Love Triangle: Three Sides to the Story (5 page)

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Karen

“You are one lucky young lady.” The doctor smiled at me. “You were brought here just in time. Nurse, you will make sure that she gets lots of rest.”

“Yes, Doctor,” Shauna nodded.

“When will I get to leave?” I asked the doctor incredulously. I was a little piqued that they were completely ignoring me.

“In another three weeks or so. We’ll just have to see.” The doctor smiled at me and patted my hands absently. He left the room after whispering to Shauna in the corner.

“Shauna,” I called to her after the doctor left, “you have to get me out of here. I can’t breath, I hate this place. Where is George?”

“First of all, this is a private room paid for by George the toad, who could not make it because his wife is ill.”

“Oh, no. I forgot about that. She answered the phone when I called. Could it be that I caused it?” Karen stared wide-eyed at Shauna.

Shauna sat on the edge of the bed. “Calm down. Don’t get yourself in a tizzy. If you are calm, you will have this baby in one piece.”

“But … ”

“The calmer you are, the sooner you get out of here,” Shauna interjected, using the argument that she knew would get me to shut up.

Long after Shauna left I wondered about Marie. I was sure that she knew about me because George said he had told her. I just never thought about her reaction or what it would have done to her life. It was not that I did not care about his wife and children; it’s just that it was always easier for me to think of them as rather distant from the situation that I found myself in.

I realised with a start that I was so caught up in my life and my problems that I barely spared a thought for his family and the fact that this baby would be related to his other children. If George ever took an active part in my baby’s life that Marie would irrevocably become involved.

I hardly knew anything about his family life or relatives, except his mother.

I felt so bereft that for a moment I felt my belly begin to cramp again. The same sensation I had earlier when after trying George at his office I called his cellular phone and got his wife.

What a disaster, I could just hear the acid dripping from her tongue as she said,
‘I am his wife.’

How was I to know that he left his phone at home? I was in such deep pain that I did not care how he got the message; I just wanted him to get it. If Shauna and Boyd had not returned from their excursion, I would surely have miscarried.

I must have dozed off for a while. When I woke up, there were shadows in the room. It was late evening.

I felt refreshed and ready to leave, but the doctor’s order that I "stay horizontal" was ringing in my ears and I was too far along now to give up my baby so easily. I touched the mound in front of me and sighed.

The door opened softly and George pushed his head through the door. “Are you awake?”

“I think you mean, am I alive?” I grinned at him, so happy that he was there. I almost expected him not to show up.

“How are you feeling?” He looked genuinely concerned and I melted inside.

“I feel as if a donkey trampled on me.”

“You’ll have to take it easy,” his warm brown eyes looked at my belly. “Can I?” he asked as he stared at my stomach.

“Sure, go ahead.”

He felt my belly, his warm hands lingering as he gently massaged in round motions.

“I am happy you thought to call me,” he whispered almost inaudibly. “I want to know what is going on with you. If there is anything that you need, don’t hesitate to call.”

We sat together for a while in silence with our baby between us.

“Karen?”

I opened my eyes at the questioning tone in his voice.

“I have another house in St. Elizabeth that I have been renting to a couple for the past three years. I am going to give it to you.”

He put a finger on my lips as I was about to protest. “St. Elizabeth has a lot going for it; it’s near your family, you’ll get help with the baby, and you won’t have to pay rent. I will take care of our child financially; you won’t have to worry about that.”

“And it is far enough away from Mandeville so as not to interfere with your life here,” I interrupted. “George, I am not some disease that you can hide away, okay.”

“Karen, I am just trying to do what is best for all concerned. I have a life here in Mandeville that is already crumbling. I was disfellowshipped from church, my wife is ill and she hates my guts. I want this child to be born in a less hostile environment. People talk and I have responsibilities … ”

“What about when your son comes to look for you? What then? Will he ever get to know your side of the family?”

“We will cross that bridge when we get there.” He got up and he walked to the window. “I can’t believe that my one case of infidelity has ended up like this.”

“Like what?” I squeaked disbelievingly. “Are you trying to blame me for anything here George because we both went into this with our eyes wide open.”

“Don’t get upset.” He looked at me reprovingly. “I just want to do what’s best for all concerned. I am only a man Karen, and yes I am thinking about my children. I have three already, and I have no idea how I will break the news that their new brother is not from their mother.”

He walked back to the bed and stood over me. “This happened. We will just have to deal with it the best way we know how.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

George

The sun was setting on the horizon in Negril, its pink and yellow hues blending into the faded blue of the sea. I held up my glass and toasted the bride along with all the participants of the wedding being held at The Inn. The rustic exterior was no indication of the plush interior and the lovely view.

I looked over at Marie who was smiling vaguely at her Aunt Sylvie’s joke. What were they laughing at? He realised that these days he was excluded from Marie’s thoughts.

The only emotion that was presented to him was a faint dislike and the smallest thing he did was cause for hostility. She refused to have anything to do with him and was biding her time until the summer holidays to go to America with the children for two months.

She refused to talk about Karen or Karen’s child and the very mention of the name Karen would send her into a depression that would last for days. It’s been three weeks since she heard that Karen was pregnant and she’s been living in denial ever since.

They were invited to her cousin’s wedding months before and they could not refuse to attend at this time so they were there as a couple, the first time they were going out together since The Problem.

He was beginning to think of their life together as before The Problem and after The Problem. Her family was speculating about them staying together for much longer, his children were picking up on the tension in the air and were gradually becoming withdrawn.

They were not fooling anybody by showing up today at Tricia’s wedding.

Marie laughed at something that her sister Laura said and her whole face lit up, she looked animated as she used to be before the whole problem with Karen. She looked so beautiful and carefree that his heart ached in his chest. A gentle wind blew and tossed strands of her hair across her face, he wanted to smooth them back into the chignon that she sported for the occasion.

Timothy held on to her hand, his little body pressing into her as she spoke animatedly to Laura. In that moment George felt an acute loss over what he had given up when he went into the arms of another woman.

“George old boy.” He almost choked on his wine Marie’s father, Peter, slapped him on his back. His grin was a mile wide and did not reach his eyes.

“Hi, Peter I … I … ”

“Cat got your tongue, George.” Peter was still smiling that polite smile that looked as if it was painted on.

“I have not spoken to you since the … I did not know what to call it … the upset in the relationship between Marie and I.”

“I miss you, George,” Peter said, suddenly looking sad. “I have no one to argue the finest points of cricket with, and it’s the season.”

I realised Peter’s tactic. He was a father of three girls; he was good at using the art of distraction. He was lulling me into a comfortable conversation, and when I was well and truly hooked, he would deliver the hard stuff.

I went along with him anyway. “I know I missed the game against South Africa, but I heard that the West Indies won fair and square.”

Peter nodded his head. “The bowling left a little bit to be desired, but there was an improvement in the game. The worst thing in cricket though is a man who can’t bowl and lets down the rest of the team. Imagine this, a team needs a few wickets and they send out an able bowler. After twelve overs, the man fowls up, the batsman swings the ball and it hits him right in the balls.” Peter’s smile was back again, as if the thought of the ball hitting the cricketer in the balls was a good one.

“Obviously you are talking about a test match,” I said to Peter as I took a drink from a passing waiter.

“Oh yes … yes,” Peter nodded, “all of life is a test match. Ah … whenever there is a lousy bowler the team is displeased. I always remember that the bowler was not always lousy and that he did a good job in previous matches, his only saving grace really, especially, if he had a couple of maiden overs, and the batsmen were getting frustrated with their little runs. You know what I hate most, George?”

“No,” I said puzzled.

“In cricket there are no guarantees. You start out with two of the best teams, but one has to come out on top. I don’t like the fact that my team doesn't always come out on top, but I anticipate the next match and hope they’ll do better.”

I nodded but I could barely read between the lines of cricket wisdom. Still, I could deduce that he was telling me to keep batting. Or was it bowling? I grimaced and tried to stop thinking about Peter’s roundabout way of imparting wisdom.

Peter smiled when he saw my uncertain expression, “I wanted to kill you when I heard that Carol or what’s her name was pregnant. I thought, how careless can one man be? But cricket put it together for me and the fact that my daughter still loves you, she just has a lot to digest. Don’t let it slip through your hands.” He slapped me on the shoulders and went to greet someone else.

I should have felt like I was among enemies since this was Marie’s family but, curiously, I didn’t. In fact, I felt even better after Peter’s little cricket talk.

I smiled and made small talk and answered blunt questions about my marriage until I found myself beside Marie.

“Hi,” I said. I had Rachel in my hands and I knew that she would be forced to be polite to me for the time being.

“Hello,” she smiled at me, a smile that could run the meat section of a supermarket for a whole week.

“I realised that you hung back when the bouquet was to be caught. I'm grateful.”

“Don’t be,” she spoke with her teeth clamped. “That exercise is for disillusioned young women who believe in happily-ever-afters with their faithful spouses and their 2.5 children in a lavish mansion in the country.”

“Marie …” I was about to respond when Rachel interrupted, “Daddy can I go to the pool side with Amelia?”

“Is Grandma over there?” Marie asked quickly, her voice softening as she looked at her daughter, who was dressed in pink from head to toe.

Rachel nodded and I put her on her feet. She ran to her cousin Amelia and they went to the poolside, leaving me alone with my wife for the first time in a long time. It was surprising. I felt as if we were truly alone amidst the crowd.

“Marie, I love you,” I blurted out before she could move away.

“You sure have a lot of love to spread around George.” She looked at me icily. “A new baby on the way, an old girlfriend, your other children. Wow, quite a bit of
love
.” She rolled her eyes.

“I told you it’s over between Karen and me.” I just wanted her near, and if I was repeating myself for the thousandth time, I didn't care.

“George,” she sighed, “I am not going to invest anything more in you emotionally. I am totally dry right now. I am also bitter. I prayed about it and prayed about it and I think I am going to leave you for a while, distance myself from the situation.”

My limbs froze.

“Marie, please whatever you do, don’t leave me,” I whispered, barely restraining myself from grabbing her hands and never letting go.

“Please, George. I need to get used to the idea that the picture of you in my head no longer fits the reality. I am leaving next week. I was going to tell you tonight, but since you felt the need to talk now … ”

“But how? You have school.” My voice became almost plaintive, and I was happy that in the gathering dusk everybody was at the poolside milling around.

“I took three months leave, plus my summer vacation.”

“Marie, that’s six months. Six months? What about the kids? You can’t just take them out of school now.”

“You’ll cope. You can send them up in the summer to spend their vacation with me.”

“I … I … feel as if I am losing you.” Tears pricked the back of my lashes and I could not stop them. They were amassing like an army ready to fall at the least provocation.

“Who are you going to?” I asked my voice husky.

“That’s none of your business.” Marie looked at me dispassionately. “Nothing I do is your business anymore. You lost the right to that when you formed another family behind my back.”

“I have a right to know,” I pleaded, ignoring her taunt. “I can’t send my children to just anywhere.”

“I’ll give you the address. I’ll meet them at the airport.”

“I think we should work this out, Marie.”

“I think you should leave me alone, George.” She walked away to the poolside and joined her family. I was left standing in the dark with my life torn apart.