“Trust me. He’s as good as gone.”
Glenda’s enthusiasm carried through the phone line on Sunday morning. “We had a great time. He let me pick the restaurant, and I chose seafood. We went into the city and ate at the latest hot spot on Columbus Avenue, this place that everybody’s raving about now, but’ll be gone in a year when they forget about it and start going someplace else. After dinner we took a long walk down the street, stopped to get some ice cream and ended up at a jazz club. The music was fabulous.” She sighed romantically, and Vivian could picture the dreamy look on her face. “I must say it was a nice evening. And I like Bobby, too.”
Vivian drew in her breath. “That’s wonderful, Glenda! Sounds like you might have accomplished your goal.”
“Well, I wouldn’t mail the invitations just yet. Relationships are always good when they’re fresh. It generally takes a while before you start getting on each other’s nerves.”
“Yes, but the goal was to meet our Mr. Rights. The ceremony can come later, like next year. There’ll still be plenty of time to have a baby before forty.”
“You’re so sweet. And I don’t mean to hog the conversation. Tell me all about your date with Gary.”
Vivian made a face, even though there was no one in the room to see it. “Let me put it this way: It sucked.”
She could hear Glenda made a choking sound, and then there were gulping noises as she took a long swig of whatever it was she was drinking to clear her throat. “I just got Sprite coming out of my nostrils. You caught me off guard. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you use that expression before.”
“I’ve never been on such a miserable date before. This man makes Thomas look like a great catch.” She grunted. “If he’s a catch, I’m throwing him back.”
“What went wrong?”
“Everything. You wouldn’t believe where he took me for dinner. One of those family style steak houses. It was maybe two steps removed from a McDonald’s. Bright lights, screaming kids, clanging silverware, and no booze. Not even any beer or wine. It was terrible.”
“I won’t ask about the food. But at least you got a movie out of it.”
“Yeah, at five-thirty in the afternoon.”
“Why so early?”
“We went to the half-price twilight show. The man is cheap with a capital C, Glenda.”
“I don’t get it. Isn’t he a commercial artist?”
“Unless he lied, but he’s a little old to be working in the mail room.”
“Does he have a lot of child support to pay or something?”
“He told me he’s never been married and doesn’t have any kids.”
“Well, what’s his problem?”
“I told you: He’s cheap. Cheap, cheap, cheap.” If there was anything Vivian found more irritating than seeing houses still lit up with Christmas lights in mid-January, it was a skinflint. “I guess I should have gotten my first clue when I saw that broken-down car he drives. Did you notice he has the glove compartment held together with string?”
“I didn’t notice.”
“It’s a ‘Seventy-Eight, and he bragged about having the engine rebuilt twice. I know that everybody isn’t into that ‘you are what you drive’ attitude. I’m sure not; my Mazda is seven years old, and as soon as I get back from the safari I’ll probably start looking around for a new one. I was thinking maybe he had a really nice apartment or a summer house or a boat or something, and maybe he does, but he also doesn’t want to open his wallet unless absolutely necessary.”
“He ought to be ashamed of himself, the miser.”
“Live and learn, I guess. Even Thomas, bless his germ-loving heart, sprung for dinner at an upscale restaurant, the type of place where I could wear a cocktail dress and not look overdone. So it’s on to the next conquest, I guess. Whoever he is.”
“Vivian, go down to Hudson Hospital. Look up Dr. Warner. Invite him to lunch.”
“I am not going to chase after that man, Glenda!” She didn’t mean to sound harsh, but she was still smarting from last night’s disappointment. She had felt foolish and overdressed in her skirt and boots, going to a movie before dark and then to a noisy, bright restaurant. And when it was over Gary had the nerve to ask if he could stay the night with her. She declined his offer sweetly, controlling the urge to hit him over his leonine head with a two-by-four. It was true that she would love to see the handsome Dr. Warner again, but it was a lost opportunity. But what could she have done? He knew she was there with Gary. That would have looked really bad, flirting with another man while her so-called date lay bleeding just a few yards away. Okay, she wasn’t his date, she was just being a Good Samaritan, but she didn’t want Zack to think she was a hussy. Sometimes it was better to simply make a graceful exit.
“Well, it could be worse,” Glenda said.
“Yeah, how?”
“Your mother might know you missed the opportunity to be fixed up with one doctor, rebuffed another, and blew the chance to get to know a third.”
Vivian pictured her mother standing with the Macaulay Culkin expression of distress, palms flanking her jaws, her mouth wide open, and her eyes wide with panic. It wasn’t pretty. “Amen to that,” she muttered.
Chapter 4
Break a Leg
“Looks like a nice crowd,” Glenda commented.
“Wow, they’ve got three buses. I’m feeling optimistic.” Vivian hoped she would meet someone special on the ski trip, which was being sponsored by a group called NBP, which stood for Nothing But a Pastime. “Why didn’t we know about these people before?”
“Just be glad we found out about them now.”
Vivian had to agree. It was February already. Glenda and Bobby were doing fine, but it didn’t look like she would be having a valentine.
Gary had called her several times. At first she gave tactful excuses, saying she was swamped with the work brought by the company’s upcoming plans, but when he didn’t seem to get the message, she had to come right out and say the same thing she told Thomas Joseph, that she felt they lacked chemistry, and continuing to see each other wouldn’t really be fair to either of them. It was an out-and-out lie—there had been chemistry between them from the beginning, but his frugality was too much of a turnoff for her. She was glad to step aside and let some other unlucky woman be the recipient of his Saturday-night-for-twenty-five-bucks-or-less plan.
The buses were leaving from the parking lot of a major shopping center early on Sunday morning for the ride to the Berkshires for a day of skiing. NBP sponsored all kinds of activities: Cruises, train rides, dances, picnics, even bowling tournaments, attracting singles and couples from Massachusetts to Maryland. Vivian was an experienced skier, but Glenda had never gone before and would be taking a lesson.
They remained in their respective cars, parked next to each other with the windows rolled down to allow for talking, watching as the buses were boarded. There was no need for either of them to acknowledge that they were doing this to make sure they chose a bus with a good crowd, as in lots of men.
“It’s a toss-up between the one in the middle and the last one,” Glenda said.
“The last one looks best to me. The middle one has too many kids on it.” The ski trip was a family affair for some, with a fair abundance of children in the seven-to-twelve range.
As it turned out it really didn’t matter much, for the bus ride was rather quiet. It was still very early, and many riders fell asleep, including both Glenda and Vivian. The atmosphere perked up as they approached the mountains, after everyone had a chance to rest.
When the riders disembarked they were divided into groups. Glenda went for her lesson and Vivian introduced herself to other experienced skiers, most of whom, she was happy to see, were men.
“Do you ski often?” she heard a male voice ask.
“Not as often as I’d like to. Once a year, maybe twice, I get together with some friends I grew up with. But it’s much nicer going in a large group like this.”
&nb
sp; “You’ll have to let them know about our group, especially if they’re as lovely as you are.”
“Well, thank you.” She didn’t think it appropriate to mention that most of her childhood friends were not African-American.
He took a seat next to where Vivian was putting on her ski boots. “I’m Gordon Wilson.”
“Vivian St. James.”
“Nice to meet you, Vivian.”
“Same here.” Gordon Wilson was brown-skinned, with thick wavy hair, a mustache and glasses. He was on the short side, but at least he was taller than she was. You could do worse.
She straightened after finishing with her boots. “Well, I guess I’m ready to hit the slopes.” She flashed Gordon a brilliant smile. “Will you join me?”
“I’d love to.”
Skis on their feet and poles in hand, they clumsily walked over to the lift for the ride to the slope. Vivian loved the feeling of zooming down a steep hill, the white-covered world passing by in a blur. It was exhilarating.
She and Gordon took the lift back to the top. During their ride she learned he lived in White Plains and was an accounting director. Funny. When they got off the lift he seemed a mite taller than he had before….
They had lunch together in the restaurant, but Vivian insisted on paying for her own. She was ravenous and didn’t want him to think she was being gluttonous because she wasn’t paying.
“You ski pretty well,” Gordon said. “How long have you been doing it?”
“When I was about ten my parents started taking us on winter vacations. My brother and I took lessons. A couple of times we even spent Christmas in the mountains.”
“That explains why you’re so good. And that’s pretty impressive. Back then you didn’t see a whole lot of black people on the ski slopes.”
Vivian smiled. “No, there weren’t a whole lot, but it’s not like we were the only ones, so we never felt out of place.” She scanned the room, which was peppered with brown faces. “But never this many. This is great. I almost expect to see James Brown and the Famous Flames come out in their ski sweaters and do a number, like they did in some old movie I saw on TV.”
“Yeah, I remember that movie! Ski Party, or something like that.”
“So where did you learn to ski?”
“With the club. I’ve been a member for about three years. I took lessons with them, and I guess I had a little bit of an affinity for it.” Gordon chuckled. “Me, a city kid whose prior athletic experience consisted of mostly roller skating, basketball, and swimming in the Long Island Sound.”
“I grew up on the other side of the Sound. New London, Connecticut. Not that we could do a whole lot of swimming there; the shore is full of rocks.”
“Ah, so you didn’t have very far to go to get to the mountains.”
“I wouldn’t say that. I seem to remember it took hours, whether we were going to the Berkshires or the Poconos. It was a lot quicker to get to Cape Cod in the summertime.”
“I guess you’ve figured out geography isn’t my strong suit. I don’t know too much about Connecticut, although I do remember going out to visit cousins in Bridgeport.”
“New London is further out. It’s close to the Rhode Island line.” With her peripheral vision she saw someone waving, and when she focused fully she saw Glenda waving to her and returned the wave. Her friend was apparently lunching with others in her ski class.
“That was good,” Gordon said, pushing his plate toward the center of the table. “Now it’s time to burn off those calories. Are you game?”
“I’m ready.”
When they got back to the slope Vivian was the first to push off, but Gordon quickly zoomed past her. It was probably his male ego trying to show her he felt as comfortable on skis as she did. She hoped it didn’t bother him too much that she was more experienced. Some men were sensitive about everything, from how much money a woman made to how much education she had and everything in between, and felt the ideal woman was one who had never experienced anything he hadn’t. It wasn’t the type of observation she could make to him; it was too awkward. Still, she hoped he wouldn’t make too big a deal of trying to out-ski her. Heaven forbid he should run into a tree or sustain another type of injury.
She no sooner had that thought when Gordon, still ahead of her, suddenly tumbled in the snow. She steered herself toward where he lay. “Gordon, are you hurt?”
He managed to shift to a sitting position, but he grimaced in pain. “My ankle. These damn skis got all twisted up when I fell. It hurts something awful, and now this boot feels like it weighs fifty pounds.”
She carefully moved into a sitting position. “Here, I’ll help you get the ski off.”
As she unhooked Gordon’s right ski she looked at the descending skiers. He would require assistance getting back to the top, and she didn’t see the patrol anywhere.
A man came to a stop a few feet away. “What happened?” he asked.
He definitely wasn’t with NBP. He was white, his cheeks flushed from the cold.
“I fell,” Gordon said. “I did something to my ankle. I hope it’s just a sprain.”
“I’ll take the lift up and get the patrol to help you,” the man offered.
Vivian and Gordon thanked him, and he took off down to the lift.
“It shouldn’t be too long until the patrol gets here. Then the EMTs will look at you,” she said.
“Emergency medical technicians?”
“Yes.”
“That won’t be too much help. My ankle needs to be x-rayed.”
“Hey, what’s going on?”
“Danny, hey.” Gordon gave his friend a high-five from where he sat. “I’m on the injured list. One of the skiers went for help. They’ll get me up to the lodge.”
“You know, one of the guys with NBP is a doctor.”
“How’d you know that?”
“At lunch. He was at the next table and had a couple of girls hanging around him. The word kinda filtered out.”
“What’s his specialty?”
“I don’t know, Gordy.” Danny smiled at Vivian.
“Excuse my buddy; his pain makes him forget his manners. Danny Lee.”
“Hi, Danny; I’m Vivian. Did you two come together?”
“Yes. I’ll be able to get him home...or to the emergency room. In the meantime I guess I’d better see if I can dig up this doctor.”
Vivian didn’t reply. Hearing about an emergency room made her think of Dr. Warner. If they had been in New York instead of on a mountain in western Massachusetts she would have brought Gordon to Hudson Hospital….
By the time the staff got Gordon to the lodge Danny was waiting. “They’re getting the doctor.”
“Did you ever find out if he’s an orthopedist?”
“No.”
Gordon rolled his eyes. “Watch him be a doggone obstetrician.”
“If he is we’ll just call the EMTs. At least they’re trained for these type of injuries. It’ll be okay, Gordon,” Vivian said, rubbing his shoulder reassuringly.
“You must be the patient.”
“Are you the doctor?”
“Yes, I am.”
Vivian, accustomed to seeing medical professionals wearing shirt, tie, and lab coat, almost laughed out loud at the sight of this man in a ski cap, sunglasses, nylon jacket, gloves, and ski boots, and carrying skis and poles. She was glad her own sunglasses hid her eyes; she didn’t want Gordon to think she made light of his pain, but she knew her eyes would betray the amusement she felt.
“Are you an orthopedist?” Gordon was asking nervously.
“I’m a little bit of everything. My specialty is emergency medicine.”
Vivian looked at him with interest. He leaned his equipment against the table and then removed his sunglasses, revealing brilliant blue eyes, and she stiffened in surprise, knowing what surname he would give.
“Zack Warner,” he said.
Gordon stated his name, and they shook hands. “This is Danny Lee and
Vivian St. James,” Gordon added.
“Vivian St….Wait a minute. Weren’t you in my ER last month? Hudson Hospital?”
She peeled off her cap and removed her sunglasses. “Yes, that was me. Nice to see you again, Dr. Warner.”
“Call me Zack,” he said easily. “Now, let’s see what we’ve got here.” He began an inspection of Gordon’s ankle.
It was the second time he had given his first name, but this time something in Vivian’s brain clicked.
Zack…Zack…Zack, she thought wildly as it came to her. Zack Warner? Could this Zack be the same fellow Desireé had wanted to introduce her to? Austin’s friend, the doctor? Her landlord?
Zack’s face was impassive as his trained fingers palpated the bones of Gordon’s ankle. He’d thought of Vivian St. James several times since their brief encounter in the ER, each time telling himself how foolish he was for spending his time that way. He was certain he’d never see her again, but here she was. That was life for you, he thought. He had to come all the way to the Berkshires to find her. She’d probably been on the next bus with NBP.
“I think it’s just a sprain,” he said to Gordon. “I’m sure I can get some wrap for it at the lodge office. You’ll need to see your own doctor tomorrow and get an x-ray, just in case there is a hairline fracture; and in the meantime stay off it” Zack turned to Vivian. “Will you see that he gets home all right?”
“I’m here with a friend,” Gordon said. “He’ll get me home. Vivian, I don’t want to ruin your afternoon. I’ll be fine here.”
“Are you sure you don’t need anything?”
“Nah, I’m good. I’ll see you before it’s time to leave.”
“You stay off that foot now,” Zack cautioned. “Use your poles as crutches.”
“I’ll do that Thanks, Doc.”
Vivian and Zack fell into step together as they left the building. She could hardly believe he was here beside her. What a wonderful opportunity. It had to be fated. “Tell me,” he asked, “is this standard for you?”
“Is what standard for me?”
“Do your dates frequently end up in need of urgent medical care?”
She tensed. “Wait a minute. Are you suggesting I’m a jinx?”
Accidentally Yours Page 4
