Killer Cupid (The Redemption Series: Book 1) (19 page)

David

It took a bit of convincing, but Eduardo agreed to find George Aldridge and get him in front of him. David sat up in the bed, and focused his breath, but George immediately plunged into his speech, looking anywhere but at him.

“David, Marion and I are very glad that you’re recovering so well. But I must tell you, I am very concerned about your relationship with my daughter. Debbie is a child
—
just turned nineteen this past October. And of course, you know, her health is very fragile.”

David tried to interrupt, but George was determined to continue. “She has never been involved with a boy, and her mother and I have always felt that she is better off without that stress and strain. Of course, since all of this, I mean since she met you, and you’ve become so involved, well Marion and I still feel she is better off not dating at this point. But telling her that would only cause more stress and a relapse, no doubt. So I have decided to allow you to continue to see her. You may call upon her, and take her out for an afternoon or evening now and then.”

George paused and looked at the floor. David wasn’t going to get his attention until the entire speech was out. “Our hope is that your relationship will just come to a natural end, without too much trauma for her. After all, you have a busy job that takes you all over the world. And also, you are much, much too old for Debbie, really.”

David stared at him, and he finally looked up. Mustering his strength, David tried to ignore George’s harsh plan. He purposefully moderated his voice. “George, I asked you to come here, so I could ask you for Debbie’s hand in marriage. I love her. I know it seems strange that I can say that, having known her for such a brief time. But I knew from the second I met her. And I know she feels the same way about me. Things have happened in my life, that make me realize there is a God and there is some plan, and things happen for a reason. I think that Debbie and I have given each other a reason to live, and we are meant to be together. We are good for each other, no matter what our age difference, or where we live. We are meant to be. So I ask for your blessing.” He kept his gazed fixed on George and tried not to cough.

George seemed unnerved, and touched by his words. He silently circled the room. At last he spoke. “When are you planning to marry her?”

“As soon as possible.”

Startled, he looked up at David. “What is your rush?”

“I want to spend my life with her
—
not just an afternoon or evening. And one thing I’ve learned is life is too short. So the sooner we can be together, the happier we will be. And I know you and Marion are concerned that we behave properly, so I think it best that we are married right away. Then, hopefully, you will not feel so uncomfortable having her alone with me.”

George began pacing anew, shaking his head. “Well, I’ve got to say I’m shocked you want to be married so soon. What about your job? How could you possibly have time for a wife?”

“General Pearson is offering me a new position. It will be much more like a regular job with more normal hours. It will also involve a significant raise in salary. So I will be able to support your daughter, and have time to be with her.”

“And where is this job located?”

“Here, and in a few months, Salzburg, Austria.”

“Austria!” George’s temple throbbed visibly. “I’m not traveling back and forth to Austria, just to visit my daughter. Furthermore, Debbie will hate living there! It’s freezing cold. They speak German.” He was pacing again. “Besides, all her friends and family are here.”

“Don’t you think you should let Debbie decide for herself?” David was having trouble controlling his voice.

“Decide for herself? No! Debbie is a child. What does she know? She’ll get there and be homesick. She’ll have more trouble eating. It’s a nightmare waiting to happen!” George had the reason he needed. “I knew this marriage idea wasn’t a good one. No, you should not marry her. That’s it.”

“George, I know Debbie is naïve, but she is of legal age. She should have some say in this. And if it is that important that she live here, we’ll live here. The important thing is that we are together.”

George seemed impressed with his persistence. “Well, I think it is important. She has a serious health problem. She needs good doctors. She needs support. And throwing her into a strange new country with a whole new language, well that’s not going to help. So if your job cannot be here, you’ll have to rethink this.”

David hid his breathing difficulty in a heavy sigh. “No George, I’m not ‘rethinking’ Debbie. I want to be with her. I want to marry her. It’s as simple as that. Again, I ask your blessing.”

“And what are you going to do for a job, if you stay here?” George was determined to trip him up.

“I have a job here. At least through June. That will be plenty of time for me to straighten out my employment situation.”

“And what if it is not? How will you support Debbie? I will not have her living in some slum someplace.”

“George, I have considerable savings. We will not be living in a slum. It may not be as grand a home as she has now. But she will be very comfortable, I assure you. And furthermore, I will not have to worry about finding a job. If I decide to leave this organization tomorrow, I’d be settled into another position within a week, anywhere I choose.”

“I need to think about this.” George turned on his heel and left the room.

***

David was making strides in his recovery, rapidly gaining strength. He was able to walk to the deck with Debbie, and enjoy the marvelous California sunshine. He sat her on his lap, and held her in his arms. They talked about their plans for the future without discussion of her parents.

George had managed to avoid David for days, but he now appeared on the deck to find his daughter in David’s arms, kissing him. They could no longer evade the subject.

“Debbie, dear, I need you to go see your mother for a while. I need to speak with David privately.”

Debbie shuddered as she looked up at her father. David tightened his arms around her, kissed her cheek and whispered, “It’s okay Sweetheart. I’ll come find you again in a few minutes.”

Frozen, she continued to stare silently, wide-eyed, up at her father. David stood up with her in his arms, and placed her on her feet. She clamped his shirtsleeve in her shaky hand. “It’s okay.” He pried her fingers from his shirt. His heart sank as he watched her disappear into the hospital.

George turned back to David. “I can’t let you marry my daughter. I won’t have her leaving the country, that’s all there is to it.”

“Have you spoken to Debbie about this?” David knew he had not. “She is excited to visit Austria. I told her we would spend our honeymoon there. If she likes it there, I’ll take the job, and we can live there. If not, we’ll come back here. She agreed with that plan.”

“Well what would she say? Of course she agreed with that idea. She has stars in her eyes. But what happens six months or a year from now, when she’s homesick and alone most of the day? She’ll be starving herself again.”

“It doesn’t have to be that way George.” David was losing his temper.

“Well, it does have to be that way. At least for now. Maybe in a few years, she’ll be mature enough, healthy enough to be married. And if you want to see her from time to time
—
well, I’ll permit it
—
but not marriage, not now.”

Aggravated, David turned and strode back into the hospital. He found Debbie sitting with his mother and Camellia.

His mother looked up at him. “David, what’s wrong?”

He sat beside Debbie and drew her to him, brushing his cheek against hers, cradling her in his arms, swallowing his anger.

“David!”

“Yes, Mama.” He spoke in a calm voice, without moving. “I’m fine.” He pressed Debbie’s tear-stained face to his.

Glori

We gazed at each other over the breakfast table, our legs entwined underneath. He had ordered a large meal, which he pushed around on his plate. I had my usual coffee with a piece of toast. I lit a cigarette. He reached across and took it from my lips.

“Those things will kill you.” He snuffed it in his fingers.

“Don’t worry, Darlin’.” I pouted. “They’ll kill me long after you’ve forgotten my name.”

Eduardo

“Hey, Lambrecht, we’re headed out first thing in the morning.” Jimmy approached him, hand outstretched. David grabbed his hand and pulled him toward him for a hug. Embarrassed at the sentiment, Jimmy pulled away, and allowed Alain his hug good-bye.

“You take care of yourselves, now.”

“I know, I know.” Alain slapped his friend on the back. “We’ll be okay. See you in three, four weeks or so.”

Eduardo repeated the good-bye hugs.

“Geez! You Europeans are so touchy-feely.” Jimmy extracted himself from Eduardo’s bear hug. “It’s not like we’re never gonna see each other again.”

“Yeah, yeah!” Eduardo waved him away. “I’ll give Alain a great big hug and a kiss. Poor guy hasn’t been gettin’ any affection lately.” Eduardo grabbed his friend, as the four of them laughed.

Alain and Jimmy left David’s room – Jimmy to prepare for the upcoming trip, Alain to find Glori.

“So what’s going on with the Aldridge situation?” Eduardo took a bite from an apple he had taken great pains to polish.

“The Aldridge situation?” David repeated.

“Yeah, did George finally give you his permission to marry Debbie, or what? I never heard anything about wedding bells, and with all the family around to go on about something like that well, I’m surprised they’re not in high C about it.”

“That’s because he told me that I am
not
to marry her. He thinks I’m going to steal her out of the country, she will be homesick, and starving herself. Well, you get the picture.” David began to look sick as he spoke.

Crestfallen, Eduardo put his arm around him. “Hey I – I’m sorry. I never thought he’d turn you down. I figured he’d be a bastard about everything, but I thought for sure you two would get married.”

“We will.”

Eduardo was disturbed. He knew David was seething underneath an emotionless exterior. And he felt compelled to try to help. “What are you thinking?”

David looked down to avoid eye contact.

“Hey, talk to me.” He shook him by the arm.

“There’s really nothing to say right now, Eduardo.”

“So what are you going to do? Run off with her?”

“I don’t know yet. I’ve got to get out of here first.”

“First?” Great.

Glori

“You torment me, you know.” Alain’s words were spoken so softly, they were barely audible.

I stared at his face in the darkness. “I
torment
you? How do I torment you, Darlin’?” I’d tried to keep my distance. This was the last time we’d be together. But I felt so weak from emotion – from separating my mind from what my body was doing – my voice sounded strange.

“You are with me every moment of the day – every day, every night. You are always in my mind, in my thoughts.”

My jaw dropped open and emotion surged up through my body closing my throat. My heart pounded, and I could barely catch a breath. His words whirled in my head. He does care about me.

My voice was a tiny whisper. “You’re leaving me tomorrow. Ever since we met, we’ve been living just in that minute, just one minute at a time. Tryin’ to get the most, the best, out of every minute. It’s been so amazing. But every time I ever mentioned anything about tomorrow – well that was something we weren’t supposed to talk about.” I let the tears go. “Now. Tonight. You tell me I’m always on your mind. You’re tellin’ me I’m someone special to you?”

“You are.” He pulled me closer, caressing me as I cried.

***

I came in through the Bainbridge’s kitchen door, my face flushed and wet with tears. I can’t even think how messed up my hair was. Cindy ran to hug me, and I broke down crying again.

“Oh, honey! What happened?” She led me upstairs to bed. “Here, just lay down for a while. Try and take it easy.” She threw off my shoes and covered me with a blanket. I sobbed into my pillow.

Cindy sat on the edge of my bed, quietly watching over me. I must have been in a fetal position for hours. She tried to comfort me, rubbing my back. Later, I fell into a fitful sleep. When I woke up, Cindy was there with breakfast. Her chin in her hand as she looked out the window, she didn’t notice me sit up.

“Hi Cin.” I sniffled.

“Glori, are you okay?”

“Oh, just ducky.” I blew my nose forcefully. “Yeah, I had a real good time last night.” I wiped my face with another tissue, and cringed when I saw all the black mascara.

“What happened?”

“The usual mind-blowing sex.” I reached for another tissue.

“Yeah we had our usual oceanfront hotel room, comfy bed. It was perfect.” I mopped up new tears. “And sometime – in the middle of the night – I’m not sure when, but I was just about able to keep it together, ya know? Well, he decides to tell me I’m really someone special to him. Imagine that, huh?” I broke into sobs again.