And Then There Were Three (7 page)

“You have to stop seeing her right now.
Simple as that you and daddy have to stop seeing her. You are
married. You two can’t date another woman. Mom, stop this right
now!” Sabrina folded her arms like a petulant child as the tears
continued to stream down her cheeks.

“Sabrina, your dad and I will not see her any
more. That does not mean you have to stop going to the studio.
Nicole is a really good fit for you,” I implored. Sabrina just
shook her head that she agreed. My heart felt like it was literally
being ripped out of my chest. The thought of not being able to see
Nicole, or kiss her, or just hold her in my arms was causing a
river of tears to flow down my face. I tried to wipe them away less
Sabrina see my insane distress but it was too late.

“I can’t believe you’re in love with a woman.
You are a wife and mother, behave like one,” Sabrina said. I wanted
to say something about her smart mouth but I let her have her
venomous words. I couldn’t imagine what she was feeling right
now.

“Can we please keep Mark Jr. and Celeste out
of this Sabrina?” I finally managed as we pulled into our garage.
Sabrina jumped out of my truck slamming the door before I could put
it in park. I sat in the car for a few extra minutes absorbing
everything that just happened. I picked up my cell phone and made
the call.

“Hello Nicole,” I said, my voice
quivering.

“Hey sweetheart, I wasn’t expecting to hear
from you so soon,” Nicole said immediately catching the inflection
in my voice. “What’s the matter Eva?”

“I am sorry Nicole but we can’t see you any
more. Sabrina has figured out what is going on and we have to end
this. Our kids come first and she is humiliated by my behavior
towards you,” I explained. “She will continue to dance at your
studio, if that’s okay with you.”

“I am so sorry Eva but I understand,” Nicole
said as a sob escaped. “Sabrina is a wonderful dancer and I want
her to continue her training here.”

“I am sorry too Nicole.” I tried to fight
back any additional tears but the sorrow permeated my voice. We sat
holding the phone in silence for a few minutes before she finally
spoke. “I love you both.”

“We love you too Nicole.” I said overcome
with grief as I hung up the phone. I didn’t even notice Mark
standing outside my car window until he opened the door. Actually
it was the car complaining that the driver’s side door was open
with the keys still in the ignition that got my attention. I was
just going numb thinking about not touching Nicole again. Mark
helped me out of the car allowing me to lean on him for a few
minutes as my tears took over again.

“It’s going to be okay Eva. I promise,” Mark
whispered in my ear. “I loved her too.”

“I know you did Mark, we both did. Thank God
I still have you.”

Sabrina watched our exchange feeling sad but
managing to keep her anger in check. The audacity of us almost
ruining our marriage for another woman was enough fuel for her
fire. I managed to regain some of my composure while inside the
house. I went about business as usual, homework, dinner, and
general conversation. When it felt like I couldn’t for much longer
I feigned a migraine and went to bed early.

“You okay mom,” Celeste asked her eyes huge
behind her eyeglasses.

“Yes sweetie. I just had a long day today,” I
replied. It wasn’t a lie. Celeste ran up to give me a hug and I
patted her long black hair. The hug instantly made me feel better
but not enough that I still didn’t long to be alone with my
thoughts. I kept revisiting my last kiss with Nicole and fought the
tears threatening. This was going to be more difficult than I was
prepared to deal with.

Sabrina watched us like a hawk for the next
few weeks. When either of us dropped Sabrina off for dance class we
never went inside the studio. Sabrina would be diligently waiting
alone or with friends outside upon our return. It was really taking
its toll on us both to be without Nicole but we did the best to
seem oblivious to her absence. Sabrina did not buy the phony
baloney pretend routine.

“Mom today is our last rehearsal before the
show on Friday. Would you please come in and watch us perform?”
Sabrina asked unable to meet my eyes. Mark had taken her to dance
class but begged me to pick her up. He didn’t like the way Sabrina
glared at him every time he dropped her off or picked her up from
the studio.

“Are you sure you want me to come in Brina? I
will be at the performance on Friday,” I replied not wanting to go
inside. Seeing Nicole after this grueling two-week absence would be
too much for me. I had physically lost weight going through the
whole break-up process that was so foreign to me considering I had
been married for over fifteen years.

“I just want you to see my solo,” she
explained. “That is if you can contain yourself.”

Well that was the usual teenage sarcasm I had
missed, not! With that I parked the SUV and ventured into the
building. Nicole was instructing a group of elementary school
children while the older dancers looked on. As soon as she saw my
face a ghost of a smile crossed her lips. It was immediately
quashed by the look of disdain on Sabrina’s face.

“Oh, it’s fine Brina, really calm down,” I
mumbled, then gave a shrug of my shoulders. Sabrina ‘harrumphed’ as
she went to join the older dancers. I tried to reel in the forlorn
look that I was certain plastered my face. The look slowly
materialized to horror as I took in the vision of Nicole, now
standing with the older dancers. I had lost a few pounds, which I
could gladly spare, in the past few weeks. Nicole had lost a fifth
of her weight, which she could not spare. Her frame looked
emaciated compared to just being petite or thin. I wished she would
let me know if she was really okay or extra stressed because of the
upcoming show. I redirected my attention to my daughter as she
began her solo practice.

To say my daughter was graceful would be an
absolute understatement. She looked exceptionally beautiful as she
moved to the music. I could see Nicole’s influence on her moves and
how dramatically she had corrected what another dance teacher had
called, “poor turnout.” I was near tears when Sabrina finished her
solo and clapped wildly. The embarrassment that brought Sabrina
garnered me a hefty scowl but it soon dissipated into a soft smile.
After her solo we watched the other dance numbers. Nicole sat down
a lot, which was unusual for her. Generally she was very involved
with their dance routines. I stalled as much as I could to make
sure that Nicole was okay.

“Miss Nicole doesn’t look so good,” Sabrina
whispered. The other students were filing out of the building to
their parents. When the last student left the building Sabrina and
I walked over to Nicole. She was holding on to the back of a chair
almost like a wheelchair. My heart broke the closer I got to her I
could see the dark circles under her eyes. She looked so painfully
thin I felt the tears hit my cheek before I realized I was crying.
I quickly wiped them away lest Sabrina see them.

“Nicole, are you okay?” I asked before I was
even in front of her.

“I am fine just a little tired. This showcase
is a lot more work than I thought,” she said trying to bring a
smile to her lips. The smile quickly faded, as did Nicole. The
chair slid away unable to balance her weight as she began to lose
consciousness. I managed to get to her before she hit the floor
completely.

“Nicole, sweetheart, what’s the matter,” I
yelled. I wasn’t sure if this was safe but I shook her to try and
get an answer. She mumbled something incoherent as I did my best to
scoop her into my arms. The tears were full on spilling down my
cheeks as I tried to rouse Nicole.

“What’s the matter with Miss Nicole?” Sabrina
asked hysterically.

“I don’t think she has been eating properly.
Sabrina, grab her purse and keys from the office we are taking her
to the hospital.” Now I am no Hercules but by the grace of God I
managed to carry Nicole to my truck. I was completely out of breath
and barely able to stand once I got her in the back seat. My
daughter and I were full on crying by the time I pulled my SUV into
the emergency parking area. Sabrina scrambled out of the truck to
get some assistance. I definitely would not be able to carry her
again. Several attendants came out with a stretcher and got Nicole
safely into the emergency room department. The level of activity
was astounding as they tried to figure out what was wrong with her.
After two grueling hours of waiting I finally got the nerve to send
Mark a text message. I hated not having any answers for him but I
thought he should at least know our current location.

“Excuse me ma’am are you related to Miss
Fischer?” The young doctor asked while Sabrina and I sat in the
waiting room.

“She is my uh…” I stuttered looking back at
Sabrina first. “She is my girlfriend.”

If the doctor was shocked it didn’t register
on his face. Instead he continued on with his diagnosis. “It
appears that Miss Fischer is severely dehydrated and suffering the
beginning effects of starvation. Is there something going on that
we should be aware of in regards to Miss Fischer’s medical
history?”

“Nicole runs a dance studio. She has a huge
showcase coming up and we were uh taking some time off from our
relationship,” I explained.

“Okay that explains a lot. We will keep an
eye on her for the next twenty-four hours. We have fluids running
now and are encouraging her to eat. Does Miss Fischer have a
history of anorexia or any other eating disorder?”

“She doesn’t have a history of any eating
disorder but she has had thyroid problems when she was younger. I
think it was overactive.”

“Okay well thanks for the information. We
will run tests to make sure that is not interfering with her
current diagnosis. Miss Fischer is asking for you.” The doctor gave
me a slight smile as he led us to Nicole’s private room. The small
observation room would be her temporary home for the next
twenty-four hours. Nicole looked even smaller than I remembered as
she lay in the hospital bed. There was an IV running and a nearby
blood pressure machine. Nicole’s eyes fluttered open as we entered
the room. She looked a little bit better as there was some color to
her cheeks.

“Geez I am so sorry Sabrina and Eva. I didn’t
realize,” she said weakly. I wanted to run to the bedside and take
her hand in mines but I refrained for Sabrina’s sake. Nicole looked
as if she wanted to reach out to me but she too refrained for
Sabrina’s sake.

“Are you okay Miss Nicole?” Sabrina asked her
voice shaky.

“Yes I am sorry if I scared you. I guess I
haven’t been eating as much lately.” Nicole averted her eyes to
some invisible spot on the hospital blanket. We all knew that she
was not eating properly because of our breakup. I felt so bad for
this entire situation. Nicole and I intermittently looked at each
other, as the room grew silent.

“This is my fault isn’t it?” Sabrina said
tears spilling over like a waterfall.

“No sweetheart this isn’t your fault,” I
explained pulling Sabrina in for a hug. “We should have been honest
with you from the beginning.”

“Sabrina, this was all me. I just wasn’t
paying much attention to eating. I was so focused on the showcase
that I forgot.” Nicole tried to convince with words but Sabrina was
not having any of it. Sabrina pushed away from me.

“I told you and dad to stop seeing her and
look at her mom. This is my fault. Do not think I don’t hear you
crying or see how sad dad is every since I told you not to see her
any more. Miss Nicole you seem so unhappy even with the big
showcase coming up.” Sabrina walked over to the lone chair in the
room and plopped down defeated. I rushed to her side dropping to my
knees. “Sabrina this isn’t your fault. You have every right as our
daughter to demand that we do everything to protect our marriage.
We did this not you.”

“But you and dad love Nicole don’t you?”
Sabrina looked resigned as she spoke. I dropped my head down not
because I was ashamed but because I didn’t know how to explain this
to my then fourteen-year-old daughter. This was not a situation
children should be dealing with but there was nothing I could do
about it now. I held my head up with as much pride as I could
muster, “We do love Nicole very much.”

“I knew it. Then be with her mom, do not let
me stop you. If this will not hurt our family, by all means stay
with her.” Sabrina said finding enough strength for a smile. I
looked into her eyes not wanting to rush to excitement. I needed to
be sure that she felt the courage of her words.

“Sabrina, I would never want to do anything
to hurt you or Celeste or Junior. If this relationship with Nicole
could do that then I would rather we back out now.”

“Nicole, do you love my mom and dad?” Sabrina
asked looking past me to Nicole. The vigorous shaking of her head
indicated the fluids were helping her to regain her strength. “I
truly do love both your parents but your mom is right. If this
would affect you guys then we have to end this.”

“I think my parents’ marriage is very good. I
guess I was just worried what other people would think. I just do
not want to see Nicole sick or my parents so sad.”

“Sweetheart, I want you to think about this
before you make this decision. We do not want to hurt you in any
way because there will be plenty of people who disapprove of this
relationship,” I made clear.

“I am sure mom I promise,” she replied
looking at Nicole. The smile on Nicole’s face was hard to miss. I
gave Sabrina one last look before making my way to Nicole’s
bedside. I didn’t want to traumatize my daughter so I gave Nicole a
chaste kiss. Just being this close to her made me feel better. I
could see the happiness working wonders on her health as well. Mark
entered the room hurriedly with a worried look on his face. He
greeted Sabrina first with a kiss to her forehead before making his
way to Nicole’s bedside. Like me he stood a respectable number of
feet away from her bed.