A Modern Day Persuasion (12 page)

“Nice to see you again, Melissa,” Rick said, giving her a hug.

“It’s been too long, Rick! Harve and I have missed you,” Melissa said, her hand moving to her stomach without thought.

Rick smiled, and then looked down at her pregnant belly, just barely beginning to show. “Have you and Harve chosen a name yet?”

Melissa looked over at her husband with a playful smile, “We’re still undecided—but we have a little time yet. I’m only four months along.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Anne noticed a man enter slowly from the hallway and assumed it must be Ben. He was shorter than Harve, with dark hair and melancholy looks. She noted that his eyes were marked by a deep sadness.

“Hey, Ben! How are you holding up?” Rick asked, moving to the brooding man. Ben forced a smile as he gave Rick a hug.

Instead of answering the question, Ben shrugged as Harve steered them into the living room. As the group ventured further into the house, Anne’s admiration grew for Melissa’s decorating skills. The place was darling! With a coastal theme, Melissa incorporated lighthouses, seagulls and other beach items. Deep reds, sailor blue and white tones were used on the walls and in her selection of furniture. It was the perfect place for a beach escape.

“Everyone, please have a seat. Can I get you anything?” Harve asked, playing the part of host perfectly. Before taking any requests though, he first attended to Melissa to make sure she was situated in a comfy chair and wasn’t too chilled. It was evident he doted on his wife, especially with her pregnancy.

“I could use a bottle of water if you have one,” Mary said, never hesitant to take someone up on their offer.

“That sounds good,” Louise and Etta chimed in.

“Okay, anyone else?” The rest of the party shook their heads and Harve exited to the kitchen.

“So, Ben, what have you been up to?” Rick asked.

“I…ah…nothing actually,” Ben answered, his reply quieting Rick.

Luckily, Harve came back into the room with the bottled waters, cutting short the awkward moment as he began handing them out. “Here you go…” Harve said as he started to offer one of the bottles towards Mary but hesitated, not knowing her name.

“I’m sorry. I forgot to make introductions,” Rick said, chiding himself. “That’s Mary.” He pointed to Mary who smiled. “Sitting next to her is Charles, her husband.” Harve shook Charles’ hand. Rick turned his attention towards Louise and Etta. “Over here are Charles’ sisters, Louise and Etta,
and…” Rick’s demeanor changed ever so slightly, “That’s…Anne.”

Anne noticed Harve give a knowing nod to Rick, and then share a glance with his wife in a manner that made Anne suspect the couple had previously heard her name before. Anne smiled warmly in response to the introduction, thanking Melissa and Harve for opening up their home to them. Both said it was a pleasure and added that any friend of Rick would automatically be one of theirs.

“Well, I don’t know about all of you, but I’m starving!” Harve said, rubbing his tummy. The party’s eager smiles showed they were all in agreement.

Chapter 21

The dinner plates held an array of stir-fried veggies, seasoned rice, and slices of flavorful lemon-pepper roasted chicken. The meal was succulent and delicious.

“This is wonderful! Who’s the chef?” Mary asked, enjoying the food.

“I’m the cook of course!” Harve said proudly.

Rick burst out laughing. Mary couldn’t decide if Rick was snickering at her question or at Harve’s enthusiastic reply.

However, all was understood when Harve slowly cracked a smile, chuckling as he said, “Nah! Rick knows me better than anyone. I can’t cook worth beans, Melissa’s the gourmet chef around here.”

Rick agreed, “Boy is that the truth! The guy can’t even boil water without getting into trouble!”

Harve objected, “Oh, come on! I’m not that bad!”

With a glint in his eyes, Rick wickedly replied, “Oh, really?! I seem to recall a time when we decided to help ourselves to some food in the mess hall…” Just the mention of this caused the two men to chuckle outright, leaving the group hungry to hear more. Rick continued, “We were starving, so Harve and I decided to sneak into the kitchen to make a quick snack.”

Harve jumped in, “And we ended up practically burning the whole place down!”

“What do you mean ‘we’?” Rick asked. “You were the one boiling the pot of water that ended up setting off all the smoke detectors!” The two shared a good belly laugh.

“Okay—guilty as charged! Man, I’ll never forget that night,” Harve said as they settled down. “So much for us trying to sneak in quietly! With all the alarms going off, everybody knew about our escapade! We were assigned to KP duty for what seemed like a year afterward.”

“I still have nightmares of potatoes waiting to be peeled!” added Rick.

“Where was Ben in all of this? I’m guessing he was probably the ring leader.” Louise said in an attempt to include the silent Ben in the fun.

“Oh, he’s much too serious for pranks like that. Plus, Ben was always spending time wi…” Rick’s voiced trailed off, stopping himself just in time before bringing up the name of Ben’s late fiancé.

Harve came to the rescue, finishing Rick’s sentence. “…spending time trying to teach us some manners.”

Ben attempted to smile, but he knew what Rick was going to say. The melancholy man picked up his finished plate and excused himself. Melissa quickly stood up and started clearing dishes as well, attempting to ease the sudden tension in the room. Harve gave Rick a look that said a thousand words. Rick felt terrible.

As everyone gathered together in the living room after dinner, Ben stood at the window, watching the waves crash on the rocks below. The stormy sea seemed to mirror his own inner turmoil. Anne studied Ben for a while as the rest of the group listened to Rick and Harve’s Navy tales. Feeling empathy for the pain he must be enduring, Anne wondered whether there was a way she could comfort Ben during their stay here.

As though sensing her thoughts, Ben came out of his trance and smiled at Anne kindly. Turning back to the window, he quietly spoke—“Who hath not proved how freely
words essay, to fix one spark of Beauty’s heavenly ray? Who doth not feel, until his failing sight, faints into dimness with its own delight…”—but he could not finish, the pain clearly etched on his face.

Recognizing the poem, Anne continued the next stanza, “…his changing cheek, his sinking heart confess, the might— the majesty of Loveliness?”

“You are a fan of Lord Byron, too?” Ben looked at her with surprise.

Anne smiled and nodded, “Yes. During my sophomore year of college, I took a course on poetry and fell in love with his words.”

“What university did you attend?” queried Ben.

“I went to Willamette,” Anne responded.

“I planned on going to college, but then I met…” Ben struggled to get the words out and after a moment’s hesitation finished with, “…Francie, Harve’s sister.” Anne looked down in embarrassment, not sure how to react to the tears she saw pooling in his eyes. Ben continued, “We wanted to get married, but I didn’t have any money or a decent job. So I told her we should wait, and I would join the Navy. I promised her after the first tour of duty we’d tie the knot…” One tear trickled down his cheek. “I told her we should wait…”

Anne put a hand on his arm as an act of comfort. “Time heals all wounds.”

“No!” exclaimed Ben. Then more softly, “No…not for me. You can’t understand how it feels to lose someone you love.”

At this declaration, Anne interrupted him, “Unfortunately, I do.” Anne felt her throat constrict and eyes moisten as she allowed her thoughts to dwell on her mother’s death and the loss of Rick’s love. It took considerable effort for Anne to talk further, “Still, we have to learn to move on.”

After the words left her mouth, she realized how hypocritical they were.
Who am I to give advice when I still haven’t gotten over Rick even after all these years?
To see the way Rick
acted around her now—Anne could be persuaded he’d never cared to the same extent she had. Sure, Rick was civil, perhaps even kind to her. But there was no partiality towards her in his expressions or gestures. That somehow hurt Anne the most.

Anne knew she should attempt to avoid Rick, especially since it opened her heart to more pain. If Rick were rude or cruel to her, then she could at least grow to dislike him, making it easier for her to cope with her emotions. Yet Rick was still his charismatic, engaging self, which only served to remind Anne of why she was drawn to him in the first place. She would have done anything for Rick, even following him to the ends of the earth, but now it was his loss. The steadfastness and loyalty Anne possessed was not easily found in a woman nowadays.

Just then Rick looked over to see Anne’s hand on Ben’s arm. Although it was an intimate gesture he surmised Anne, with her compassionate heart, was merely consoling his distraught friend.

Considering his thoughtless words at dinner, Rick was grateful that Anne was now able to provide a measure of comfort to Ben. However, remembering how sweet and tender was Anne’s nature, he unexpectedly felt a twinge of jealousy at seeing his friend being the recipient of her kindness. He did his best to shake off the feeling. After all, there was no point dwelling on something long since dead.

The following day, the group took to the beach. Ben and Anne straggled behind the rest of the party, taking their time as they continued to chat and enjoy each other’s company.

Rick turned around, only to see the two deeply engaged in discussion and intermittent laughter. He wasn’t so sure how he felt about this budding relationship. On the other hand, when it was just him and Louise flirting for Anne to see, it seemed so harmless. Perhaps he had been trying to salvage his pride; being around Anne once again brought
back all the old feelings of rejection. Besides, if Anne didn’t want him, could he help it if other women found him attractive? Rick’s thoughts were interrupted when Louise and Etta requested help setting up the kites they’d purchased earlier.

Anne chose to watch rather than participate. Finding a suitable rock nearby, she sat down and prepared herself to enjoy the kite show. Ben followed Anne, asking if there was room for one more on her perch. Together they enjoyed the havoc below as Etta made several unsuccessful attempts to maneuver her kite with Charles’ assistance.

With the wind not cooperating and an inexperienced Etta at the helm, the kite swooped down to chase Mary like an attacking plane. In desperation, Mary was forced to dive into the sand head first to avoid being struck. The embarrassed Etta tried to silence the roars of laughter while Charles swiftly came to Mary’s rescue, helping her to get up. After accepting her husband’s assistance, Mary shot a nasty look towards Etta, as if her sister-in-law had done it deliberately. Brushing the sand off her clothes, Mary strode off in a huff, followed by further chuckles from everyone except poor Etta who was distressed over Mary’s angry reaction.

Chapter 22

The next morning, Anne awoke and glanced at the motel alarm clock which read 6:09am. She told herself to go back to sleep, since after all, this was supposed to be a vacation. But, try as she might, she couldn’t sleep anymore. Not only that, but the sound of the waves were beckoning her for an early morning walk, one she hoped she could enjoy in solitude. She got out of bed, headed over to the windows, threw back the curtains, and squinted at the beautiful sunrise.

Dressing quickly, Anne finished pinning up her hair as she ventured down to the motel lobby. As she headed in the direction of the exit closest to the beach access path, Anne passed the continental breakfast table heaped with donuts and Danishes. The smell of pastries was always tempting, but Anne’s resistance was fortified by a picture of the extra pounds that always accompanied such indulgences. Onward she trudged, ready to inhale the fresh ocean air, when, to her displeasure, she heard her name being called just as she was pushing the exit doors. Anne turned back to see Etta approaching.

“Are you headed outside for a walk on the beach?” she asked.

“Uh-huh,” Anne said, almost hesitant to answer.

“Can I join you?”

Anne nodded an affirmative, doing her best to hide her disappointment. She didn’t have the heart to turn Etta down.

Together they trudged along to the beach path walking side by side with Etta talking all the while. Normally, Anne would have welcomed the companionship and idle chatter, but today she would have preferred letting the morning speak all for itself. There was something magical about the early sky along the coastline. Shining brightly just above the vast sea’s horizon was the golden sun. It glowed with the morning’s warmth, yet the sea brought wet, salty winds. How could something so magnificent as the sun, which seemed so near just then, not protect her skin from the chill caused by the cold wind rushing past? It was a great mystery Anne would never understand, or at least one of them. She didn’t want to think about the other mysteries just then, for they pertained to Rick. Instead, she turned her attention back to Etta.

“So Chuck and I are thinking of a late summer wedding. Of course Louise will be my maid of honor, but…Anne, what would you say if I asked you to be one of my bridesmaids?”

Anne was immediately touched. She turned to Etta, giving her a bright smile along with a hug. “Etta, I’d be honored. Thank you!”