Full Circle (8 page)

“Do you want to have a baby?”

“Yes, of course.” Lily continued to look at him from under her lashes not saying anything.

Nick opened one green eye and peered at her. “What, you mean right now? Lily there is a war on. It’s not exactly the ideal time to bring a baby into the world. I might never come back.”

“I pray every night that doesn’t happen, but it would be all the more reason to have one,” said Lily in her most persuasive tone. “Don’t you want to leave a part of you behind?”

Nick preferred not to discuss his possible demise at the moment, but he knew that arguing with his wife was pointless. In the short time that he knew her, he had come to realize that Lily would get whatever she wanted one way or another.

“Well, if I must, I must,” replied Nick with mock seriousness and pulled her on top of him. He figured that even if it didn’t happen in the short time they were together, they’d have fun trying.

Rebecca, Rachel and Emma sat on beach chairs at the water’s edge. It was the Sunday before Labor Day and it was tradition to spend the day at the beach to mark the end of the season. Rachel sat under an umbrella being the fairest one of them. Rebecca had just finished giving them an update on Lily’s life. She hadn’t told anyone else about the dreams. People would think that she was insane at worst, really weird at best. She had considered going to see a therapist to address this problem, but then she decided that since there did not seem to be any harm in her dreaming about Lily and since she was kind of enjoying it, what was the point? Truth be told she really did not want to talk to a therapist at all and was talking herself into believing that what she was experiencing was perfectly normal.

Her two friends constantly asked for updates on the dreams. They loved hearing about Lily and Rebecca needed someone to discuss it all with. She trusted them implicitly. The three of them had been friends since they met in Mrs. Malone’s kindergarten class. When they were little, people always said that they looked like the Disney Princesses and they loved dressing up like them for Halloween. Rebecca, with her dark hair and dark eyes was always Snow White. Rachel was a shoe-in for Cinderella with her blond, blue eyed looks and Emma was Ariel. She was red-headed and very fair. Rebecca still had a framed picture of the three of them in their costumes when they were six. It was her favorite picture and it stood on her dresser right next to the picture of them from High School graduation.

The girls weren’t always in the same class, but always in the same school and their friendship blossomed and matured over the years. People were surprised that they remained friends being as diverse as they were, but in their opinion that’s exactly what kept them together. Each one brought something to the relationship and they complimented each other rather than grated of each other’s nerves. Three is a difficult number in friendships, but they managed to make it work. There were times when they fought or felt closer to one than the other, but by the time they finished high school they knew that they would be friends for life.

Rebecca had always been the most analytical of the three. She was a keen observer of life and human nature and loved to figure out what makes people tick. She was usually the one that everyone turned to for good advice and an interpretation of some guy’s actions or lack of. Becky loved reading and watching movies and had always felt especially drawn to anything touching on WWII or British history. Despite her seriousness she had a wild streak few people knew about, which was especially brought out by Emma.

Emma was the impulsive one. She usually jumped into things head first and then bemoaned the consequences over numerous pints of Haagen Daz and support from her friends who always told her the guy was in the wrong, even if that wasn’t always true. She was a serial monogamist and usually had the next victim lined up before she even disposed of the one prior. She was never in short supply of volunteers. Emma was so cute and flirtatious that she drew in unsuspecting guys like moths to a flame. Although she was the most popular of the three it was difficult to resent her. She got so emotional over every relationship that she made all that dating seem like an awful lot of work. Emma especially baffled Rachel who was a true romantic and couldn’t understand how Emma could fall in and out of love so quickly.

Rachel had only had one boyfriend during all four years of high school. Mark was the president of the debate team and an honor student and he suited her shy, quiet nature. She was the most timid of the three and they often felt exasperated with her need to know all the details and weigh all the consequences before reaching a decision. Rachel also brought out the best in them because she was genuinely kind and loyal and would do anything for her two best friends.

In truth, Becky felt closer to Emma than she did to Rachel. Emma was fun and outgoing and she made her feel good about life. Rachel’s romanticism became a little grating as they got older and discovered that true love very frequently did not last forever and that when someone said “I love you” it did not mean they would still be loving you tomorrow. Rachel still believed in “The one”, but Rebecca and Emma felt that there could be many “ones”. There had to be more than one person that someone could be happy with. It would be too awful to think that you never met “The One” or you let “The One” get away. They both liked options and the idea that there was more than one way to find a “happily ever after.”

When Becky finished telling them about Nick’s leave Rachel said, “I wasn’t sure if I should mention it, but I don’t see the harm in it. Do you remember Neerja? She is the paralegal for one of the partners. Well, I always thought she was a bit out there. She is really into all this new-age spiritual mumbo-jumbo, always reading Deepak Chopra. She was telling us the other day about a spiritual adviser that she goes to somewhere around NYU. She swears by this woman; says that she’s never been wrong. She reads palms, tarot cards, and past lives. Do you want me to find out more? Would you ever consider going?” asked Rachel hopefully.

Rebecca looked at her thoughtfully. “I am not sure.”

“Oh, come on. Let’s do it. I’ll come too,” volunteered Emma. “I love that stuff. Maybe she’ll tell me when I will finally stop finding all these loser assholes and meet a real man.”

“Ok. Get her phone number and address and we’ll go. Now, let’s talk about something else for a change. Rachel, how are things going with Dave? Are you seeing him this weekend?”

“He went to Fire Island with his friends for the whole weekend. I really don’t think it’s going anywhere. It’s not like 1942 where people got married after knowing each other for a week. In this century you have to date a minimum of three years just to figure out if you like someone,” said Rachel bitterly. She was referring to her recent break-up with Mark, who after four years of dating said that he wasn’t sure if he ever actually loved her.

“Em, what about that guy you met last week at Barnes and Nobles? He was cute. Did he call yet?” asked Rachel.

“No, and I am sure he won’t. I don’t know why people bother wasting your time and asking for your number if they have no intention of actually calling you,” answered Emma defensively. “Should have known that anyone you meet in the Self Help section would be a jerk.” The girls had not had much luck this summer.

“Come on. Let’s pack up. It’s getting late. We can go get some dinner and drinks and celebrate our singlehood,” proposed Rebecca. “Then we can go back to my house and watch something nauseatingly romantic to make us feel better. Don’t forget to get that number, Rach.”

The girls packed up their beach towels and chairs and headed towards the boardwalk. It was teeming with life and they walked past outdoor restaurant where people were talking and laughing in the late afternoon sunshine. It was impossible to be in a bad mood on such a lovely day.

“Hey,” said Emma, “how about we go to one of these Russian nightclubs tonight? I hear they have live music. Maybe we’ll meet some handsome stranger named Boris and dance the night away. I hear Russian guys are well endowed.”

“Where exactly do you get your information, you nympho? I hear that they are jealous and overbearing and worship their mothers. None for me, thanks,” replied Rachel. She was very intimidated by aggressive guys, whereas Rebecca and Emma found them intriguing.

“I like a guy who sees what he wants and goes after it. Not one who debates about things for a few years before making a move,” replied Emma tartly, obviously referring to Mark.

“Em, that’s a low-blow and you know it. Mark did not debate for years if he loved me. He just didn’t,” replied Rachel. She was starting to get upset and Rebecca elbowed Emma in the ribs to make her stop. Those two were forever bickering, but they loved each other like sisters. They headed up the block to Becky’s house to shower and change before they went out for the night.

The next morning Rebecca had a cup of coffee with some toast and headed out the door. She was wearing a bright green tank top and a pair of cut-off denim shorts, with a pair of platform sandals completing the outfit. She had plans to go shopping with her mom. They spent at least one day a month together going shopping or for lunch and a movie.

Rebecca walked out of her building into the September sunshine. She was looking forward to the day. Retail therapy was the best kind in her opinion. She walked half a block to where her car was parked and muttered a very bad word under her breath. The front tire on the passenger side was flat as a pancake. She stood there with her arms crossed in front of herself, tapping her foot while she considered her options. It was Labor Day and most people were off. If she called AAA she would probably spend half the day waiting for them to show up and it would be such a waste. She got out her cell phone to call her mom and explain when a voice behind her said, “You need a hand with that?”

Becky turned around. A tall, muscular guy of about thirty stood behind her appraising the damage to the tire. He had long, shaggy, blond hair and ice blue eyes. Rebecca thought for a moment that he would look great in a Viking outfit. He had the aura of a warrior ready for battle.

“It depends,” she answered non-committally, “how good are you at changing tires?”

“Very good. I am a mechanic and I have a jack in my car. It’s just around the corner. Do you have a spare in the trunk?”

“Yeh, I do. Look, you don’t have to do this. I don’t want you to waste your time. I’ll just call AAA,” Becky volunteered.

“I don’t consider helping a beautiful girl wasting my time,” he said with a winning smile. “I’ll be back in a moment. I’ll just go get the jack.” With that he walked off towards Brighton Beach Avenue where his car must have been parked.

Rebecca called her mom to explain that she might be very late.

“Don’t worry about it, honey. We can always go another day. Give me a call when you are finished and maybe you can come over for lunch instead. Dad was thinking of BBQ’ing.”

Rebecca put her phone away and looked down the street. She saw the guy walking towards her holding a jack. Rebecca thought he was very attractive in a foreign kind of way. He came up and extended his hand to her. “Let’s officially meet before I get my hands dirty. My name is Sergei.”

“Rebecca. Thanks again for helping me.”

“It’s my pleasure, Rebecca. I didn’t have any special plans. I was just going to take a walk on the boardwalk. I like being next to the ocean.”

“Me too. My friends think I am mad to live here, especially after I got mugged, but I can’t imagine giving up being this close to the water. Where are you from, Sergei? You have a nice accent.”

Sergei already had the car jacked up and the old tire off. “I am from Chernovzi. It’s a small town in the Ukraine. You probably never heard of it. I’ve been here for ten years now and I work at a garage on Coney Island Avenue.” He finished changing the tire and threw the old one next to a pile of garbage that was waiting to be picked up Tuesday morning wiping his hands on an old towel that was in Becky’s trunk.

“All done. See, it didn’t take long at all. Now you have to do something for me,” he said with a seductive smile.

“What’s that?” Rebecca asked wearily. She did not like being indebted to anyone.

“You have to join me for a walk and allow me to take you to lunch.”

“Well, if anyone is taking anyone to lunch, it’s me. That’s my condition and that’s the only way I’ll go.”

“You drive a hard bargain,” he answered thoughtfully, “but I cannot pass the opportunity to spend time with you, so I agree to your terms.” He gave her a look of mock surrender.

Becky called her mom to tell her that she won’t be coming and walked off with Sergei towards the Boardwalk. They spent two hours walking on the beach. The water was cool and refreshing and they took off their shoes and walked in the surf. They had a nice conversation about his life in the Ukraine versus her life in New York. It made Rebecca realize how many things she has always taken for granted. His life had been tough. His father had been killed in Afghanistan while he was in the army and his mother died a few years later from a brain tumor. He was raised by his aunt who wasn’t too thrilled at having another mouth to feed. He left the Ukraine as soon as he turned eighteen to avoid being drafted. He wasn’t going to end up like his father. Dying for a cause he didn’t believe in wasn’t in his plans. He told her that he had a distant cousin in New York and they took him in and he lived with them for a year. He had worked odd jobs unloading deliveries and stocking shelves until he learned some English and went to night school to become a mechanic. Now ten years later, he was a partner in the garage where he worked, had an apartment in Sheepshead Bay, and a college education which he managed to get while working in his shop.