Rachel's Folly

by Bruno, Monica

  “Relax, we’ll be fine. We’re going to order pizza. What are you so nervous about?”

  “I’m not nervous,” she said defensively. Jacob went over to stand by her side.

  “You look pretty, Mommy,” he said, looking up at her with his big, brown eyes. She picked him up, closed her eyes and held him tightly. She breathed him in. He smelled so good. He smelled like home. He was the first person she had embraced all day. An enormous sense of shame washed over her and she felt an urge to ask Jacob for his forgiveness. He held on to her as forcefully as she was holding on to him. Then she released him, fearing that if she didn’t, she would break down.

  Edward walked into the living room fastening a button on his cuff and carrying his sports jacket folded over his arm. They all turned to look at him. Ben whistled an exaggerated catcall.

  “Eat ya heart out, big boy,” Edward said without looking up, still struggling with his button.

  “Mr. Twinkle Toes! Are you planning on busting a move tonight?” Ben asked, biting his lower lip and bobbing his head.

  Edward smirked. “Not tonight. I wouldn’t want Dr. Wilkinson to get the wrong idea.”

  Ben gasped loudly, threw his head back and put the back of his hand over his forehead. “Imagine the scandal if anyone found out you’re actually a fun guy under that stuffy facade?” Ben turned to look at Jacob. “Did you know your daddy can dance?”

  Jacob smiled and shook his head. He hugged Rachel’s legs, knowing she was going to leave soon.

  Edward went to stand in front of Rachel and Jacob. He held his jacket over his pants. “Does this go?” he asked her.

  “Yes, honey,” she said without really looking.

  “All your clothes are the same color, Ed. Everything you have goes. You really need to spice things up. You need some flair,” Ben said.

  “Oh, I got flair,” Edward said, and then walked over to Ben. “I just hide my superpowers inside.” Edward tapped his chest, and then tugged at Ben’s bed sheet. “I don’t need no stinkin’ cape.”

  Ben gave him a pained look. “Where’s the fun in that?”

  Edward grinned and grabbed his keys and beeper from the counter. He glanced over his shoulder at Rachel. “Ready?”

  Rachel sighed deeply, bent down and kissed Jacob on his cheek.

  “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

  * * *

  The dinner was at a majestic Victorian estate that had been remodeled and transformed into a grand Southern home-style restaurant. It was tucked away on a residential street in South Austin. It had old, dark wood floors and cozy dining rooms filled with antiques and fine mismatched china, huge picture windows overlooking wraparound porches and manicured lawns with peacocks strolling around under grand live oaks.

  Along with Rachel and Edward, the guests consisted of the groom- and bride-to-be, Elena’s father, a couple of his colleagues, two of Elena’s aunts, her Uncle Harry, three of her cousins and Dr. Raul Ramirez and his wife. Rachel didn’t know all of the guests personally, but she did know that Dr. Ramirez was Elena’s partner from the clinic and had met him once before. She had also met Uncle Harry when she was a teenager and had seen him a handful of times over the years.

  “Is this Jack’s first marriage?” Edward whispered to Rachel as they sat down at the large, rectangular table.

  “I think so. Elena didn’t say he had been married before. Why do you ask?”

  “Nobody from his family came, none of his friends. That’s kind of weird, don’t you think?” He smiled and nodded to one of Elena’s aunts sitting across the table.

  “Not really,” Rachel whispered. “Elena said they wanted to keep it small and simple. That’s why they’re getting married at her parents’ home tomorrow. That’s why we’re not really rehearsing for the wedding. Dr. Wilkinson is treating them to a European trip for their honeymoon. He’s also giving them the condo downtown as a wedding present.”

  “Must be nice.” Edward looked down to check his pager. Then he adjusted his seat so he could rest his arm on the back of Rachel’s chair. He flashed two fingers to the waiter, signaling he wanted him to bring over two glasses of water. After looking around the room and fidgeting with his shirt, he glanced at Rachel and frowned. “You feeling okay, honey? You look kind of pale.”

  “I’ll be alright. I’m probably still just hung over from last night.”

  “Can’t hang like you used to,” he joked as he patted her shoulder.

  “Rachel, you’re here!” Elena approached them smiling widely with her arms outstretched. Rachel looked up and held her breath. She smiled at Elena, admiring her elegance. When she was young, her mother would always tell her how she could learn a thing or two from Elena’s graceful elegance.

  Elena wore a mid-length, mint green, single shoulder, A-line dress. Her hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail and she wore simple gold and pearl earrings that Rachel knew had once belonged to her mother. She was glowing with happiness. Jack followed close behind. Rachel and Edward stood up to greet them. Rachel hugged Elena and closed her eyes to avoid looking at Jack. After they embraced, Elena went to greet Edward, and Rachel forced herself to give Jack a quick hug while keeping her eyes focused on the wall in front of her. She couldn’t help but smell him and his sensual cologne. His scent that still lingered in her car and in her DNA. He cleared his throat and she thought he was about to ask her something, but just then, to her relief, Elena grabbed her arm and guided her away from the men.

  “Come meet my cousin from Guadalajara. She’s dying to meet you. I’ve told her so much about you. She wants to know why I chose you to be my maid of honor and not her.” Elena giggled and led Rachel through the room, introducing her to guests as her closest, dearest, childhood friend. Rachel was pretty sure she was going to be sick.

  Throughout the evening Rachel avoided making eye contact with Jack. She had no desire to look at him, much less speak to him. She wasn’t a good liar and she already felt like people were beginning to suspect something had happened between them. Jack, on the other hand, was a gregarious social butterfly. He greeted the guests graciously with big hugs and smiles. He laughed with Edward about his dancing the night before. He glided around the room from person to person making small talk and thanking everyone for coming. Rachel felt uncomfortable and unnerved. Not only did Jack not seem to be bothered by what had happened, he didn’t seem to notice Rachel was there at all.

  The dinner had been preordered and handpicked by Dr. Wilkinson himself. There was bacon-wrapped, jalapeno-stuffed Texas quail and spiced spring rack of lamb. The dessert was a chocolate habanero crème brûlée. The entire menu was delectable, but Rachel barely touched her food. She wanted to leave as soon as possible and was about to excuse herself by saying she didn’t feel well. At that moment, Dr. Wilkinson stood up with his wine glass to offer a toast. He was a stout but distinguished man who usually held a cigar or pipe in his mouth. Rachel often marveled at how little he had changed over the years. With the exception of a little less hair, he looked exactly as she remembered him when she was eight years old. He was dressed in a classic black suit, had trim, silver hair and a matching silver mustache, and wore thick, black-rimmed glasses. He smiled and tapped his wine glass with a spoon until he had everyone’s attention.

  “I’d like to thank you for being here this evening. As you all know, Elena is our only child and we have been very blessed. My late wife Aurora and I always tried to provide the best for her. Whether it was her education or introducing her to diverse cultures or the arts, we felt it was important for her to understand how privileged we are and how we should always give back. Those who know me know I’ve always believed that those who are fortunate in this world have a responsibility to give to those who are not. Philanthropy has been part of my essence since I first began to make a decent living. And I’m so proud Elena has not only become a doctor, by her own merit, but has also chosen to use her vocation to help those who are in the most need.”

  As Dr. Wilkinson continued hi
s speech, Rachel looked around the table, observing the guests. Everyone was looking admirably at Elena’s father as he spoke. Some would occasionally look over to Elena and Jack and smile. They sat close together and their hands were intertwined on the table. Elena leaned her back against him and, every now and then, he would give her gentle kisses on the side of her head as she kept her eyes focused on her father. For a brief moment, Rachel actually wondered if she had dreamed the whole incident with Jack. She couldn’t understand how this could be the same man she was with last night.

  Dr. Wilkinson turned to look straight at his daughter. “I’m so proud of you, darling. The only thing I want is for you to be happy. It’s obvious Jack makes you happy and if you love him and he loves you, well then, what more is there to say?” He paused and sighed. “I only wish your mother could have been here.” He raised his glass in the couple’s direction. “Welcome to the family, Jack. Now please get busy and start making me lots of grandchildren.”

  The group started laughing, clapping and cheering.

  “Hear, hear!” Edward said loudly.

  Dr. Wilkinson was just about to sit when he hesitated and said, “Oh, I realize this isn’t a typical rehearsal dinner, but I would be most pleased if the maid of honor would stand and say a few words to her best friend on this special night. I know it would mean the world to Elena.”

  Rachel’s eyes widened. She suddenly went deathly cold and felt her body break out in a sweat. Everybody turned to look at her. The letter on her face was now a deep red. She forced herself to smile and grudgingly stood up.

  “I … I’m, um, I’m really not prepared.” She held out her wine glass. “But I’ll see what I can do … um.” She was at a complete loss for words. She cleared her throat. “I’ve known Elena almost all my life. She’s the sister I never had. Even though she always had more than we did growing up, she always made me feel … she’s … um, she’s not only responsible for helping me finish college, she helped me realize that I also wanted to help people.” You’re a fraud was the sentence that kept going through Rachel’s mind. She felt a bead of sweat streaming down her forehead. “Elena was the one who introduced me to Edward.” Rachel unintentionally glanced at Jack and couldn’t believe this was actually happening. “Uh, um, she’s always been there for me … and even though she’s younger than I am, I’ve always looked up to her.” Rachel froze. She looked at Elena who was gazing at her, and she could barely go on. “I love you, El. Congratulations.”

  Rachel quickly sat down. Everybody clapped, markedly less enthusiastically than before.

  “That was … interesting,” Edward said to her in a low voice.

  “We’ve got to get out of here. I really don’t feel well.”

  “Alright, let’s say our goodbyes so we can make our exit.”

  After they excused themselves, they made their way to the parking lot. Edward helped Rachel into the car and closed the door behind her. As he walked around the front to the driver’s side, he made his usual quick examination of the vehicle to make sure it hadn’t been scratched, dinged, or pooped on by some uncouth bird. He did this every time he got into this car. It was his ritual. He only brought the car out on special occasions. It was a black 2000 Boxster S. The soft top was still jet black, as the car had never spent a night outdoors or very much time in the blistering Texas sun. It had less than 10,000 miles on it, and was in mint condition despite the fact that it was ten years old.

  Rachel sank in her seat and peered out the window into the darkness. She was humiliated by her bungling speech and still couldn’t understand how Jack could be so indifferent towards her. She had been so worried about being in the same room with him, which now seemed ridiculous. He had ignored her entirely.

  Edward started the engine and looked over at her. “Hey, are you going to be okay? What’s going on?”

  “Huh?” She turned to meet his gaze.

  “Are you alright?”

  “Oh, yeah. It must have been something I drank or ate last night.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Everyone was so consumed by the wedding I’m sure no one cared about how bad your speech was. You really weren’t prepared, so you have an excuse.”

  “I’m not thinking about that. I just hope I feel better tomorrow. I don’t want to ruin things for Elena.”

  “You’ll be fine. Take a long bath. I’ll make you some hot tea when we get home.”

  Rachel looked into her husband’s eyes, a heavy sense of guilt intensifying inside her. “Thanks, Ed,” she said, her eyes tearing up.

  “For what?”

  “For being so good to me.”

  He gave her a half-smile and shifted gears.

  She put her hand on his shoulder and examined him. His straight masculine nose. The sweet dimple in his chin. His hair was more gray now than brown, but like most men, it only made him more handsome. She smirked thinking about how oblivious he was to the way the nurses fawned over him at the hospital. They would frequently tell her how lucky she was. And she was lucky. “I mean it. I don’t say it enough. I don’t want you to think I don’t appreciate everything you do for me and Jacob,” she said, trying not to give away just how sad she was.

  TWO

  RACHEL MANAGED TO GET in about four hours of sleep that night, which was an improvement. She awoke to the smell of pancakes and bacon coming from the kitchen. She looked at the clock and figured Edward, Ben and Jacob had probably been awake for about half an hour. It didn’t matter how late Jacob went to sleep, he always woke up around eight o’clock in the morning.

  She lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking about the wedding. The ceremony was at two, but since she was in the wedding party, she was supposed to be there by eleven. She wondered what would happen if she told Elena what she had done with her fiancé on her sofa only forty-eight hours ago. The irony was that as long as they had known each other, Elena and Rachel had never been interested in the same guy. They had completely different taste in men, which made the current situation even more inconceivable. She knew she had to tell Elena, who in many ways knew Rachel better than anyone else.

  They became best friends in grade school, at an expensive private school that Ben and Rachel had been lucky to attend for a few years. Their father was the head groundskeeper there and therefore, qualified for a hugely discounted tuition. After his death, Rachel and Ben transferred to public school, but Elena and Rachel remained close until she graduated high school. They lost touch, as many friends do, when Rachel went off to college, then reconnected a few years later when Elena finished medical school and began her residency in Texas. They didn’t see each other as much now that Rachel was married and had Jacob, and Elena was busy working at the clinic, but they made a point to get together at least a few times a year.

  Rachel struggled to come up with a way to confess to Elena. She couldn’t even say the words in her head. She could hardly believe it herself. And what about Edward? Could he forgive her? Maybe. But she knew it would change everything. Or maybe he would try to forgive her, but wouldn’t be able to get over it and end up divorcing her. How could either Edward or Elena forgive her if she couldn’t forgive herself? No, she wouldn’t be able to say anything, at least not now.

  “Good morning, Mommy,” Jacob said as he opened the bedroom door and ran up to Rachel’s bedside wearing his favorite Spiderman pajamas. “Do you want some pancakes?”

  “Good morning, sweetie. Come here, give me a kiss.” She grabbed Jacob and pulled him into bed with her. “Did you make pancakes?”

  “Daddy and Uncle Ben did. Uncle Ben made black pancakes and Daddy threw them away and then Daddy made brown pancakes. I just watched.”

  “Okay, let me get up, and I’ll join you guys for breakfast.”

  Rachel sat up and twisted her hair into a loose knot, securing it with a hairclip she left on her nightstand. She went to her closet and pulled out her white terry cloth robe, slipped on her house slippers, then made her way to the kitchen. Edward was at the stove
pouring the bacon grease into a glass jar. Ben was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee, reading the Sunday newspaper. He bent the corner of his paper and peered at Rachel over his reading glasses.

  “Hey.”

  “Morning, guys”

  “How you feeling?” Edward asked. “We tried not to make too much noise.”

  “It’s okay, I was already awake. I feel a little better, but I just realized I’m going to need a ride to Dr. Wilkinson’s house.”

  “I’ll drop you off and then come back to pick up Ben and Jacob,” Edward said.

  “Oh, do me a favor,” Ben said to Edward, “bring me a Big Red on your way back.”

  “Ugh.” Rachel wrinkled her nose in disgust. “It’s so bad for you,” she said, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

  “You can’t get it in Maine,” Ben said without looking up from the paper. “I only drink it when I’m here. It’s good stuff.” Then, he folded the newspaper and set it aside. “Besides, it’s my last full day here. I have to make the most of it.” He grabbed a piece of bacon and popped it into his mouth.

  The thought of Ben leaving made Rachel’s chest tighten. She took a deep breath and went to sit next to him. If anyone truly had unconditional love for her, it was her son Jacob and Ben. She knew once he left, she would have to deal with things on her own.

  * * *

  Edward and Rachel pulled up to Dr. Wilkinson’s house where there was a buzz of activity outside. Some people were busy decorating the entrance with huge, beautiful floral arrangements of white roses. Others were trimming the hedges and cleaning the windows. The house was a hectic sight to behold with servants, caterers, musicians, photographers and wedding coordinators doing what they probably did at least a few times each weekend.

  “I’ll be back at one-thirty,” Edward said, watching Rachel take off her seatbelt. “Call me if you forgot something.” Rachel smiled and gave him a quick kiss before she got out of the SUV and retrieved her dress and the rest of her things from the back seat. The house was a Spanish-style, two-story, white stucco structure built in 1941 and nestled in Tarrytown, also known as “Old Austin.” It was an established neighborhood with meticulously maintained homes surrounded by lush foliage from old shade trees; a secluded, peaceful sanctuary from the bustling urban cityscape.