My Day - Unexpected Note

“Lexi, what’s happening to you?” “I don’t know. Maybe I grew up. Maybe I don’t believe in fairytales anymore. After all, no one has seen what Cinderella did after marrying the prince.” NICK and LEXI “You know, one day you have to tell us what’s going on between you and Nick,” says Elina, my sister, while we’re having a drink on Tuesday night with our friend, Christine. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “Stop it, Lexi. Elina is right. You’ve been behaving strangely around Nick for a few weeks. I don’t see why, unless you’re hiding something,” Christine reproaches me. They have read the situation well, but I’m not ready to tell them the truth. I’m too angry with Nick to be able to talk calmly about what’s going on between us. Well, what’s going on with me; he knows nothing of my torment. “It’s nothing,” I mutter. “Everything’s fine.” I have just finished my sentence when Nick appears, reminding me that no, everything’s not fine. It’s no wonder he’s here; this is one of our favorite cafés. We’re friends with Reed, the owner, and we schedule our meetings here often. While everyone says hello, I’m stunned when I recognize the person standing next to Nick. Has the universe decided to make me hate him? I just added another item to my list of grievances against him. He’s accompanied by Vicky. Saying I’m not fond of her would be an understatement, and, believe me, it takes a lot for me to dislike someone. What is he doing with her? “Nick, I haven’t seen you for ages,” exclaims my sister, hugging him. “We missed you.” “I missed you, too. I thought after the park inauguration things would slow down a little, but it’s exactly the opposite. My life has become even more hectic. It’s not an excuse, however. We should get together soon; I can’t wait to hear how you’re settling in now that you’re back.” My sister just got back home after several years abroad, which makes me happy. I know I haven’t told her about my feelings toward Nick, but at this moment, I’m rather upset with her for being so excited to see him. He’s a landscape architect and recently opened a park in our city, a very successful park that took him two years to complete. It’s not surprising new customers are coming in, but apparently he still finds time to see Vicky. “On the other hand, it’s probably Lexi’s fault a little. I suspect she’s been standing in the way, so we won’t team up against her like we have in the past,” he says with a smile. Elina turns to me with a falsely indignant expression. “Are you trying to keep me from seeing Nick?” “That’s the truth,” he replies, winking at me. I pretend I didn’t see and try not to react so he doesn’t know how mad I am at him. His comment is justified. I’ve been avoiding him for some time now, and he’s not fooled. It’s complicated to disappear completely from the life of someone you used to see at least once a week for years. “We have to fix this and have a drink alone,” says my sister. “You know you’ve always been my favorite.” Another time, the chatter between Nick and Elina wouldn’t have bothered me. But tonight, I only feel the pain and disappointment I felt a few weeks ago when I learned he was responsible for my breakup with my high school boyfriend, ten years ago. It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t know my reasons for blaming him; seeing him joke with my sister overwhelms me with anger. He shouldn’t laugh and behave as if he hasn’t destroyed our friendship. I know sooner or later I will need to talk to him, but I’m not ready yet. Controlling my feelings is becoming more and more complicated. He turns to Vicky. “I imagine you remember Lexi, my best friend, and Elina, her sister. This is Christine, their friend.” I’m glad to hear him say I’m still his best friend. Okay, I know I’m acting in bad faith right now, but I can’t help it. “Hi, Vicky,” Elina greets her. “Nice to see you again.” “You’re not afraid of people making fun of you by calling you Nick and Vick?” I ask. Elina gives me a confused look, and Christine barely keeps her serious expression. “My name is Vicky,” she points out as if that refutes my comment. Nick gives me a hard stare that says to be careful, but I don’t care what he wants. Elina invites them to sit with us, ignoring my frustrated look. She probably thinks it’s an opportunity to understand what’s going on between Nick and me. While the others chat, I remain silent and watch Vicky openly flirt with him. Are they dating? That’s what it looks like but since when? He never said anything to me. Then again, it would be difficult to find an opportunity to tell me anything since I’ve been avoiding him for weeks. As luck would have it, I may now have a way to make him pay for his past intrusion into my life. Until today, I had no idea how I could handle the situation, but his relationship with Vicky may be the key. I can pay him back in his own coin. An hour later, I’m ready to go home, but the others are having fun, so I try to slip away discreetly. I’ve barely walked a few steps when Nick appears next to me. “Are you going to explain?” “Explain what?” “The reason you’ve been avoiding me.” “You’re imagining things. Why would I try to avoid you?” Even I hear the falseness in my voice, but it must be said I’ve never been a talented liar. “I work a lot and, as you can see, even tonight I have to go home early,” I say. “We have so much work to do to promote the hotels that I forget lunch some days. And you know that doesn’t happen very often with me. Well, you get the picture ...” I shrug and continue walking, hoping he’ll let the conversation drop. Unfortunately, I have no such luck. Nick follows alongside me. “The only thing I see is you’re hiding something from me. When you’re a chatterbox, I know something is bothering you.” “I assure you, I’m fine.” He takes hold of my hands and gently pulls me to a stop. “Then have lunch with me tomorrow.” “Tomorrow?” I pretend to think. “I have appointments all morning. I don’t know if I can make time.” “The day after tomorrow?” “Nick, I’m serious. My schedule is very tight. Can I call you?” “Yes, you can, but if you don’t call me, expect me to come and get you.” “Oh, I don’t think you’ll have time to notice. Vicky will keep you busy.” “About Vicky … I know you two have had some slight differences in the past …” “If you call her attempts to make me look like a fool in front of the whole school ‘slight differences,’ I can only agree with you.” “Lexi, I know she wasn’t always kind in the past; she knows it too. But she has changed, I promise.” “Good for her then.” “I thought you were the kind of person who always defended the principle of giving people a second chance. Why can’t you give Vicky the benefit of the doubt?” “I don’t know. Maybe I grew up. Maybe I don’t believe in fairytales anymore. After all, no one has seen what Cinderella did after marrying the prince.” “Lexi, what’s happening to you? You’re starting to worry me. You never speak like this. You, usually, only see the bright side of life. That’s why you’re everyone’s favorite.” I know he won’t give up if I continue in this tone, so I change my tune. “I’m just tired. I need a good night’s sleep.” He sighs, knowing full well I’m not going to say anything more for now. “Well, I’ll let you go and rest. I’ll see you soon,” he says, leaning in to kiss my cheek. Waving to him, I walk away. The night is nice, and I take a long stroll; it helps me channel my negative energy when I think about Nick and what I learned from my mother the last time I saw her. I still can’t digest the news. I remember the conversation as if it happened yesterday. I went to my parents’ house, and for the umpteenth time, my mother complained that my sister and I always make questionable choices regarding our romantic relationships. Not to mention my brother, whose relationship with Erin still sticks in her throat. I countered her arguments, telling her she had no reason to accuse me of making bad choices. I had never caused her any problems; I was always the one who made the fewest waves. Growing up, I quickly understood it was useless to get bogged down in endless discussions with her, so I lived my life quietly avoiding conflicts. That doesn’t mean I didn’t express my thoughts honestly when it was necessary, but I knew how to choose my battles. I can’t say the same for Elina, who had several altercations with my mother during her teenage years, mostly because of the boys she dated. So, it was during this discussion when I told her she had no right to blame me for anything that she broke the news to me, news which has turned my life upside down and caused me grief ever since. “If you never had to regret your choices, it’s because I did everything to protect you. It’s not because you had any common sense, but because I knew what to do to prevent you from making a monumental mistake.” “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I had said irritably. “Do you remember when you became infatuated with Anthony Bailey and spent nearly all your time with him?” Only my mother has the talent to use the word “infatuated” with such contempt. “Yes, I remember. For the first time I had a fulfilling relationship, and then Anthony broke up with me and … I don’t see why you’re talking about him.” I stopped because I didn’t want to give her any ammunition to use against me. Yes, I had been in love with Anthony. When he broke up with me I was miserable, but I had never shown my distress to my mother. I knew she wasn’t going to be a source of solace to me. Only Nick and Elina knew and supported me. Matt was abroad for an exchange program at the time, and I decided not to discuss with him what had happened upon his return. I knew he would be furious with Anthony, so I said it was a mutual decision, that I wanted to focus on my studies. “If he broke up with you, it’s because Nick knew how to persuade him to do it.” Lost in my journey into the past, I didn’t hear my mother’s words right away. But suddenly they took shape in my brain, and I was annihilated. “Nick?” I repeated, convinced my mother lost her mind. “Yes, Nick. Who else? I’ve always been able to count on him.” She continued to talk as if she hadn’t just dealt me a heart-wrenching blow. “What are you talking about? Your words don’t make any sense.” My voice was barely audible. I refused to accept what she had said; it wasn’t possible Nick would do anything to hurt me. I was the one who had always been able to count on him, not my mother. Nick always sided with me; he never agreed with my mother during our conflicts. Why would he get involved in my relationship with Anthony? “Can you please explain?” With my mother, there’s only one tone that works: calm and controlled. I wanted to shout at her, but I knew if I did, I would only succeed in making her dig her heels in. My mother sighed in exasperation but said, “When I realized you had started neglecting your studies and your social life—jeopardizing your future—because of your infatuation with that boy, I asked Nick to intervene. To make Anthony understand it wasn’t a good idea to hang out with you if he wanted to have a chance for a better future. Nick agreed, so he talked to him. Fortunately for all of us, he managed to persuade him to break up with you. After he did, you got your life back on track and you understood what your priorities should be. So don’t tell me you’ve succeeded in life because you made the right choices. If only your sister was so easy to deal with.” “I don’t believe you,” I said in an icy voice. “Why would Nick have agreed to help you? He knew I was in love with Anthony.” But even as I spoke those words, I knew she was telling the truth. My mother will do what it takes to get her way, completely ignoring how you feel, but lying isn’t like her. Omit the truth, yes, but lie to your face, no. She always takes responsibility for her actions because she believes everything she undertakes is in our best interest; she always knows better. Therefore, she sees no reason to lie. “Just ask him.” I left her house annihilated but determined to go directly to Nick’s and ask him for an explanation. But on the way, I realized I was incapable of confronting him. I didn’t want Nick to confirm what my mother said; I wanted to live with the illusion that the conversation never happened. Since that day, I can’t get her story out of my head though, and I don’t know how to deal with Nick anymore. So I do my best to avoid him until I decide how to handle the situation. I haven’t said anything to my sister, nor to Christine or Arianna, my two best friends. I don’t feel ready yet. I haven’t given up on the idea of confronting Nick, but it will have to wait for the right moment. I have to be prepared. When I get home from the café, I’m a little calmer. Now I have to find an excuse not to see him in the next few days. Knowing him, if we meet up, he will find a way to make me confess what’s wrong, and I want it to be done on my terms. It’s only the next morning, while talking with Erin, my brother’s fiancée, in my office, that I make my decision. No, I won’t let Nick get away with it easily. I’m not just going to ask him for an explanation and give him a chance to apologize. He had years to tell me the truth, and he never did. Now it’s too late. Now he has no choice but to play by my rules. “Something’s worrying you. Why don’t you tell me what it is?” Erin asks. She came to me to ask for advice regarding her participation in a talk show where she would be promoting the hotels. Although she doesn’t really need help anymore, we like to work together, and according to her I’m the queen of public relations so I can only be of help to her. “I’m fine,” I say in a tone I hope is convincing. “I have an appointment with Matt in forty-five minutes. If I’m not on time, I’ll tell him it was because of you.” I smile at her, but I don’t give in. “I promise you everything is fine.” “Lexi, since I’ve known you, I’ve had many opportunities to see that you’re a calm, determined person who knows what she wants in life and how to get it. So if you can’t overcome a problem, I can only assume it’s about a man.” Her gaze remains fixed on me until I move uncomfortably. “Ha, I knew it! Are you in love? Tell me you’re in love.” “Believe me, that’s not the case. But, and this stays between you and me, I have a problem I don’t know how to resolve. I’m only telling you this because I know you and I know you won’t leave me alone.” “I’m listening.” “I found out a man I appreciate and who has an important place in my life acted in a way that harmed me in the past and then lied about it. I can’t decide the best way to handle the situation.” “I’m not going to ask you who this man is or what he did. I may be curious but not indiscreet, and I feel like you don’t want to tell me more. But I’m going to ask you this: what do you want from him?” “At first I thought I just wanted an explanation, why he did what he did and lied to me, but I’m not sure anymore. He caused me harm; I really suffered from his actions. He betrayed my trust. So I want him to pay one way or another.” “Lexi, you’re not really seeking revenge are you? It’s not like you.” “Not revenge, Erin, but I want him to understand how much he hurt me. I feel confused and want my serenity back, which will only happen if I succeed in putting what happened behind me.” My voice breaks and I hate it. I’m in the habit of always being positive, and I don’t like feeling vulnerable. “I understand,” Erin says calmly, “and I think I have the perfect solution for you. I’m surprised you didn’t think of it yourself. Use the My Day concept. Find an original and fun way to pay him back in his own coin. Don’t tell me you weren’t amused by what Arianna did.” “I was,” I say, smiling. “You’re right, and the idea had already crossed my mind. But, you see, I’m so lost I can’t even think about how to get revenge in a fun way.” Erin laughs. “You have ten minutes to prepare me for the show, and don’t forget I’m waiting for a detailed account of your adventures. Oh, and don’t you dare say anything to Matt! He doesn’t need to know I’m encouraging his sister to take revenge against someone.” After Erin’s departure, I ponder the idea. I agree with her. It suits me a lot more to do something fun, and the sooner I put my idea into practice the better. How? Pretty easy. Nick had the audacity to ruin my first real love story, so I’ll make sure his current relationship with Miss Vicky encounters a few bumps along the way. Yes, I probably shouldn’t be proud of what I intend to do, but at this moment my desire to avenge myself exceeds my moral objections. I even think of going so far as to establish a list of my steps toward his destruction. No, I’m not Julia Roberts in My Best Friend’s Wedding; I don’t intend to really ruin his relationship. I just want to show him how hurtful it can be to interfere in someone’s life. I hope it will be enough to help me find peace. My plan starts as soon as I receive his message to confirm our lunch. I answer with a smiling emoticon First, we have to restore our relationship. That way he won’t suspect anything and therefore he won’t put a spoke in my wheels. He made it clear he suspects something’s wrong, so my work must be methodical and thorough.