Acapulco Nights (19 page)

“I did what you asked. I want my divorce.” I stood rigidly in Joaquin’s office. I squared my shoulders and tried to maintain my dignity. The marriage had all been a farce, no point in pretending he had any hurt feelings over it.

I had been a class-A fool for ever believing this man had fallen for me. If I had figured that out twelve years ago, I probably would have been a wreck. But now? I felt used. That weird moment up in the suite, when I’d thought for sure we’d end up having sex—I was sick to my stomach thinking about it.

Joaquin sat behind his desk, his fingers tented over the expensive mahogany. “I will sign the papers. You did a perfect job.” His hazel eyes were nothing more than empty hollows to an empty soul. That man could feel nothing for any woman.

I wanted to tell him Mercedes knew our marriage had been a farce and that we were divorcing. But I didn’t think it would hurt him as much as he had hurt the both of us. He would be angry, yes, but the hurt would not be the same.

Mercedes seemed to be over his lies. It probably wouldn’t have helped her either.

I wasn’t about to let him off so easily, though. He couldn’t waltz back into my life, try to sleep with me, and end up ruining my relationship with James for nothing. His actions had to have some consequences. I tucked away that thought for later. Right now, I needed to get his signature on whatever papers the lawyer, Mr. Esposito, would have.

“I’ll be back in touch this afternoon. If you’re not here, I’ll leave the papers with your secretary and pick them up tomorrow morning.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “And then I never want to see you or hear from you again.”

“Ah,
Querida
—“

“I told you not to call me that again,” I seethed. “We both know there was never any love between us.”

His mouth curled up into a sardonic smile. “Sometimes you don’t need love,” he said. He picked up a silver letter opener off of his desk and ran its flat blade against the palm of his hand. “You had something I wanted.” His eyes locked onto mine and a jolt of sexual energy radiated from them. “And you let me take it. Simple as that.” He turned the letter opener over in his hand, concentrating on its shining surface.

I shuddered at the coldness in those words.

“It’s no longer yours for the taking, Joaquin. Tomorrow I’m leaving here and going back to a much better life than you’ll ever have.” I turned on my heel to leave, but not before I saw him clutch the sharp letter opener tightly in his hand, as if he were trying to squeeze the life out of it. I heard it clatter on the desk as I walked out the door and out of his life forever.

*

“So, you’re going to stay?” Janice asked.

I dumped my shoes out of the ice bucket in my new suite and hung some of my clothes in the closet. “I don’t know what I want to do to tell you the truth.”

“I think you should stay.”

“But what about James?”

“He’s hurt. He’s angry. You need to let him blow off some steam.” She sat on the couch, watching me put my clothes away.

“I think I’ve lost him.”

“You don’t know that.”

“But I feel it. The way he told me to leave—I’d never heard him sound like that before.”

“He’ll get over it.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Oh, Suze.” She got up from the couch and gave me a sympathetic hug, her bony body more bruising in an embrace than comforting.

“I think I just need to have my mind on something else.”

“Even with Joaquin here?”

“I think I can manage. Now that I know the truth, he won’t bother me anymore.” I slipped my favorite sundress onto a hanger and stuck it in the closet. “All of that is over with. In the past.”

“And you got him to sign the papers?”

I nodded. “The lawyer’s sending them over today. It gets the process started. It takes six months for the whole thing to be over with, and it can’t come soon enough.”

She patted me on the back and walked over to the mini-fridge. “Well, so now that you’re staying another three days, what do you want to do?” She stuck her head inside it. “Maybe try out the parasailing?”

“I don’t think so.”

Janice, unwrapping a Snickers bar she’d found, made a moue of disapproval.

“But,” I said, “I think I’d be up for the intermediate kayaking class.”

“You would?” she asked with a mouthful of chocolate and peanuts.

I nodded.

She swallowed and set the candy bar down on top of the fridge. “Just wait ‘til I tell George! He won’t believe it.” She dashed to the phone by the bed. “Oh, and by the way, he’s invited both of us on a river rafting trip.”

She dialed the phone.

“Is that so?”

“I’m thinking next August? It’ll be warm, but all the college kids will be back in school. What do you think?” She turned her attentions to George on the other end of the phone. “Oh, George! You’ll never guess. Suzie said she’ll take the class.”

I continued to hang up my clothes while Janice chattered with George, making plans for the few remaining days of our trip. Dinner, excursions, kayaking—she was packing three vacations into one.

I owed it to her to stay. Be a friend. Do the things she had envisioned us doing together. Then, I could head home and tackle my relationship with James—if I had a relationship left to salvage.

*

The hot sun shined bright in my eyes, but I paddled for all I was worth. Our instructor, Enrique, proudly declared me certified to kayak on the open ocean yesterday, and I was determined to keep up with Janice, George, and his traveling buddies.

“Come on, Suzie! You can do it!” yelled Janice from her position, only fifteen yards in front of me.

I centered my concentration on the slick of the paddle against the waves. The burn in my upper arms told me my muscles worked hard to keep up with the quick pace of the rest of the group.

“Did you see it?” George cried out.

“A dolphin!” Janice crowed. “Oh my gosh! Right in between us. Did you see that, Suzie?”

My efforts were solely focused on moving my kayak forward, not on the sights around me. But I had caught up. I floated a mere yard away from Janice. “No, I missed it.” I eased up on my paddling, letting the kayak cut through the salt water on its own momentum.

“Don’t worry. I’m sure there’ll be more.”

George drifted alongside Janice now. We could talk without having to yell anymore.

“How much farther, do you think?” I looked across the bay to the point of land north of us. Janice’s desire to kayak across the bay was coming true.

George squinted and looked up at the cliff’s edge. “I’d say another couple miles at least.”

I groaned.

“You can’t tell me you aren’t enjoying this. Can you believe the view from here?” Janice asked.

She was right. I
was
enjoying it. I didn’t think I would, but each paddle, each drop of sweat, each mile crossed I felt more and more alive. Sailboats dotted the bay all around us, their colorful sails billowing in the strong sea breezes. Fisherman, motoring in with a pre-dawn catch, sped past us from time to time. There were even a few windsurfers this far out, jumping and sailing across the ragged waves.

Looking back at the shore, the bright green of the palm trees and the colorful hotel buildings made for a picturesque display. I couldn’t believe I had paddled out so far all on my own.

“Hey, guys,” called out one of George’s friend—Jim or Tim or something like that, “I wanna get there before Christmas. Can we get a move on?”

I stuck my paddle in the water, pulling as hard as I could. My kayak cut through the waves, and joy filled my heart. A lightness of being that I’d never felt before. After the emotional turmoil of the last few days, it surprised me to feel renewed, alive, clean and unburdened for the first time in a long, long time.

“I’ll race you,” I yelled out to Janice, knowing I could never beat her. She was much stronger than I. But I didn’t care. I wanted to paddle, to feel the wind in my hair and the sun on my face, and live.

“You’re on,” said my friend. The muscles stood out on her skinny arms, and she bore down on her paddle. “Let’s see what you’re made of, Eisenhart.”

Our last morning in Acapulco I rolled my suitcase—more well-packed than when I arrived (the wheels actually rolled this time)—into the lobby. My key card had been handed in, and my flight for San Antonio was leaving in a couple of hours.

“So, you think you’ll be okay going to the airport alone?” Janice asked. “I mean, my plane doesn’t leave until tonight, but I don’t mind hanging out with you for a few hours.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine. Still got some of my book left to read.” I held up a paperback book as proof. “And besides, I know you want to spend some time with George before you leave.”

She blushed. “Oh, Suzie, he’s such a great guy.”

“I know.”

“Who would have guessed I’d meet someone here of all places?”

“Why not?” I shrugged. “You’re a great catch, babe.”

She smiled at the compliment. “What do you think of him?”

“I think you know what I think of him already.” We walked over to a bench near the entrance and sat down together. “He’s perfect for you.”

“You think so?”

“You know it’s true. He follows you around like a little lost puppy.”

She giggled at the description. “Do you think I’m nuts for thinking about moving to West Virginia?”

“No. I think it’s about time you moved on. Did something just for you. Your firm has been sucking the life out of you for years.”

“Yeah, but at least they paid well. I’ll kinda miss that.”

“No you won’t.”

She smiled. We both knew she’d be spending all her free time with George, which was a far cry from the way she’d been spending her free time in Chicago.

I gave her a hug. “You’re probably the best friend a girl could have.”

She waved a hand at me. “Oh, come on now.”

“I’ll never forget how important that is—ever.” I looked her hard in the eye to let her know that I meant it.

“Stop it, or you’re going to make me cry.” She brushed her fingertips underneath her eye and sniffed.

“Promise me that we’ll get together more often like this,” I gestured at the tropical beauty right outside the glass doors. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too.” We waited for my taxi to the airport to arrive.

“So,” Janice said, “are you glad you took the sea kayaking course?”

I thought about our amazing paddle across the bay yesterday. “Definitely. But, personally, I was really disappointed to find the trapeze class had been cancelled indefinitely. I mean, why come to Acapulco if you can’t brush up on your acrobatic skills?” I gave her a grin.

She jabbed me with her elbow. “All right. Maybe that’s not your thing—but George and me, maybe next time we’re here, we could try it out.”

George and Janice were the perfect pair—I had never seen two people eat so much and work out so hard. Sickening. They would probably have dozens of dark-haired, long-limbed children who could out-run, out-bike, out-swim, and out-raft the whole state of West Virginia.

I relished a last chat with Janice before I headed home. After twelve years, my mind finally cleared of worry. I felt freer than I had in a long, long time.

Sitting in the lobby and waiting with Janice, I patted my purse and the copy of the important papers I stowed there. The official copy of our divorce papers would be filed by my attorney. I had left a packet for
Señor
Esposito at the reception desk, who would be picking it up later today.

But the copy I carried was just for me. Something to remind me of my mistakes and remind me of the important things in my life. Not what my mother or my best friend thought of me, but being honest about who I was.

I wanted to shout in that bustling lobby:
Here I am, Suzette Eisenhart, and I am divorced
.

“Hey, I think your taxi’s here.” Janice pointed out the glass lobby doors at the yellow-and-black Volkswagen Bug waiting in the circular drive.

Coolest taxi ever.

God, I loved this country.

“Well, guess this is it,” I announced.

“Yep. Have a safe flight.”

“Thanks, sweetie.” I gave her one last hug, and then grabbed the handle of my suitcase. Nothing remained here for me. I’d finished what I’d set out to do. Now, I needed to get back to the San Antonio and see if I could salvage my relationship with James.

I climbed in the back seat of the Bug while the driver stuffed my suitcase into the front storage trunk. Janice stood inside the doors of the hotel, waving and smiling.

I waved back as the cab pulled away from the curb.

I thought about James and our little green-and-white house in the suburbs. It had all been so perfect. Too perfect to last maybe. Several times on the drive to the airport, I wished I could have called him. But even if I could, who knew if he would answer.

I wasn’t sure if he would be waiting for me when I got back home, but I would accept whatever decision he made. All was not lost. I loved him, and I thought he could love me again. It might take him some time, but I hoped he would forgive me.

I thought of his angular face that was more interesting than handsome and the way his lanky body moved on the tennis court, gangling and awkward. Yet he could still serve the best smash I’d ever seen.

He might not be waiting for me at the airport when I got back, but he would be there. Somewhere in San Antonio. I would find him. I would make things work again.

“
Señorita
?” The taxi driver pulled into the airport, the engine of his car rumbling and spewing black exhaust into the air.

“Oh, we’re here.”

“
Sí. Puede usted que le ayudo
?” My driver gestured at the heavy, bolder-like suitcase sitting on the curb.

“No,” I shook my head at him. “I don’t need any help. I can manage all by myself.”

I exited the cab into the bright, hot sunshine of Acapulco, and, for the first time the heat didn’t stifle me.