Betty's First Trip to Rome the Prequel - Chapter 13 – Splitting a sandwich
Daniel gulped. He stalled. He did not know how to respond to Betty's question. Neither Hilda nor himself had anticipated that Betty would learn of the dress he gave Hilda. Neither of them had thought about what to do if she did.
Daniel silently chastised himself. He tried to think of what he should do. He knew that Betty would be angry at him if she discovered that he was interfering in her life. He knew this from their talk. She had made him promise he would not interfere.
Daniel was worried. He knew that Betty had already banned a very good friend, Gio, from her life. He knew she was already preparing to leave his employ. Daniel was afraid she would ban him from her life as well. He knew she was capable of doing it.
But Daniel treasured their friendship and he would be adrift if he lost it. Losing her friendship would be worse, far worse, than merely losing her as his assistant. He couldn't tell her the truth. He tried to think of what to say. He was panicked. He finally thought of something to say.
Daniel said "Oh, Betty. Betty. I am sorry you had to find out this way. I am so sorry. You see what's happened is that Hilda and I are seeing each other. It has nothing to do with you."
Betty glared at Daniel. Daniel knew he was taking a risk. Betty was as likely to hate him either way. But he was short of ideas. This was the best he could come up with.
Daniel said "I didn't want to tell you. You are going through such a bad time with Gio right now that I didn't think it was fair for you to know of our happiness. I am so sorry. Please don't be mad at me."
Daniel was heaping lie upon lie. He was trying to dig himself out of a hole that he'd fallen into. It was a hole that he had not seen coming. The lies he was telling her now were incompatible with the script that Hilda had written for him. He was shutting the door on that and he didn't know what he would do instead. This explanation was not getting him where he needed to go. It was merely his attempt to avert disaster.
Betty said angrily "I can't believe Hilda would take up with you! You … you … my god Daniel. You know what you are! And she does too!"
Daniel said "No, Betty. I care for Hilda. I wouldn't treat her like that. Please believe me. You have to believe me."
Daniel's cell phone rang. He looked at it distractedly. He answered it. It was Claire. Daniel spoke into the phone "Hi Mom, can I call you back? This isn't a good time." Claire answered in the affirmative but while she talked Daniel thought of an idea. Daniel continued "Oh, I see. Yes. A really important call? Of course, I see I must take it. Can you hold?" Claire was confused. She had assured Daniel her call was not important and that it could wait but Daniel didn't listen. He told her to hold while he covered the phone and spoke to Betty.
Daniel said "Betty, I have to take this call. Please wait at your desk. I want to speak to you as soon as I can. Unfortunately this is unavoidable. I'll try to keep it short. Don't go anywhere, okay?"
Betty left the room. Daniel watched her as she sat down at her desk and stared glumly out the window.
Daniel spoke to Claire "Hi, I'm sorry about that. I have a situation with Betty. It's a very bad situation. I need to talk to you. You have to help me."
Hilda and Gio were in the town car parked in front of the deli. Gio was crushed. He was despondent. He wondered how he could have been so blind to Betty's feelings. He didn't know what to think. He didn't know what to do. He was afraid he'd never see Betty again. He begged Hilda to help him.
Hilda sent Gio into the deli to get them sandwiches. When he returned she told the driver to take them to her house. They were going to see Ignacio.
During the drive Hilda went over with Gio in plain language what was wrong between him and Betty. He had misread her. Hilda was helping him to understand Betty's feelings and her reactions. Gio needed to learn her signals. And he needed to restrain his impulses. He had overwhelmed her with his affection. Hilda was changing Gio's behavior towards Betty.
Gio had had a severe shock during the empathy exercise. He'd been cut to the quick by it. Hilda had cut through any instinctive defensiveness Gio may have had. Hilda had bypassed any natural resistance or denial he may have had. He was now optimally receptive to her suggestions. And she had gotten him to this point in a time span that could be measured in minutes.
She worked quickly to make the changes to his thinking that he needed. She worked swiftly and with surgical precision. But there is no anesthetic for this kind of surgery. Hilda was as fast and precise as she could be but to Gio it still hurt like hell.
Then Hilda ate her sandwich and prepared Gio for his interview with Ignacio. Gio didn't eat.
Ignacio had been apprised of the situation by Hilda earlier. He knew everything that had occurred. He knew about Daniel and Hilda trying to repair Betty's relationship with Gio. He knew what Daniel knew. He knew what Hilda knew. He knew what they had learned from Betty and Gio. But Ignacio was concerned for his daughter. Betty's happiness was his primary concern. It was his only concern.
Hilda and Gio entered the house together. Ignacio was seated at the kitchen table waiting for them. Hilda put Gio's sandwich in the fridge. Gio sat down at the table across from Ignacio. Hilda went to her shop. Soon they heard the quiet murmur of Hilda and a customer talking.
Gio was waiting for Ignacio to start. Gio was nervous. The two men quietly eyed each other.
Ignacio was the father of a beloved daughter. Gio was the prospective boyfriend of the daughter. There really wasn't that much for them to discuss.
Ignacio asked simply "Gio, what are your intentions?"
Gio answered simply "I love her. I want to marry her. If I thought she'd accept I would propose to her today."
That was what Ignacio needed to hear. And he had to hear it from Gio. Now he had heard it he was relieved. Ignacio jumped up, clapped Gio on the back and offered him coffee. Gio readily accepted and Ignacio busied himself making coffee and putting out a plate of cookies. Gio divided his sandwich between them. When Hilda returned she was pleased to see they were both relaxed and talking pleasantly while eating together.
Hilda was satisfied with her part of the plan. She wondered how Daniel was doing with his part.
Daniel was on the phone explaining the situation with Betty to Claire. He begged her to help and Claire eagerly agreed. Daniel explained everything he knew. He told her what he'd learned from Betty. He told her what he had learned from Gio. He told her of his fear of losing Betty.
Claire was as concerned as Daniel. Claire loved Betty and she wanted her to stay at Meade. And Betty's happiness was important to Claire. Claire owed her freedom to Betty. She would not have thought of it as an exaggeration to say she owed her life to Betty. Claire had to take care of Betty.
Claire learned from Daniel all about Gio and she became determined to help them get back together. Daniel told her about Gio asking Betty to go to Rome with him. He told her how he had offered them a free trip there. He told her about Betty's fight with Gio. Claire listened and discussed the problem with Daniel. They tried to cover as many of the details as they could while not taking up too much time.
Daniel confessed to Claire of his botched plan to change Betty's mind about Gio and the trip. Daniel described the details of Hilda's plan. Claire promised to come up a new plan. Claire knew how to fix things. She knew she was good at it. She knew she was much better at it than Daniel. Claire immediately took charge of the situation. Daniel told her that whatever she did she was to not reveal to Betty what she had learned from him. He was desperate to keep Betty from learning that he was interfering in her life.
Claire told Daniel she would take Betty away to talk. He was to do nothing but wait until she called him. Claire told Daniel that she would tell Betty that he had to have a long call with a lawyer about Daniel Jr. Betty would believe that.
Daniel ended the call with Claire and pretended to make another call. He pretended he was talking to the lawyer. Betty could see that Daniel was on the phone and she continued to wait for him.
Claire went to Betty's desk. She explained to her that Daniel was busy on the phone and would be busy for a long while. She invited Betty to go with her to a private lounge located on the top floor of the building. She told her that Daniel knew where they would be.
When they reached the lounge it was mid-afternoon. The view from the floor to ceiling windows was spectacular. The city was picture perfect below them. Everything was bathed in warm sunshine. Claire put some cheese and crackers on a plate for them to share. She poured a glass of wine for Betty and sparkling water for herself. They sat in some comfortable chairs.
Once they were settled Claire asked Betty how she was. Betty was unable to answer. She had no answer. She was using all her energy to keep her feelings hidden.
Claire waited.
Betty loved and respected Claire more than anyone. She wished she could be like her. She was proud to know her. She wanted to learn from her.
Betty started to talk.
She told Claire that she had tried to take her suggestion to take risks to heart. She had failed miserably at it. The very first risk she took, the one in which she said yes to a trip to Rome with Gio, had exploded in her face. She had gotten cold feet and because of it she had destroyed her friendship with Gio. And she had to leave the job she loved. And she wouldn't get to go to Rome ever. It was a disaster. She didn't know who to blame for it.
She was angry. She was confused. She was heartsick. She was a mess.
Claire encouraged Betty to talk. Claire let Betty talk as long as she needed. She let her talk until she had nothing more to say. Betty was more distressed than she'd ever been in her life and she did not know what to do about it.
Then they sat in silence for a few minutes. Claire got up and refilled the plate of cheese and crackers. She refilled their glasses. Claire settled back into her chair and looked at Betty.
Claire had considered her options. She had thought over how she could change Betty's mind about Gio. Her options were limited by Daniel's insistence that she not reveal anything to Betty she didn't already know. Claire had thought it over carefully and she had made a decision.
Claire said "Betty, I'm going to tell you a story about myself that no one else alive knows."