Fire In His Eyes (24 page)

“My wife and I have been going to counseling. The army really encourages us to take counseling, marriage counseling before taking any final measures.  It is an eight week program. It’s been a month now.  I just wanted you to know,” he said quickly.

The lump was back.  “Oh, okay.  I hope it is helping.”

“In a way,” he stalled.  ‘It’s been, revealing.  At least, I know my wife doesn’t see me as a monster anymore.  We have another month of counseling.”

“Yeah, well.  Good luck,”
I managed to get out convincingly.

“Yeah,
thanks, but I don’t think it is going to work for Julianna.” He paused searching for words. “She told me tonight she still wants a divorce.  She loves me, but just not like a married couple should love one another.”

“Really?”  I asked.  I didn’t know why he was telling me this.
Or, if I wanted to know.  I guess he wanted there to be no more secrets, if we were going to be friends.

“Yeah, I don’t know why I am telling you this.”  His voice echoed my thoughts.  “As friends though, that is something I would tell you.  I . . . just . . . don’t want you to think I have ulterior motives.  You’re friendship means too much.”

“It’s okay. Victor. I think I understand,” I expressed to him sympathetically.  I heard the pain and frustration there. Confusion.

“Y
eah, well, I think I am coming to accept it.  Stacey even knows that we are probably going to divorce.  The counselor wanted us to talk with her about it so that it didn’t come as a shock to her.”

“That’s a good idea,”
I told him. It would make any transition easier whatever it may be.

“Yeah, but the kid tells us. ‘Please, tell me something I don’t already know.  I love both of you and you both love me, so no biggie.  We haven’t lived together in a year.’
she said.” He stated with wonder.

Kids were versatile.  They adapted well if they had love and support on all sides. I saw this all the time in my career.
“Kids are smart today, Victor,” I offered.

“She sure is,” he laughed.  There was another pause.  “Well, I will let you go to bed.  Thanks for listening.”

“No problem.  Good night, Victor,” I whispered.

“Good night, Monica,” he said softly.

On Friday, during my lunch break, before I knew Ana
had to go to work, I called her and filled her in on what was going on.  She warned me and reminded me again that we were playing a dangerous game with this friendship business, but was glad Victor wasn’t leading me on and giving me false hope.  I admitted to her that was what I was hoping she would say.  She again cautioned me not to hope because anything could happen.  She reminded me how our parents had remarried, albeit they had divorced again.  I sighed, knowing this was true, having lived it myself.

Friday night rolled around, and I called Victor.  He had his daughter for the weekend.  I could
hear her in the background with Kat.  They were laughing.

“What’s going on?”  I asked.

“Oh, Kat and Stacey are in the kitchen cooking and baking up a storm, and I’m trying to stay out of their way,” he laughed.

“You lazy SOB, you just don’t want to help!”  I heard Kat yell.

“Yeah, daddy!”  Stacey yelled laughing.

“Are you slacking in your
duties?”  I accused. I could tell that Kat must be close to Stacey by the way they talked and were so easy going together.  She must spend a lot of time there.

“Not you, too,”
he laughed.  “Don’t tell me you’re on their side?” he whined.

“
Good girl, Mon.  Fight the power.  Make sure he knows that the kitchen is not just a woman’s domain!” Kat called out.

“What’s fight the power mean?”  I heard Stacey say.

We all laughed.  “You’re lucky she didn’t ask what SOB meant,” I said, and I heard him chuckle.

“Yeah, really.  Th
at one just slipped past her,” he mumbled. “That doesn’t happen too often.”

“So, why are
the girls in this cooking and baking frenzy for which you refuse to help?”  I asked continuing to mock him.

“They are . . . um cooking and prepping for a party, Joe’s retirement
actually.  We are doing a little something for him down in the courtyard area by the pool tomorrow night.  All of us from the apartment complex are going.”

“Yeah, and you should be helping!” Kat complained.

“He’s your boyfriend!”  Victor retorted.  “Plus, I refuse to go anywhere near that counter.”

“Oh you devil,”
I heard Kat say.  Then she yelled, “Tell Monica to come.  It would be nice to see her.” Oh, my.  Why would Kat put us in this predicament, I thought.

“Is that Monica,”
I heard Stacey say.  “I want to meet her.”

“
Oh, I don’t know,” I hastily stated.  “I’m not sure.”

“She says she is busy,”
he started to offer as an excuse.

“Busy
, my arse!” Kat snipped.

“I really want to meet her, daddy! Kat says she’s cool!”  I heard the girl complain.
Kat told Stacey I was cool.  They had talked about me.  The slight panic I felt began to rise.

“Tell that skinny
bit— um, Monica,” Kat cut herself off, “She’s expected at eight.”

There was an awkward silence from both Victor and I.

“So, eight then?” he asked when I hadn’t said anything.

I paused,
“Eight it is, then.” I felt like I hadn’t been given a choice.  But the temptation to see him with his daughter was just too much. It would be painful, but something I thought I should do.

At eight on the button, I made way into the courtyard of Victor’s apartment complex.  I just followed the noise.  It was obvious the revelry was already under way from the sound of laughter and music that filled the evening air.  I walked between Victor’s building and the one next to it, and made my way down the small lane of potted plants, and decorative shrubbery to the pool and lanai area. I noticed someone had strung nets of white Christmas lights over the fence, some trees, and the umbrellas.  It made for a nice atmosphere in the waning light of November in Florida.  I saw two tables laden with food and drinks.  There were a lot of people, much more than there had been when Joe had thrown a party last summer. People stood and sat in small groups, all around the oversized swimming pool and a sign was hung across the fence that read, “Good luck Joe! Congratulations.”

Victor had his back to me, and Kat saw m
e first.  “There you are, Mon,” she crossed the lanai over to me and gave me a quick hug.  “Damn, girl.  Victor was right.  You are as skinny as pole.  Not good,” she looked at me suspiciously.

Victor turned in his seat when he heard
Kat make that statement.  “I had the flu last month,” I lied to brush away any questions.  “It was awhile before I was able to eat anything solid.  My stomach was very unsettled.” Her eyes were still suspicious.  “I am gaining it back slowly now,” I tried to reassure her.

Victor
got up when he heard that, concern on his face.  “You didn’t tell me you were sick?” He smiled but I saw a bit of doubt in his expression.

“Oh, I . .
. it slipped my mind is all,” I offered lamely as he crossed over to me.

“Oh, well you
are better now, though, right?” he asked and offered me a halfhearted hug.

I nodded.
  “Yeah, I’m fine.” I hugged him quickly and stepped back.

Victor took my hand and tugged it slightly. 
“Come on and sit down with me and Joe.  Tina, Maria, and Michael are here somewhere, too.”  I followed him letting him drag me along, but I was looking around to see if I could spot his daughter.  I had wondered if she would look like him.  He noticed my glancing and knew what I was doing.  He rewarded me with a breathtaking smile. “She’s with Joe’s two granddaughters.  They came down from Jacksonville for the party.”

“Oh, that’s nice,”
I offered and smiled back.

“
Yeah, Stacey and Joe’s grandkids have been as thick as thieves all day.  Brittany is fifteen, and Lucy is eleven, the same age as Stacey,” he said as Joe spotted me and waved calling us over.  “Hey, Joe has seen you.  Let’s say hello.”  Victor took my elbow and brought me through the crowd of well-wishers over to the small group around Joe.

Joe came forward to greet me.

“Hey, Monica.  It’s nice to see you, again.  I’m glad you could make it.  Thanks for coming,” he said and gave me a big bear hug.

“Congratulations Joe
, on retiring.”  I handed him an envelope with a card wishing him well on his retirement.  “I hear you are planning on spending a lot of time visiting the grandkids.  That ought to be nice.”

“
Aw, you didn’t have to do that,” he said slipping the card into his back pocket.

“It’s just a gift card to the new
seafood place, Bone Fish Grille, the one down on Henderson Avenue.  I had heard you mention you loved fish and wanted to try it,” I shrugged.

“Oh, thanks.  That was sweet of you, and about the kids, yes; I am looking forward to having the time to visit them more often,
but not too much time.”  His eyes began to twinkle and from my peripheral vision I saw Kat approaching. So that is what was putting the sparkle in his eyes just now, I thought to myself.  “I’ve got a great reason to be spending time here as well,” Joe added.  Kat went right to Joe, ducked under his arm, and gave him a peck on the cheek. Joe put his arm around her back and pulled her in closer.

“Don’t stick around on my account, you old codge
r.  You’ll just be underfoot,” she teased.

“Not under your foot darling,
but maybe under . . .,” Joe was caught off guard by the swift elbow to the rib cage Kat had given him.  He coughed, and then laughed, and she kissed him on the cheek while blushing.

“Oh, here come the kids,”
Victor interrupted.  I turned in the direction Victor was looking and saw three young girls approaching.  Two were brunette, one very tall and thin, and the other shorter and a bit rounder in features.  Sisters obviously, and the third girl, shorter than the rest had blond hair and Victor’s blue eyes.  It was startling to see this little girl with those eyes, but no one could mistake that this was Victor’s daughter.  She was stunning.

I leaned over to whisper, “She’s beautiful
, Victor.  Beautiful.”

He reached over and took my hand and gave it a squeeze. 
He was smiling at his daughter as she approached, but he was holding my hand making those circles he used to do with his thumb. It was like a shot in the gut.  I hadn’t expected it, but electricity shot through me, and I think him too, because he looked down at our hands and winced.  He let go of my hand regretfully.  “I know,” he whispered back.  “She is beautiful. And, it scares the hell out of me.”  I nodded sympathizing with him.

Victor turned in Stacey’s direction and
called out to the kids, “Stacey, Monica just got here!”

The little girl with the sparkling blue eyes skipped ahead of the other two
girls and rushed to her dad slamming into him around the waist and gave him a hug.  Then she turned and offered her hand to me.  “Hi, Mon.  Nice to meet you.  Dad talks about you all the time.  Oh, is it okay that I call you Mon?  That’s what Kat calls you,” she rushed out.

I took her hand and clasped it
with both of mine and shook her small hand.  She was eleven, but looked like she was eight.  “Sure,” I smiled.  “That’s what my sister calls me, too.”

“O
oo, you have a sister.  You’re so lucky.  I wish I had a sister.  It sucks growing up an only child.  Nothing but adults to play with when you’re home,” she pouted.

Victor ruffled her hair.  “One of you is plenty,” he teased but was looking at me when he said it.

“It sure sounds like it sucks,” I told her and it made her smile that I was agreeing with her and not taking her dad’s side.

“You’re pretty, Mon.  I love your jeans.  I would love a pair of jeans like that, b
ut mom and dad say no way, whenever I ask for a pair of skinny jeans,” she confided in me.  I had just bought these this morning.  I hadn’t wanted to wear anything sexy, but all my casual pants had been too large. They were not my usual style, but they were comfortable and fit well at least. Victor looked at my legs then, and I think it was the first time he noticed what I had on, because I saw a lick, just a bit, but I saw it, a flame in his eye.  My heart accelerated.

“Thanks Stacey, but your dad is prob
ably right.  If you wore these, he would have a heart attack, or worse, he’d have to chase all the boys away with a stick and you would be mortified,” I teased her. “Fathers can be so embarrassing at times.”

“Don’t I know it!” she rolled her eyes and looked back at her dad.

“Hey, I’m not that bad,” he sounded wounded as he looked at his daughter.  Adoration for her filled his expression.

“Yes, you are,” she teased.  “Well sometimes.”  Brittany and Lucy over by the snack and refreshment table began to beckon to her. 
“Okay, I gotta go get some snacks and I want to hang out with the girls.  I’ll be back later, Monica because I want to ask you about your fingernails.  Don’t let me forget.”  And she was off, skipping over to the buffet, and her two friends who were piling their own snacks onto paper plates.