Beginning, Section II
Jump to new as of August 7, 1999
Jump to new as of August 9, 1999
Jump to new as of August 11, 1999
Part 18
Lisa walked home. After all that had happened that day, she was in no mood to sit in the bus with all her cheerful, happy friends. When she finally walked through her front door, she came upon a pathetic scene. Lydia was sitting on the couch, wrapped in what must have been every blanket in the house, munching popcorn, sobbing, and watching Gone With the Wind. The movie had just started, and Mammy was helping Scarlett get into her corset.
Lydia looked up, and when she saw Lisa, she started crying even more loudly, trying to get attention. Lisa rolled her eyes and humored her.
"Fine. What's wrong?"
"Poor Scarlett," Lydia sniffed. "Forced to have all those children and ruin her figure."
Lisa rolled her eyes again. Her sister had gone and gotten herself pregnant, and all she was worried about was losing her figure? She was only thirteen. Her figure had barely developed. Well, actually, it had developed. But there was no reason to believe it was finished developing.
"Lydia," Lisa said, trying to keep her countenance, "what were you doing with Derek today?"
Lydia's sniffles turned into giggles almost immediately.
"He broke up with you, didn't he?" she laughed maliciously. It was all Lisa could do not to plug her ears with her fingers. "What does it feel like, Lisa Bennet, to have everything you want, and then have it taken away from you? Maybe you'll have some time to feel sorry for me. After all, you're not the one who's having the baby, are you?" Her voice shook, and her lip was quivering, but her eyes remained hard and, Lisa was shocked, evil.
"No, I'm not having a baby," she replied evenly. "And there's a very good reason for that, too. Quite logical. And if you had any sense, Lydia, you wouldn't be having a baby, either." She started to walk into the kitchen. Her feet were killing her. It had been a chilly day for June, and she needed to get out of her cheer-leader's uniform as quickly as possible.
"Oh, I'm not having a baby," Lydia said quietly, playing with the fringe on her blankets. Lisa stopped cold in her tracks.
"What do you mean, you're not going to have a baby?"
"What do you think I mean? I'm not going to do it."
"Lydia, would you mind explaining yourself?"
"I'm going to have an abortion," she said. "I can, you know. There are these vans at school...."
"Have you talked to Dad about it?" Lisa asked quickly, trying to come up with a reason to convince Lydia not to kill her baby.
"No! And don't you tell him, either. I know what you guys think, but my teacher says that a baby isn't alive until it's born. Abortions are perfectly legal."
"Duh. They're legal, Lydia, but that doesn't make them right. If there was any danger for you, I might be tempted to sympathize with you, but... Really, Lydia, you can't have an abortion simply because you're afraid of getting fat!"
"Lisa, if I ... gain weight ..." Lydia could not bring herself to say the word `fat', "I won't be able to be a cheer-leader anymore. I mean, have you ever seen a fat cheer-leader?"
"What can you possibly make out of your life by cheer-leading? For once in your life, be sensible. You never see a cheer-leader over the age of ... thirty, either. Are you planning to kill yourself as soon as you turn thirty-one?"
"That's easy for you to say, Lisa. You have plenty of talent, you can be anything you want. Have you seen my report card lately? There's no way I'll ever be anything but a dumb-blond cheer-leader."
"But that's no reason to have an abortion," Lisa continued, getting back to the point. Lydia smirked.
"You didn't bother to deny that I was a dumb-blond cheer-leader."
"That's not the point."
"Sure, it is. A baby would only make things worse. A thirteen-year-old girl, with a baby, has no chance."
Then give it up for adoption!"
"I would never do that to my kid."
"You'd rather kill it?"
"It's not murder if it's not alive."
"Who says it's not alive? Doctors? Women who want abortions? People who resent being told what to do? I've seen pictures, Lydia, of fetuses writhing in agony, trying to get away from the tool that smashes their head before they're even allowed to live." Lydia winced and clutched her stomach.
"Do you have to be so graphic?"
"Avoid the subject if you want, Lydia, but there's no way you'll ever be able to convince me, Dad ... or even yourself ... that it's right to take this baby's chance of life away."
She stormed upstairs, slamming her bedroom door behind her. She had planned to spend yet another afternoon crying in her room, feeling sorry for herself. She had forgotten that she shared a room with Jen and Emma. When the door slammed shut, the three girls on the bed jumped slightly. It didn't take Lisa long to realize that Emma and Jen had quite a problem on their hands with Marianne.
"What's the matter?" she asked, placing a hand on Marianne's shoulder. Jen warned her with her eyes not to pry, but Marianne let out a loud wail and said,
"John's engaged!"
"What?"
"John Willoughby, engaged this week to Sophia Grey. Broke Marianne Dashwood's heart," Emma said matter-of-factly, as if reading it out of a newspaper.
"But why?" Lisa asked, bewildered. "I thought you and he were..."
"For her money!" Marianne broke into a fresh torrent of sobs.
"John's parents found out he had impregnated a girl last year. They threw him out," said Jen.
"Sophia always had a crush on him, besides being filthy stinkin' rich, so he decided to hook up with her," said Emma.
"And he left Marianne by the wayside," Lisa finished.
The other girls nodded, while Marianne let out another wail.
"Well, at least you found out sooner rather than later. I mean, it's not like he did to you what he did to that other girl."
"If he did anything," said Jen. It was her opinion that John had been framed. But she could not explain away the fact that he had abandoned Marianne.
"No!" Marianne shook her head, making a valiant effort to control herself. "Nothing happened in that respect. He always wanted to ... you know ... but nothing happened. He said he loved me!" She broke out into tears again. The other girls lapsed into silence, deeming it the best source of comfort at the moment.
Part 19
Gina sat on the bleachers during the last game of the season (Cissy had decided to eliminate the extra spot in the squad, since Lydia would no longer be able to cheer), pondering what the reason could have possibly been for her brother and Lisa Bennet to have broken up. She looked over at Lisa, giving the other cheer-leaders a pep talk. She seemed cheerful enough to the casual observer, but Gina could tell she was pretending.
Early in the game, Gina had noticed a person on a motorcycle standing/sitting a few feet away from the bleachers. He had caught her looking at him once, and she had blushed. She was now determined not to look back.
The game was tied at two runs, and the Rockets were up to bat. Eddie hit a long fly ball to right field that would have been a home-run, except the fielder caught it just before it left the field. One out. Scott Garcia hit a line drive to center-field for a double.
Everybody in the stands, including Gina, stood up and cheered as Chris came up to bat. The bunt sign was on. Some people in the stands booed at this decision, but Chris was actually able to lay down a decent bunt, and Scott took third base. However, Mrs. Berg gave Chris the sign to steal, and he was picked off at second. Two outs.
Gina shook her head in dismay. She heard an unfamiliar voice behind her.
"Was that your boyfriend?" She turned and saw the "motorcycle dude" grinning at her below his helmet.
"No," she said simply.
"Is your boyfriend on the team?"
"N-no."
"Where is he, then, if he isn't here with you?"
"I don't have a boyfriend."
"Really?" He took off his helmet and shook his hair out. Gina had thought he would be older, but he could not have been much older than Derek. Annoyed, she turned her attention back to the game. She had missed seeing Ricky work the pitcher for a walk. There were men on the corners, two outs. Bobby hit the ball to shortstop, who bobbled it a bit, causing him to miss the play at first. Scott had wisely stayed at third. Bases loaded. Derek was up.
"Oh, no, oh, no, oh, no," Gina moaned under her breath, holding her chin in her hands.
"What's the matter?" asked the "motorcycle dude". "Does he usually strike out?"
"No."
"I didn't think so; I've seen him go 2 for 3 today. He doesn't look like he would strike out often."
First pitch, a curve. A swing and a miss. Strike one.
"I could be wrong," he amended cheerfully.
"He never strikes out," said Gina forcefully. Her companion did not miss the loyalty in the statement.
"Really? That's quite a feat. If he was willing, would he be your boyfriend?"
"You are awfully interested in my love-life, aren't you?"
Second pitch, another curveball. This time, Derek took. The count was one-and-one.
"So you have a crush on the shortstop?"
"He's my brother."
"Oh." He laughed. "Well, I'm sorry. There's nothing a girl hates more than being accused of being in love with her brother."
Gina smiled in spite of herself.
"If he were not my brother, I would say there was little a girl would not like about him. But since he is my brother, I must say that I would never even consider him, and cannot imagine any other girl doing so, either."
"You must say that? Then you do not believe it?"
"Why are you asking so many questions?"
"I am trying to gauge your character."
"Why?" Gina was vaguely aware that Derek was working the pitcher to a full count.
"Because a pretty girl such as yourself should have a boyfriend."
"And you have elected yourself to the position?"
"Who else?"
"I came here to watch the game, not to be solicited by a man on a motorcycle and a leather jacket."
"I am not on a leather jacket. However, I am wearing one. What, don't you like leather?"
"That was not my point," Gina sighed.
"Very well; we shall watch the game." He climbed onto the bleachers, and sat beside her, just in time to see Derek foul off the third strike. It was still a full count.
"He has a nice swing," said her companion. "He has a good chance of making it to the majors."
"What, are you a baseball scout?"
"No. But my uncle is."
"Really?" Gina's interest was piqued. Her companion nodded.
"He's over there, with the Baltimore cap on."
"He's a scout for the Orioles?"
"No, for the Yankees." He grinned. "My mother gave him the cap as a joke." Gina laughed. "I'll make a bet with you," he said to her conspiratorially. "If your brother strikes out here, I will leave you alone. However, if he hits a home-run, you will go out on a date with me."
"What kind of a bet is that?"
"A simple one. Strike out, you can keep your available status. Grand slam, the Rockets win, and I go home happy, looking forward to a date with the most beautiful girl in Pennsylvania."
"There is still another inning after this one. Even if Derek does hit a grand slam, they could still come back."
"I wouldn't count on it. So, are we on?" She looked at him, trying to eye him inconspicuously. He noticed, however, and turned around for her. "Do I meet with your approval?"
She waited a moment, considering. Finally, she said,
"Very well. We're on." They shook on it.
Next pitch, Derek belted one to the center-field bleachers.
"What did I tell you? I knew he would do it."
Gina could not help looking over at his uncle, jotting something down into a note-pad. She looked at her companion, and shrugged in resignation.
"Well, I suppose that's that. Where shall we go?"
"Well, I was thinking I'd pick you up after church tomorrow, then we'd swing by the movies, then to dinner. Does that sound all right?"
"You go to church?" She eyed his motorcycle again.
"Scary, isn't it? But yes. Are you still interested?"
"I lost my bet, I have to go, don't I?"
"We can go somewhere else, if you like."
"I am a woman of my honor. You name the place, I'll follow."
"I'll pick you up tomorrow. Uh, where do you live?" She told him. "And what's your name?" She told him. "I'll see you tomorrow, Gina." He put his helmet back on, and climbed back onto his motorcycle.
"Wait!" she said. "You didn't tell me your name!"
He shouted something to her, but she could not hear over the engine.
"What did you say?" But he didn't hear her. She turned back to the game, disappointment, excitement, and dread each fighting for supremacy inside her.
Part 20
Lisa had been determined to spend more time with her family and friends. She had considered it her duty to be a comfort to them, and cheer them with her presence. However, she had found it unnecessary. Apparently, Marianne had recovered from Johnny's betrayal and abandonment, and was already dating Chris Brandon. Harriet was mooning over somebody new, although Emma strictly cautioned her against mentioning his name. Jen was happily in love with Charlie. Charlotte was stoic about her so-called-relationship with Billy Collins. Her mother was picking out names for Lydia's baby. Katya was casually dating Ricky Fitzwilliam (it seemed the entire cheer-leading squad had hooked up with the baseball team.) Mark was eyeing Claire Bingley in a strange way that Lisa found disgusting. Only Mr. Bennet was nearing Lisa's level of unhappiness. He had been unable to locate George Wickham.
"Where could he have gone?" he wondered aloud one day after another futile telephone call. "It's not like he had that many options."
Lisa had no answers, and Cissy couldn't care less.
The baseball season was over - at least for Pemberley High School - and Lisa was bored. All the other girls were planning their dates for the end-of-season party. As far as any of them knew, Mrs. Bourgh had not been able to snag a major-league player to make an appearance at the party. She had given up after a night of playing hooky with a bottle of gin, and the players/cheer-leaders had known all along that that particular idea had been fruitless.
She had not seen Derek since the last game. She hadn't talked to him since the break-up. She wondered how he was doing. After a few more days of thinking over what Lydia had done, she could not imagine what had possibly caused her to believe Lydia over Derek. She berated herself night and day, and had tried to call him, but the Williams's were not answering the phone. She remembered noticing they had caller I.D. and vaguely wondered if Derek had anything to do with her not being able to get through. Of course, a couple times she had received the busy signal instead of the answering machine. She wondered if Derek had another girlfriend already.
She trudged home one day, and found Harriet and Cissy panicked in the living room.
"Oh, Lisa, thank goodness you're here!" her mother cried, and could not go any further.
"What's the matter?" she asked. Her mother often panicked, and she wondered if anything had gone wrong with the ironing that morning.
"It's Lydia," Harriet screamed. "She's dying! Oh, God, help us!!!" She ran out of the room, wringing her hands.
"What? Lydia's not dying..." She was cut short by the sound of an ambulance outside the door. A group of paramedics rushed into the house.
"Where is the victim?" one of them asked.
"Victim? What happened?" asked Lisa, imagining a burly burglar with pantyhose on his head.
"She is upstairs," said Cissy, "In her bed." She led the paramedics to Lydia. Lisa followed. She gasped when she saw her sister. Lydia was lying on her bed. Her eyes were closed, her face was white, and the bed was covered in blood. It was strange, because Lisa could not figure out where it was coming from.
"What happened?" she asked again as Lydia was taken to the ambulance. Nobody could tell her.
Cissy, Harriet, and Lisa followed the ambulance to the hospital. The rest of the family - and others - joined them an hour later.
"What's going on?" Tom demanded of his wife. Cissy looked at him and burst into tears.
"Oh, my poor, darling little Lydia!"
The doctor came into the room.
"Mr. Bennet?" he asked. Tom nodded. The doctor paused, then looked up at the ceiling and said flatly, "There was nothing we could do; your daughter died five minutes ago."
Cissy burst into fresh tears. Tom looked stricken. Lisa was too stunned for words. Emma looked at the doctor critically. Harriet panicked, and fainted. The others all began to cry softly, except Mark. Mark looked as if he were going to say something, but thought better of it, and looked down at the floor.
"What happened?" asked Lisa again.
The doctor explained as best he could that Lydia had suffered from generalized septicemia, or bacterial infection in the bloodstream, caused by septic abortion.
"Abortion?" Tom asked, dumbfounded.
"That doesn't necessarily mean termination that was induced from the outside; she may have had a miscarriage."
"But... girls don't die from miscarriages," said Cissy. "I had a miscarriage."
"I'm very sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet," said the doctor, and he left.
Part 21
The funeral was held four days later. Lisa stood with her family as the minister read out of his book in a monotonous voice. Her mother was weeping loudly behind her handkerchief. She noticed Derek and Gina come in, and Gina was leaning on the arm of an attractive young man. Derek looked at her for an instant, then quickly looked away. Lisa was so embarrassed about what she had thought just a couple weeks ago. She sincerely hoped Derek had not told his sister about it.
Derek watched Lisa throughout the funeral. He wished he could comfort her during this tragedy, but realized the impossibility of that wish.
Everybody who had known Lydia during her lifetime was at the funeral, even Mrs. Bourgh and her dilapidated husband. Chris comforted Marianne, Greg comforted Emma, Eddie comforted Elinor. Why couldn't he - Derek - comfort the girl he loved?
Lisa was miserable. She realized that it was her own fault. If only she had had faith in Derek. If only she had told her parents when Lydia said she wanted an abortion. If only... She had to get away. She ran toward the trees to the side of the cemetery.
Derek saw Lisa go, and followed her. At first, he had no wish to talk to her - merely to be with her. However, when she sat down by a brook, hugged her knees to her chest, and began to cry, he could no longer help himself, and he went to her. He bent down, and put his arms around her, soothing her.
At first, Lisa did not know whose arms were enfolding her, comforting her. All she knew was that it felt wonderful to let it all out, and if this person - whoever it was - did not mind her sobbing, she would make the best of it. She snuggled more closely to him.
"Lisa," Derek whispered. She started, and looked up at him.
"It's you," was all she said. He nodded. "Why?" she asked.
"Someone had to be here for you," he said.
"It might as well be you, right?"
"I suppose."
"I'm sorry," she said. He made no sign of a reply. "For everything. Everything that has happened recently has been my fault."
"Not completely," he said.
"I blame myself, I really do. It would feel so nice to be able to blame someone else, anybody else. George, Mom, Dad, Katya, you. Not that there is a way to blame you. But it's all my fault."
"How can you say that? Nothing you could have done could have prevented it."
"How do you know, Derek? If I had told Mom or Dad what you told me about George, they might have restricted Lydia from him. If I had told Mom or Dad that Lydia planned to have an abortion, they might have stopped her again. If I had trusted you..." Her voice failed her, and she turned her head away to hide the tears that had returned.
He could think of nothing to say. He was glad to know she did not blame him. He blamed himself.
"Lisa, I don't have all the answers. I don't know what to say to you right now, with all that has happened overwhelming everything. Let me just say this. Firstly, there was no way you could have known what would happen. Secondly, I love you. I know some people would think we're too young to really be in love, but I know I love you. It would be wonderful if you loved me, too. However, I know you do not, and I think it would be best, for now, if we simply forgot about being a couple."
She turned around quickly, but he had already left, disappeared into the trees. She could still hear the minister's voice intoning from the graveyard. She shuddered, and started making her way back to her parents' side.
Part 22
The next day brought the news that Derek Williams had been signed by the Yankees. They had sent him to a minor-league camp for "a little seasoning", and to polish his skills a bit. His parents were thrilled, and bragged about him everywhere they went. Cissy was loud in her proclamations of disgust.
Lisa took the news hard. She had hoped to see Derek the next day, to talk about what he had said yesterday. But now it seemed their paths had passed the intersection, and were heading in completely in different directions.
George Wickham was found a few days later in a strip joint, and was subsequently arrested and brought to trial on statutory rape and manslaughter charges.
The prosecuting attorney met with the Bennet family, and asked Lisa if she would like to take the stand against the man who had been the cause of her sister's death. She readily agreed.
The case was pretty much open and shut. George was found guilty on both charges. The Bennet family had much to rejoice about that day, exactly six months after Lydia's death.
The Bennet squad was falling apart. Mrs. Dashwood had taken Elinor and Marianne back home after the funeral. She said she wanted to spend quality time with her daughters before they were all grown-up and living who-knows-where. Emma dragged Harriet away to college the next year. Charlotte opened up a florist shop with Billy Collins. She insisted on keeping their relationship platonic, much to his chagrin. He had the bad idea of hiring Claire Bingley to be a musician with him to give the shop publicity, and Charlotte fired him. Billy and Claire then ran off to Honolulu, and were never heard from again.
Gina had found happiness with her "motorcycle dude", who turned out to be named Chris Blake. He courted her through college, and soon after she landed a job as choreographer for a small theater, they were married.
Jen and Lisa had also decided to quit cheer-leading. Jen focused more on gymnastics and dance, while Lisa decided to go into journalism. She had always had a secret desire to write, and since the squad appeared to be going under, now was the perfect opportunity.
Lisa did not see Derek again until after she had graduated from college, and the paper she worked with was doing a piece on Derek Williams, the kid who had been signed with the Yankees, and was expected to finally make it on the team this coming season. Lisa did not know what to make of the coincidence of being assigned this article, but she liked to think it was fate.
She was now twenty-two, five years older than she had been when she and Derek had first met. She wondered if he had changed. She hoped not. She hoped he still loved her. She hoped he would be willing to give their relationship a new start.
She called him up that night, to ask him for an interview. She desperately hoped he remembered her.
A voice on the other line answered, and said,
"Hello?"
"Hello?" Lisa cleared her throat nervously. "Hello, this is..."
"Lisa?"
"Uh, yeah."
"Hi. What's up?" He actually sounded glad to hear from her.
"Uh, well, see, I wanted to ask you, well, I'm calling on behalf of the Times."
"Oh." He sounded disappointed.
"Yeah. They want me to do an article on you."
"You work with the Times?"
"Yeah. Well, how about it?"
"That's great. Somehow, I always imagined you as a perky cheer-leader."
"Perky?" she asked, then remembered why she had called. "Well, Derek, what about the interview?"
"Oh, yeah. Well, why not? How about tomorrow, for lunch?"
"That sounds great."
And so it was settled. They would meet for lunch, on business terms.
Part 23
Derek waited impatiently for Lisa to show up. She was not due for five more minutes, but he was terribly anxious to see her. He saw her come into the restaurant. She looked around; she was looking for him. She smiled when she saw him, and waving the waiter away, made her way towards him. She had not changed.
"Hi," she smiled shyly as she sat down.
"Hi, Lisa. You look great."
"Thanks." She pushed her hair behind her ears self-consciously. "It's been a long time."
"A very long time," he agreed. "I didn't know you quit cheer-leading."
"Well, I didn't really have to think about my decision too much. It just wasn't fun anymore, you know?" He nodded. "But I guess baseball hasn't lost its charm for you?" She smiled.
"No, not yet. Is this the interview?"
"If you want it to be. We can wait until after lunch, if you want."
"I think we should get the business part over with, then we can focus on other things."
"Other things?"
"I haven't seen you in five years. We have a lot of catching up to do."
She was speechless. She had assumed he had moved on. Of course, she had not. While she had been on a few dates while she was in college, none of them had meant anything.
"Well," she cleared her throat nervously. "let's get started then."
She took a tape recorder out of her bag, and put it on the table. They talked of baseball and careers for the next half hour. Finally, Lisa put the tape recorder back in her bag, sat back, and said,
"We're done. Let's order. I'm famished."
"So, how have you been?" Derek asked after their food arrived.
"Fine, I guess. I was able to get a job with the Times, obviously, and there is talk of making me editor already."
"Really? That's wonderful. So, how are your sisters, and your parents?"
"Jen is working to get into the Olympics. It's rough for her. She's engaged to Charlie now."
"Really? How is Charlie?"
"He's fine. He's running a sports bar in Erie." He laughed. "How's Gina?"
"She's married."
"Really?"
"Yeah. She worked extra hard, and graduated college in two years. She's a costume designer."
"Wow." She couldn't believe it. "Who did she marry?"
"You know, I'm not really sure."
"What do you mean?"
"It's complicated. I can't keep in very good touch with Gina, because they're always moving, and they're never under the same name."
"Why not?" Lisa was suspicious. Especially when Derek lowered his voice.
"I think he's in the Secret Service. At least, that's what Gina told me."
"Well, what does Gina call him, then?"
"Chris."
"Okay. Now, see, that's all I asked."
"She calls me every now and then, just so I don't worry. But it's tough. The last time I heard from her was a month ago. She was in California then."
"Wow." was all Lisa could think of to say. She had not expected Gina to have that kind of a life. She had thought Gina would have been more suited to stability.
"What about the rest of the squad? You told me about yourself and Jen...."
"Well, Katya is in college right now, having trouble deciding on a major. After Lydia died, she really sobered up. It was sore of an eye opener for her, a realization that she's not going to get away with everything she does. Elinor and Marianne are both married, Emma is engaged, and Charlotte is happily independent with a flower shop."
The waiter was giving them not-so-subtle hints to leave. He had customers waiting, and they had been sitting there for two hours, at least.
"Well," said Derek, "It's amazing to think how far everyone has come since high-school. I'd like to hear more, but I have practice in an hour, so I have to get ready. Can I see you again sometime?"
"I'd like that." She smiled. They exchanged phone numbers, and both left happy. Derek was hopeful, Lisa was pleasantly surprised.
Part 24
Lisa and Derek saw a lot of each other in the next few months. At first, it was nothing special - they each had their own lives, they only talked when something extremely wonderful happened. But it was still pleasant; they both knew that whenever they wanted to talk, the other was only a phone call away.
But then something happened. They had both been careful to keep their new relationship platonic; no touching -outside of hugs - no dating, and absolutely no intimate relations. These were the unspoken rules of their relationship. They both knew it. And yet, they both wanted something more.
One day, however, Derek was coming out of practice, when a pretty young lady asked him for his autograph. Of course, he complied; you must have good public relations. The girl introduced herself as Linzi. She was, as I mentioned before, not bad-looking. She was charming, and Derek could not help but notice this.
However, he kept thinking of Lisa. What would happen between them if he started dating this girl? But then it hit him: he and Lisa were friends, nothing more. Until now, he had sort of held himself back from the dating scene, for Lisa's sake. He wondered, was it wise to hold onto a high-school crush for so long?
Linzi smiled brightly at him.
"You may think I'm too forward," she said. "But this is my phone number. If you're interested, call me." She handed him a slip of paper, and walked away. He went home, depressed about his realizations, but turning the issue over in his head.
Certainly there was no harm in one phone call. why should Lisa care, anyway? Why should he be considering Lisa? It wasn't like they were a couple, in the first place. They were only friends. He decided he would call Linzi.
Linzi sounded surprised to hear from him, and expressed her embarrassment over their meeting earlier that afternoon.
"I've never done that before," she insisted.
"I've never done this before," he replied. "So, you know all about me. Tell me about yourself."
Linzi was a part-time model, and a pre-law student. She was twenty-years-old, an only child, and addicted to chocolate. She adored tennis and baseball, and played both regularly. Derek was impressed. Before they hung up, Linzi was delighted to hear him ask her out to lunch the next day. Of course, she accepted. And so it was settled. They would meet for lunch, on friendly terms.
Part 25
Derek was liking Linzi more with each minute. She was sophisticated, funny, charming, smart, accomplished, pretty - in short, she was perfect.
"So, why exactly are you a vegetarian?" he asked.
"It's either because I love animals, or I hate plants, or both," she replied. "Besides, something has to balance out all the chocolate I eat."
"Oh, yes, chocolate. I can't go a day without it."
"Neither can I."
"I was joking."
"So was I," she said with a smile that said she was lying. They laughed. "So why are you a meat-eater?" she asked.
"If God had meant for us not to eat animals, He wouldn't have made them out of meat. Seriously, though, I just like it. What made you decide to be a lawyer?"
"Do you have a thing against lawyers, or something?"
"No, just curious."
"Well, I could say it was my sense of justice, or the fact that I love to hear myself talk, but actually, it was the money."
"Really?"
She nodded.
"My family was always poor, so when I was in high-school, I determined that I would give my children better. When did you know you wanted to be a baseball player?"
"My first Little League game."
"And when was this?"
"When I was ... five," he said undecidedly. "Or four, maybe six. I don't really remember exactly. But you know, little kids love the attention. Before the game, my parents kept taking pictures and exclaiming over my uniform. By the end of the game, though, I knew it was what I wanted."
"Don't tell me you hit a home-run your first time up to bat?"
"No," he laughed. "Struck out. You know, the typical battle-ax swing kids have, like they're trying to slice off a mouse's tail or something."
"So the papers were wrong; you don't have natural talent?"
"Guess so. You know, of course, that Babe Ruth was hitting home-runs at the age of three?"
"No! Really?" she said in mock astonishment. "Maybe that's where he got the name 'Babe'?"
"Uh-oh," he said suddenly, looking at the door. Lisa had just come in. She smiled at him, and started to come over.
"What's the matter?" asked Linzi, turning around. The two women's eyes met. Lisa's smile disappeared. Derek flushed slightly, but managed to gain control of himself by taking quick sips of water.
"It's okay," Lisa said to herself. "She's probably just a fan."
"Hello, Derek," said Lisa, stopping at their table. Just a fan, she repeated to herself when she looked at Linzi again.
"Hi, Lisa. Linzi Taylor, this is Lisa Bennet, a friend of mine from high-school."
Lisa blanched at his words. A friend? Linzi smiled, relieved. Just a friend
"Hi, Lisa," she said, extending a hand. They shook.
"Linzi and I met yesterday, outside the stadium," Derek explained.
"Only yesterday?" she said, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah. I asked him for an autograph, one thing led to another, and here we are," said Linzi.
"Would you like to join us?" Derek said hopefully. Lisa shook her head.
"No. I just wanted to let you know that I'll be out of town for a few days. The paper is sending me to Florida, for the college games." She made a face. "Did I ever tell you I detest Florida?"
"Really?" asked Linzi. "Why is that? I'd love to visit, if I get the chance."
"I spent a summer there when I was little. My sisters and I all got sea lice, not to mention the hurricane that came through while we were there. Childhood prejudices usually stick." She looked at her watch. "Oops. I gotta run. Nice to meet you, Linzi."
"You, too, Lisa," said Linzi, turning back to Derek. She tilted her head. "An old friend?" He flushed again.
"Well, uh, we just got back in touch a few months ago. We hadn't seen each other since high-school. Her sister had died."
Linzi winced.
"That's rough. Are you in love with her?" She was amused when he became flustered.
"Well... I..."
"Don't worry about it," she said, patting his hand and gathering her things together. "I understand. Bad luck on my part. I hope things work out for you two. Really." She left. Derek breathed a small sigh of relief, and wondered if he should call Lisa when he got home. But then he remembered she was going to Florida, and decided it would be best if she called him from her hotel.
Part 26
Lisa was hurt and confused when she arrived in Florida. She resolved to call Derek later that night, and let him know exactly what she felt about their relationship. She knew he would be shocked, but she also knew that someone had to be shocked for them to get anywhere, and she may as well do the shocking.
But by the time she got to her hotel room, she was so exhausted she merely collapsed onto the bed, forgetting about the telephone completely. The sense of procrastination kicked in, and before she knew it, Lisa had spent her entire time in Florida thinking about calling Derek and telling him a thing or two, but never actually picking up the phone.
She was back in New York a week before she talked to Derek again. He knew she was back, but was still cautious from their last meeting. He hoped she was not offended by seeing him with Linzi.
One day, Lisa could no longer avoid Derek. The news she had was too momentous not to share it with him. She waited for him to answer the doorbell to his apartment. When he did, they each noticed the other's shock, but Derek also noticed an excited gleam in Lisa's face.
"Lisa! What happened?"
"May I come in?"
"Sure." He let her in. She went to stand next to the couch. "What happened?"
"They made me editor!" she squealed in delight, sitting down, then standing again.
"That's wonderful! When?"
"This morning. Oh, I can't believe it! I thought they were sending me to Florida to get me out of the way."
"We should celebrate. Would you like a drink?"
"No, thanks. I'm too excited to drink anything."
"Then let's go out to dinner. Where shall I take you?"
Her expression changed.
"What about Linzi? Don't you have a date with her tonight?"
He looked down at the carpet, and came to stand in front of her.
"Linzi and I decided, mutually, not to be a couple."
"Really?" Lisa could not hide her renewed excitement.
"Yes." He looked up into her gaze. "She realized something that, at the time, I did not."
"Really?" Lisa felt her knees growing weak. He nodded, and suddenly, somehow, the space between them no longer existed. He cupped her face in his hands, and said,
"I love you, Lisa. And I always have." He lowered his face to hers, and they kissed. And kissed. When they pulled apart, she managed to say,
"Me, too." She laughed, and bit her lip. "I mean, I love you, too. You mean more to me than anything ever did."
The Question was on the tip of Derek's tongue, when suddenly the phone rang. They were going to go on with the business at hand, but the phone became increasingly insistent.
"It's the coach; I can tell," Derek muttered. "What timing."
"Can't we ignore it?" Lisa asked, sensing what he had been about to say. He had already answered it. After a few seconds, he hung up, and looked at Lisa dejectedly.
"I have to go," he said glumly. "Practice started twenty minutes ago."
"Can't it wait? This seems so much more interesting."
"As much as I'd love to stay here with you," he sighed dramatically, "It is impossible at the moment. I really can't afford a heavy fine right now."
"I'll see you at the game," she offered. That seemed to cheer him up. He grinned suddenly, and left. A few minutes later, she realized she was alone in Derek Williams's apartment. This freaked her out a little bit, and she quickly left. She had to get ready for the game, anyway.
Part 27
The announcement was made while Lisa was listening to the news on her way to the stadium. The Yankees had told Derek Williams to be able to play in Detroit the following week, as a possible pinch-hitter. Consequently, Lisa wore a huge grin when she took her seat. She looked at the man next to her, with the beer-belly and droopy eyelids.
"Isn't it a wonderful day?" she beamed. He looked surprised.
"Huh?"
She laughed, and turned away. She noticed it was about to rain, and realized the absurdity of her question. She shrugged to herself, and waited for the teams to take the field. The team she now considered her own was able to get two men on base before the sky opened up, and rain came down in torrents. The crowd groaned in dismay as the field was covered with blue tarp.
Lisa was disappointed. It seemed like the rain would never let up. She sat back, folded her arms over her chest, and scowled at the drunk man next to her. He looked at her, alarmed, and edged as far away from her as he could possibly go without actually standing up.
Finally, after a twenty-minute rain delay, the rain stopped. The tarp was removed, and after the opposing team's pitcher was allowed a few warm-up pitches, play resumed.
It was a very good game, but Lisa spent most of it scanning the dugout for Derek. Finally, in the seventh inning, he was called up to pinch-hit. The starting shortstop had sprained his ankle sliding into home, and it was obvious he would not be able to bat. They were down two to one, the bases were empty, and there were two outs. They needed hits. So they called up Derek.
The very first pitch, Derek connected, and sent the ball into the stands. The crowd stood up and cheered, as they always do for a home-run, and the scoreboard started flashing. At first, it did the normal celebration stunts, but as Derek was rounding third base, letters came up that spelled the question "LISA, WILL YOU MARRY ME?"
Lisa gasped, covered her wide-open mouth with her hand, then squealed in delight (she had been doing a lot of that lately), and reached over to hug the man next to her. She screamed out in the affirmative, but there was no way he could hear her over the crowd. The announcer was asking exactly how many Lisa's the other announcer assumed there were in the stadium. She ran over to the space above the dugout, shoved her way past a few VIP's, and looked down, waiting for Derek to come into ear-shot. The noise was deafening. The crowd was chanting "Say yes, say yes, say yes!" Derek looked at her and shrugged his shoulders as if to say, "Well?"
She grinned, and nodded vigorously. "Yes," she mouthed to him, and blew him a kiss before he went back into the dugout. The scoreboard people played Wagner's Wedding March every time Derek was up for the rest of the game.
"Well, it looks like the young Derek Williams will be getting married soon. What a disappointment for young ladies everywhere. What a year this kid is having," said one announcer to the other.
"Indeed," said the other. "First, he gets called up to the majors, then he belts a home-run on the first pitch, and then he gets his proposal of marriage accepted. What a day."
"What a kid."
"What a day."