The Light in the Wound (7 page)

“Whoa, Isabel, you didn’t tell me that he was the team’s pitcher!” Betty exclaimed under her breath.

“I didn’t know,” I replied, my eyes focused on the beautiful boy standing on the pitcher’s mound fiddling with his cap and looking around the stands. He saw me and smiled. I had never been so interested in a sport in my entire life.

I didn’t really know what to do after the game ended that afternoon.
Should I get up and walk over to Jesse while he’s surrounded by a group of cheerleaders? Or should I leave and see whether he chases me across the field?
Betty made that decision for me as her boyfriend Leigh and a friend walked up the stands toward us. As I looked up to see Leigh’s friend’s eyes focused on me, I actually glanced down to avoid a stare down. He had short, blond, spiky hair, dark blue eyes and day-old stubble on his chin. Alluringly full lips on a perfectly squared jaw. While Jesse was less muscular but athletically built, this guy’s body was defined in all the right places. His clothes were impeccably put together.

“Isabel, this is Leigh’s friend, Alex Ailey. Leigh thinks we should go and get something to eat before we drop you back off at home,” Betty said in her sexy, breathy tone as she grabbed hold of Leigh’s hand.

“Isabel, it’s so nice to finally meet you. I see you a lot at the Club.” His smile seemed real and genuine, and he had gorgeous eyes. I glanced over to the dugout. Jesse was no longer there. I didn’t know whether I was disappointed that he didn’t seek me out or relieved that I wouldn’t have to see him that day.

“Sure, where were you guys thinking of going?” I asked, a little distracted by the way the friend was looking at me.

“Let’s just get out of here and wing it,” said Alex, as he winked at me.

We walked down the stairs and headed out to the parking lot. I had a good time just getting to know both Leigh and Alex. It was nice to see Betty interact with Leigh. He was much older and very protective over her. Alex, on the other hand, was just easy to get along with. He was three years older than me, educated abroad and traveled back and forth during his school breaks. I knew we would fall into a friendship after our first meeting.

“So Alex, how do we know each other?” I asked inquisitively. Although he said he knew me, I was certain I would remember a face like that if we had met in the past. “Did you just move here?” I continued my query.

“My dad was an expat working for Philip Morris 20 years ago. We transferred here from the U.S. and never left. He loved it here, the people, the culture, the life. He decided to set up his business here.”

“Ahh. An Amboy.” Our slang for American Boy. “And you’re at the Polo Club often?”

He laughed at my earlier statement. “I used to see you there when you were younger, with your stepbrother, John. He was a year older than me at the International School. He told me that you left to study abroad.”

“And how do you know Leigh?”

“Leigh and I have been friends since grade school. When he told me he was going to meet up with Betty and her friend, I knew who you were as soon as I heard your name. You’re pretty popular at the Club, Isabel.”

“Me? No way. I normally keep to myself when I’m out there. You must be referring to someone else.”

“No, I’m not. You’re not easy to forget, Isabel Amarra.”

“I bet you say that to all the girls.”

Later on that evening, I arrived home to three missed calls from Jesse.

“Hi Isabel, where’d you run off to after the game?” Jesse asked as soon as I answered my phone. If he was upset that I had left, there was no indication of that at all in his voice.

“Oh, I went out for a bite to eat with Betty and her boyfriend,” I answered tentatively, not knowing where this was going to lead.

“I tried to find you after taking a shower and you were gone!”

He laughed lightheartedly.

“Sorry about that. I wasn’t sure whether you had intended for me to wait. Great game, by the way.” I shrugged my shoulders, assuming it was a good game because they had won.

“That’s okay, Isabel. I’m glad you enjoyed the game.”

The next few weeks were spent watching any baseball game I could catch on TV after school and in the evenings. Jesse invited me to another home game shortly after that. This time, I went without Betty and sat in the stands to wait for him after the game. It was another win for his team, with Jesse batting the tie-breaking home run. There seemed to be the same set of girls who were waiting for him at the end of this match as well. This time, Jesse spoke with them briefly and then ran up the stands, two steps at a time, to catch me before I had a chance to leave.

“Isabel, don’t leave, okay? I’m going to take a shower and will be right back in ten minutes. I’d like to be the one to take you home this afternoon.”

I gave him a smile and nodded. As I watched him walk away, I couldn’t help but stare at his backside. Despite the loosely hanging jersey, the ridges of his back muscles and arms showed through its material. His baseball pants showcased the tightest and most well-built set of thighs and legs I had ever seen.

Sure enough, he showed up in less than ten minutes, his hair dripping wet and smelling like sweet licorice. He took my hand and we walked toward his car. Somewhere along the way, another group of girls called out his name and he waved at them. I pulled my hand away, embarrassed to be infringing on what could be someone else’s turf.

Jesse’s calls continued every night after that last game. He would wait for me outside school on the days that he coached. We only spoke for a few minutes each time because Evie and Alicia needed a ride back to my father’s house. With school, coaching, his student council activities and his games, there wasn’t really much room for me. Not that I was looking for anything, really. Those reliable phone calls did ease my loneliness every night after having dinner all alone or while waiting for my mother to come home.

His calls would come late at night after I had gotten ready for bed. I would cradle the phone by my ear and wait for it to ring.

“Hi, it’s Jesse,” he would start out.

“Hi,” I would say. My eyes closed, big smile on my face.

“How was your day? Sorry it’s so late, just got out of practice.” He always spoke in a hushed tone, and I wondered whether there were other people in the room with him.

“That’s all right. Mine was good. My mom’s not home yet, so I’m kinda dozing on and off. Rode for an hour today then came home to study for my Chem test. How about you?”

“Studied a bit before practice. Practiced. That’s pretty much it ... so tell me what you reviewed for Chem.” He chuckled.

“Hmm, I’m so tired, I don’t even know anymore.” I giggled.

“Is it obvious that I’m just trying to keep you on the phone a little longer? I love the sound of your voice. Let me keep you company till your mom gets home,” he whispered.

Training for the equestrian events going on at the club was taking most of my free time after school. Pepe and I had just begun to build such a good chemistry that I won blue ribbons in many competitions that year. Betty and I also went out with Leigh and his friends. They were a fun bunch, and most of the time we were at one of their houses playing Scattegories and other board games. Once in a while, Betty would tell me that so-and-so was interested in me. I think that although I didn’t admit it at that time, I was really saving myself for Jesse.

One day after one of his games, he picked me up from the stands and introduced me to his mother. The way that he said my last name made her look straight at me with a sharp look of concern.

“You’re Claudia Holtzer’s daughter?” she asked.

“Yes, ma’am. It’s very nice to meet you.”

“Mom, I invited Isabel over for dinner after the game.” I kept my stare on him, refusing to glance over to see his mother’s reaction. I remembered the fights I caused in grade school trying to defend Alicia against the nasty rumors that were being spread about my mother.

“Of course, Jesse. Isabel, it would be great if you could join us for dinner,” she said warmly and without hesitation.

“That would be lovely, Mrs. Cain. Thank you for inviting me.”

Mrs. Cain insisted I ride back with her while Jesse drove separately in his car.

“Isabel, how is your mother? I knew her from my high school days. I used to see her at parties and would read about her in the society pages. Your mother is beautiful, and you look just like her.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Cain. She’s doing well. She’s really busy with her dress shop and Grace is occupying most of her time these days.”

“Ah, yes, your youngest sister. I hear that she is growing up to be a healthy little girl.”

Where in the world were these people getting all their intel on my family?

We finally arrived at Jesse’s house. The car pulled into a tiny one-car garage that had a tall set of stairs leading to the back of the house. Jesse ran toward the car to make sure he was the one to lead me inside. We followed his mother as she opened the door to us. There was such a welcoming vibe in his home that I immediately started to relax. The structural layout was long and narrow, quite small and compact. The kitchen, dining room and living room all shared the same space, and my first thought was that the area was smaller than my mother’s bedroom. Jesse excitedly pulled me up the stairs to meet his brothers and sisters. He shared a bedroom with three younger siblings and they all had smiles on their faces as he introduced me to each one of them.

Jesse’s father was a stern military man who expected nothing but the best from his children. His mother was meek and quiet in front of his father, something I did not expect when I met her earlier at the game. The first dinner I had with his family felt more like an interrogation, but that was understandable. His father gushed about my grandfather being a self-made man, talked about his businesses, wanted to know whether I was planning to work for my grandfather when I graduated. Jesse was a bit embarrassed by all the questions, but he just held my hand and smiled at me throughout the conversation. The atmosphere was warm and inviting and they were genuinely happy to meet me. His sisters were a bit on the shy side, but I could tell that they truly adored their older brother.

That dinner with his family was the first of many dinners we shared through the years that Jesse and I were together. Jesse’s father and I would share a closeness that I never had with my own father. We also spent many nights at the table talking about my family, my sisters and my parents. His father showed an unaffected interest in me and my plans for the future. He quickly erased all of my reservations about my mother’s reputation and how that might influence his perception of me. Those times were precious to me, and to this day, I think of him with so much fondness in my heart.

Meanwhile, Alex and I developed a friendship that was comfortable and easy, due to the fact that I was at the Polo Club most days after school. He was funny about calling me randomly, and we would go back and forth with an easy banter. It was nice having someone who was a part of the group that I used to hang out with when I was younger. Sometimes at night, my phone would ring and it would be him with silly one-minute updates:

“Hello?”

“Hi Isabel, it’s me, Alex. Just wanted to let you know that Lizzy didn’t clear that last jump at today’s event. I saw how you killed it the other day. Great job!”

“You saw me? Where were you?”

“Watching you.”

“Shut up.”