Inferno Anthology (244 page)

Claire realized Tony believed he’d presented her with a freedom. She couldn’t help think it was, instead, only a glimpse of what she was missing. The forbidden opportunities would now be staring her in the face. “Thank you, understand.”

He turned to his computer screens, and she watched the back of his head for what seemed like hours. He knew what she wanted. She’d made her request. Now he was making her wait. How would she respond? He’d provided a token of his approval. Would she submissively accept or would she pursue the idea of calling her sister?

Claire closed her eyes and tried to stop the pounding in her temples. Perched on the chair’s edge near his desk, she refused to budge. The folder, the gift he’d given her, sat closed on her lap. She didn’t care about people she didn’t know, and her head hurt too much to read anymore. She waited as his fingers flew between the keyboard and mouse. Sitting silently and expressionlessly she remembered Courtney’s kind words: Life isn’t a test you must continually pass. Claire absentmindedly rolled her shoulders and straightened her neck. If her only possibility of calling Emily was passing this test, then by God, she wasn’t moving from this seat.

Finally, he turned to face her. “Why have
you
not called until now?” He presented his question with harsh overtones.

Thinking out loud, she said, “I’ve been busy. I can tell her about the
Red Cross
and preparing for our interview.”

What followed were not suggestions, but orders. “You
will be
apologetic and explain that
you
have been meaning to call. Seeing her recent e-mail reminded you,
you
haven’t. Your reasons sound valid. I’d prefer you didn’t discuss the job situation. It’s done, and of course, there are no hard feelings.”

The directives should have been upsetting, but she’d played this game before. They were the means to her goal. “Yes, I promise.”

He dialed the phone, put it on speaker, and didn’t bother to turn away. The phone rang three times. Claire’s hopes began to sink until finally Emily answered.

“Hi, Emily, it’s Claire.” Emily’s voice brimmed with excitement. Claire’s sounded happy and apologetic. They spoke for about ten minutes. On a few occasions, Tony indicated that the subject needed to be changed. Claire attempted to keep the discussion away from the job, but Emily was determined to discuss it, explaining how John was currently very close to being named partner. He didn’t feel right abandoning the firm that had taken a chance on him when he first graduated. He’d worked hard to get to his position and didn’t feel right working for family; however, he was very honored Anthony would consider hiring him. They also discussed Emily’s class, and she asked about the interview Claire mentioned. Before they hung up Claire promised to do a better job responding to Emily’s e-mails.

It amazed Claire how one phone call could make her both happy and sad. Maintaining her
happy
voice during the call almost reduced her to tears on its completion. Her energy was totally depleted. “If it’s all right with you, I’ll take the folder upstairs and look through it. We can discuss the e-mails after dinner.”

“That’s fine, you may go.”

Once upstairs, Claire decided to nap instead of looking through the folder. It’d been a long day. The contrast between the interview and her reality intensified the pounding behind her eyes and more recent nausea. She took some acetaminophen, crawled between the soft cool sheets, and allowed the tears from the phone call to flow. Sleep was a welcome escape.

It wasn’t long after she fell asleep when Tony woke her. He wanted to thank her again for her performance during the interview. He also believed she wanted to thank him.

This only is denied even to God, the power to undo the past.

—Agathon

ON MARCH 15,
Tony brought home the final copy of the article approved by Shelly. It was scheduled to be published the end of March, officially the April 2011 issue of
Vanity Fair
:

Anthony Rawlings Introduces the World to the Love of his Life, His Wife Claire Rawlings—Let the Rumors Cease and Learn how She has Changed His Life

By: Anne Robinson Photos by: Shaun Stivert

You don’t marry someone you can live with, you marry the person who you cannot live without.

—Unknown author

On a beautiful snowy day, in the Midwest, Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Rawlings sat down with
Vanity Fair
and addressed the questions, rumors, and realities of their acquaintance, courtship, engagement, and marriage. The exceedingly private man and his beautiful new bride graciously opened their home to our photographers and interviewer. (Photo of Tony and Claire dressed in casual elegant slacks and sweaters, sitting on a sofa in their gorgeous sitting room.)

The home of Anthony and Claire Rawlings is a stately 6,000 plus acre estate near Iowa City, Iowa. Their residence is a spacious elegant home secluded within the private gates of this countryside.

Built by Mr. Rawlings approximately sixteen years ago, it resembles a 1940’s Romanesque-style mansion. The main house is centered upon a round brick drive. Projecting from the main structure are wings of additional corridors and rooms. Upon entry you may feel you have entered a museum; however, the warmth and love radiated by the newlyweds soon help you to realize you have entered a family home; a quality Mr. Rawlings states was missing until recently.

It was late May of 2010 when Anthony Rawlings first introduced the city of Davenport to the then Claire Nichols. They attended the Quad City Symphony. Mr. Rawlings was asked to attend the event because of a generous donation made to both the Quad City Symphony and the Support the Arts Foundation. Mr. Rawlings has long been known for his generosity and pursuit of philanthropic endeavors. He is a firm believer in the arts and continues to support endeavors that promote artistic pursuits. As a local celebrity, Mr. Rawlings is often seen attending functions in and around the Quad Cities (as well as in cities like Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles).

It was his companion on that evening that was unfamiliar. He has been seen on various occasions with different women, some with names we recognize, such as Cynthia Simmons and Julia Owens. Truthfully, throughout his forty-six years he has been seen with many beautiful women; however, it was apparent to those present on that evening in May, that this was different. Many on-lookers reported “glances” and “hand holding” that were not witnessed before.

When discussing their first public “date,”
Vanity Fair
noted that the new Mrs. Rawlings couldn’t help look at her husband with blushed cheeks and a bashful smile. She stated that she recalled the standing ovation he received and how handsome she thought he looked. But she hastily added that at that time, neither of them was looking for a long-term relationship.

Anthony said that he recalls seeing Claire when he picked her up for the symphony. He even recalled her outfit, a black dress with a beaded bodice, and that her hair was up with curls. (Anthony gently played with his wife’s hair as he described the style.) He remembered that she was stunning and he was proud to accompany her to the event.

VF
:
Now, ladies, ask your husband if he remembers what you were wearing on that first date! I had to think that Mr. Rawlings should have realized at that moment his heart was lost. I wanted to know how the two of them got to that first date. How did they meet?

Anthony told the story of meeting Claire in Atlanta, Georgia—

VF:
Was it “love” at first sight?

They smiled at one another. Claire shook her head. “Probably not,” and she added, “Anthony is a complicated, private man. You can love the wrapping paper, but with him it takes some time to find out what is inside. I wouldn’t give my life to someone without knowing what is inside the package.”

“What is love? Love is when one person knows all of your secrets, your deepest, darkest, most dreadful secrets of which no one else in the world knows. And yet in the end, that one person does not think any less of you.”

Mrs. Rawlings added she has seen the inside of the package and loves it more than the wrapping paper.

VF:
Mrs. Rawlings, can you share some of your findings with our readers? What have you found under that amazing wrapping paper?

Blushing slightly at the inference, she quickly recovered. “Well, he isn’t exactly how he appears.” Anthony seemed to be interested in what she was about to reveal. Claire continued, “For example, he has been known to hold webinars and web conferences from home in a shirt, tie, suit jacket, gym shorts, and sneakers.” She smiled at her husband, who playfully shook his head.

He responded, “Great. Now I’m going to have to stand before each webinar to alleviate the participants’ curiosity.” He smiled broadly.

When asked if anything else surprised her about Anthony, after some reflection she answered yes. He is a Vikings fan. They both grinned. Being originally from Indiana, Mrs. Rawlings said she couldn’t imagine she would marry anyone who isn’t a Colts fan. Anthony made a comment about real football teams that play outdoors, and Claire was quick to mention two recent trips to the Super Bowl. Their playful banter was enjoyable to observe.

VF
:
Have you two had any arguments, disagreements, or fights?

“No!” They answered simultaneously and laughed. Anthony took the lead on this question. “Of course. I can’t imagine spending quality time with someone and always agreeing. That is not what I want in my life. There are multitudes of people in my life that will agree with my every thought. Claire has stood up to me in ways that captains of business have not. Her strength and determination are what I fell in love with.” Tenderly wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he added, “As well as her beauty and intelligence.”

After smiling at Anthony, Claire added, “I have been told that some of those qualities can be infuriating.” This reporter enjoyed Anthony’s dismissal of that comment.

VF
:
Will either of you share the story of the proposal?

Claire volunteered, “Oh, I will. He was amazing. First, it was dinner in Manhattan. He took me to the theater district. We dined at the
Crown Plaza Hotel
and our table had a view of Times Square. I had no idea what his plans were for the evening, he enjoys surprises. After dinner we went to see
The Merchant of Venice
with Al Pacino, fantastic by the way. Afterward, I was honestly tired and ready to go back to my hotel. But instead we went to
Central Park
.” Laughing she recalled, “It was very cold that night, the night before Thanksgiving. It hadn’t snowed, but it was very cold; however, he planned for that with mittens and blankets”. After each sentence she looked into his eyes. Even this reporter saw the twinkle in her green eyes as she recounted his proposal. Claire went on to say, “I did not expect a proposal. I was completely shocked. But there he was, in a horse-drawn carriage in
Central Park
, under the lights, with a diamond ring.”

Vanity Fair
will add that her
diamond ring
is actually a designer original Tiffany & Co. 4.3 carat brilliant center stone bordered by a delicate diamond bead set in mil-grain detail in platinum. The matching wedding band is also platinum, with delicate inset diamonds. While actual value would not be released by Mr. Rawlings or Tiffany & Co., New York, where he is said to have purchased the set, due to the size, clarity, and unique cut, it is estimated above 400 thousand dollars.

VF
:
Did you say yes immediately? (Now come on, ladies, think about what you would have done.)

Claire sat back. “No.” At this Anthony smiled and put his hand on his wife’s knee. He goes on with the answer. “No, she didn’t. She made me wait for what seemed like an eternity.” But leaning over to kiss his bride, he added, “She finally relented. And I was elated.”

The worst thing you can do for love is deny it; so when you find that special someone, don’t let anyone or anything get in your way.

VF:
Now some people have questioned the quickness of your nuptials. What do you have to say to those critiques?

Anthony answered, “I guess they have never been as in love.” Claire continued, “We didn’t want to wait. We made our decision. We wanted our family and friends to share in our happiness.”

VF
:
The personal accounts were extremely complimentary. How did you pull off the wedding of the century in less than a month?

Mrs. Rawlings replied, “With the best wedding planner and coordinator in the world! They were amazing. We never worried about a thing.”

According to the press releases the wedding was magnificent. The bride was gorgeous in an exquisite
Vera Wang
gown, reportedly from an elite Manhattan boutique. The groom was dazzling in a custom
Armani
tuxedo—(Photo of Mr. and Mrs. Rawlings in wedding attire standing at the base of the grand stairway, decorations can be seen behind them. Note: multiple wedding pictures and decorations can be seen in a collage of pictures at the end of the article.)