Strangers in the Night

by Ines Saint

  When the symphony’s musical director interrupted rehearsal to ask to speak to her, Keila’s heart took on the painful, weird rhythm again. She walked into his office, her head high, fully expecting him to chew her out for playing so badly.

  Instead, he offered her a permanent position with the orchestra.

  And Keila felt both ecstatic and the odd sense that her nerves were about to shatter over too many conflicting emotions in such a short time. The elation soon took over and she ran around the desk to hug the bemused director, who finally hugged her back and chuckled over her enthusiasm. She walked out, closed the door behind her, closed her eyes and shot her hands into the air.

  Her first concert would be the following night, and she’d be playing at Symphony Hall as part of a Christmas series featuring different orchestras. Tears welled up in her eyes. This was her dream come true.

  Michelle, Simone, and Ralph were watching for her and when they saw her reaction, they knew all was well. They put their instruments down and rushed over to hug her and congratulate her. She soon called her mother, her sister, Robbie, and Cate.

  • • •

  At nearly eight A.M. Wednesday morning, a grim Jake watched as Cate walked into his office, flipping her phone shut, a happy expression on her face. It disappeared as soon as she saw the looks on the faces of the three men before her.

  Tyrone, who had been reading the paper, stopped and slid the page her way, not looking at her or anyone.

  Cate read the tasteless headline, pursed her lips, and pulled the paper closer to read. A second later, she whipped her head toward Jake. “That’s Keila!”

  Tyrone’s jaw fell, Filip’s eyes widened, and for once, Jake was speechless.

  “How do you know?” Tyrone challenged, not taking his eyes off Jake.

  “I’d recognize that wild hair and that stupid sweatshirt Robbie gave her anywhere, I can almost make the word goat out,” she squinted before throwing the newspaper down.

  “Why the hell didn’t you say anything, Jake?” Tyrone demanded.

  “How long has this been going on?” Cate asked, looking betrayed.

  Jake felt his temper flare. “I don’t answer to either of you,” he shot back.

  “Damn, Jake, this is how you’re going to play it? Really?” Tyrone asked.

  “Spoken like a true politician. I thought you were my friend. I thought Keila was my friend.” Cate sat down then, looking miserable. “I just got off the phone with her and she didn’t say a thing about this.”

  Everyone was silent as they looked over at Jake. Finally, Filip said, “Tyrone and Cate are right. More than anything, we’re working with you because you are our friend and we believe in you.”

  He’d managed to keep thoughts of Keila at bay the entire week by keeping himself insanely busy. The last thing he wanted to do was discuss her with his staff. But now, they were playing the friend card. Jake bit the inside of his cheek, considered, and finally said, “It just happened.”

  Cate let out an exasperated breath and opened her mouth, probably to rip into him again, but Jake stopped her. “No, seriously. It just happened,” he paused, wanting to be honest and to explain, but knowing he needed to respect Keila’s privacy as well. “It was after she saw her ex-boyfriend with that girl at the pier the day before Thanksgiving,” Jake looked up. “We ended up talking, and she was hurt, angry, and worried her sister and mom would be all over her all weekend, so I asked her to come away with me. Neither of us thought too hard about it; we both needed some time away and so we went with it.”

  Both Cate and Tyrone looked unconvinced, but Tyrone nodded, as if he was at least appeased by Jake’s explanation. “All right. You’ve explained it to us, but what are we going to say to the media? If Cate recognized her, so will others. This ‘it just happened’ bull won’t fool anybody,” he pointed out.

  Cate shook her head no. “There are only a few people who’d be able to figure it out; those of us who know that silly shirt, and those of us who know she disappeared Thanksgiving weekend. Basically just me, her family, and Robbie. They won’t say a word. And the picture is so fuzzy we can just throw it back to them, that all they have is an out of focus picture.”

  “Just tell them the truth about the house. You originally bought it for your mom before eventually realizing she wasn’t interested in it and you undertook the restoration as a hobby,” Tyrone surmised.

  They’d all been quiet for a while, fleshing their responses out in their minds, when Jake turned to Cate, trying to keep his expression casual. “How was Keila when you spoke to her?”

  Cate studied him a long moment before answering. Jake knew she was itching to question him about what exactly happened during their time away, but, smart woman that she was, she knew better than to try to get Jake to open up. “She was thrilled because they offered her the permanent position she’s worked so hard for. She’ll actually be playing at Symphony Hall this Thursday night. I think she was too excited to remember the paper, if she even saw it.”

  Jake stood up, still guarding his demeanor. Though he and had Keila decided to stay away from each other, he knew how much getting that full-time position meant to her and he found himself wishing he could somehow see her first performance.

  Julia Hamilton’s parents were good friends of his and they had center orchestra seats at Symphony Hall. It was a tempting thought.

  At that moment, Cate’s phone rang. She looked down at the screen and then looked up with a weary expression. “Jenna, from the Tribune,” she said before getting up and walking outside.

  As soon as she left Filip spoke. “This might solve your political dilemma, Jake, but what about your personal dilemma?”

  “What personal dilemma?” Jake asked.

  “Come on, Jake. Get real. We’ve seen the way you act around her, and now you go away with her for a weekend? What’s going on?” Tyrone asked.

  “I don’t know what’s going on, okay? I’m not sure it even matters.” Jake sank down on the black leather chair, ran a hand through his hair, and turned to Filip. “You know how you say that a man is blessed if he can count the people he loves on at least one hand? Well, I’ve never been able to get up to five. I’m always one person short of blessed. But lately … ” Jake breathed in and stopped, shaking his head, suddenly sorry that he’d said that much.

  “Keila’s your missing finger,” Tyrone grinned.

  “My missing finger?” Jake repeated. “Wow, that’s beautiful, Tyrone.” He turned away, frustrated he’d shown vulnerability. “Just forget everything I said.”

  “Wait a second,” Tyrone lifted a hand and used his fingers to count down. “Hey, I always thought you loved your mom, Filip, Julia, Cate, and me, but you say you can only count down to four. Who’s missing out on some Jake-love?”

  Filip laughed and for the first time that day, Jake smiled. “You’ll never know,” Jake answered, realizing he hadn’t counted in a long time. It seemed he had more friends than he gave himself credit for.

  Cate walked back in, grinning as if things were under control. But her phone rang again, and her smile turned into a barracuda smile. “You know, I wish could just tell them it’s Keila, I mean, she sure was good for the campaign early on. People loved the idea of you and her together. Maybe if we — ”

  “Seriously, Cate?” Jake interrupted her, appalled.

  “Right. Sorry. I just got carried away by the potential,” she breathed out, flushed by the all the possibilities whizzing around in her head.

  “There’s no potential, Cate,” Jake said, firmly, while grabbing his suit jacket and walking toward the door. Keila’s words suddenly came back to him. She barely knew him, she’d said. It had all been about lust. “All there is — is a whole lot of nothing.”

  The pressure of his indiscernible feelings, Filip’s concern, and disappointment because he couldn’t share in Keila’s good news finally got to Jake and he just wanted to leave.

  • • •

  That night, as Kei
la got off the bus to walk home after her last private lesson, she listened to a message Cate had left for her hours before. Even though it was obvious to me you were attracted to Jake, I didn’t think much of it. But you never told me your feelings ran deep enough for you to go away with him! Honestly, Keila, I’m upset …

  Keila hit the end button, wondering how Cate knew. Did she recognize her in the picture? Did Jake tell her? Right now, the last thing she wanted to do was to talk to Cate. More than anything, she wanted to forget Jake Kelly, forget the picture, wish it into oblivion where perhaps nothing ever came of it, and concentrate on her career and on how her life was changing for the better.

  Soon, she’d be able to buy some cute and fuel-efficient car. She could ease off the private lessons, eat out with friends, and buy a latte on her way to rehearsals now and then. Simple pleasures had come to mean a lot. But as much as the good news in her life lifted her, the picture in that morning’s paper continued to weigh her down.

  When she got home, only the kitchen light was on. She went straight there in search of antacid, only to be taken aback by a chorused shout of “Surprise!”

  Tania, Mia, Graciela, Aunt Gina, Robbie, and Cate had been waiting for her to celebrate her good news. Though Tania was clearly ecstatic for her, there was also a tight set to her smile. Robbie kept wiggling his eyebrows at her, and Cate was shooting worried glances her way. Keila pasted a feeble smile on her face and did her best to go through the motions.

  As soon as she could, she claimed exhaustion and retreated upstairs to the comfort of her lilac and cream colored room, the concert posters that covered the walls reminding her of what was important. The décor was outdated, the wallpaper a bit yellowed, and the quilt faded, yet she knew if she ever changed it she’d lose something. In that sense, she understood her mother and the need to be embraced by a place untouched by time, where the comfort of days gone by spoke to her and told her that things usually work themselves out.

  But Tania, Robbie, and Cate were hot on her heels. They came into her room uninvited.

  “What were you thinking, Keila! How could you fall prey to him like that? Good looking, powerful men only want one thing! And don’t you dare deny it was you, I recognized your hair and that ugly Cubs shirt,” Tania practically yelled.

  “Calm down! Mia will hear you, and what have we talked about regarding Mia?” Robbie demanded as he shut the door.

  Tania breathed in and out. “I will not scar Mia with my unhealthy attitudes toward males. I will not scar Mia with my unhealthy attitudes toward males,” Tania chanted in a low voice as she gained control of her temper.

  “And the Cubs shirt is not ugly. It’s hilarious,” Robbie added.

  “And Jake’s not like that, Tania,” Cate added.

  Tania clenched and unclenched her fists twice. “Have I not talked to you about the seven signs of deadly male testosterone? Does Jake Kelly not have them all? Why would you do this? You’ve barely been around the block, Keila, you’re always so careful. How could you go away with him? And please tell me you didn’t sleep with him!”

  “How was he?” Robbie asked, sitting on a corner of her bed.

  Keila swallowed hard and averted her eyes. “That good, huh?” Robbie grinned.

  “Oh, no, Keila. You didn’t,” Cate sighed, and it was clear by her tone and the look in her eyes that as much as she believed in Jake, not even she thought that was a good idea.

  “Oh, Keila.” Tania sat down next to her on the bed and put an arm around her. They fell back onto Keila’s patterned quilt, Keila’s head on Tania’s shoulder, both staring at the ceiling. “You’re not falling for him, are you?”

  “No.” Keila drew in a shaky breath.

  “So you’re not feeling all warm and fuzzy inside right now, thinking about him?” Robbie asked.

  Keila lifted her head to look at Robbie, spitting her hair out of her mouth. “No, what I’m feeling inside is nauseous.” She lay her head back down and covered her face with her arm. “Do you think it’ll get out that the woman in the picture is me?” she asked quietly.

  “No!” Tania declared vehemently, shooting back up to a sitting position. “We’ll lie through our teeth. You were with me all weekend. Two reporters at the station already asked me, you know. But not because they think it’s you, they just want your reaction, for some reason.”

  “Some of them probably still believe you guys were a couple a few months ago, no matter how strongly you denied it. They probably just want to know how you feel about him moving on,” Cate said.

  Robbie snorted. “And now that it is you, they think it’s someone else. That’s good; it means the people who report this crap are awful at what they do.”

  Tania turned to Keila. “Do you think that’s why he became attracted to you, because you denied him so publicly? So many men are like that, they always lust after what they can’t have.”

  “I’m telling you Tania, he’s not like that,” Cate argued.

  “He’s not like that? Then what did he say when you asked him about this weekend? Come on, I know you, and I know you confronted him.”

  Cate winced, and didn’t answer. “What did he say about this weekend, Cate?” Keila cleared her throat nervously. The fact that Cate, a person who knew Jake well, had thought it had been a bad idea for Keila to go away with him, made Keila finally begin to feel she’d done something monumentally stupid.

  “He said … ” Cate fidgeted before continuing. “He said it was a whole lot of nothing — but, you have to remember he’s very private. I don’t think he meant — he just didn’t want to talk about it … ” Cate’s voice trailed off, awkward and obviously feeling caught between two friends and not sure of anything.

  “A whole lot of nothing?” Keila repeated, her blood slowly turning to ice. Why would he say that? she wondered. Was he just trying to protect their privacy? Or was it because she hadn’t jumped at the chance to have an affair? Because those words, a whole lot of nothing …

  Nobody looked at anybody for a long moment.

  “I think he did this for the votes; that’s what I think.” Tania finally broke the silence.

  “What? That doesn’t make any sense!” Robbie looked at Tania as if she’d flipped.

  “It makes perfect sense. She appeals to minorities, women, working class people, and well-educated people. That’s like more than half the city right there. I think he wanted to be seen with her to boost his numbers ‘cause it worked in the past. He planned this.”

  Keila remembered thinking the same thing the night he’d offered her a ride.

  “Okay, that’s enough, Tania; I think we’ve all just about had it with your poisonous man-hating theories. I happen to think Jake’s a good guy,” Robbie said, a little too harshly.

  Tania looked up. “You think I’m poisonous?”

  Robbie sighed and put his hand on Tania’s shoulder. “Let’s put it this way, if I listened to half of the stuff you spout out, I’d be straight,” Robbie smiled and they almost laughed, but the tension in the room didn’t quite allow it.

  “I’m sorry,” Tania said, sitting back down and covering her face. “I just … I don’t want any of you to ever be deeply hurt.”

  But it was probably too late for that. Keila often thought Tania took things way too far when it came to touting the evil ways of men, but this time, she had to wonder if her sister was right. Jake tended to alternately run hot and cold. She’d thought his putting on a cold demeanor had to do with his need to protect his deeper self. But maybe it wasn’t that at all. Maybe he put up the hot act with Keila as a means to create a political persona she and other people could relate to?

  Keila looked over as Cate sat down on an armchair, picked up a stitched cushion and hugged it to her. If possible, she looked even more miserable than Keila. Their eyes met and her friend said, “Look, Keila, I love you and Jake both. Jake’s been like a part of my family for about as long as I can remember, and he’s been very good to me. And you’re my best frien
d. I can’t choose sides here. If either of you really wants to talk to me; really wants to tell me how all of this happened and what’s really going on inside those heads of yours, I’ll always be here to listen. But I can’t listen to either of you bash the other, okay?”

  Surprised Cate was feeling as if she had to choose sides, Keila reached over to squeeze her friend’s hand. Of course Cate looked miserable, Keila thought. She’d formally introduced them and the results were turning out to be disastrous.

  • • •

  The very next evening, just as she headed out with a renewed sense of joy over her dreams and hard work becoming achievements, she heard an unfamiliar voice call her name as she was about to climb down the porch steps. She frowned when she saw Pete the Blogger because, nice as he seemed to be, she had to wonder about his reasons for seeking her out again.

  “Hi Pete, what brings you here?”

  “Can we sit?” he asked, gesturing to the steps.

  “Um, it’s cold. But I guess I could sit for a few minutes,” she agreed, not knowing Pete well enough to invite him in. Glancing at her watch she saw she had ten minutes before the bus came.

  “Sorry to bother you, but I have something to tell you, and something I need to show you.” He cleared his throat. “You saw the pictures in the paper yesterday?”

  Keila nodded and tried not to act anxious.

  “I saw you and Jake at the Wal-Mart off exit 315 late Wednesday night, Keila. My mom and her husband live in Bradley and I stopped by for a few things before heading to her house for Thanksgiving,” he paused. “I know you’re the woman in those pictures,” he stated, his tone matter of fact.

  Keila slowly inhaled, and tried to think of ways to deny it, but she was awful at lying and nothing came to mind. She was about to ask him what he was going to do with the information when he continued.

  “I don’t think you lied to me that time I asked about you and Jake Kelly, though. I looked back at the entire video and it hit me you were a little too passionate, as if you were in denial or something,” he grinned. “I like you and your mom. I think people like you are what make Chicago great, and my blog isn’t about gossip, it’s about what makes the city great, so I’m not going to blog about you and Jake. Your secret’s safe with me.”