Among the Ducklings (16 page)

Stacy was
stunned.
 
That Isabel was something.
Toying with two men at the same time.
She looked so innocent
when she was with Phil. Was Isabel like her? Stacy asked herself.
 
She remembered years ago how she was dating
both the movie director and her now ex-husband at the same time.
 
She needed the part and knew that was the
best way to get it from the director, who was secretly cheating on his wife.
The actor was different.
 
He was younger
than Stacy, inexperienced and idealistic. He was in his third audition for a
leading role in a big budget movie.
 
Stacy wanted to be around when he got the part.
 
Success breeds success, fame,
and yes, money.
 
Stacy loved money.

“So, when
do you think Isabel will come back here?”

“I don't
know,” the old man replied. “Why don't you go see her at her house?”

“Do you
know where she lives?” Stacy asked.

“I cut her
grass too,” the landscaper said, happy to help Isabel's friend locate her.

##

Now,
recalling her conversation with the landscaper brought a smile to Stacy's face.
Stacy never thought that Isabel would be more like her, cunning and devious.
Stacy wondered if Isabel was playing with more than two men and why. Stacy
assumed it was for money. That could be the only reason. Stacy could not
imagine doing something like that for cheap thrills.
 
Stacy wasn't cheap. It would have to be for
money.
Lots of it.

When Stacy
had first reached the Center in the afternoon, she had wondered how Isabel
could be so lucky, managing not to be there for the second time when she was
looking for her.
  
Knowing now what she
learned about Isabel from the landscaper,
Isabel
was not so lucky after all
, Stacy thought. What she had learned about
Isabel had given Stacy more ammunition in her upcoming showdown with Isabel.
There was a chink in Isabel's armor and Stacy was going to drive a stake right
through it.

##

“Well,
wasn't that a wise Latina?” Lucy said, trying to make a joke after the front
door slammed.
 
However no one laughed.
 

“I am
really sorry for what just happened,” Isabel profusely apologized, her voice
slightly cracking.

“No need,”
Phil said, "I understand her resentment at the whole situation."

“It wasn't
an excuse to be rude,” Isabel said.

“Your
sister is just being protective of you,” Jeremy said. No one had the appetite
to continue eating, and a tense atmosphere permeated the air.

“Well, I
think we should go,” Phil said.

“You don't
have to,” Isabel said.

“Don't
worry, we are OK.” Both Phil and Jeremy got up.

Lucy then
said, “For what it's worth, it was nice meeting both of you.”

“Same
here,” Jeremy said.

“Likewise,”
Phil added.

Phil was
embarrassed not for himself, but for the embarrassment that Rebecca had caused
Isabel.
 
Going through something like
that is harder on the host than her guests, Phil decided. He felt bad for what
happened to Isabel.
 
He felt like a fan
of a sports team that had just watched his team lose a title game.
 
If a fan could be so saddened by the team's
loss, how would the players feel?
 
Phil
wished he could lessen Isabel's sadness.

##

“What was
that all about?” Lucy asked Isabel, as soon as Phil and Jeremy left.

“I’ve never
been so embarrassed in my life,” Isabel said, as Lucy was putting the dirty
dishes in the dishwasher.

“Where do
you think Rebecca went?” Lucy asked.

“Beats me
and I don't really care right now.”

“What are
you going to tell her, when she gets back?”

“She needs
to apologize to everyone for what she did tonight.
 
What Rebecca did tonight was reprehensible,”
Isabel said.

“What if
she refuses?” Lucy asked.

“We'll
cross that bridge when we get there,” Isabel responded.
 
In reality, she wasn't sure herself what she
could do. She could decide to take the car away, which was under Isabel's name.
But that would be counterproductive, because Rebecca needed it to go to school
and Isabel had just given Rebecca a lecture, a couple of days ago, on how she
needed to continue going to school despite her pregnancy.

“How do you
think Phil took it?” Lucy asked.

“I don't
know.
 
I will talk to him and we'll see.”

“I like
him.
 
He is very nice,” Lucy added.

“You know,”
Isabel said, “in a sense, Rebecca was right.”

“Don't go
there, Isabel.
 
There was no
justification for her being so rude.”

“No, I'm
not excusing what she did. I'm talking about what she said about me cheating on
Richard,” Isabel said.

“Come on,
Isabel,” Lucy argued. “You don't really think that having dinner with someone is
cheating, do you?”

“What would
you call it?” Isabel asked.

When Lucy
didn't respond, Isabel said, “Well, I know what I have to do now.”

“What?”
Lucy asked.

“I will
tell Phil that I can't see him anymore,” Isabel said.

“I thought
you said you loved him?” Lucy asked.

Isabel
ignored Lucy's last question and said, “It's all my fault for letting
everything reach this far. Tomorrow, I will tell Phil that I can't see him.
Then, I will call Richard to tell him what happened. I hope that he forgives
me.”

“Are you
sure you know what you're doing?” Lucy asked.

“Yes,” a
resolute Isabel said. “Tomorrow, all this has to stop. I promised Richard that
I would marry him and that's what I intend to do.”

##

Phil and
Jeremy were silent on the drive home. Both were in deep thought when they
reached home.
 
As they entered the house,
Jeremy said, “tomorrow is Saturday already, I am leaving early for the airport.”

“I know.
Time really flies,” Phil said.
 

“I like
Isabel.
 
What a terrible thing to go
through tonight.
 
How do you think she'll
react when Rebecca gets home?”

“Everything
should be OK. Rebecca is more like a daughter than a sister to Isabel. I'm sure
Isabel will know what to do,” Phil answered unsure himself of what was going to
happen.

“Sorry
Buddy,” Jeremy said.

“Well,
that's life.
 
As you always said, when
life gives you lemons, make lemonade and drink it with rum,” Phil said.

“No,”
Jeremy corrected. “I said vodka.
 
But,
you're right, I need another drink.
 
Your
love life drives me nuts,” Jeremy said.

“I'll get a
drink too,” Phil echoed as the two walked to the bar. It was not the time to
think.
 
Thinking at a time like this
would not be good for the heart, Phil decided.
 
He didn't know that Isabel had already done some thinking after Phil and
Jeremy left.
 
Phil didn't know that he
was going to be dumped.
 

##

When Lucy
left two hours later, Rebecca was still not home. Isabel was still too upset to
worry about Rebecca and went to bed, thinking about the dreadful evening. She
was going to sacrifice love and happiness for a promise, for honor.
 
She wished there was a way out of it, out of
her misery.
 
She fell asleep before she
could find an answer.

 
When Isabel woke up the next day, she felt
hung over from the night before.
 
She
knew Rebecca was home because she heard the front door open in the middle of
the night.
 
She wasn't going to wait for
Rebecca to wake up. Isabel took a shower and got dressed. An hour later, she
was knocking on Rebecca's door.

“Rebecca,
it's me. We need to talk.”

“I am
coming.”

“She went
with her walker to the kitchen and made a cup of chai tea.
 
She waited more than half an hour before
Rebecca came.
 
Rebecca's eyes were red as
if she had been crying.

“Rebecca, I
need an explanation for what you did last night,” Isabel said. Rebecca looked
uncomfortable.
 
Isabel had moved her
walker to the side and was sitting by the small kitchen table, and Rebecca who
was standing came and sat next to her.

“I did it
for you,” Rebecca answered.

“You were
rude to my guests for my own good?” a surprised and dejected Isabel asked.

“You have a
good thing going with Richard.
 
I know
the past several weeks have been tough for you because of the accident.
 
I felt that Phil was taking advantage of it,”
Rebecca said.

“Spare me
Rebecca.
 
You felt a need to protect me,
and the way to do it was to insult my guests?” a visibly upset Isabel asked.

“Maybe I
shouldn't have done it.
 
It was a spur of
the moment thing,” Rebecca said, as tears ran down her cheeks. “I’m sorry
Isabel.
 
I didn't mean to hurt you.
 
You're the only mother and sister I've ever
had and I just couldn't sit there and see you making this mistake.”

“OK,”
Isabel's tone softened as Rebecca's sobbed. She was a sucker for these moments.
“I forgive you for what happened.
 
Never
do it again. I can protect myself. You will have to call Phil, Jeremy and Lucy
to apologize.”

“OK,”
Rebecca said.
 
Rebecca was relieved.
 
The evening after the dinner, she had driven
for hours not knowing what to do and how Isabel would react.
 
Would Isabel ask her to leave the house?
 
Would Isabel hate her? She knew that she had
hurt Isabel and she was heartbroken.
 
She
loved Isabel and didn't want to see her hurt and wasn't sure that Isabel would
forgive her.

“Forgive me
Isabel,” Rebecca added. “It will never happen again, I promise.”

“I forgive
you,” They both then held a long hug. Unbeknownst to Isabel, tears were running
down her cheeks too.

##

After
Rebecca had returned to her room and Isabel had freshened up, Isabel returned
to the kitchen to get a second cup of chai.
 
She looked at her watch and realized that Marcia would be there in one
hour to pick her up for the lunch with Mark's parents.
 
She gathered her strength and called Phil.

“Hello,”
Phil's voice came earlier than expected. She was silent for one moment
gathering her thoughts, causing Phil to ask, “Isabel, are you there?”

“Yes,
Phil.
 
I am sorry for what happened last
night.”

“No
worries. Rebecca called earlier.
 
Everything is OK?”

“Did she
apologize to Jeremy too?”

“Jeremy had
already left for the airport.
 
I did tell
her that I would convey the message to him,” Phil replied. “Are you OK?”

“I wanted
to talk to you. I think all this has been my fault.”

“Don't
blame
yourself
for anything,” Phil implored.

“In a
sense, Rebecca is right, what I am doing is cheating on Richard with you and I
can't do this anymore,” Isabel said.

“We haven't
done anything wrong,” Phil said.

“Yes, we
have. I can't see you anymore Phil.”

“Wait a
minute.
 
We're not going through this
again.
 
This time, I know you can't mean
it.
 
You love me,” Phil protested.

“Actually,
I thought I did. But last night, I just realized that what I felt for you was
just a physical attraction and nothing else.”

“You can't
mean that Isabel.”

“Yes, I do.
I love Richard.
 
Good bye, Phil.” As
Isabel was getting ready to hang up, she could hear Phil's protesting. Then the
line went dead. She had already hung up. Isabel was relieved that she was on
the phone and not in front of Phil as tears flowed down Isabel's face,
betraying her last words to Phil.

Phil
looked at the phone in his hands and wondered what just happened.
 
Did he just lose Isabel?
 
He always felt that Isabel loved him.
 
Was it only an attraction for her?
 
He wished he could call back or go to her
house and talk to her.
 
But he knew that
he would never do that.
 
When a woman
doesn't want you, you stay away.
 
If you
didn't, he knew,
based
on his legal background, this
could be considered harassment or stalking.
 
Besides, he loved Isabel.
 
If
staying away from her would make her happy, he would comply.
 
He didn't like it or understand it.
 
Phil was hurt by it. But Phil didn't have a
choice.