Fresh Cut Romance (18 page)

I sensed my eyes narrowing. "What do you mean?"

"We were ready to leave when you passed out. In a panic, I called your sister and she rushed over. She examined you and to our combined relief found nothing wrong with you. She said the excitement must have gotten to you and caused you to pass out. We dressed you in a pair of my pajamas and slipped you into bed. That's when Teresa explained to me about your vows. I was shook up. I'd just found the girl of my dreams and she was tied up in a religion I didn't even believe in. So after she left, I removed the pajamas and let you believe we'd made love."

Shock was the first emotion I felt. "Did Teresa have anything to do with this?"

He shook his head a little too adamantly and wouldn't lock gazes with me. "Not really. I got the idea from something she said."

"What?"

He sighed. "She said it was too bad, you never felt the loving touch of a man. That you wouldn't give up a normal life so easily if you had."

Wanting not to believe it, I asked, "The blood. What about the blood?"

"It was mine. I pricked my finger and rubbed it on you and the sheets."

The second emotion I felt was massive disappointment. A tear, the first of many welled in my eye. "Why, I was really crazy about you. We might have made love the right way."

He made another quick glance my way. "And I was head over heels crazy over you. I couldn't take the chance."

Truly devastated, I felt my newfound bliss disintegrating. Then the first surge of anger coursed through me. "So you tricked me. How could you?"

"I know it was wrong, that's why I had to tell you. If there's such a thing as love at first sight, you were it. Don't you understand? I needed something to compete with God."

A river of tears rolled down my cheeks to my chin, dropped to my cleavage and ran down to the sheet. "And if there's such a thing as love at first sight, you were it for me," I heard myself whine, "but you deceived me." I picked up the empty tray—dishes and all—and threw it at him. Since he wasn't looking at me, it hit him in the temple and stunned him.

I jumped out of bed and dressed faster than I ever had.

He held the side his head and a solitary tear meandered down his cheek. "What are you doing?"

For a second I wavered. I shook it off then took off the engagement ring and threw it at him, then snarled, "That should be obvious, you son of a bitch. I'm leaving."

"Why? You don't need to do this. I love you."

Dressed, I walked to and opened the door. I turned to him. "Yes, I do. Please don't try to see me. I need to think and pray."

As I walked through the door, he said, "Wait please don't leave. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. To forgive is divine."

I yelled back, "You don't believe in God, remember?"

On the drive home, my hands shook and a torrent of tears dampened my blouse. I used an entire box of tissues to clear my vision and blow my running nose.

My mind kept replaying portions of our conversation.
'Please forgive me. To forgive is divine.'
Could I forgive him? Probably. Should I forgive him? No, how could I? He purposely misled me
.

'I was head over heels crazy over you. I couldn't take the chance.'
And I'm head over heels crazy over you.

'
I know it was wrong, that's why I had to tell you.'
Oh God, why did he tell me? Why couldn't he have kept this one tiny little secret?

'
If there's such a thing as love at first sight, you were it.'
Yes, I remember. I couldn't take my eyes off him. I'm so confused. I need to talk to someone.

Teresa? No, she was behind this. I'd bet on it.

Mother Superior? Yes.

Pulling into the hospital employees/dorm parking lot, I wondered if anything else could go wrong as I scraped the side of my car against a light standard. Weeping like a summer shower, I didn't even bother to look at the damage. Instead, I raced up the flight of stairs to my room and flopped upon my bed, sobbing uncontrollably.

In my angst, I hadn't noticed my roommate, Sister Celeste. "Are you all right sister?" She asked innocently.

To my shame, I shrieked out, "Don't call me that!" and went back to bawling in my pillow.

'She said it was too bad, you never felt the loving touch of a man.'
As if she could read my mind miles away I thought.
I hope you're satisfied sis. I did it and now I'm miserable.

"Laurel?…Laurel, wake up." A tender hand gently shook me. Opening my eyes, I saw Sister Sue. She explained, "Sister Celeste said you were terribly upset so she came and got me. I hope you don't mind."

I shook my head. I wanted to talk to her anyway, but now that she was here, I clammed up.

"Is it Julian?"

"Yes."

"What did he do?"

"He told me the truth."

"That he doesn't love you and doesn't want to get married."

My head shook earnestly. "No, he loves me all right and he wants to get married."

"I don't understand."

"It's complicated. It doesn't matter anyway. The engagement is off. I'm ready to take my vows."

"Do you want to postpone your vows to give you more time to think?"

Again I shook my head. "No way. I want to get it over with so I can get on with my life and forget about him, if I can."

"Well, it doesn't work that way. Go back to sleep and we'll talk again when you're not so upset.

* * * *

"Teresa?"

"Yes."

"Thank God. I've been trying to reach you.  You were right. When I told Laurel what happened she went off like Mt. St. Helens and blew out of here before I could get dressed and stop her. She even cold cocked me with a breakfast tray."

"A breakfast tray. And you let her?"

"I wasn't looking."

"Serves you right. Maybe next time you'll listen to you're future sister-in-law."

"Tess, unless you come up with something there isn't going to be a wedding. She threw the ring at me too."

"Ooh, this is serious. And I was looking forward to being her maid of honor."

"Can you come over here?"

"Not unless I can get Gwendolyn, next door to come over.
Carolyn and Emma are in preschool, but I have Beth and Stephen and Stephen is down for his late morning nap, which thank God lasts three hours. Let me call her and I'll call you back in a couple minutes."

"Okay, I'll be waiting."

Fifteen minutes after I hung up, the doorbell rung. I went to the door and peeked through the peephole. Needless to say, it shocked me when I saw Sister Sue standing there. Quickly, I opened the door. "Sister Sue, what a pleasant surprise."

She stepped in and hitched her chin. "Julian. I wish I could say it was nice to see you too, but under the circumstances, this is not a social call. It's a fact-finding mission."

"Mission, circumstances, fact-finding. What are you talking about?"

She stared at me. To be more exact, she stared at the upper right side of my head. "What happened to you?"

"Laurel threw a breakfast tray at me. Dishes, silverware, glasses and all."

"Ooh, you must have made her good and mad at you. Good for her. You better mend your ways or you're going to lose her."

The phone rang. "Excuse me. I think it's Laurel's sister."

"Is that the truth that has her so upset? You're stepping out on her with her sister."

My mouth flew open, as did my eyes, in astonishment.

She apparently took my flabbergasted countenance as confirmation. "I knew it."

"Sister…Sue, let me get the phone and then I'll address your preposterous accusation."

I rushed to the phone. "Hello?"

"Hi sweetie. Guess who?"

I turned away from Sue and spoke under my breath. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to come here now. Mother Superior is here to question me. She already thinks we're an item and that's why
Laurel is so upset."

"You and me? You're kidding?"

"No, I'm not kidding. She knows Laurel is terribly upset and she's looking for reasons."

"Isn't that precious. I'll explain it to her when I get there."

"No. Aren't you listening? If you come here it will confirm her suspicions."

"But dear, I'm almost there. I'm calling from my car and I just turned on your street. See you and Mother Superior in a minute."

"No-o-o! Tess?"
Shit, she hung up.

I turned back to Sue and flashed my most endearing smile. That was Teresa, she's al—"

The doorbell rang. I rushed to the door with Sue, right behind me. When I opened it that devil of a quasi-sister-in-law stepped in and after wrapping her arms around me laid a big one on my cheek. "What are you doing?" I pointed toward Sue. "Tess, this is Mother Superior, Sister Sue. Sue this woman with her arm wrapped around me is Laurel's friendly sister, Teresa."

She hitched her head toward Tess and Tess embraced her. "So good to meet you. You'll have to excuse me. I'm so crazy about Julian that I lose it when I see him." Tess stared at me. "Boy, she got you good with that breakfast tray."

"I do so love close knit families. You do know that he and your sister are/were engaged until this morning."

"I do and that is why I'm here." She waggled her eyebrows.

Mother Superior laughed. "I know people think sisters are isolated from the world, but I'm not so dense that I don't know when someone is pulling my leg. Tess, Julian, what are we going to do about Sister Laurel. She is in love and miserable. She says she wants to take her final vows, but I know better. What is this
truth
that has her so upset and what we're can we do about it?"

I could have kissed Mother Superior and Tess did—on the cheek.

Chapter Fourteen – The Plan

"
If you want the rainbow, you have to put up with a little rain!"
~Dolly Parton~ 

R
ed faced, Tess attempted to explain, "You'll have to excuse me. I was so sure that everyone in the sisterhood wanted my sister, come hell or high-water, I was shocked to find you're on our side."

Sue nodded. "I only want what's best for my women and I no longer believe the sisterhood is what's best for Sister Laurel. Now, which one of you wants to tell me what
the truth
is that has Laurel so upset?"

Tess nodded toward me. "Julian, sweetie, why don't you make coffee, while I tell Sister Sue about our little hoax?"

When I came back into the living room, Tess sat on the love seat, Sue on the end of the couch and they were both laughing. I set the tray down on the coffee table near the empty end of the sofa and served coffee to everyone. "What's so funny?"

Sue took the cup and saucer I offered her and took a sip. "It's not funny, really. You were in bed with Sister Laurel who was naked and helpless and could easily have forced yourself on her, but chose to fake it instead." She shook her head. "What I find endearing is when she wanted you to make love to her to see what she'd missed, you kept putting her off until her reason was more romantic. Julian, you are a prince. We just have to find a way to get you two back together."

"Yes, but I know my sister. She's as stubborn as a mule. It needs to be her idea or she'll pull in the opposite direction."

"Well, we have around two and a half weeks until she says her final vows. I have an idea, but first I need to have a long chat with the fiancée."

* * * *

Waking up the next morning was the complete opposite of the previous morning. Yesterday, I couldn't have been happier if I'd won the lottery. Today, I didn't care if I died. Was I being a pig headed idiot? The man I love and happiness were still available—at least I thought they were—and like a masochist, I fought it. Yes, he did something he shouldn't have, but who put him in that position?

Did I, by committing myself, as a virgin no less, to God. I had never even been interested in a man—any man—at that time.
'Don't you understand? I needed something to compete with God.'
Yes, snippets of yesterday's altercation continued to float through my mind. How was I to know that I would fall in love with someone within five minutes of seeing him for the first time? And the sex. God the sex was so fantastic. How was I to know?

There was a knock on the door. I was still in yesterday's clothes so I rushed to the door and flung it open. It was Sister Juanita. "Mother Superior wants to know if you feel up to talking to her this morning."

Not exactly what I wanted to do. She probably wants to talk about my vows. "Do I have a choice?"

Juanita shrugged. "It sounds like it's up to you."

"Tell her, if it's all right, I'd rather do it tomorrow."

Instead of getting back in circulation, I stayed in bed feeling sorry for myself the whole day. I didn't even eat. The idea of food made me nauseous.