Catch me! Catch me not! (8 page)

Déjà Vu.

Déjà Vu.

Déjà Vu. Was it really only seven years ago that the tall, dark, Italian man had arrived on her doorstep, with those liquorice eyes and wide open smile, sending shivers down her spine?

Oh God! I feel the same. I have not managed to forget him yet! How long will it take? How many more promotions will it take? How much more hurt will it take?

He stood on her doorstep.

He tried to smile. He failed, his emotions showing in his eyes.

He cleared his throat and tried to talk. What came out would be change the course of his life. He failed.

A snuffling noise distracted him and he looked down, his face broke into an unreserved grin. Pedro looked up at him with adoring Labrador eyes. He was hooked!

“Oh my goodness you are gorgeous little fellow!” He scooped him up and hugged him close as if his very life depended on him. Pedro licked his hand. Love at first sight! Carlo hoped this was a good omen for his mistress. “Can I come in?”

Emma smiled, “Sure!”

“Do you have any luggage?”

“No I am staying at  Nell Gwynn . I didn’t want to push my luck.
We have to talk and I would like to take you out to supper if that is alright?”

Emma led him through to her sitting room. It was simple and uncluttered, so different from the one when she shared with Georgina. The apartment was small but tastefully decorated. Simple, neutral, clean and much like its owner. She went to the stereo without asking and put on some music.

“Would you like a glass of wine?”

“Thanks”

She went to the kitchen and poured two glasses and prepared some small eats to go with it. She smiled...she liked this time in the evening. It was her time to relax, but this evening was not going to be relax.

Carlo was sitting on the sofa, he was still clutching Pedro as if he would never let him go.

“So why did you come Carlo?”

“I came to ask for one more chance. I came because
you said you had moved on and wanted a divorce. I know we have been apart for four years but I just don’t want to give up yet. I came to beg forgiveness. I came because I had to.”

“Well, I appreciate your honesty Carlo, you could have been a bit more honest when we were together and not slept with another woman so soon after we were married. I just thank the lucky stars that we did not have children. I trusted you...for better or worse....in sickness and health and for richer or poorer....all that jazz. I thought I had met another man who would cherish me...it turns out I would be just another accessory. Well, I am not an object of convenience! I still want a Divorce because I want to move on in life. I want to close a chapter of my life. It is no longer because there is someone to take your place
. It is because I do not consider myself as a convenience to anyone. I have Pedro now, he needs me and gives me so much trust and love. He would never hurt me the way you and afterwards your stepmother did. I have my own life now Carlo and as I get older I have less room in it for others...”

He listened, but now he interrupted.

“Emma, I made a mistake. Granted a very big mistake. Granted you have every right to hate me or to banish me from your life...but ....but ...before you do please just hear me out. Give us one more chance. If at the end of this week together you are still in the same frame of mind...I promise you I will give you your Divorce. I will give you whatever you want but just give me one week of your time because I think both of our future happiness depends on it. Let’s try to recapture what was good for us. Let’s try and recapture what we loved about each other...I swear after one week if you still feel convinced about this divorce I will disappear from your life.”

“Why? So that you can open up that hurt again?”

“No! Because I want to heal that hurt.”

Pedro looked up at her from Carlo’s arms as if imploring her to give him  a second chance.

Breath in.

Breath out.

Listen to your breathing.

In.

Out.

Push your stomach out. Push your stomach in.

In.

Out.

She closed her eyes for a moment and took a sip of her wine. She let the cool liquid travel down her throat.

“OK. One week. Then you sign the divorce papers and let me out of your life?”

Carlo did not realise he had been holding his breath until he let it out slowly.

“Thank you.”

“Carlo I don’t want to go out and leave Pedro at home. This is only his second day at home.”

“We will take him with us. Do you have a transporter? I think he is too little to not have an accident...it would be better in a transporter than on a restaurant floor. Let’s take the little fellow for a walk first then we can go out for supper. Then I must hit the sack I didn’t sleep on the flight and I am seriously exhausted.  Please can we not talk about serious things tonight?”

Emma noticed the shadows under his dark eyes, she refrained from saying that she thought it was more than one sleepless night.

“Ok”

They sat together in companionable silence.  Carlo sipped his wine and helped himself to the olives, little bruschette and avocado stuffed cherry tomatoes. Pedro nuzzled him.

Emma offered him another glass, but he declined. He needed his head to get through this week.

“Carlo I need to have a shower and get into something more casual. Can you put Pedro out in the garden and praise him if he does anything? The plastic bags for collecting his solids are on the sideboard.”

“OK, shall I take him for a short walk?”

“OK but take the key because I may be soaking in a bath! It has been a long day!”

Carlo found it quite therapeutic  taking the tiny puppy for a walk. He carried him to the park and then let him walk on the grass. Praising him for everything he did. He was amazed that the little fellow had done nothing in the house yet. Emma had told him that until the training was over he had to go out every four hours day and night. She must really love the little fellow if she was willing to get up during the night and get a dog sitter whilst she was at work. Well at least this week he would try and bond with Pedro and gain some brownie points for the ones he had lost. He already loved the little puppy. Emma had mentioned that he was going to go to a school called Scallywags, when he was old enough.  She felt that a large dog in a city had to be very well trained and safe for himself and others. It was difficult to visualise this tiny thing would one day be a big dog weighing around
45 kilos..at the most he weighed  2 ½ now! On the way back he stopped with Pedro in his arms still at the pet shop asking them what was suitable for such a small dog to chew or to play with. He had noticed that she had a playpen for him in the sitting room. The owner of  the pet shop had also given him some books to read about Labradors and a DVD about training them. He was sure if Pedro liked him enough, perhaps Emma might start liking him again.

He put Pedro in his play pen when he got back to her flat. He looked interested in the toys he had, but he was tired and curled up with his ticking alarm clock, newly
prepared hot water bottle and special dog cushion. He had had a very intensive 24 hours. Soon he was fast asleep.

Carlo walked through to the kitchen and helped himself to another glass of white wine
. He let his mind go back to Emma, she had changed. Her hair was cut differently and shorter, she was a little thinner in the face, her skin had a light golden glow to it, it must be from a sun-bed because there was no way it came from the British weather, her eyes were that the blue green of the sea...fringed with dark lashes.

Lost in his reverie he did not hear her come into the room, she came over to him and smiled at him. Carlo held his breath. God she was beautiful.

“Let’s go do you think Pedro will be ok in the transporter? “ she asked anxiously.

“He’ll be fine and it is important to make him know his space now when he is little.” He wanted to say she looked great in green, which seemed to set off her sea green eyes. Just keep it simple.
He wanted to say he needed her.

Keep it simple!

Don’t rush!

Our future depends on tonight.!

Carlo breathed in deeply before opening his mouth again afraid almost to breathe. The time apart had only fortified what he already knew...she was the most fascinating beautiful woman he had ever or would ever know. He felt whole in her company without her a piece of him was missing.
Santo Cielo
he really loved her. He felt exhausted, but he wanted to spend every hour possible with her and he had a week to show her that a Divorce was a big mistake.

A week.

A week to repair years of damage. First Antonella, then his stepmother, then his one night fling...
Sono un idiota!
I am an idiot.

Emma, broke the silence asking if he felt alright.

“Sorry Emma, I was miles away! Yes I am fine just a bit jet lagged I guess.” The fact he spoke in Italian showed how tired he really was. He spoke with her in English normally in England.

“We can give it a miss tonight if you like and we can go out tomorrow instead. We can’t talk about anything important if you are so tired. Perhaps tomorrow you will feel
more ready to affront what must be said without falling asleep or getting agitated, it is all very simple however. I want a Divorce. We have been apart for 4 years. It is very easy to get it will take only a few months. I want a chance to have a family and to have a someone special in my future. I think if we make a clean break we can still be friends. We were just too young and our love was just too intense to survive the test of time. Some people are lucky like Georgina and Fabio. If we had had a family perhaps it might have survived the ravishes you imposed on our marriage...but for better or worse they did not come to us. You probably would not have been mature enough then to be a father. A marriage for me was supposed to be for life but if after such a short time together you looked elsewhere we were not meant to be together.  I am willing to hear your side as you have listened to me. Carlo it is not possible to carry on like this married but not married. I want the fairytale, I want to be appreciated, cherished, respected, loved...desired...I want it all and I don’t think I can put up with some and not the rest. You did  not respect me. That was the worse insult apart from being unfaithful. You did not respect me  enough to talk about it with me you just went off got drunk and had it off with a one night stand like an eighteen year old. I know if it happened again I would never want to hear your name mentioned in my presence. I don’t trust you not to do it again if we still had problems conceiving. People do survive these discrepancies in marriage but frankly I deserve much more. I don’t know if  I can trust you and if I was pregnant and fat and emotional....would you just get yourself another floozy? “

Carlo remained silent for a few minutes. He closed his eyes. Dear Heavens please let him not be too late! Mamma, if you are up there somewhere....help me.

“Emma, since this is the rest of our lives. Please give me a last chance. Just this week. Please if at the end of this week you feel the same then...I surrender and you get your divorce. Please. Please Emma give us this one last chance.”

The silence
which followed went on forever.

Emma nodded her head.

“Alright, one week then you are out of my life forever if I want it.”

“One week all I am asking is one week. Emma I promise”

The evening went well. They studiously kept the topics of conversation on Pedro, mutual friends and funny things that has happened to them. They had even laughed together, just like  old times. Suddenly it was time to go their separate ways.

Carlo gave her a platonic hug and kissed her on each cheek. He planted a kiss on Pedro’s soft little head too...that would earn brownie points!!

“My time starts tomorrow...prepare yourself my darling!”

“Ah ha...I have grown up flowery language
doesn’t work anymore...I want proof!!”

Carlo grinned.

“Just you wait Henry Higgins just you wait!!”

She reached up and kissed him on his for
ehead.

“For the road!”
                           

Saturday morning..

One Kong teething toy “for Pedro”

One designer baby doll in pale turquoise for Emma, with a note “it complements your eyes! X”

Saturday late morning

One dog walker and sitter for Pedro

A voucher to a spa not any spa the spa and a car to pick her up.

There was no sign of Carlo until she met him after an afternoon of being thoroughly pampered and spoilt. Apparently he had had a massage and waited for her in the lounge.

“I thought you would like to have a special glass of champagne with me at Kettner’s...do you feel like celebrating Pedro?”

Emma was absolutely flabbergasted. He had not touched her. He had not pressurised her, he had spent an unhealthy amount on her and indeed Pedro. He devoured her with his twinkling liquorice eyes being charming, making her laugh and lulling her
into a sense of well being...hardly surprising after an afternoon of being pampered for 3 hours or more in the best spa in London.

They got back to her flat and she tried to pay the dog sitter but apparently even that had been done. They both took Pedro for a walk in the park.

“Emma with your permission, could we have a takeaway at your flat to be with Pedro....it is unfortunate my arrival coincided with his. I feel bad leaving him on his second afternoon.”

She smiled, perhaps it was the champagne or the pampering but she would be glad to get into a pair of slippers!!

“Can I change into something comfy?”

He smiled...visions of her in her baby doll he had delivered this morning came to mind but it was too soon...don’t rush you idiot. Don’t rush.

“Sure...tracksuit and slippers please or I may not be responsible for the outcome of the evening!”

He phoned the local Japanese restaurant to have a selection of Sushi delivered with a decent bottle of wine, whilst she got into her sloppy comfy clothes. This was promising she was not on her best behaviour for him...she was relaxed with him.

She sat next to him on the sofa. He breathed in her perfume from the treatments she had had at the spa..she smelled fresh and fruity at the same time.

“Hmm you smell lovely. What is the smell it is citrus and floral at the same time? Orange flower? “

“I don’t know they would not give me the full ingredients...but it does smell divine doesn’t it? Can I get you a drink?”

“No thanks...I am still jetlagged. Let’s play with Pedro for a while and maybe teach him to sit!”

“He is only 50 days old he can’t be expected to be taught much yet although I must say he has been excellent in the house even if it has meant going out every few hours with him.”

“Tomorrow we will bring him with us for what I have in mind!”

They spent the next half hour before the food and wine arrived with Pedro playing with him and teaching him to sit. Pedro was exhausted and fell asleep in Carlo’s lap. He gently put him back in his pen with his new hot water bottle and irritating ticking alarm.

They laid the table together with chopsticks
just as the food arrived. Emma went to the stereo to turn on some blues for the evening. It was a pleasant change not to ask what kind of music a man wanted to listen to and to just know he liked the same music. Andrew and Carlo had opposite tastes!

Monday morning at the office....

Je
t'aime plus aujourd'hui qu'hier et moins que demain

Te
amo más hoy que ayer y menos que mañana

Ich
liebe dich heute mehr als gestern und weniger als morgen

Ti
amo più oggi che ieri e meno che domani

I love you more today than yesterday and less than tomorrow.

This  was delivered with an entire herbal garden! No flowers! Three days she loved him. She remembered. She had asked for no flowers ...  to say sorry and the awful thing was she wanted him. Her perfect herb garden was not going to warm her at night. He looked at her with warm, twinkling eyes but he had never once gone over the mark. She saw him trembling with restraint...but he deserved this.

When she got home she found Pedro absolutely exhausted in his pen asleep and Carlo sorting out her garden!!
Good God! Her mess of a garden had been transformed with new pots of exotic looking herbs and flowers. Where on earth was all this money coming from?

He greeted her with a smile and told her he had cooked for her. She looked at the table and all the room..beeswax candles everywhere. The smell from the kitchen was frankly divine!
She had forgotten what great meal he made as a romantic surprise. They both loved their food and both loved cooking. They did have that in common.

“Thank you” She kissed him on each cheek.

Carlo rested his chin in her hair. He closed his eyes tight shut with the effort not to wrap his arms round her and kiss her senseless. Breathing deeply to calm his rampant emotions, he gently led her inside and told her to have a shower whilst he prepared their
aperativo.

Emma could not believe this humble, practical man was her immature nearly ex
-husband. He had prepared a feast with no bomb site in the kitchen!  He was very good with Pedro, he had no experience of dogs at all...so it was a pleasant surprise. She longed for him to kiss her but he seemed set on being a gentleman or knight in shining armour.

What do I do? Do I fling myself at him? Beg? Surrender? He had told her he would not lay a finger on her unless it was her decision...he clearly felt for her still, she kept catching him looking at her with love and yearning. No...this was day three and they had another four to go...when  decided it was for the rest of their lives. Their passion was not enough to base a marriage on.  She liked this man much more.

The phone rang. Who could it be?

Carlo asked her whether she wanted him to pick it up.

This was going to cause comment whoever it was. Her nearly ex answering her phone in her home!

“Ok!”

Carlo picked it up.

“Hello”

“Sorry who is that have I go the wrong number I want to speak to Emma”

“No..this is her place, she is in the shower at the moment. Whose calling? Can I take a message?”

“Tell her it’s Andrew. Tell her to call me back?”

Carl
o could not resist it, “Please! It is rude to give orders down a phone about a man’s wife without saying “Please” ...”

“You are not her husband!”

“I am until proven contrary and we are getting on famously so I think I will continue for the rest of my life to be her husband..”

“You came over to talk about the Divorce...I know she told me”

“We have talked about it and we have decided it is a bad idea...however I will tell her that you phoned.”

“Good!” Andrew slammed down the phone.

Good Grief what a jerk the man was!

“Emma, a certain jerk called Andrew called to speak to you...he was quite rude on the phone and I am afraid I lost my cool with him!”

“Yes he is I jerk, I found out the day you arrived!” Emma came over and hugged him.

“Emma, this isn’t a good idea, I am not sure how much more I can take of this platonic time together and I gave you my word I would not lay a finger on you until yo
u told me you wanted it...and if you told me you wanted it...it will be forever not just a sordid night. Been there done that never again!” He tried for humour but he did not feel it, he felt every atom of his body dancing at her touch!

“Carlo I am not sure yet...I am confused. I like the man you have been these past few days ...but I am still confused. You did not treat me well. You did not understand my needs..our love life became mechanical and we did not communicate...we have been communicating well lately. I don’t want to lose that...”

He interrupted her and smiled, “ You  are my best friend, my love, my soul mate..I can wait a few days for your decision, besides I have plans for the rest of your week!”

“Well...let’s enjoy now then and enjoy the
aperativo you have made us!! I like your taste in prosecco you remembered how much I like Valdo...thanks! I approve of your choice of small eats as well...cheers or should I say cin cin!! How did you manage to do this with Pedro? He looks absolutely exhausted!”

“We have played we have walked and he had his first taste of water...
er a puddle! He loved it. I think we are a good team. He is gorgeous! I got him some stuff to chew...I think they need puppy chews to save the furniture!”

“Carlo you are a dear... you have thought of everything. Pedro is happy, the garden is happy, the kitchen smells wonderful and no mess! I remembered you being a great cook but the kitchen always looked like a bomb had gone off in it!”

“I live alone..so I have to be better now...and besides I like to relax in the kitchen it reminds me of when we used to cook together. I liked that.”

The evening was a great success, the food was perfect, the wine was paired perfectly with the meal. He had cooked her favourite Italian food,
carciofi or artichokes. He had made a wonderful seafood soup and finished with fruit salad. They had laughed together, teased each other it was like old times. Emma began to seriously question whether she wanted a divorce...still 4 more days to go!!

Tuesday morning in the office a parcel arrived for her with a beautiful evening outfit inside a note telling her to get changed by seven and a car would pick her up. Good grief she had better tell him soon he was spending a fortune on her! Pedro was getting fonder of him than her!

Her colleagues all crushed round her gaping at the exquisite dress and shoes even tights and accessories were included. They all asked questions at the same time. Who? Why? What? When? Where? Featuring in most of the questions, she did not feel like answering yet.

Tuesday evening she was whisked off to see the Lion King and after to supper nearby.  Still she pretended to herself she was not sure.

Emma went to bed frustrated beyond frustration yet she was scared of a mistake this time round. She almost felt his hands stroking and caressing her in her elicit dreams.

Wednesday morning, really how could this carry on any longer!! Another delivery for Pedro and his ever more crowded play pen and a potted cherry tree for her garden with a message “To the woman I love.”

Emma arrived home on Wednesday evening to find Pedro and Carlo playing in the garden. Pedro was fetching his toys and bringing them to Carlo to start the game again.

“Today I thought we could just spend some time with Pedro we left him for a while yesterday even if there was a dog sitter.”

“It has been quite an intensive week. Let’s have a quick supper so we can chat a bit as well.”

“Done” She smiled.
“I am finding this week being spoilt to death quite exhausting!”

After a quick takeaway supper and taking Pedro out, they sat together on the sofa.

“Emma, I know I am in the wrong and you have every right to ask for a Divorce but I think we should try again. We have not argued, we both love Pedro, I can get a transfer from Singapore to London. I am not asking you to leave your job or to move away from your home..I am asking you to share your life with me your husband and to try to have a family together in 4 years away from you I have not been with other women, I have been to the gym every day and swam for kilometres every day ... I won’t beg or pressurise you but please Emma...look at what we have. Andrew is a jerk and you would not be happy with him. Having children is a strain on a marriage from what I have seen with soggy breast pads erratic moods, zero sex, sleepless nights no social life and baggy clothes..all this I welcome with you ...I welcome it because I love you. I made a mistake...I have paid for that hour for the last four years surely that is enough. If it happens again I give you permission to castrate me” he tried at humour. “I think we should try again.”

“A leopard doesn’t change its spots!”

“A dog doesn’t give up his bone!”

“How do I know if we can capture what we had after four years...I am scared.”

“We can make love and learn again from scratch...but if I make love with you it is not a one night stand it is forever....I love you too much to sully what we have”

“I want to take Pedro for a walk and I will let you know when I come back ...wait for me here...I can’t think with you here!”

“That’s a good sign!” he shot her a wicked grin. Silently he prayed his little fluffy friend would knock some sense into her. “Er...have fun with Pedro. Pedro be a good boy!”

             
                                                        ****     ****     ****

An hour passed before he heard the front door open, it had been the most nerve wracking hour of his life, he just could not believe it was over and he would find out if it was divorce or not.

Calm Carlo, calm. Breathe in. Breathe out slowly. Calm Carlo, his nerve endings were stretched to breaking point.

Emma put Pedro in his pen with his toys and hot
water bottle and alarm clock, thus telling him it was time to sleep. He was in his little kennel with a blanket over the top to keep out the light and the noises. She felt a sudden rush of love for her little puppy. Life seemed to have improved since his arrival on the scene.