Among the Ducklings by Marsh Brooks Page B

say?”

    “Nothing. Her fiancée was there.”

    Jeremy was shocked. “You are
unbelievable.   You are inviting a girl
out in front of her fiancée?   Does that
sound right to you?”
    “She
doesn’t seem happy with him.”

    “Since
when you are a psychologist? All I have to say is be careful.   There
are crazy people in Miami,” Jeremy added.

    “OK, let's
change the subject,” Phil said. He was getting uncomfortable talking about
Isabel.   “How is Michelle?”

    “Same
as always. Busy with
her classes. So when do you plan on seeing that girl again?” asked Jeremy,
coming back to the subject.

    “Hopefully,
tomorrow.   We usually sit by the lake at the Center in
the afternoon after therapy sessions.”

    “What's her
name?”

    “Isabel,”
Phil answered.

    “Cute
name. Well, I have
to come down here for a case. Hopefully, I get to meet her,” Jeremy said,
hoping to be able to convince Phil in person to forget about Isabel.

    “When are
you coming?”

    “Not
sure yet.   Still working out time and date, I will let
you know,” Jeremy answered.

    “OK. Say
hello to Michelle.”

    “Will
do.   And Phil?”

    “What?”

    “Don't do
anything crazy, OK.”

    As Phil
began to protest, he realized that Jeremy had already hung up.

    Phil
could not sleep that night. He was replaying in his head his conversation with
Jeremy.   Was Jeremy right? Was he making
a mistake? After all, being disabled changes a person's entire lifestyle. The
car had to be changed, bathrooms and bedrooms had to
be reconstructed, etc.   Was he ready for
that? As he thought about all this, he felt guilty and selfish. Then feeling
more resolute, he said to himself, “if Isabel needed him, he would be there for
her as he promised her aunt, as he had promised to himself.”

    ##

    One of the
advantages about computer work was that it could be done anywhere. For Isabel,
having the accident did not completely cause her to stop working. She had a
dedicated high speed internet connection installed in her house years ago just
to send files and communicate with her office. The night before, Isabel
received a file from her office that she needed to review. However, as she was
working on the project the next morning, her mind kept going back to her
conversation with Lucy.   Self-doubt was
now creeping in on her. Why was no wedding date ever set? What had she and
Richard been avoiding?   When you are in
love, wasn't getting married just supposed to come naturally?   Why was she excited at the thought of
possibly seeing Phil today at the Center? Can you have this feeling for a man
while engaged to another?

    As Isabel
started reading and making changes to the file on her computer, the door to her
home office opened.   It was   Rebecca.

    “Good
morning, Isabel.   Did you have a good
night?” Rebecca asked.

    “Good,
you?”

    “Yes,”
Rebecca replied. She was looking at Isabel furtively as if she wanted to say
something but could not.

    “Are you
OK?” Isabel asked, now turning her eyes from the computer screen to Rebecca.

    Rebecca looked just like Mother , Isabel thought. She was one inch shorter
than Isabel, with vivid light brown eyes. She purposely wore some fashionable
glasses that made her look smart. Coupled with her nice face and figure, she
looked like a fashion model that you would see in a commercial for eyeglasses.

    “I am ok,”
Rebecca answered, standing by the door. She looked younger than her twenty
years, and her pajamas, which were stamped with multiple cartoon characters,
only added to her adolescent looks.   Beyond the glasses, Isabel could not avoid noticing that Rebecca’s brown
eyes somehow showed traces of red as if Rebecca had been crying.

    “Why were
you crying?” Isabel asked. It was as if Isabel's question was a cue to open the
floodgates. Immediately, big drops of tears started streaming down Rebecca's cheeks.

    “What is
it?” an alarmed Isabel asked Rebecca.

    “I
didn't... I couldn't