Man Detox: A Novel Page 6

  What did just happen? She squatted down to settle her body as she wobbled and fell to the ground.

  ∫---∫

  Chapter Nine

  Wasn’t this what Irene had seen time and time again at the hospital? Losing all manners of communication and freaking out when something terrible happens to people?

  She had gone much too far from where she started running, and she didn’t want to look back or stop. It was desperately cold, and her teeth were chattering uncontrollably.

  The prevailing thought that kept screaming in her mind was how she brought all this mess on herself. How she had acted so foolishly the whole afternoon? Who would believe her now if she says Jared tried to rape her? What would be her evidence other than what everyone around saw when she recklessly tried and succeeded in enticing him? Didn’t she practically invite him to have his way with her?

  The truth of the matter was she had been through another accident. She barely escaped this time. Her body shook with more pain than it did after the car crash on her way to the airport. This time, she was alone and lost incapable of figuring out what to do next.

  It was in this erratic escape from the physical and mental world that she saw flashlights beaming in her direction. It seemed like she heard her name being called out.

  “Irene, stop for a second!” It was Tom’s voice.

  She turned around to look, but couldn’t make out the people in the bright light. Tom wasn’t alone. She slowed down. Was this the beginning of another nightmare?

  “What is going on? What happened?” Tom shouted again. He was with Lauren and the hotel representative she passed by as she made her escape.

  Irene couldn’t speak. Her body was shaking violently. What would she say even if she were able to say anything? What was there to say? Tom held her close to him as Lauren also joined in the group hug.

  “Jared is saying you had a fight. This is insane. What happened?” Tom asked.

  “Nothing,” Irene said, trying to keep herself composed.

  “He says you were having a good time and you snapped in the middle of it… I thought you two were getting along well…” Lauren said, dismissively.

  “I don’t wanna talk about it now, please…” Irene said, she wasn’t crying. Where did her tears go?

  “I was so jealous of the flowers he got you,” Lauren said.

  “Uh?”

  “That bouquet in your room… I mean, I am the bride, and I haven’t gotten anything romantic like that yet...”

  How could she respond to this craziness? Should she be angry at Lauren for never missing an opportunity to contrast her life with another? Should she scream for the temerity of Jared in claiming something he hadn’t done? How does one refute such shamelessness?

  “I mean, I thought even the note was kinda cute… I mean, you two were inseparable the whole time, but somehow he figured he would send you a bouquet apologizing. What did he do anyway? Nothing unforgivable, I am sure.” Lauren went on talking.

  “Let’s get back. You are cold, and it’s not a good idea to be out here alone.” Tom said.

  “How did you find out?” Irene asked.

  She has been trained well to manage crisis situations. That’s what the good nurses do. Asking the right questions and finding out information that can help calm the situation down. All she wanted to find out was how she would be able to avoid the smiling monster and make him pay for what he did to her.

  “We got a call from the hotel manager. I didn’t know what to make of it until he said two of our guests were having a terrible fight and gave your room number. We came as quickly as we could. You would think we could have our private and quiet time the night before our wedding... You know like how it’s supposed to be if one is lucky to avoid all this drama because of friends who should know better...” Lauren continued.

  “Cut it, Lauren! This is not the time for complaining!” Tom snapped. “I asked Jared to wait in his room for now. This is so crazy!”

  That was all she needed to know. She would have to lock herself in her room, sober up and strategize on how to handle this crisis. The group accompanied her back to her room and, on her insistence, they left soon after in the hope of catching some more sleep before the chaos of the wedding day begins. She played the part in trying to appear calm and composed.

  After washing herself in the scolding hot water, trying to remove all the physical memory of contacting with Jared, from the lips on down to her breasts and much farther down, she sat and replayed the steps that led up to the disaster.

  The devastation of the encounter won’t go away. She would have to deal with her shame and show up in the morning for breakfast pretending like nothing happened. She would have to keep her distance from Jared if he was shameless enough to act as he did in deflecting attention from him.

  Irene thought through the day that awaited her beyond the few hours of darkness that were left in the night. There would be breakfast and lunch with the wedding party and rest of the family. Then the festivities will begin. She won’t be able to avoid coming in contact with Jared. Best man and maid of honor, locked in arms, was what awaited her.

  In between the anger and disgust, as her body cooled and the haze of drunkenness started to fade away, she wondered if Jared had done what he did because he was drunk himself. Could his behavior be excused if that were the case, especially because she had acted so inappropriately in putting herself out there for him?

  If he were to apologize, which was still hypothetical and highly disagreeable to her, would she forgive him? It wasn’t like anything had happened. If anything, he was probably the one still suffering from the excruciating bite and kick she administered to him. Wouldn’t that be considered to be more than enough concession for his transgression?

  The longer she laid her body down looking at the looming dawn beyond the French door covered with a transparent white curtain, she was convinced this was merely a missed call. Sure, she was skirting on the edge of disaster, but her instincts had taken over and saved what could have been a tragic situation. Could she consider it as a lesson learned and move on?

  The problem was as much as she tried to brush off the encounter, she couldn’t erase the memory of menace and rudeness with which Jared treated her. If he had his way, he was going to rape her.

  There was plenty memory left in how he slid himself all around her midsection recklessly. He was on the verge of doing the deed. With her hands tied, pinned down and her mouth sealed, she had no defense against him. He made sure that she didn’t have any chance of saying no, and that wasn’t right no matter how much she tried to justify it to herself.

  So, she couldn’t just forgive him. But she could try to deter him, sending an unmistakable message to him that she could ruin his life if she wanted to. But how? If she said she was raped, what material evidence would she have? Why didn’t she tell people last night? That was the inevitable question.

  As the sun rose above the horizon, a new idea came to mind, as if custom ordered to relieve her of anxiety. Staying for the wedding was a given. She couldn’t get out of that. She also couldn’t get herself to spoil the special day for her friend. If nothing else, she had paid her sacrifice to bring the bride and groom together, and it was incumbent upon her to see to it that the wedding went on as planned.

  What if she found a way to bring Ethan to the wedding? It was the most illuminating thought in the dreary darkness of the night.

  What would she say to Ethan? He canceled their lunch. Surely he must have an unavoidable conflict. What basis did she have for asking that kind of a favor from him? What if he said no, what would she be left with? More disappointment, that’s one. There would also be the appearance of recklessness to invite someone she knew nothing about to a wedding he wasn’t invited to. It was a quandary with no solution.

  As she rose from her bed, looking at the bruises on her hand where she was tied down, a new sort of conviction came over her. She needed as much buffer as she could get. If there were a
ny lingering doubts, they were done away with as soon as she received a message from Lauren describing how Jared had to be taken to the clinic to get his hand stitched.

  “How could you be that cruel to him?!” was the last message she received from Lauren, which abundantly made her situation clear to her.

  Irene had missed the window of opportunity to complain about what he did. For all she knew, he might have felt entitled to do what he did to her. Back to her own culpability in the matter. She hated feeling guilty and responsible in the matter. The mere recall of how her body shook out in the cold darkness shuddered her body.

  Ethan, good morning! Thank you for the flowers. They’re beautiful! I wanted to ask you for a favor.

  Irene sent the message without much hesitation. She needed to do something. Clearly, Lauren was still infatuated with Jared, and there was no way she could turn to Tom without igniting the possibility of another chaos. Ann and Emma were more than useless under the circumstance. So it was left to Ethan…

  Happy Saturday morning, Irene! I’m sorry again for missing our appointment. What can I do for you?

  Such kindness and gentleness. She wanted to pick up the phone and call him to hear his voice. But she couldn’t trust she would have the strength to keep the emotional distance that she needed. All she needed, for now, was a buffer to get her through the day. But the phone rang in her hand. She almost dropped it.

  “I figured it’d be better to talk,” he said as soon as she picked it up.

  “H-hey! Thank you!”

  “You’re welcome. So, what can I do for you?”

  She was put on the spot. She needed to say something. Can she bring herself to ask him?

  “It is complicated… But…”

  “I like complicated,” he said, his voice seeming to her as the most pleasant thing she had ever heard.

  “I need a date… a pretend date… for the wedding…” She got the words out of her system, fully prepared to receive a rejection in return. It was a crazy request. Even she wouldn’t entertain this kind of international incident on short notice.

  “Pretend date you said? In Cancun, Mexico?”

  “I am sorry. I know it is a crazy idea. It’s just that something happened… I need help…”

  “I will do it.” He said as soon as she finished speaking.

  “You will? It is for the wedding…”

  “Yes, that much I was able to surmise…”

  “But, you had something happening, right?”

  “Canceled as of this moment. I owe you at least one pretend date for ruining your day yesterday, don’t I?

  His velvety deep voice melted her heart. What he did for her was far from ruining her day. And here he was willing to be her pretend date. She was speechless.

  “Thank you. I swear it is for a good reason… I will tell you in the future…”

  “I trust you, Irene. It must be reason enough to wake up thinking about me and initiating this conversation.”

  What was there to say more about the situation? Ethan Anderson was willing to drop everything and be there for her. She was more than empowered by his magnanimous gesture.

  With that knowledge, she can get through the day, she thought. She will have a pretend date before she goes back to her old life and forgets about everything that happened this weekend. That was all she needed to focus on for the moment.

  ∫---∫

  Chapter Ten

  Morning in Cancun brought an exciting new possibility. With the pretend date lined up, Irene felt strong enough to face the world, including Jared and his antics.

  The headache that hadn’t abated despite the excitement of meeting Ethan in person was a reminder of her own role in the calamity that unraveled the day before. If she hadn’t been drunk, she might have had the presence of mind to reason carefully before she plunged herself in the Jared chase.

  She might have even dealt with Tom’s revelation better, Irene thought massaging her head. Instead of wobbling in the startling confession, she might have dressed him down. She might have told him how audacious it was for him to suggest they could ever be together. He broke her heart. How could she ever forgive him for spoiling her college years?

  These questions and revision of last 24 hours had made the conclusion abundantly clear. The only positive to come out of the chaos was seeing Ethan. Could this be the silver lining? Could the pretend date amount to something more? Irene hoped that it would, knowing fully well nothing will come out of it, and headed to one of the restaurants by the beach to join the group.

  As she got closer, she was full of trepidation about running into Jared, but was relieved to see he wasn’t there. That was her chance to grab her food and get back to hiding in her room until it was time to start the day’s activities. Breakfast buffet was surprisingly good. After taking her custom made omelet, Irene sat next to Lauren debating whether to tell her about Ethan or not.

  “Crazy night, huh? Who knew I would be spending all my wedding weekend stressing out about other people? I mean, one would think I would be the center of attention, not random hookups and fights.” Lauren said. Irene could see the displeasure on Tom’s face.

  “I actually have a favor to ask,” Irene decided to break the news now than wait until the wedding. Whatever crisis emerges from the arrival of the unplanned guest, she needed to address it right there and then.

  “What? Haven’t you done enough already?” Lauren asked, with disdain.

  “I have a friend who is coming to visit.”

  “Are you serious? Why didn’t you tell me before?!” Lauren complained.

  “I’m sorry. It was a last minute thing. I wasn’t sure if he could make it…”

  “Irene! Why are you so selfish all the time? We negotiated rates for the rooms assuming a fixed number of guests. How do you expect us to accommodate changes on the fly? I mean, we need to plan. I have been asking and talking about this for so many months!” Lauren kept going on and on.

  “It shouldn’t be a problem. He won’t be needing the concession rates…”

  It felt right to say this knowing Ethan was more than capable of paying. He had bankrolled her travel here, hadn’t he?

  “He?” Tom asked. Lauren looked at him in disgust.

  “Yes, it’s no big deal. He will be here for a day or so before he leaves.”

  “That should be fine. Looking forward to meeting your friend,” Tom said.

  “Well, we can’t say no now, can we? You have already pretty much decided on your own without bothering to talk about it…” Lauren added.

  This wasn’t turning out to be good, Irene thought, deciding to leave the breakfast gathering sooner.

  “I’m sorry, Lauren. I should have told you,” Irene said wondering if her crime was not letting Jared rape her. “I guess I will see you later then…”

  “Aren’t you going to hang out here?”

  “I need to finish something… Work stuff…”

  “See, this is what I mean. It’s my wedding day, and my maid of honor would rather spend time doing work,” Lauren said with frustration.

  “Let her do what she deems is useful,” Tom admonished sternly.

  Irene decided to leave before Lauren blew up again. She made a commitment to not return until Ethan arrives. She wasn’t going to face anyone else without him by her side. It would be a few more hours she would need to spend alone. Time to gather her wits before confronting the new situation.

  When Irene returned to her room, her breathing had slowed down. She felt calm when the outside world seemed to be in turmoil. She had been through the most amount of chaos, and yet she sat at the edge of her bed feeling like she was manifestly occupying the eye of the storm.

  No man had ever pushed passed her defense to attack her and make her feel so powerless. She had never been in a car accident either. Lauren’s self-centered obsession had been more grating than she wished to tolerate. She turned on the TV. BBC news report was flooded by images of protest and revolution all aro
und the Arab world.

  It was a sign of the times that everything had to be thrown into disorder. And yet there was no anxiety in her. She was at peace about it all. Her shaking body had settled down. Even the all-consuming obsession about the future was now a distant concern.

  Irene searched everywhere in her experience or learned understanding of human behavior to have an explanation, consciously trying to ignore Ethan’s contribution. Every answer circled back to him.

  How could something so unknown to her be at the center of balance she had long sought for? Was it that her curiosity about him has totally overridden everything else? Is this new sense of stability a false victory that would soon be dashed compounding her misery further?

  There were no easy answers as she contemplated how the day will transpire. There was a new known unknown. Ethan was quick to agree to her request. He was flying to another country all because she asked for a pretend date. That was assurance enough, for now, to settle her down. In the middle of the chaos, almost unexpectedly and defying everything she might have expected of her physical body, Irene was able to fall asleep.

  When she woke up at 10 AM, exactly at the same time as she was expected to be in Lauren’s suite for hair and makeup, Irene’s phone was buzzing.

  How could she have slept for so long? There was a message from Ethan indicating he was on the way to Cancun, estimated to arrive at noon. The calmness was now gone, replaced with chaos.

  “On my way, sorry I fell asleep,” Irene said to Lauren, who was infuriated that none of the girls were punctual.

  “Of course, you did,” Lauren said before going into an extended complaint about how sleeping on her wedding day was an indication of how much little anxiety and care her best friend had for her.

  Irene, realizing it was a futile effort trying to argue with the bride, let her finish her thoughts and left the room carrying the bridesmaids dress in one hand and phone in another.