of daily grueling exercises, which her therapists call “locomotor training”.  The training consisted of Isabel's body being suspended in a harness over a treadmill, while the therapists helped her move her legs. Now that she was back in her wheelchair this afternoon, she felt exhausted. She was only by the lake for few minutes when Phil came.  She was so absorbed by the view of the ducklings playing in the water, that she didn’t hear him come.

     “Beautiful sight, isn't it?” Phil said as he sat on the bench.

     “Yes, it is,” Isabel replied.  She was shaking inside.  Why did she have to feel that way every time she was around him? she asked herself.  She wasn't a teenager anymore.

     “After you left yesterday, I asked your aunt when you were going to be here. I'm sorry about that,” Phil said.  Both of them were talking while still watching the ducks in the water. 

     “Are you?” Isabel asked, turning her head to look at Phil. Sensing Isabel's stare, Phil turned. These eyes can melt a glacier, Phil said to himself before replying. “I didn't have any choice. I wanted to see you again. You seemed upset when you left yesterday.” As Phil spoke, Isabel kept reminding herself that she was engaged to be married and not to let the feelings she had for Phil interfere with her relationship with Richard.  

     “Why did you want to see me again?” Isabel asked.

     “Isn't it obvious?  Since I met you, it's like a spell.  I can't get you out of my mind and feel like a happy kid at the prospect of seeing you again,” Phil said, surprising even himself for being so open with her about his feelings.

     “Why are you doing this?”

     “What am I doing?” Phil asked, incredulous at the question.

     “You've only known me for just a couple of weeks and now you are telling me about your feelings for me. How do you think I should respond?” Isabel asked.

     “I know it's very soon.  I don't go around falling for women I just met. But that's what happened to me with you and I was hoping that you would agree to see me again,” Phil said. When he had met Stacy, he could not help but to admire Stacy's body molding jeans, her shapely legs. With Isabel, it wasn't about her legs, it wasn't even about Isabel's pretty face. Beauty fades.  It was about everything about her.

       It took a few seconds for Isabel to respond, which to Phil seemed an eternity. When Isabel responded, it was as if Phil had been punched in the stomach.

     “I am sorry to disappoint you.  I am engaged to be married to a wonderful man.  You and I have known each other only for a short period, while I've been with Richard for years.  I hope you get over your feelings for me, but I can't see you again.”  Isabel tried to sound as icy as possible and was hoping that Phil would not be able to read through her. She wanted to see Phil, and dreamed about being in Phil’s arms.  However, that would not be fair to Richard.  When she met Richard, there was no denying her attraction to him.  However, the way she felt about Phil was different.  It was more than a simple physical attraction. She wanted to be with Phil, wanted to share breakfast, lunch and dinner with him. But although she wanted to share her life with Phil, she knew that would not be fair to Richard.  She never broke her promises.

     “But you have been engaged for three years. That tells me that neither of you is sure. Me, I would have married you on the spot,” Phil insisted.

     “Please don't read anything into my relationship with Richard. You don't even know him.”

     “Isabel, all I am asking is for a chance to show you that we are made for each other. I am sure that you have feelings for me too.” Phil implored.

     “It's very arrogant of you to tell me how I feel,” Isabel quipped. “I don't know what made you think that.  I only have feelings for Richard,” Isabel lied. Keep your promises to Richard. Fight your feelings for Phil.

     “I was hoping that you would give me a chance,” Phil finally said.

     “Well, you were wrong. I don't think we should talk to each other again.”

     “Well it looks like I've taken too much of your time.” a resigned Phil said. He felt that he was starring in a bad romance movie. In a romance movie, there was always one person that was left out. The character that the star of the movie didn't love or left for his or her real love. Phil felt he was such a character and wanted get away as soon as possible.  Phil got up and Isabel said “Good Bye Phil.”

       As Phil was leaving, tears flowed down Isabel's cheeks. She was devastated. She remembered the story told at church of a big flood and the drowning person declining all help, including a boat, in the belief that she would be saved by God. In the story, the person died only to find out in the afterlife that the help that she declined came from God.  Had Isabel just thrown out her only chance of happiness? Had she refused the lifeline of love?  She would never know, because Phil had already left the building.

 

     It was late in the evening when Phil finally reached home, having stopped at the nearby bar for some shots of whiskey.  Whoever said that alcohol lessened someone's pain was lying, he said to himself.  He was still crushed when he left the bar.  Isabel was right. It was arrogant of him to think he had a chance at happiness with her. He wondered what he would do if he came across her and Richard at the Center.  Would Richard laugh at him? He had no doubt that Isabel would tell him. Then in a flash, he knew what he needed to do. He made a decision that he thought would be best for all three of them.

 

     After Phil's departure, Isabel went to see her aunt.  As she entered Marcia's office, Marcia, who was reading some kind of medical book, looked up with alarm and said, “You look a mess Isabel.  Have you been crying?”

     “I just wanted to talk to you about your niece,” Isabel simply said.
     “You mean, your sister,” Marcia said. She knew that something must have happened between Isabel and Rebecca for Isabel to refer her sister like this.

     “If you say so,” Isabel said.

     “So what's wrong with Rebecca? Is she OK?” Marcia asked.  Isabel could read the concern on her aunt's face.

     “She’s pregnant.”

     For one moment, Marcia looked as if she was going to pass out at the news. “How did this happen?” Marcia finally asked.

     “Stupidity. I guess.”

     “Is Mark the father?”

     “Yes,” Isabel replied.

     “Does he know?”

     “Yes, he wants Rebecca to have an abortion.”

     “That creep,” Marcia said.  “Who else knows about it?”

     “No one else.  Apparently, neither one wants to get married because they think they are too young.”

     “They should have thought about that before engaging in sexual escapades,” Marcia said.

     “That's what I said,” Isabel agreed, “What do you think I should do?  I talked to Rebecca about how stupid she was and I want her to take responsibility for her own actions.”

     “It's understandable.  What does Rebecca want?  Did she say she wanted to have an abortion?”

     “No. She wants to keep the baby.”

     “Good.  How many months?” Marcia asked.

     “Rebecca said three. I also placed a call to Mark's parents, I'm not sure where that will go,” Isabel said. “Mark is not even working and Rebecca's part-time job barely covers gas for her car.”

     “We'll help for sure. But they're going to have to get real jobs.  After all, they're going to be parents.”

     “I told Rebecca that too,” Isabel said.

     Her aunt then paused pensively for one moment, and then said, “I'll tell you what. I am free this Saturday.  Why don't we see if we can invite Mark's parents to lunch?  Then we can talk to them about this.”

     “Thank you, Tia Marcia. I would like you to be there.  I am so upset right now about the whole thing.”

     “Don't worry. She'll be OK.” Marcia added. 

     “I know,” Isabel replied. She felt guilty for leaving Marcia with the impression that her problems were solely related to Rebecca.  Then again, how could she tell her aunt that she had fallen for a man she barely knew?  Her aunt didn't need to know, she said to herself.  After what happened between Phil and her today, Isabel doubted that Phil would ever talk to her again, let alone talk to Marcia about her. 

 

     Stacy's flight from Los Angeles to Miami was noisy. Being in first class doesn’t shield you from crying babies, annoying passengers, and incompetent flight attendants who dared to call themselves stewardesses. It was these six hours of hell that finally convinced Stacy that she needed to buy her own private plane.  No one recognized her. Good thing. She did not model or act anymore because, to her, that was not where the money was. Who would want to be an actress when you could be the executive movie producer who hires the actress?  Who would want to be an employee when you could be the boss?  In California, financial success had come quickly to Stacy. Only two years after her move from Miami, she had moved from acting and investing with the movie-director-ex-boyfriend in low budget television miniseries, to investing now in big screen movies.  Although she abhorred violence, she carved a niche for herself in gore and splatter B movies. To her, that was where the money was. Less investment, less risk, dedicated fans and great rewards.  All in all, Stacy had been right in her choices. The horror films that she had produced had had great success, both in theaters and in video sales.  Her love life had suffered greatly, but it was a choice she had to make. 

     As Stacy's limousine navigated the Miami traffic jam, she picked up the phone to call Phil's secretary.  Although Stacy had asked Phil's secretary not to tell Phil that she was coming to Miami, Stacy knew that she would tell Phil. As Myra picked up the phone, Stacy could not help but smile at how her plan to get Phil back was developing perfectly. Stacy was well aware of her own beauty and the effect that she had on men and even women.  What people failed to notice, however, was her intelligence. When she first moved to California, a lot of men prejudged her as another brainless pretty model. Their mistake had cost them dearly, including her last husband that she married right before he signed the biggest movie contract of his career. Divorce came quickly afterward.  Gone was also half of the money he made from the movie. Now with Phil, Stacy's genius was again at work. Getting Phil back was to her like choosing which movie to produce. There had to be a good script.  She knew she had the right script for Phil. She had written it.

 

     “Boss?” Although it was not unusual for Phil's secretary to call Phil at home, it was unusual for her to call him after work, on Skype, a popular video and voice communication service that Phil sometimes used when he was in front of his computer.

     “Are you OK, Myra?” Phil asked his secretary, as her face blanketed  his computer screen.  

     “Stacy just called me.”

     “At home?”

     “Yes.”

     “What did she want?”

     “She said she was going to be in town tomorrow and wanted to know if I could work for her part-time, in the evenings, as her personal secretary.”

     “Can you?”

     “Yes. She said she would pay for the babysitter for the kids.”

     “I hope she is paying you enough.”

     “She is paying me four times more than what I make at work.”

     “Wow. Great.”

     “Are you OK with it, Boss?”

     “As long as it doesn't interfere with your work at the office.”

     “Thank you boss. I really can use the extra money.”

     “You won't leave with her to California, will you?”

     “No, boss,” Myra replied.  Phil's attempted joke did not register. 

     After they hung up, Phil wondered what Stacy was up to.  The last thing Phil needed was for Stacy to show up in Miami. His love life was a mess and he didn’t want any more problems.

 

     When Isabel reached home that evening, Richard was already there with Rebecca watching television.

     “You look tired Bella,” Richard said.

     “I am,” Isabel replied.

     Rebecca's eyes were fixated on a news anchor delivering “Breaking News.”

      “When does this stop being Breaking News? Every half hour they repeat the same thing,” Rebecca said before looking at Isabel. “The lawyer called and said you needed to call her today if you could. She will be working late at the office tonight.”

     Richard and Isabel then called the attorney, who told them the details of the offer, including the six-figure amount that Isabel was going to receive.

     “Besides the money they are giving you for pain and suffering, the insurance company also agreed to put money in escrow to pay for all of your medical costs and treatment,” the attorney told Isabel. Isabel was ready to accept the insurance company's offer, when the attorney proposed to make a counter-offer for additional money for pain and suffering.  Although she acquiesced to her attorney's suggestion, Isabel was ready to put this accident behind her. 

     Isabel could not sleep that night. In the past few weeks, her life had taken several turns that she never could have imagined.  First, it was the accident, then Phil, and now Rebecca's pregnancy. By the time morning had come, she was tired, wide awake and still in bed.   It was almost 10:30 in the morning when the phone rang.  She didn't pick up. A few minutes later, Rebecca knocked on her bedroom door. 

     “Come in,” Isabel said. 

     Rebecca didn't come in.  She simply said “It's Tia Marcia, she wants to talk to you.”

     After a short struggle to reach the lamp on the night table, Isabel picked up the phone, which was next to a brown alarm clock.

     “Good morning, Tia Marcia.”

     “Did anything happen between you and Phil yesterday?” Marcia asked without returning her greeting.

     “Huh, what do you mean?” Isabel asked, not knowing what her aunt knew or how to respond without divulging any information regarding her conversation with Phil.

     “His doctor just called to tell me that Phil called to tell him that he wanted to continue his therapy at another center.”

     “But your place is recognized as one of the best in South Florida,” Isabel said.

     “I know.  His doctor tried to convince him to stay but he would have none of it.”

     “Did he tell the doctor why?” Isabel asked, fearing what the answer would be.

     “No. He was sitting on the bench next to you, yesterday. Did he say anything about that?” Marcia asked.

     “No,” Isabel responded. Isabel was technically correct.  Phil didn't tell her that he wanted to continue his therapy somewhere else. But deep inside, Isabel knew why. How could she tell her aunt that Phil was doing this because of her?

     “Well, I tried to call him but he was not in his office.  I will try to call him again to find out why.  To be frank, I liked him and all of the nurses here kept telling me how nice he was to them. He even gave a job to the daughter of one of our gardeners,” Marcia said.

     “It might have been because of me,” Isabel admitted.  She was not sure whether Phil would tell her aunt when she talked to him, but she was not going to lie to her aunt or let her aunt find out directly from Phil.

     “What do you mean? I was right, wasn't I?  Something happened between the two of you yesterday?”

     “Yes,” Isabel admitted.

     “So what was it?”

     “He told me how much he liked me and I told him that I didn't want to talk to him or see him again,” Isabel said.

     “Why on earth would you say something like that? Couldn't you be more diplomatic? Besides, I was hoping he could help with your accident case,” Marcia said.

     “My case is almost settled,” Isabel said, “Besides, what could I tell him?  I am engaged to be married to Richard.”

     “I see,” Marcia said, “So when is the wedding Isabel?”

     “What?  My wedding date doesn't have anything to do with it. It's just that I am engaged.”

     “I know you're engaged.  You've been saying that.  Tell me, do you love Richard?” Marcia asked

     “Why do you ask?” Isabel answered.

     “It would have been simple enough to say 'I love him', but you didn't say that, why?”

     “Well, I am not sure, OK?” Isabel's voice was rising as if she had been caught in a trap and wanted this conversation to end.

     “You're not sure because of Phil?” Marcia insisted.

     “No. Well yes, but I would never do anything to hurt Richard.”

     “Isabel, do you really know Richard?”

     “Of course, why do you ask?” Isabel asked.

     “Why have you never gone to Orlando with him?” Marcia asked.

     “He goes to Orlando for his construction projects and he doesn’t have much time when he’s there,” Isabel responded. 

 Marcia was burning inside because she wanted to tell Isabel that Richard's trips to Orlando were to spend time with another woman.  But she could not.  Marcia, herself found out about Richard's cheating by accident.  Even though it had been over a year since she saw Richard with the blond woman in the back of the Brazilian restaurant, the image of the woman kissing Richard's earlobe was still vivid in her mind.

     Had she not been meeting some physician friends for dinner that night, Marcia would have never known about Richard's indiscretions.  After that night at the restaurant, Marcia then hired a private investigator who confirmed to her that Richard and the woman had, on several occasions, spent the night together in an expensive house in Orlando.  To this day, Marcia still asked herself why Richard was with Isabel.  What did he want? Why was he living a double life? What was he up to? She tried to investigate further but had been unable to find out why. 

     She wouldn't be able to explain to Isabel why she had hired a private investigator to follow her fiancé.  She knew that Isabel would not be happy about it. She hoped that Isabel would find out about Richard's indiscretions on her own.

     “Isabel, I hope you know what you're doing.  You're with Richard, yet, you have feelings for Phil,” Marcia said.

     “It's not like that. You know that.  I have known Richard for years. I don't know much about Phil.  I only met him a couple of weeks ago.”

     “How do you expect to know about Phil if you refuse to talk to him?” Marcia asked.

     “Richard has been good to me. I will get over Phil and I am sure he will get over me also,” Isabel concluded.

     “I hope you're right. If not, you will be making the biggest mistake of your life,” Marcia said.  “I’ve got to go now. I will talk to you when you get here.”

     After speaking to her aunt, Isabel realized the enormity of her mistake. She might never see Phil again. She loved Phil.   But was it really a mistake? She wasn't the type to betray a person's trust. She would never betray Richard. She would marry Richard.