Savory Deceits (22 page)

“Hey Jenkins!” Someone called out to me. I looked up, as I was pulling my keys out. That is when I recognized a mutual friend of Tony and me, coming towards me.

“What’s up, Hop.” I said, slapping fives with him. Stanley Hopkins was a Sailor aboard the USS Kerry, along with Tony. All three of us used to go out drinking together, when our ships would be at the same port, while overseas. Hopkins held true to the old Navy saying of, ‘what happened overseas, stays overseas.’ I briefly recalled an evening where Tony, and I, had to pull him out of a hotel room in Amsterdam. That day, Hopkins was beyond inebriated, and could not even remember his own name. When Tony and I got to the room, we found him in bed with four prostitutes, all passed out with beer bottles strewn across the room. Though he was crazy, he knew how to party.

“Nothing much man; just getting ready to ship out. What you been up to?” He now asked me.

“What do you mean ship out? Your ship is leaving again?” I asked, ignoring his question.

“Yeah man. Tony didn’t tell you? We are going under way for twenty-four long ass days. We're not even pulling in anywhere.” He replied, turning to wave at a girl nearby.

“Damn, that’s fucked up you all not going to be here for Thanksgiving.” I said, with my mind wandering.

“Yeah,” Hopkins agreed, still eyeing the girl who was now smiling at him. Before I could utter another word, Hopkins motioned for the girl to come to him. “Look man, I’ma go holla at this bitch. See you later.” He said, making his way towards his newest jump-off. I smiled, and then shook my head at him. He was still the same. I had to give it to him though, because the bitch was bad.

“Holler at me when you get back.” I called after him. Then I got in my car, and sat there for a minute, thinking about the news I just received. Tony’s ship was going underway, so that must mean that Nena was okay. If she was not, there is no way Tony would have left with the ship. Despite their strained marriage, I knew that Tony loved Nena, and would have moved heaven and earth, to stay behind with her, if she were still ill. Furthermore, if Tony was not going with the ship, I was sure that Hopkins would have mentioned it, because that boy cannot hold water. Word traveled fast in the Navy, and everyone always seemed to know, what everybody else was doing. I started my car, and exited the parking lot, wondering about what to do next. I wanted to call Nena, but for some reason, I was afraid to. I have not seen, or heard from Nena, since that last day at the hospital, when Tony and I almost got into it. When I tried to go back there that afternoon, the nurses instructed me that, ‘the husband of the patient has requested that his wife had no visitors, for the remainder of the time that she was admitted.’ Man, pissed was not even the word, to describe how I felt, when I heard that. I definitely wanted to whoop Tony’s ass for that one. He knew how much I cared for her. Hell, had it not been for me, he would have never got with her in the first damn place. Despite the roadblocks, I continued to try to get in contact with Nena, several days following her admittance, to no avail. After several more attempts, I finally gave up. I remembered how her doctor had said that her condition was due to stress, so I eventually decided to keep my distance from her, until she got better. In like manner, I did not want to have another confrontation with Tony, in front of Nena, at the risk of hurting her and the baby - my son. I even purchased a book with baby names after finding out Nena was having a boy. I looked forward to becoming a father, so I hoped with everything in me, that the baby was mine. I never knew my own father, and ever since I was a little boy, I vowed never to let my kids grow up without me. I would never break that one oath.

Forty-five minutes later, I was finally home, and still wrestled with the idea of calling Nena again. There were just so many unknown factors regarding our relationship. After dropping my keys and wallet on the counter, and grabbed a beer from the fridge. Then I went out onto my patio, and rested against the railing, staring down at the parked cars below. Maybe Nena had reconciled with Tony, which could be the reason, she has not returned any of my calls. The very thought of him touching her again made me jealous, because deep down, I truly believed that I could love Nena, better than Tony ever would. Tony was not the man for her. I was. I just hoped that it was not too late to prove that to her. Feeling a chill, I went back inside, and closed the sliding glass door. Judging by that cool breeze, I just felt, Fall was definitely in the air. Absent-mindedly, I picked up the cordless phone, and dialed the first three digits of Nena’s number, but then hit the END button.

“When you’re ready Nena, you know where to find me.” I said to myself, and headed for the shower.

~TONY~

I leaned against the railings, facing the water, as the ship pulled away from the pier. I had my cell in hand, wanting to call Nena, but could not bring myself to do so. A lot has changed between us, and I was not sure what would become of our marriage. I knew I did not want to end it, but I was not sure we could make it work, after everything that has happened. In spite of it all, I still loved her. If only I could be sure, that she wanted me, and only me. Even though she never admitted it, I knew that she harbored some feelings for Chris. If that were the case, then she and I had no future. How could I ever make her happy, if she was in love with someone else? Up until now, I never pictured my life without her. Whenever I thought about having kids and a future, she was always in the center of it all. This was the woman that I thought I would spend the rest of my life with, but now, I was not so sure.

“Hey. You okay?” I heard someone say. I turned to find Alana standing next to me. Then, I looked back out towards the sea, and continued with my abstraction.

“I don’t know.” I answered candidly.

“Want to talk about it? I can be a very good listener.” She responded, seemingly with genuine concern. I took in a deep breath, letting out my frustrations.

“You probably wouldn’t be interested.” I said, looking at the waves, crashing against the side of the ship.

“Try me.” She replied, leaning against the railing, as I was. Then, I looked at her and smiled. There was something oddly familiar about her. Even so, her newfound innocence amused me. It was as if the sexy, stiletto vixen, I encountered in Italy, never existed. Then, I smiled again, and she blushed.

“What?” She asked innocently.

“Nothing,” I replied, still smiling at her.

“Really?” She asked, not convinced. “Then why are you looking at me like that?” She finished.

“Because…” I started to say.

“Because what?” She interjected.

“Because your personality changes with the tides. One minute, you are practically undressing me with your eyes, and the next, you are like the girl next door. So, tell me
Moore
, which one is the real you?” I asked, putting emphasis on her last name. She looked away embarrassed. “Well?” I pressed. Then, she sighed before answering.

“Okay. What you see here, what you see now, this is the real me.” She admitted.

“Then what was all that before? Who the hell was that, your alter ego?” I asked, chuckling. She laughed as well.

“Oh, please don’t remind me. I’m already humiliated enough as it is.” She said, covering her face with her hand.

“All right, my bad. But seriously though, what was all that about? And why the sudden change of heart? Did I suddenly become undesirable?” I asked, trying to ease her humiliation. Then, she moved her hand from her face, and I stared at her for a moment, and wondered why she seemed so familiar to me. A girl that pretty, I certainly would have remembered.

“No,” she began, “I still find you very much attractive.”

“Do you now?” I flirted.

“Don’t get a big head. I am just keeping it real, even though you made it very clear that you are off limits. Your wife is a lucky woman. I just hope she knows what she’s got.” The mention of Nena, touched a nerve within me, and my smile faded.

“Did I say something wrong?” Alana then asked, noticing the change.

“No, you’re all right. So what’s up? Are you going to tell me why you pulled a ‘Carrie’ on me?” I asked smiling again, needing a change of subject. She smiled too.

“To tell you the truth,” she started to say, before turning to look out at the sea again. Her demeanor went from playful to serious, so I refrained from telling jokes, and got serious too. “I’m usually not like that. For once, I wanted to be the one to go after a guy, instead of being chased all the time.” She explained.

“So, I was just an experiment?” I asked her.

“Oh no, nothing like that,” she said, and then glanced at me before continuing. “Like I said, I really do find you attractive. At first, I never intended for it to go any further, than a one night stand, no thanks to you of course.” She said jokingly. I smiled at her humor. “Then,” she continued, “When you left me butt-ass naked, all by myself in that hotel room, I realized that you weren’t the type of man that I thought you were. So, I figured I’d get to know you a little better, and show you the real me.” She explained.

“Thanks. I guess.” I replied, at her veiled insult, of my character. “So, this here now, is just you trying to…” I started to say, pausing to let her tell me.

“Be your friend.” She finished.

“Right,” I replied, with a bit of sarcasm.

“What? You don’t believe me?” She asked me.

“Now, you know you want some more of this.” I joked, flexing my muscles.

“Oh please.” She said, rolling her eyes, but she peeked; they all do. Then, I stopped playing, and looked at her again. She was very pretty. Still, I could not shake the feeling that I have seen her before, but I could not figure out from where. When she noticed me staring, she averted her eyes, and looked back out towards the sea. We were far away from land now, and would be out there for three whole weeks. “Okay, I told you a little something about me, so now it’s your turn.” She finally said, breaking the silence.

“What do you want to know?” I asked her.

“Tell me what’s on your mind. What’s bothering you?” She asked, looking me in the eye. I could tell she wanted me to trust her. Therefore, I stared back at her, unsure if I could. However, there was something about the way she looked at me, with those discerning hazel eyes of hers, that made me feel comfortable with her.

“Well, right now, my wife and I are separated, so to speak.” I began. Alana was surprised, no doubt.

“Why? What happened?” She asked, her interest peaking.

“It’s too complicated for me to get into right now. We’re going through a lot of problems, and I don’t know if I want to keep putting myself through it.” I divulged.

“Oh. I see. Well, you obviously really love her, so why not try to work it out? Whatever
it
is.” She suggested.

“It’s not that simple.” I said.

“Then tell me. Why isn’t it that simple?” She asked me.

“She slept with my best friend.”

~ALANA~

I gasped at Tony’s admission.

              “Oh wow! I’m sorry.” I said, thinking about Chris’ conniving, scheming ass.

              “Yeah, me too.” Tony replied. It was obvious how much pain he was in, because of it. I could not help, but feel partly responsible, for what he was going through. I knew that Chris evidently had a thing for Nena, but I never expected him to succeed in his mission to win her over. I also knew a good man when I saw one, and Tony was that man. I could not imagine what woman in her right mind, would do that to a man, who would show as much restraint to the sexual advances of another woman, the way he did with me. Tony clearly loved Nena, more than she even realized, or else she would not have done such a thing.

              “How’d you find out?” I asked, wanting to gather as much information as I could.

              “That’s the thing. I didn’t. She told me.” He replied.

              “Well, that was nice of her.” I said ironically. I did not understand how Nena could let a snake like Chris; ruin her marriage, to a man like Tony. From where I was standing, Chris was nothing, compared to Tony.

              “She wants us to work it out, but I don’t know. I mean, how can she expect me to be with her, knowing that she has feelings for someone else?” Tony continued. “It’s bad enough that he was my friend, and it was my fault for ever trusting that son of a bitch, but she couldn’t even look me in the eye, when I asked her if she had feelings for him.” I could not believe my ears! This situation was getting more complicated by the minute. I had no idea that Chris was involved with Nena on such a level. Therefore, it was not just a physical, sexual thing with him, but emotional. No wonder Chris got defensive when I said her name. If you asked me, that bastard’s so-called
love
for Nena, bordered more along the lines of obsession. Now, I had a better understanding of the role I played, in this whole love triangle, that I allowed myself to get involved in. I now shook my head disgusted, at how clever Chris was, to be playing them both, without their knowledge. His sadistic ass truly needed help. For Nena’s sake, I sure hope that she comes to her senses soon, and realize the type of person Chris really was. The icy look he gave me, when I had threatened him, sent chills up my spine. Although I was careful, not to let Chris see that he intimidated me, I could not help but wonder how far he would be willing to go, to get what he wanted.

              “Look, I’m going to go lay down for a while. Thanks for listening. It was nice talking to the real you.” Tony said, giving me another smile.

              “Sure, no problem. Thanks for sharing. I know that could not have been easy. I want you to know that you can trust me, okay?” I reassured him.

              “Thanks. I appreciate it. See you later.” Tony replied. After he left, I remained on the flight deck, thinking to myself. I hated the way I let Chris manipulate me into his sick plan to make Nena fall for him. From the sound of it, it seems like she already has. Now, I sighed, and shook my head. Poor Nena, she had no idea what type of creep she let crawl into her bed. As for Tony, I thought again. He looked so hurt, that I could not help but empathize with him. He really loved his wife. I knew all too well, what it feels like to have your heart broken, by someone you thought loved you. I recognized the look on Tony’s face, as my own, when I had caught my ex, my high school sweetheart, cheating on me all those years ago. I understood Tony’s pain, and wished there was something I could do, to make it go away. Unexpectedly, I was starting to develop some feelings for him. I felt so comfortable talking to him, and I loved his personality, as well as his humor. Now, I was beginning to regret the way we met, which was based on a lie. How could we ever have a normal relationship, if things were to get that far between us?