Neither the waitress nor the blond picked up on Cale's joke. They looked at each other with puzzled expressions until the waitress volunteered to set him straight. “You do know vermouth is clear, right?”
Cale was way too hung-over to come up with any sort of clever follow-up. Grasping for anything funny, he said, “By color, I meant my face. Compared to tan little missy here, I'm way too pale.”
The waitress gave a courteous laugh and left. Continuing his conversation with the blond, Cale said, “I'm sorry about your engagement, it must've been tough to put so much into a relationship, and come out with nothing.”
The blond took another drink from her Bud Light and said, “You know, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be to, like, end things with Frank. I've never told anyone this, but I'm not sure I was ever in love with him. The only reason he proposed was because I kept bugging him about it. Most of my friends were either engaged or married, and like, I didn't want to be the last single one. But talking to you last week changed my mind about everything. It's strange to say this since we didn't talk that long before Frank and those guys jumped you, but when I left the bar that night, I realized how wrong it was to marry someone out of, like, fear of being alone. You know what I mean?”
Hearing this made Cale think about Diana and the pact. If she was pregnant, he didn't want her to marry him out of an obligation to him or the child, but rather because she wanted to. Hiding his dread, he asked casually, “I gotta ask, beautiful, do you regret getting engaged?”
“Absolutely, like, the biggest mistake of my life.”
Cale's drink arrived and her answer caused him to down most of it in one gulp. His face was scorching and his mind swirled, but the blond didn't notice his uneasiness. She opined,6 “Why is it, like, women have such a fear to be the last single one while guys can embrace being eternal bachelors?”
Cale knew this statement was absolutely wrong. As far as he knew, Diana could care less about being the last single one amongst her friends. Plus, he had plenty of former male friends who hated being bachelors for even one second, let alone for all eternity. Not wanting to argue, Cale replied, “I guess that's just a matter of perspective.”
“Hah!” The blond shouted. “Perspective! That reminds me of something that happened back in college. You have to hear this, it's HEH-LAIR-EE-US.” The intricate breakdown of the word 'hilarious' was sign #2 of trouble. “I had a one night stand with this total asshole, and like, the condom broke. After I told him I wouldn't get the morning after pill, he started freaking out. I'm sorry, but that's a sin. So this asshole kept repeating his life would be over if I got pregnant. He even fucking asked if I had any STD's. It was like he was calling me a slut right to my face.”
Thanks to the gin, Cale's hangover had subsided, but the girl's story still hurt his head. “Hold up, you wouldn't get the pill because it's a sin, but one night stands are okay?”
“It kills life, Cale. Besides, I got even with that asshole. When my period came, I hung the bloody tampon on his doorknob. For the next three years, everyone called him 'On-the-rag' Brad!”
This was it for Cale. He had enough of this girl and her apparent insanity. Why did he continue trying to rescue girls who couldn't be rescued? His father had a hand in this personality trait for sure, but as far as Cale could tell, his father never had any problems rescuing women.
In an attempt to leave, he lied, “I'm sorry, I have to come clean. My ex-girlfriend just let me know she is pregnant, and I'm pretty sure we are gonna get married. I feel terrible for going behind her back to meet with you. This is all my fault, I should've told you sooner.”
The blond shouted, “What!? How dare you! I thought you were different, Cale, but you're just like all those other assholes.”
Her admonishment meant little as Cale was well ahead in the race to be disgusted with the other. He put some money down on the table and said, “Well I guess this is goodbye. Take care.”
“Wait,” the blond said making sure to finish her Bud Light before standing up to meet him. With an evil smile, she asked, “Before you go, do you want to, like, come to my car for a little bit? I'm up on the top floor of the parking garage next door, and like, my back seats fold down.”
“Wha...what,” Cale asked making sure he heard her correctly.
“I've always wanted to have sex with someone famous.”
This admission was sign #3 of trouble, and Cale realized how screwed both figuratively and literally he'd be if he stuck around.
“Thanks, beautiful, but I can't do that to my ex. She means too much to me.”
Jenny walked into Diana's oak laden and coffee smelling office, and gave her boss a stack of documents separated by 'sign here' post-it notes. As Diana proceeded to sign, Jenny sat down in a lounge chair and eagerly said, “So have you gotten tested yet? Cale is probably dying to know if you are pregnant.”
“Shh...” Diana hissed. “Don't say it so loud. You're the only one who knows about this thing with Cale.”
“Well thanks for trusting me. You didn't tell your family?”
While signing a page, Diana asked sharply, “Why would I do that? This isn't exactly the most romantic story. Every time I think about it, I see myself as some crazy woman so desperate for a husband and kids that she'll settle for anyone.”
“Will Cale tell anyone?”
“Hah! Who will he tell? There's Nick who is more interested in Wikipedia than actual people, or Brian who is always high. Oh, I suppose he could tell his father. Donald Dawkins would probably be thrilled if Cale married me. He always said I was the best Cale could get.”
“What about Cale's mom?”
“Cale's mom is dead. I think it was breast cancer, but I'm not exactly sure. He's always been quiet about it. It happened when he was younger. Maybe ten or eleven?”
A knock at the door startled them both. Jamie the intern peered slightly around the door frame, and asked with uneasiness. “Excuse me, Ms. Young?”
“Yes?” Diana said as she finished signing the last document.
“I have these asset valuation listings prepared for Mr. Fern's account. Where would you like me to put them?”
“You can just leave them here. Thank you, Jamie.”
Jamie stood there working up the courage that only Bob Cratchit could appreciate after one Christmas Eve in front of Ebenezer Scrooge. “Ms. Young, if it's alright with you, could I have tomorrow off? My brother holds a 5k every year and I've always gone the day before to help him set up.”
“That's fine, I'll be in arbitration with Mr. Fern and his ex-wife all day tomorrow so I won't need you for anything.”
Jamie's eyes lit up and he clasped his hands together. “Oh, I just remembered! My brother is getting divorced and he is looking for a good lawyer to represent him. I was going to recommend you, but wanted to make sure it was okay before I had him call you.”
Diana knew some career philanthropist couldn't afford her rates, and she certainly didn't give employee discounts. Before she could make up a lie about conflict of interest, Jamie said, “Also, he wouldn't need any special billing or anything like that. He's a cardiologist, this race is just a side project.”
Diana smiled and considered herself lucky she hadn't said anything. “Sure, that's fine.” She said and handed Jamie one of her cards. “Have him give me a call.”
As Jamie passed by Jenny, she put up her hands, and mouthed “How about that?” at Diana. After she was certain Jamie was far enough away, Jenny collected the stack of signed documents from Diana's desk and whispered, “You really whipped that intern into shape. I heard he came in on Sunday to work.”
Diana whispered back, “He's the only intern I assign work to now. It's always flawless, and he is nothing but professional around the office.”
Before she left, Jenny said, “It sounds like his brother will be a good client. A charitable doctor... talk about your ideal husband. It's pretty funny considering the situation with Cale.”
Diana didn't
need Jenny to bring that up, because she was thinking the same thing. It didn't matter that she didn't know what he looked like, whether he had kids, his age, and most importantly, why he was getting divorced. Her mind had already created him: tall and dark, no kids, thirty-five, and getting divorced because his wife cheated on him.
Looking down at her desk, the letter 'C' was circled for the next evening. That was going to be the night of the pregnancy test. If she truly was pregnant, then it wouldn't matter what the doctor was like. But she would have to wait one more day to find out. Until then, all she had was her imagination.
The knob of Diana's front door rattled and clicked before being replaced by a more traditional knock. With a deep sigh, Diana opened the door and found Cale on one knee holding an open jewelry box containing a ring fit for royalty.
She couldn't stop herself from laughing at this sight. “A little presumptuous, don't you thin...” Her question was cut off and laughter stopped the moment her eyes met the ring. “Holy shit, Cale! How can you afford this!?”
Rather than tell her the truth that he had to sell himself out to pay for it, Cale decided to lie. “Just because my work has dried up doesn't mean I don't have any money saved.”
Coming back to her senses, Diana said, “Seriously, you bought a ring before we know the results? Stop being so foolish and come inside.”
Following her instructions, Cale got up and walked into her apartment while saying, “I'm positive the test is going to be...well...positive. I just know it will.”
Diana turned around to look at the clock on her wall. “Well, we'll know if you're right in about four minutes.”
4:00
“Don't worry, darlin', this is fate.” Cale said and flopped on the couch. “God's never let me down before. I'm just glad you invited me over for the results. I almost expected you to have Jenny deliver the news. Remember that time you broke up with me that...”
“I've apologized more than enough for the time I ended things that way. What about when you broke up with me because, and I quote, 'I made you too happy'?”
Having broken up so many times before, Cale had forgotten about that particular one until this reminder from Diana. “First of all, the quote was 'you make me too happy to sculpt'.”
“Shut up, jerk.” Diana said and slapped him on the shoulder.
“Secondly, that was when it started becoming apparent that I couldn't sculpt anything good, and I was trying to put the blame on anything I could. I thought I was too content with life to come up with anything good.”
3:00
“And how'd that work out for you?”
“Good point,” Cale said and got up to put his hands on Diana's waist. “So how are you feeling about all this?”
Diana wrapped her arms around his neck and decided to be honest. “Well... since I took the test, I don't think I've taken an eye off that goddamn clock. My stomach is in knots and I wish I would've bought a quicker test.”
Cale leaned in and kissed her. A long, passionate one, like a soldier kissing his true love before going into battle. In a sense, the two situations were identical, depending on the results.
Backing away with her arms still wrapped around his neck, Diana said, “Cale, about this pact. If the test comes back negative, I don't want this to be the end.”
“It has to be this way. Without the risk of losing it all, this pact is meaningless. Don't worry though. Like I said earlier, you are most definitely pregnant.”
2:00
She leaned in again for quick kisses where she bit his lower lip at the end of every one. He found himself involuntarily pulled in more and more at the end of every kiss.
Logical Diana always had a hard time when it came to Cale's dependence on God, fate, etc. “Cale, I don't think you realize the odds here. This isn't some 50/50 coin flip. The chances of me being pregnant are around 5%, and that's being generous.”
“Only 5%?”
“Well, that's if Wikipedia is correct.”
As shocking as the 5% number was to Cale, he still laughed and said, “Nick would be proud you went there for information.”
1:00
“Does he still pay more attention to that website than actual, living people?”
“You know he won't sway on his 'meaning of life'. He still swears that life's goal is to learn as much as possible and somehow that website makes him feel he is accomplishing it.”
Diana looked over at the clock and knew it was time. Before she went into the bathroom to check the results, she gave Cale a goodbye kiss only few can appreciate.7 “Well, I guess it's time. Wait here, I'll be right back.”
Cale could tell how scared she was and he tried his best to make her feel better. “Be brave, darlin'. We'll be fine.”
The lights in her bathroom seemed to shine a spotlight upon the pregnancy test. Standing face to face with her future, Diana's heart felt like it shrunk farther into her chest with each thump. For most of her adult life, she had faced intimidating judges, skeptical juries, and cutthroat lawyers, yet walking a few feet to see the number of pink bars felt like the most daunting task she would ever endure. She was scared and yet, like always, some inherent defensive trait kicked in, and she found herself walking over to the test determined to show it how strong she really was.
0:00
The bathroom door slowly opened revealing Cale with a beaming look on his face in expectation for a jubilant cry, but it never came. Diana stared at him with watery eyes that told the truth far more than any words ever could. Before Cale could speak, Diana shook her head 'no' causing the tears to break through and run down her cheeks. Cale swallowed hard, nodded that he understood, and left Diana to her own, negative devices.
CONSCIOUS AND STABLE
A gun shot rang out immediately followed by the thunderous sound of footsteps. It was a coordinated stampede of Nikes, Reeboks, New Balances, Asics, and Adidi. The 6th Annual Run for the Heart 5k was underway, and in between the bare-chested young men leading the pack and the older ones trying to relive past glory was a slender red head with a fiercely determined look. Diana was there to kick ass.
She hadn't planned on running in Jamie's brother's race, but the depressing news about the negative test persuaded her to do something to feel better. Running and work were her two sure fire pick-me-ups, and since everything in her professional life was up to date, the only thing she could do was put her feet to the pavement.
“Ms...Diana! Wait!” Jamie struggled to breathe out the words as the distance between them grew.
“You wanted to run with me, Jamie. Are you going to let some old woman beat you?” This challenge was never heard by its intended recipient. Jamie had fallen too far behind.
Running is one of those things that after awhile, the physical act becomes involuntary, and all that's left is your own unobstructed thoughts. It's the Buddhist and meditation, the hypnotee and the pocket watch, the procrastinating college student and Adderall, but most importantly, it was Diana and the two mile marker.
Her mind was clear of worry, of pain, of disappointment, of loss. Everything was replaced by a realization of the disaster that would've resulted if the test was positive.
The Internal Dictation of Diana:
There is no way I could find the time. God knows I couldn't depend on Cale. Everything would end up on me. There isn't a motherly bone in my body. It would've been a disaster. I never wanted a family in the first place.
Smiling, she crossed the finish line in full stride.
At the post race festivities, Diana was rushing through the complimentary bagel, banana, and bottle of water. She had nothing else to do that day, and it was only ten AM, but still, she didn't want to stand around.
The sound of several girls laughing made her turn around, and that's where she found three of them surrounding Jamie. He had a symmetrical sweat stain on the front and back of a gray t-shirt. It was partly due to his gray t-shirt and partly due to the flock of girls who seemed enamored, but the sight made Diana
think of Cale. The resemblance made Diana want to load Jamie up with work as punishment. Or in the very least, warn him about the problems a life like that brings.
Over the loudspeakers strewn across the post-race area, a voice boomed out over the audience, “Greetings everyone and congratulations on finishing the 6th annual Run for the Heart 5k! Give yourselves a round of applause!” The crowd started to cheer while Diana continued to work on her bagel. She turned to the stage and saw an unidentifiable radio DJ as well as thirty other people ranging from those wearing suits to those still in running outfits. There was also an eager looking band waiting off to the side.
As the applause died down, the DJ continued, “I'll tell you what, you couldn't ask for a better day. I know I'll remember this in about two months when I'm scraping ice off my windshield.”
A collective groan rang out from the crowd. Wanting to shift the crowd's attention, the DJ said, “And now, please welcome from Denver Cardiology Associates, Dr. Andrew Finnegan!”
Diana barely caught a glimpse of Jamie's brother as he walked to the podium because she was pushed from behind by several women trying to get closer to the stage. The frenzy was preteen girl in scope... and in screams.
In running shorts and a long white shirt, Dr. Andrew Finnegan stepped to the microphone and gave an embarrassed acknowledgment toward the loud, primarily female driven applause. He was tan and muscular with short dark hair and a smile that belonged in a toothpaste commercial. His delivery made it seem like he was speaking to each person individually, “First off, I want to thank you for coming out to run. Not only are you supporting heart disease research, but by participating today you all are helping your own heart disease prevention. Now I'm sure you don't want to hear me go on and on…”
There was a shout of, “Yes we do!” from the crowd.
Andrew smiled, looked back at one of the men wearing a suit and mouthed something before turning his attention back to the crowd. “I've just been told that if this speech goes any longer, then tomatoes will start being thrown. So once again, thank you to everyone who ran in the race or donated money. It means more than you could ever imagine.”
A Pact For Life Page 4
