Eight

On Monday, Eva had still not returned home. Bryan was worried, and began calling all of her relatives to see if they had seen her.

Her sister, Maria, said that Eva had been by the hospital the day after she gave birth, and that her husband dropped her off at a friend's house in South Lawrence. Unfortunately, Geraldo didn't know who the friend was or had a phone number.

He didn't have another break until he tried Eva's cousin Araceli. She told Bryan that a friend of her and her fiance was supposed to drive Eva back to Haverhill the night before. Araceli was shocked that Eva didn't come home.

"I'll call him and ask if Eva is at his place, and if she is, I'll have her call you," Araceli said.

Bryan said he'd appreciate it and hung up. So that's where she was, he thought, screwing around with yet another guy. He wasn't surprised to hear this news.

Eva had to go, Bryan thought. This is more than I can take from her.



Bryan was in his first class when he was called to the office to take a phone call. It was Eva's cousin Araceli.

"Bryan, Eva was at David's last night," Araceli told him. "Neither Eva or David showed up at work today. Eva called in sick. She called me on David's cell phone. They're in New Jersey. David has a couple of kids there. That's all I was able to get out of Eva. She didn't say when or if she'd be home."

Bryan thanked Araceli for calling, then went back to class. He knew where Eva was, but decided that her time at his house was over. He'd pack up her stuff when he got home. If this David was all so great, she could live with him.



When Eva returned to Haverhill two months later, Bryan asked for her key and told her to get her shit and get out. Eva didn't argue. She and David were moving into their own place in Lawrence, and she had gotten another job.

"I'm sorry I hurt you, Bryan," Eva said. "I should have handled this better."

"Yes," Bryan said, "you should have. I tried to make this work, but you wanted more than I was able to give."

"I know, Bryan," Eva said as David packed up the last of her stuff. "I hope we can still be friends."

"Maybe at some other point in time, Eva. Right now, I can't entertain that possibility," Bryan said.

Eva said she understood. Soon she was gone and Bryan was alone.




The following month, Eva called Bryan at home after she knew he'd be home from school. They had a good conversation and Bryan invited her to the Merrimack Valley Creative Persons Gathering's Christmas party on December fifteenth. Eva accepted the invitation because David had gone to New Jersey when one of his kids became seriously ill. Bryan told her that he hoped that David's son would be okay, and Eva said that she thought he would be because they caught the illness in time.

Bryan told her where the party would be and Eva agreed to meet him there.

After they hung up, Bryan knew he only asked Eva to the party because he knew she was lonely. Things weren't going well with David, he thought. Bryan thought he could tell in the sound of Eva's voice. This wasn't a date, just two friends going to a party. He wasn't going to fall into Eva's trap again.



I really treated Bryan like crap, Eva thought as she hung up from speaking with him. Though she admitted this to herself, she knew Bryan wouldn't take her back. This Christmas party was just a kind gesture on Bryan's part.

David would be in New Jersey for a while, or at least until he was assured that his son's cancer was under control. What an awful thing for a nine year old to go through, she thought. Meanwhile, she was working at the nursing facility in Methuen and making more money than she ever did in the time she'd been a nurse. She'd arrange to take the fifteenth off and go to the party.

At least Bryan was being nice to her again, and for that she was relieved. Maybe it was young David's illness that influenced her current line of thinking. She wanted to change, but wasn't sure how.

She still thought of Francisco and the fun they had together, even after he left her behind that abandoned building after nearly raping her the night she met David. Francisco wouldn't return her calls, so maybe he got back in good with his ladyfriend.

Eva hadn't even looked at another man since she hooked up with David. David treated her well and the sex was out of this world! She even thought about maybe discussing with David about having a child together. This incident with his son's illness really shook David to his core, and felt that if there was a united front with the boy's mother, then David's son, also named David, would get well. Because of her job, Eva couldn't join David. They spoke by phone every day.

She wondered again about Bryan's invitation. They were just going as friends. No pressures, no expectations.

But, Eva thought, you never know.




Bryan arrived at the Roma early, as he was on the board of the Creative Persons Gathering. It was cold as hell that night, and hoped that Eva remembered to bring a coat.

Most of the people that he and Eva knew as a couple didn't realize that they had broken up. Bryan was concerned that Eva would get the wrong idea about the status of their relationship. Then he thought that maybe they could just fake it for tonight, just so they didn't have to explain the whole sordid story multiple times.

When Eva arrived an hour later, she was thinking the same thing. She and Bryan discussed it and agreed to tell a little white lie just for the party. Eva generally didn't come to these gatherings because she found them boring, but Bryan asked her and she could never say no to him when he was being nice.

The party went well and was well attended. Eva noticed Bryan checking out a stunning redheaded woman who looked familiar to her, but couldn't place where she had seen her before. She saw that Bryan's interest was purely as a man admiring a beautiful woman. Besides that, Eva thought, she was going to see if Bryan was up to a little fooling around for old times sake. A "friend with benefits" sort of thing.

She had no idea that something was happening that didn't include her. Fate was dealing her hand, and Eva wasn't in the cards.




Bryan invited Eva back to the house after the party for a nightcap. They ended up making love, and she spent the night. Eva left early the next morning, and thought nothing more about that night. Neither did Bryan.

Events would happen in both their lives that would be the beginning the end of their friendship.

Neither saw it coming.