Divorce As We Know It - Chapter 4
"Well, you get what you give."
These were Greg's words of wisdom on Darien's complaint that it had almost been a month since he last saw Serena. Amara has been telling him that it's pretty clear that he was dumped that day at the department store, but as she had put it, he, in a rather pathetic fashion, refused to accept that fact.
"So much for the 'real connection'," Diamond chirped. "I think you've forgotten how to play the game, Darien…"
"What? Next thing you're saying is that I should join you on your hunts?" he questioned sarcastically, and watched Diamond raise his eyebrows in agreement. Darien looked at his colleague hard, exhibiting an 'I'm-not-like-you' aura.
"But it's so strange," Andrew remarked after a long pause, allowing everyone to dig into their lunches. "You told us about how sweet she was, I'd never think she would be the kind to dump you like that…"
"Maybe she found out that he is married," Greg spat out, emphasizing the key word. "A sweet female knows better than to wreck a marriage!"
Darien was over the phase of resenting Greg's bitter and hardly supportive remarks. He was that kind of a guy, so damned honest and not to mention loyal. It did not help Darien's case that Amy, his wife, was a rather successful architect who was career driven. Greg was supportive of Amy's endeavors, just like a feminist husband should be. No matter how Darien put it, he could not make his friend understand the actions he was taking. Sure, Greg had to give up many things in order to ease the burdens on his wife, but they still had a connection which made up for all the sacrifice. Darien could see the complicity and warmth in their eyes when they were together. Unlike him, they had something to hold on to… and they were together, which is more than he could say about his marriage: Trista was away most of the year. His was not just the classic case of a man who after a few years realizes that marriage is unexciting, boring and routine-like. Nevertheless, Darien quickly got used to the chauvinist pig tag that Greg was bent on labeling him with.
"Or maybe he's just a bad judge of character," Amara contributed amused, still chewing on her stake. She was rather unsympathetic to men's' love problems in general. "A girl like her can do whatever she wants with a man; he was not kidding about her raving beauty. What does she do again?"
"She's an administrator."
"You know that is not her real profession, she's too pretty for that," she said light heartedly. Darien chose to ignore whatever Amara was trying to insinuate.
Darien was not one to get discouraged just because his friends were critical of his choices. In fact, one of the key character traits that made him a star attorney was that he simply did not get discouraged at all. He had a mind of his own and a line to pursue. So Serena's harsh rejection could not stop him from calling her again a few days later. He meant to have her: he could not get her out of his mind. Her unaffected manners and relaxed aura that she exhibited was to Darien like drinking lemonade on a hot summer day.
He'd left her all his numbers but she never answered his calls. Disappointment started to make a nest inside him. One could not be lucky forever; eventually luck tends to run out… could this be the first case he'd lost?
He had yet to make any headway on the Trista front either. Sure, a few days before she had actually taken one whole hour of her life to call him about the divorce. Her point was to talk him out of bringing the divorce to court by casually blurting out well practiced but not convincing 'I-love-yous'. Trista would not make a great actress, nor a loving wife and mother for that matter. The commanding voice that had once been sexy, exciting and reasonable was now only hollow and cold to his ears. Recently each time they talked on the phone, the fact that they were choosing widely different paths of life became alarmingly clear… especially now that he'd met someone like Serena, which her soft, melodic voice.
She was crazy beautiful, yet she still managed to maintain that girl-next-door kind of humbleness about her. And she was so articulate and eloquent in her speech that her slight southern drawl was hardly noticeable. She was so charming! Or was he blinded by the excitement of falling in love?
Could it be that he had an inaccurate vision of her character? The thought frightened him. His skill in interpreting a persons' personality was a product of years of legal practice. Now, if he was losing his touch, then how was he going to win cases? The importance of quickly being able to identify a witness' weakness when cross-examining them on the stand was not to be underestimated. If Amara was right about her comment, then this further supported the fact that he should retire. He had won the big cases and got the big money, so it was high time he started a new phase in his life…
But could a person really be that wonderful? Should he trust himself with Serena? Why the hell was she not calling back? Should he visit her at home? No, that would be stalking—
The office phone rang. Three times. For a while Darien just looked at it surprised. He finally picked it up.
"Hi, this is Darien Shields."
"Uh, hi. It's me…" he recognized the shaky female voice.
"Serena!" he exclaimed brightly.
"Don't sound so happy! And it is really annoying how you keep on calling me! Don't you know when to give up? It's creepy!" she replied very annoyed.
Darien was stunned. He blinked a couple of times, trying to make out the head and foot of this puzzle. He heard her breathe ceremoniously.
"I have something to tell you," she said. And then she continued in a faltering voice, "It's not good."
"What it is?" Darien probed in a very soft voice. His brain sort of figured that he should brace himself, but the feeling was unreal and blasé since he really could not fathom the bad news.
"Oh, it's very bad!" she sobbed and then she started crying.
"Serena… Don't cry! What happened? Are you hurt? Calm down… Tell me what happened and we'll try to work it out. Please?" He comforted her.
It was a long time until the crying stopped, and longer still until she finally spoke, hesitantly. "I'm pregnant…" Another 'bout of sobs followed.
Darien's heart took a leap. It took him a little while to process the information. "Is it mine?" he managed at last. Mentally he kicked himself, of course it was his! Why else would she be calling and telling him that?
"Yes," she replied in a heartbreakingly unhappy sob. Darien could picture her wretched crying face just by hearing that answer.
His emotions were the exact opposite. His whole being brightened, he knew he'd done something right! This was a sign, he thought grinning widely, a miracle even! if one looked at the facts: woman on birth control pills still gets pregnant! He let the boy in him be proud of his fighter sperm! What fine sperm it was! And it will create a fine baby!
"Are you at home?" he asked suddenly with slight urgency.
"Yes…" she sobbed.
"Give me twenty minutes; I'll be right there, okay!" He said already standing up, grabbing his car keys, and looking for his blackberry… he had her address there.
"No…" He was not listening. "I don't—" he hung up.
Darien almost ran out of his office, abandoning the important shipping case that he'd been working on. He left a hurried message to his assistant to cancel all his appointments today, and to tell the others that he didn't know when he'd be back.