by Marsh Brooks
As Isabel's tears did not stop, Marcia then said to Isabel, “don't worry, you will walk again. I promise.” Hearing herself making this vow, Marcia felt a queasy feeling in her stomach. This was the first time she had ever lied to Isabel.
##
It had been six weeks since Phil's return from Saint Augustine. During the first two weeks, he was grateful to his secretary for handling monumental tasks that he was not sure he would be able to complete, due to the time that he had to spend away from work. On top of that, he was also able to forget about Stacy once again, as he believed that he had already done until Michelle brought her name up. The stitches had since been removed, as Doctor Gomez had predicted. He had already completed four weeks of exercises under the supervision of an orthopedic doctor at the Kendall Rehabilitation Center. He had been told that he had about two weeks left before he could try to walk on the ankle, with the help of a brace and a cane. Then, it would be time for physical therapy exercises, including using a stationary bicycle and treadmill, swimming, as well as doing weights on the leg. Phil was counting every minute.
Although it was called the Kendall Rehabilitation Center, the Center itself was not on Kendall Drive. It was located south of the Tamiami airport and occupied one street block, and was made up of numerous buildings and private streets adorned with palm trees and orange trees. The Center provided many different services, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, and other rehabilitation services for many forms of injuries and disabilities.
The back of the Center's administration building, which was located at the other end of the property, faced a large man-made lake. An old marble bench sat at the edge of landscaping, which circled the lake as if it was the lake's own aura. Round patches of purple pansies grew and extended above the grass at precise and equal intervals. Sandwiched between each of the intervals were short hibiscus trees with alternating colors.
In the afternoons, after the completion of each of Phil's exercises, Phil would sit on the bench watching Mallard ducks swim with their ducklings in the middle of the water and enjoying the fragrance of flowers blended with fresh cut grass. If performing these exercises were good for his ankle, watching these ducklings swim daily with their mother was good for his spirit.
As he approached the bench one afternoon, the sun was already setting and the surface of the lake looked more like a mirror reflecting the surrounding landscape. Phil was surprised to see that someone was already sitting there conversing with a woman in a wheel chair. As he approached, the person on the bench turned, and Phil was surprised to see that it was Doctor Gomez.
“Hi Phil, it's nice to see you’re getting better,” Dr. Gomez said, which prompted the woman in the wheelchair to turn and look at him. She was very beautiful and bore a striking resemblance to Dr. Gomez, and Phil wondered if she was her daughter.
“I’m surprised that you remember me, Dr. Gomez,” Phil said.
How ironic life was, Dr. Gomez thought. A month and a half ago, she managed to get Phil transferred to the center, hoping that she would find a way to introduce him to Isabel, when Isabel came to visit her. Now that he was here, her priorities had changed. She was no longer concerned about getting rid of Richard, in spite of the fact that he was cheating on Isabel. Isabel's health was now her utmost concern. Her dating plan for Isabel had been scrapped and replaced with more meaningful matters.
“How could I forget? You are the only basketball player I know who does not get paid for hurting himself,” Marcia replied with a mocking smile.
“Are you a basketball player?” the woman in the wheelchair asked, gazing at Phil.
When Phil's eyes met her eyes, Phil felt momentarily at a loss. Until that day, Phil never thought that a woman's eyes could make him feel so uncomfortable, so naked. It was like her eyes could pierce through his skin and bone to read the innermost part of his soul. It was not the color of her eyes, he decided, it was their deepness that made him feel so exposed.
“Phil, this is my niece Isabel,” Marcia interjected. Phil was grateful and wondered whether Isabel could read his thoughts. He knew that it was stupid to think like this, but he never felt a woman's eyes could have that effect on him. He remembered once reading an English translation of an old French poem called Les Yeux d'Elsa, The Eyes of Elsa, and until that day when he met Isabel, he never believed that a person's eyes could be so profound to deserve an ode.
“Hi Isabel,” he finally said, waving his right hand. “It's nice meeting you.”
They did not shake hands. He knew that he somehow also looked stupid. What was worse was that he felt stupid too. He had cause to worry. How could he feel so attracted to a woman in a wheel chair that he didn't even know?
“Come sit with us, Phil, we were not talking about anything special,” Marcia said. Then addressing Isabel, Marcia added, “I met Phil at the hospital in Saint Augustine. He had injured his ankle playing basketball.”
“Actually, I'm not a basketball player. I wish. I was playing with some friends when I fell and broke my ankle,” Richard said to Isabel.
“You went to the hospital all the way in Saint Augustine?” Isabel asked, with a puzzled look on her face, causing Phil to laugh.
“No, I was in Saint Augustine visiting some friends when this happened,” Phil said. At that moment, a voice came on the external intercom calling for Doctor Gomez to come to the lobby, causing Marcia to get up.
“See you later, Dr. Gomez,” Phil said.
“I'll be back,” Marcia simply replied. Then looking at Phil, she added, “Phil, you can call me Marcia now,” and then walked away.
As Marcia was leaving, Phil, who was now sitting on the bench, said to Isabel, “your aunt is very nice.”
“I know. Without her, I don't know what I would have done after my accident,” Isabel said
“What happened?” Phil asked.
Isabel was not sure why, but for some reason, for the next hour she and Phil talked about ducks, animals and whatever came to mind. She told Phil everything that happened since the day she woke up in the hospital after the accident.
“I am now able to move my legs. But no one is sure if I will ever fully recover,” Isabel finished. Phil listened patiently to her story as Isabel told him what had happened in her life during the past six weeks. She was so comfortable talking to him that she even forgot that she had only just met him.
“It's only been six weeks. I'm sure with time, you will recover,” Phil said.
“I hope so,” Isabel answered. “I'm sorry to talk so much about me. I usually don't do that.”
“Actually, you haven't. I still don't know your last name and what you do for living. I only know that you like to watch ducklings,” Phil said, pointing to the birds in the water. Phil's last remark caused Isabel to smile. What I would give to see her smile like that every day, Phil thought.
“My last name is Romero and I own a company that makes applications for hand-held computers. What about you?” asked Isabel.
##
For the next two weeks, after each therapy session, Phil and Isabel would sit by the lake everyday, where they would talk for hours. Phil was amazed at Isabel's strength in the face of adversity. Phil would go to bed every night, wishing tomorrow would come soon for him to see Isabel again. When he was with Isabel, he wished that he could stop time so that they didn't have to leave each other. He was in love with her, but didn't dare tell her, fearing that this revelation would push her away. He just wanted to be with her always. Phil felt special because Isabel would share with him her secret dreams that she never shared with anyone else. Some were just simple dreams, like her dreams to go one day to the South Pole to see penguins. But knowing that he was the only person who knew, only added hope to his dream about being with her forever. Phil never thought about the South Pole or penguins before Isabel. Now, one evening at home, he found himself watching the movie The March of the Penguins. He loved Isabel and cared about everything Isabel cared about.
Until she m
et Phil, Isabel never thought a man could ever understand her seemingly small dreams. At the beginning, when Isabel started dating Richard, she used to tell him about her wish to go one day on a safari trip to Kenya. All Richard would say was that they had everything they wanted here in the United States, including animal theme parks and large zoos. Richard was not a person to delve into conversations about petty dreams. Isabel slowly stopped talking about her dreams. With Phil it was different. It was as if he wanted to be part of them with her. She found herself wanting for him to be in those dreams, for them to enjoy those moments together. Whether it was the South Pole, the penguins, the safari, or simply being all alone in the middle of nowhere, it would suit her just fine, as long as Phil was with her. She didn’t tell Phil that she was engaged. “It didn’t matter,” she was saying to herself because there was nothing between them. However, she still felt a tinge of guilt. Why couldn’t she tell him? Was it because she was afraid to lose him?
One day, they were sitting in front of the lake when Isabel asked, “What about you Phil? You never told me about any secret dreams that you have.”
Phil was surprised at the question and blushed, prompting Isabel to smile, “I promise I won’t tell a soul, not even the ducklings, here.”
Phil took a long time before he said, “Paint.”
“Paint?” repeated Isabel surprised at the answer.
“Yes,” Phil answered. “Ever since I was a little boy, I wanted to paint. I wanted to become a painter.”
“Why didn’t you become one?” Isabel asked.
“I wasn’t any good. Besides, I had to make a living,” Phil answered. He explained that the only professional painters that he ever met were at art exhibits, and most of them seemed to have a job on the side.
“Did you at least try?” Isabel asked.
Phil smiled.
He’s so hot, Isabel caught herself thinking. I wish he could be mine forever. Isabel was happy to be there with him.
“I tried to take a class. You would never believe what happened.”
“What happened?” asked Isabel, visibly interested.
“Right after law school, the junior college was teaching a drawing class during the summer. I called and enrolled. When I got to class, it wasn’t a painting class at all. It was a class for architects. The class was to teach people how to draw houses and buildings.”
Both laughed.
“So, did you get your money back?” Isabel asked.
“No, it was after the dropout date, and I had to spend the whole summer being criticized by the professor for designing big houses on tiny foundations.”
This time only Isabel laughed. “At least, you now know how to design buildings.”
“Actually, I still don’t. You’re the only one who knows this story. If you ever tell a soul about it, I will deny it.”
“Promise me that you will design my next house and I won’t talk,” an amused Isabel said.
“Actually, designing the house is not the problem. Keeping it from crashing down is,” Phil said.
Both of them laughed again. The story was funny and silly. But it was a story only the two of them knew. It was as if Isabel and Phil were living in a different world. A world made of only two people, her and Phil. She was falling in love with Phil and that scared her, because, after all, she was engaged to another man.
As the days went by, Isabel wanted to see Phil more and more, every day, every hour, every minute. Isabel liked to see Phil laugh, to hear him tell funny stories, and to simply just sit down with Phil and wish that he would stay with her forever.
##
One day, Isabel waited the whole afternoon by the lake but Phil didn’t come. By the time Isabel got home, her head and her heart were hurting. She was worried sick about him. But she could not call him. What if he had decided to never come sit with her again? She asked herself. Calling him would be a huge mistake. She didn’t know what to do, and spent the whole night awake and in fear that she might never be with Phil by the lake again. She felt sick to her stomach at the thought. If being in love brings happiness, why did it hurt so bad inside? She asked herself.
The next day, she was there early, waiting and hoping that she was wrong and that Phil would come again. And when she saw him, it was as if all the pain that she had endured had disappeared. He was carrying a small gift bag in his hands.
He came, sat down and said, “I have something for you.”
“For me?” Isabel asked, surprised.
“Oh, yes. I spent yesterday afternoon finishing it,” Phil said as he pulled a pencil portrait of Isabel from the bag.
Isabel was breathless. “You did that for me?”
“Of course. For who else would I miss my therapy session?” Phil asked. He wondered whether Isabel had any idea how much he loved her and how much he wanted to hold her, kiss her, and be with her forever.
Isabel then gently grabbed the portrait. She was trembling. It was a beautiful framed portrait of her sitting and looking at the lake.
“This is beautiful,” she said. “You said you weren’t good.”
“Actually, I’m not. You’d be amazed to see what I have learned from YouTube.”
“Don’t tell me that you learned how to do this from watching an internet video?” Isabel asked.
“Actually, many videos,” Phil answered. “Do you like it?”
“Are you kidding?” Isabel answered. “This is the most wonderful gift I’ve ever received in my life.”
“I’m glad,” Phil simply said.
Isabel was scared. She knew that she was in love with him. But things had gone too far. Phil didn’t even know that she was engaged. She wanted to tell him but she didn’t know how to do it without losing him. If only she hadn’t already promised Richard to marry him, things would have been so different. But things were the way they were. She put the portrait back in the gift bag and decided that she would tell him tomorrow. She needed to go back home and figured out the best way to do it, and let the chips fall where they may.
##
As soon as she had put the portrait in the pocket of her wheelchair, a familiar voice said, “Here you are.”
They both turned. Oh no! Isabel didn’t expect Richard to come back so early from his trip to Orlando. She didn’t even get a chance to tell Phil about him. Isabel felt guilty. She loved a man but had promised another that she would marry him. She was not the type of person to break promises, and she had delayed too long in making a decision about the situation. Was it too late for Phil and her? She wondered.
As the man was coming toward them, Isabel said, “It's my fiancé Richard.”
Phil was stunned and devastated. He didn't know that she was engaged. But he also knew that Isabel was not required to tell him. After all, they only saw each other and met each other at the bench. But how could he be so stupid not to think that she was already taken. Women with her looks and wits usually were. However, in spite of the unwelcome surprise, Phil heard himself say, “I love you Isabel and I’d like to see you tomorrow again.”
Isabel turned and looked at him.
She wanted to tell him how much she loved him, to forgive her for not telling him sooner. She wanted to tell him that her heart was breaking and that she wanted to be with him, instead of with Richard. But she didn't. Richard was her fiancé and she had promised Richard she would marry him. Richard had been good to her through the years and she wasn't going to turn her back on him for a man she only knew for a couple of weeks, for dreams that might never occur.
She introduced Phil to Richard as Tia Marcia's patient.
“Tia Marcia does wonders and I'm sure you will be on your feet in no time,” Richard said to him.
“I hope so.” Phil replied.
Then grabbing the handle of Isabel's wheelchair, Richard said to Phil, “It was nice meeting you.”
“Likewise,” Phil responded. Then Phil added, “Good bye Isabel.”
Hearing her name, Isabel turned her head and looked at Ph
il, as her chair was being pushed by Richard, and simply replied, “Take care Phil.” As Richard and Isabel went through the double doors of the building, Phil only wished that he was the one pushing the wheelchair. As he remained seated on the bench, Phil wondered if his afternoons by the lake would ever be the same again.
Chapter Five
Isabel's life had always been a life where things didn't get out of order. She learned to keep it that way after her mother passed away. She had to. After all, she had to raise her kid sister, Rebecca. She had to take her to school, help her do her homework, go to PTA meetings, attend birthday parties for Rebecca's classmates, prepare dishes for school functions, etc. This was why being a computer programmer fit her life perfectly. To her, computer programming terms like “arrays” and “functions” served one purpose. They helped her create order out of disorder. In short, they helped her solve problems. This was also why Isabel was not having a good afternoon after leaving Phil. Her life was in disarray.
“Is everything OK, Bella?” Richard asked her.
“I’ve had a lot on my mind lately,” she answered.
Richard didn't press her. In fact, she was technically correct. She had had a lot on her mind since the accident. However, even after the accident, everything was in order, from scheduling therapy sessions to planning her life with Richard. What she didn’t expect was for Phil to enter into the picture and to create in her these emotions that she had never felt before. She didn’t like these feelings, because they were too sudden and out of the ordinary. She couldn't control them. For one moment, Isabel wished she had never met Phil. She had known Phil for only a few weeks and she didn't like the havoc he had created in her life, in her heart. She needed to do something about these emotions. She needed to restore the order that she was accustomed to.
