Adrian showed up at Cory’s house right on time, as usual. He had told her it was the military training; recruits were afforded little time to do almost everything: take a shower, eat a meal, even sleep, so one had no choice but to be punctual.
And which woman didn’t like a punctual man? Not forgetting polite, mannerly, and helpful. One who was strong and could go the distance every time. Who would give his life for his country? And a girl could surely appreciate a man she could count on these days. She had to admit that the military did train their men well.
Cory had made it home just in time to shower, change, and set the table. She’d had to pick up the food she had ordered from the restaurant on her way home. The island offered a gastronomic feast for food lovers like herself, but Chinese was one of her favorite ethnic foods — next to authentic Indian, of course. She went overboard and ordered fried rice, stir-fried vegetables, lemon chicken, char sue pork, Cantonese shrimp, and Singapore noodles for dinner. That should be more than enough for the four of them. Then there was still that decadent triple-layered chocolate cake she got from Gabby for dessert.
“Hey, baby,” Adrian greeted her with a warm one-armed hug as she opened the front door.
“These are for you.” He presented her with a bunch of fresh lavender roses he had hiding behind his back.
“These are so beautiful. Thank you.” The first thing she did was inhale their divine scent. “Now, how did you know I love lavender roses?”
“Let’s just say, you smell just like them all the time.”
“Wow, you are good.”
“So what did you cook for me?”
“Um, Chinese,” Cory giggled.
“I didn’t know what we were having so I didn’t know what kind of wine to buy. So will this do?” Adrian handed her the bottle, looking all optimistic.
“Pinot Noir,” Cory read the label out loud. “Oh, yeah, this would do just fine. And even if it doesn’t pair well, I’ll ensure it doesn’t go to waste. For a guy who doesn’t really drink, you sure know your alcohol.”
“Hey, I do learn from the best,” he grinned. “And I mean that totally in a good way.”
The evening started off well for everyone. When Cory introduced Adrian to her father, her father was civil toward him. It wasn’t the warmest but at least it was civil. Adrian got along much better with Christian, who seemed totally fascinated by him. Their attempt at male bonding made Cory smile. Now, if only her father would just try the same, for her sake anyway.
They ate their meal pretty much in silence. It was nothing like having dinner with Anna the other night, Cory thought. Fascinating conversation and loud laughter had filled Adrian’s apartment. A welcome addition to the usual loud moaning and groaning from their lovemaking. Neither was it like meeting the entire Mendez clan at the anniversary party, but Cory still tried her best to steer the little conversation they managed in the right direction.
As the night wore on, Cory noticed the expression on her father’s humorless face growing colder. Something had him unhappy. It couldn’t be Adrian, because he had been the perfect gentleman all evening long. It wasn’t until her father sprung the question that was possibly eating at him all along that things took a drastic nose dive for the worse.
“So, Adrian, what do you do for a living?” Jonathan Phillips finally asked.
“Dad?” Cory immediately interjected. “What does Adrian’s job have to do with anything?”
“It’s okay, Cory,” Adrian spoke up. “I’m a second lieutenant in the army, sir. Currently I’m attached to a task force in Port of Spain that handles extremely violent criminal behavior.”
There was definitely tension in the air now.
“So you’re a soldier?”
“Yes, I am, sir,” Adrian replied.
“Adrian used to be a U.S. Marine, Dad. He even fought in Afghanistan,” Cory added.
“So you fought under Bush?”
“Yes, I did, sir.”
“That’s the thing. Who gave you all the right to barge into somebody else’s country and just take over like that?”
A few seconds of silence passed before Cory squealed, “Dad?” What’re you doing?” knocking over her glass of wine in the process. Christian began feverishly wiping up the spill.
“With all due respect, sir, I was there. I saw firsthand what was going on. These people weren’t free. They were under siege from the Taliban. Men, women, and children were being mercilessly killed over there.” Adrian’s eyes never left Cory’s father.
“Spoken like a true American. I see you still have your American sentiments intact and I’m not surprised,” Jonathan replied coldly.
“This has nothing to do with my American sentiments, sir, because I also have my Trinidadian sentiments as equally intact,” Adrian answered. His voice was beginning to rise from anxiety, “This is a war effort to rid the world of terrorist threats so that people can go about their daily lives in peace.”
“Adrian, don’t even waste your time trying to explain anything,” Cory interjected, disgusted and embarrassed beyond belief.
Adrian wasn’t finished yet. “Don’t forget that Trinidadian citizens also lost their lives in the World Trade Center. I cherished the opportunity to serve as a U.S. Marine under a United States of America-led war in Afghanistan. And if ever it’s required of me to serve my country in that capacity again, I’ll be more than honored to do it. Sir,” Adrian ended forcefully, ensuring Mr. Phillips got his point.
Everyone at the table again went completely silent. Cory looked back and forth at her father’s cold, now angry expression, then back at Adrian again. The silence was finally broken when Jonathan stood up from his seat, the chair scraping back against the tiled floor.
“Well, what can I say to that,” Jonathan began. “You were obviously there, young man, and I obviously wasn’t. So I stand corrected. Now, if you all will excuse me.” Jonathan then removed himself quietly from the room. As his short and stocky frame retreated, he left everyone a little more than stunned at the table.
“Adrian, I’m so sorry about this,” Cory began.
“Cory, it’s okay. I’m accustomed to this kind of stuff. I hear it all the time,” Adrian said. “Baby, please stop crying,” he pleaded with her as the tears started.
Christian was next to excuse himself from the table without saying anything other than good night to both of them.
“Adrian, I need to explain something to you. I should’ve told you this before. My dad doesn’t like the police … or soldiers … well, the entire military on the whole. Remember, I told you that I lost my brother?”
“Yes,” Adrian answered.
“Well, I never told you how,” Cory exhaled a deep breath. “My brother was killed by the police.”
“What?” Then he exploded. “Cory, why after all this time did you never once tell me about this?”
“I don’t know, Adrian. I just wanted so much to forget the entire thing ever happened.”
“So what did he do wrong, Cory?”
“That’s the thing. Nothing. Collin never did anything wrong. He was completely innocent. He never did anything wrong,” she sobbed even more now. “The police murdered my brother, Adrian.”
Adrian went completely silent. He remained silent until Cory told him the entire story of what few details she knew surrounding the death of her brother.
“So … this is the reason why you hated the police, Cory?” Adrian finally asked her.
“Yes.” It wasn’t her family alone either that this happened to. Many others like hers had to deal with innocent members being killed by the police. And with no avenue for recourse. Civilian casualties didn’t only occur in the Middle East.
“And this is the reason why your father hates the entire military?”
“Yes.”
Adrian shook his head. “Cory, you should have told me this before I came here to your house. Now, not only do I feel like I’ve disrespected your father in his own house. I feel like a complete idiot.”
Cory was afraid to even look Adrian in the eyes now. For the first time since she knew him, he was sounding very angry. He was angry at her. This was the first time she even heard him speak at the top of his voice like that. And it was all her fault.
“When you told me that your brother was killed, Cory, I thought he was killed in an accident or something. Not by the police,” Adrian said. “And I never prodded you because you never wanted to talk about it.”
“Adrian, I’m really, really sorry about this.”
“Sorry? I mean, your brother was killed by the police, Cory, and you neglected to tell me something like that?” Adrian ignored her apologies. “Have you forgotten that I work with the police every day? Look at me, Cory,” he demanded.
But she turned around and picked up a framed photograph on the buffet behind her instead. It was one of her and Collin together, smiling. The photo was taken just one month before he was killed, for his birthday.
“I never introduced you. Adrian, this is my brother, Collin.” Cory showed the photo to Adrian. He glanced at it, clearly in no mood to be looking at any photos. “We were inseparable growing up,” Cory was saying. “We’re only a year apart, just like you and Anna.”
• • •
Adrian wasn’t really listening to her, he was concentrating so intensely on that photo now. Cory and the young man were hugging and smiling. He looked just like her. He too had wild, curly hair, only his was much shorter. There was something about him that Adrian couldn’t quite pin down. He felt like he’d met him somewhere before. Then something clicked. His memory flashed. He started to feel numb, his body went cold. All he remembered feeling was the warm blood quickly draining away from his body. He panicked. Then he bolted.