CHANGE OF PLANS
“Love is like fire; those that are outside the flames usually see the smoke before those that are inside it.”
Jacinto Benavente
Beth decided to take me to the hospital, despite my protests and refusals. She canceled her dinner with Daniel without a second thought and began to act like an amateur nurse. What a way to finish the day! I kept feeling guilty about spoiling the date she had with the Southerner.
A plump, none-too-young nurse treated me kindly when I got to ER. She started tinkering with my ankle and I writhed in pain.
“Is it broken?”
“No,” she replied, her stubby fingers digging around my swollen ankle.
I grasped the bars of the bed tightly, trying to compensate for the pain with the pressure of my fingers on the cold metal. It was useless. It still hurt.
“You've gone green,” said Beth, confirming my suspicions when the nurse left us alone to go find a doctor. “It hurts, doesn’t it?”
“No, I just changed my makeup,” I answered sarcastically, gritting my teeth hard “Of course it hurts.”
The nurse came back smiling, carrying a metal tray with a huge syringe on it.
“What’s that…?” I didn’t even want to imagine that huge needle piercing my painful skin.
“The doctor will give you an injection to reduce the inflammation and calm the pain.”
“No!”
“Calm down, honey. You’ll only feel the tiniest of stings.” She saw from the look on my face that I wasn’t convinced. “It’s either that, or we need to immobilize your ankle for three weeks.” She put the tray on a small side table and left again.
“I don’t like either option.”
“Be a good girl or I’ll call your mother!” said Beth.
“Are you insane? She’d go crazy if she saw me here.”
“Well, then be a good girl and leave it to the experts, okay?”
When I was about to answer, the doctor came.
“Hi. I'm Dr. McCain. Are you Stella Preston, Nicole’s daughter?” he asked as he read my medical record.
“Yes.”
“Well, it's just a simple tendonitis, nothing too serious. The problem is that it’s been some time since the injury. It’ll take a few days to heal, but applying this it’ll get better quicker.”
Once he’d finished talking, he took the syringe from the coffee table. I looked away. I didn’t want to watch him prick my skin with that instrument of torture. It was quite enough to imagine it. Beth took my hand. A stinging pain pierced me, and I felt the liquid spreading through my ankle.
“That’s it, Miss Preston. Are you okay?”
“Just a little dizzy,” I gabbled as I tried to sit up.
I raised my head a little and colored lights started dancing around me, as if there was a huge disco ball hanging there. The voices were becoming more and more distant. I felt someone laying me back on the couch again.
“She'd better stay here until she recovers,” I heard the doctor say.
“Well, you heard the doctor. Stay here until the light-headedness passes.”
I closed my eyes, nodding my head slightly.
“Your mother is going to freak out when she sees you.”
“I’m not going to tell her anything until tomorrow.”
“But isn’t she working?”
“No, today she’s on nights, so by the time I get home, she'll be on her way here.” Beth was about to argue. “It’s for the best, trust me, I don’t want to worry her about anything.”
“Okay,” she said reluctantly “Do you want to go home?”
“Yeah, let’s get out of here.”
The night seemed colder and darker than ever. I looked at the sky. It was covered in thick cloud. There was no moon, no stars. We were in for a rainy Sunday. Beth helped me get to the car. My foot still hurt horribly, and I could barely put it on the floor. Luckily I had her with me, but I was soon cursing my luck.
“Now, you and I are going to talk about what happened this afternoon with Erik.”
She wouldn’t leave me alone until I told her all the gory details. I sighed deeply, knowing there was no escape.
“Okay. Come for dinner. Since I’ve ruined your date with Daniel, it’s the least I can do, but you’ll have to do the cooking.” I said lifting my leg; “I'm in no condition to do it.”
“That’s the worst invitation ever.” she said, pretending to be angry. “I’m only saying yes because I want to know everything, I just want you to be clear about that, okay?”
The house was empty, as I’d expected.
Mom had left me a note on the refrigerator. She wanted me to call her when I got home.
I turned to Beth, who was sprawled on the couch excited about some teleshopping product.
“You were supposed to cook, and I was supposed to be resting. That was the deal, right?”
“Yes, yes, I'm coming.” She didn’t even bother to look at me. She was still staring at the television “I think I'll get one of those. Look! It’s a miracle bra. It increases your bust by two whole sizes!”
I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. That was Beth.
“I'll call my mother. You get a couple of pizzas from the freezer and put them in the oven, okay?”
She muttered something I didn’t understand. I ignored her and went looking for my mobile. Then I realized I had no backpack.
“Shit!”
“What have you broken now?” Beth's voice came from the kitchen.
“I can’t find my backpack. I must have left it in...” No! I’d been so blinded with Erik I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d seen my backpack that day.
“Where?” Beth came in, wiping her hands on a towel.
“I don’t know. How could I be so clueless?” I said desperately.
“That’s nothing new. First, calm down. Let's see... You had it when you left home, right?”
“Yes, I was wearing it on the trip and then...” Then I realized. “Of course!”
“What? Tell me!”
“Erik has it… I remember now. When I fell he picked it up and put it over his shoulder. I haven’t seen it since then.”
I sighed with relief. I had another excuse to talk to him.
Beth lent me her phone. I called Nicole, who quizzed me for ages. I smiled when I hung up.
“That smells so good.” I said when I went into the kitchen.
“I know. I’m a first rate chef. Voila!
Beth had a big smile on her face and a plate in either hand.
“I’m so hungry that I’m not going to argue with you, but it’s easy to cook frozen food.”
She ignored my comment, put the pizza on the table and sat across from me.
“That’s enough small talk. Out with it.”
“I can’t talk on an empty stomach,” I joked, but the truth was I didn’t want to remember the disappointment I’d felt that afternoon.
“Stop talking nonsense and tell me everything he said, and most important, what he did,” she added maliciously
Between bites, I told her every single detail of our conversation.
“Wow!” she said when I’d finished my story.
“As you can see, now I'm a mess. I thought there was something special between us, and suddenly everything’s changed, I don’t know what happened. Maybe I misunderstood him.”
“What are you saying? If what you've told me is true, and I know it is because you don’t have that much imagination, this guy wants to jump on your bones.” Hearing her say that left me speechless. “Come on, you’ve got him eating out of your hand.”
“Now you’re the one who’s talking trash.”
“No, I’m telling the truth. Listen to me for once in your life. How many guys have you dated?”
“Zip. You know that.” I said sullenly.
“True. And me?” she replied, looking very pleased with herself.
“I don’t count your boyfriends.”
; “And how many have I had?”
“A lot,” I muttered, wondering what this was all about.
“So I’m the one who knows about these things. And just as I was right when I said you were in love with him, I'm not wrong now when I say that Mr. Totally Hot is crazy about you.” She was getting more and more excited as she went on with her little speech “Oh, my God! This is right out of a movie. I'm dying of jealousy!”
I couldn’t believe what she was saying. Could she be right? I tried to hide my excitement.
“Ok, then let’s suppose…” I said, trying to clear my head “…you're right.”
“I am,” she stated, interrupting me in mid-sentence.
“Okay, so why all the mystery? Why doesn’t he answer my questions? Why was he so cold to me at the end?”
“Here’s the answer to all your questions: he’s a man!” she said, looking satisfied.
“And that’s it? Being a man is always the answer?” I couldn’t make any sense of this at all.
“Purely and simply, honey. Men are strange. But who cares if he has a body to die for and that angel face? Honestly, the last thing I’d worry about is what he says when he opens his mouth.”
“Beth! You’re incorrigible!” I gave her a gentle kick under the table “You’re such a man-eater! Sometimes you scare me, you know that?”
We burst out laughing.
“Now it's your turn,” I said when we’d calmed down a little “What about Daniel?”
Then her story replaced mine, luckily. I was glad she was there with me. I was enjoying the night, although my heart was still aching. As much as Beth wanted to convince me, Erik’s words rang through my mind, ‘just friends’.
Sunday dawned gray and rainy, matching my mood. It was after ten o'clock in the morning when my mother came to wake me up, much against my will.
“Stella, why are you still in bed?” She sounded too cheerful to have been awake all night. When did this woman sleep? She spent all night working and at ten o'clock she was awake. It was incredible.
“Let me sleep, mom.” I said, burying my face in the sheets.
“Come on, don’t be so lazy. I’ve made breakfast, and,” she added, in a matter-of-fact way, “there’s a handsome young man waiting for you downstairs.”
“What?” I jumped out of bed. Did I hear that right? “Say that again, Mom.”
“Well, someone called Erik has come to bring your backpack. By the way, I’m sure you can explain why he has it.” Her smile disappeared when she saw my ankle. “What on earth happened to you? Did you have an accident?”
“Stop, you’re overreacting. It’s just an inflammation.” I was angry but I knew why she was so worried.
Since dad left us it had always been like that. Sometimes she drove me crazy, like now, but I understood her.
“I tripped over the root of a tree, silly really, but Beth took me to ER. I'm surprised they didn’t tell you anything last night. Today when you go to work I’m sure you’ll be able to look at my record sheet.”
It was useless to explain the whole thing when I knew she’d waste no time in asking all the hospital staff about my injury.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Now she seemed more disappointed than worried.
I tried to play it down.
“I didn’t want to worry you. You had to go to work and if I’d told you, I'm sure you would have stayed at home, and today you would’ve had to work a double shift. Or am I wrong?” She rolled her eyes without saying a word “Mom, I'm fine. I'm a big girl; I can take care of myself.”
“I know,” she sighed. “We’d better leave this conversation for later, that poor boy has been waiting quite a while already.”
I drew a mental picture of Erik in my living room. I had to see him. I ran to the closet. I took a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt and I went straight to the bathroom. I took a shower quickly, without drying my hair. I could feel the drops of water running down my back when I went downstairs, very slowly because of my sore foot.
My heart shrank when I peered into the living room. He was gone. He’d got tired of waiting. ‘Damn,’ I thought. I’d taken too long.
I heard my mother pottering around in the kitchen, laughing. Was she laughing alone? No; more soft, melodious laughter joined hers. Erik was in the kitchen. I leaned against the door frame in silence, watching him for a few seconds. He was sitting with his back to me, his tousled hair brightened by the sun. I wanted to touch and kiss that neck.
“Hello,” I said without knowing what to do next. I was so nervous that my hands were trembling and sweating uncontrollably.
“Hello.” He turned to me and gave me a radiant look with those eyes that seemed to hold the whole blue sky. My entire body reacted. My heart was pounding in my chest, my lungs were hyperventilating and my legs were trembling, as were my hands.
“Come on, honey. Sit down and have some breakfast,” I heard my mother say. I’d forgotten she was there. She walked me to the free chair opposite my angel.
“Mom, I can do it by myself!” I protested, feeling embarrassed when she moved the chair so I could sit down. Erik beamed at us. He seemed to be in a better mood today.
“I'm going out for a moment,” my mother said with a smile. “I need... Well; it doesn’t matter, I’ll leave you two alone for a while so you can talk.”
I thought I was hallucinating. She was breaking her own rules, and she seemed to be delighted with the visit. I’d never brought boys home. She didn’t ask me, but I was sure she was concerned. And now, here was Erik, no ordinary boy, he was perfect, friendly, and incredibly handsome.
“Your mother’s lovely,” he said when we were alone.
“Yes, I know.” I moved the plate of toast aside and took a glass of juice.
“Aren’t you going to eat anything?” he asked.
“I'm not hungry.”
He shook his head like he didn’t understand me. How was I supposed to eat with him watching me? My stomach rumbled loudly.
“I don’t think that's entirely true.” He pushed the toast over to me again. “Eat something or I’ll leave.”
I started to eat without saying a word. I didn’t want him to leave and I think I made that clear by wolfing down the whole breakfast. He kept quiet while I ate, fiddling with his napkin. When I’d finished, I decided to break the silence.
“Thanks for bringing me the backpack. Last night I panicked a little when I saw didn’t have it.”
“I thought you might. I was going to bring it round yesterday but it was late and I reckoned you’d be sleeping. And also, I wanted...” He hesitated for a moment before going on; “I wanted to apologize for being so rude to you.”
It sounded like he’d been rehearsing his lines. Apart from his hesitation at first, I didn’t see the signs of strain that I had the previous evening. Instead he looked relaxed, comfortable, even though the conversation was drifting onto thorny ground.
“Apology accepted, but it doesn’t mean I understand you,” I said, twirling a strand of hair round my finger. I tried to sound casual to prevent him running out on me again.
He took the hair I had between my fingers and placed it behind my ear. I blushed and felt short of breath.
“You have beautiful hair,” he whispered.
His touch lingered a little too long; he ran his hand through my hair slowly until his fingertips caressed my neck.
I shuddered. The hairs on my arms stood up. I rolled my eyes, enjoying the pleasure of his touch.
“I’m back!” I heard my mom call out as she closed the door loudly, bringing me back to reality.
I opened my eyes. Erik slowly took his hand away. His gaze went right through me.
“I think I should go.” he whispered, glancing at the kitchen clock.
I got the feeling that he wanted to leave about as much as I wanted him to.
“Do you have any plans for next Saturday?” he added quickly; as if he’d been waiting too long to ask me.
“I do
n’t know. Read something or go to the movies, I really don’t know. Why?”
“Because after yesterday's little effort I think I deserve a reward and I thought we could do something together, if you like.”
He winked at me as only he knew how. I melted like butter.
“Reading on the couch or going out with you... Hmm. Let me think about it,” I joked to avoid showing the devastating effect his winks and his looks were having on me.
He came closer. We were standing near the kitchen door.
“Only as friends,” he whispered in my ear, so close I could feel the warmth of his breath on my skin.
“Friends,” I murmured, not knowing whether my feet were touching the ground or I was in heaven. “Movies.”
“Whatever you want. Your wish is my command,” he replied, trying to sound like the genie of the lamp. I laughed. I had to admit he could be quite funny if he wanted to. But I‘d just discovered that side of him. I loved it, like everything else.
We were going towards the door, when I saw Erik stop to look at the photos stuck with magnets on the refrigerator in the kitchen.
“Is this your father?” he asked, pointing at a photo from three years before.
“Last vacations with my father.” I felt a pinch in my stomach at the memory. How happy I’d been. How could I have imagined what my future would hold? Just a few months later, after that summer, my world fell apart.
Erik must have noticed the sadness in my eyes, which were shining as I held back the tears. He came up to me again, stroking my cheek.
“I'm sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“That’s okay,” I spluttered, wiping away my tears “I just can’t get used to the idea of my dad not being around.”
“It must be very hard for you.” With a sudden movement I didn’t expect, he drew me to him. He was squeezing me tightly against his chest “I want to let you know you can always count on me. I'll always be here for you, okay?” He lifted my chin with his soft fingers, forcing me to look into his eyes, waiting for a response. I nodded silently.
I didn’t talk about my feelings about my father’s death to anyone. Even to Beth or my mother. I didn’t want to burden them, and also, there was nothing they could do to help me. Carl wasn’t coming back, even if I wished with all my might.
Erik was different. He comforted me. My grief flowed easily while he hugged me. I made an attempt to talk without my voice trembling.
“Movies on Saturday.” I said, as he moved slightly away from me. Better go back to a neutral topic.
“Perfect.” I could see his eyes were also misting up with sadness. As if talking about my memories had brought on his own.
“They’re showing a new sci-fi film.” A big smile spread across his face, bringing joy to his eyes.
“Sounds good!” he agreed, heading for the door. “See you tomorrow then.”
“Bye… and thanks again for bringing me my backpack,” I said, brimming with happiness.
He touched my arm to say goodbye.
My breathing quickened and an uncontrollable urge made me put my hand over his and hold it against my skin, reveling in the pleasure of his closeness. He hesitated to let me go, but finally he did. Something had changed in him permanently, I didn’t know why, but I saw it in his eyes. They had a special light, a different hue to them.
I stood still, leaning against the doorway, unable to move as I watched him walk confidently to his powerful car. He looked at me once he was inside. I felt the electricity running through my skin again.
The car disappeared down the street. Then I realized what I’d done. I had a date with Erik! The most attractive and wonderful guy in the world had asked me out on a date; me! I collapsed onto the kitchen chair, my legs almost giving way.
Double Moon Page 9
