CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

 

Erica hadn't gotten a chance to question Caleb that night. She was sitting at home alone Monday evening; anxious to give him the cell phone she bought for him as a gift. He was supposed to get electricity today and she had no idea if he was now on the grid. The phone was supposed to be his welcome-to-the-modern-world gift.

She looked at it again. It would be so nice to talk to Caleb whenever she wanted, instead of having to drive all the way to his place to do so. She wanted to talk to him to find out if he was nervous about the dinner that he had to do for the Donahue's. She had offered to drive him to their place but he had needed to go from in the morning to prepare for the dinner and she had to be at work at that time. He had been ecstatic about the assignment and she discovered afresh how much Caleb loved being a chef.

He had spent the night talking about some dishes he had made and what he would do to impress the Donahue's that she didn't get the chance to ask him where he had gotten out from.

The question had been riding her mind all night, so much so that Erica called Kelly to brainstorm about it and to warn her that her boyfriend might start working for Chris Donahue, but Kelly wasn't home. She was on an outing with her husband.

At least she had gotten the chance to have a long conversation with her niece. The little girl filled her in on her little world and Erica was quite happy to sit and listen, even though Farmer McGregor's statement was niggling the back of her mind like an unwanted insect wriggling in her ear.

So tonight here she was, lonely and curious. The phone rang catapulting her to the present and she shook off her doldrums and answered.

"Hi Erica, it's Phoebe."

"Oh, hi Phoebe," Erica answered curiously; Phoebe only called when she wanted a lift somewhere.

"Are you free tonight, or are you planning to fornicate with that guy?"

"Phoebe!" Erica gasped. "Can you be anymore obnoxious?"

"Of course," Phoebe said deadpan, "I have been obnoxious several times before this."

"Well," Erica sputtered, "Caleb and I are not fornicating, such an old fashioned word for a young girl…he is working."

"Oh," Phoebe said interestedly, "has he started driving his own vehicle yet?"

"Nooo," Erica said getting exasperated, "why?"

"Just curious," Phoebe said, "I could steal him from you if he were."

Erica sighed. "Why did you call me?"

"I have an issue. Last night I came in from work and Ma gave me a note and a rose that was delivered from Mr. Ezekiel Hoppings."

"The rich guy?" Erica asked curiously.

"The ugly rich guy," Phoebe said. "After we talked at lunch I kinda, sorta decided to pay him some attention, you know."

"You did?" Erica gasped. "Pheebs, don't play with the man's heart. He doesn’t seem like the kind of person you can wrap around your little finger and play your little games with."

"Well… I just smiled with him at church last week. My hat blew off, he handed it to me, and I gave him a smile. He asked me how I am. I told him I am fine... that sort of thing.

I was wondering, would you like us to go check out his mansion? I have never been up there, you know. Bluffs Head is where the rich and famous live. I want to see what I would be letting myself in for if I encourage him."

"Well, I have something to do… " Erica's voice petered out. She knew it was never okay to lie, no matter what the provocation, and her conscience was already pricking her.

"What do you have to do?" Phoebe asked huffily. "You just said that the guy you’ve been spending every single day with is working."

"Well, I … I just don't want to go anywhere," Erica said petulantly, "I have the right to say no."

"Okay," Phoebe said, a sound of hurt in her voice. "I guess I'll just walk all the way to the road, charter a car to take me to Mr. Hoppings' house so that I can see what everybody is talking about. If I'm kidnapped you can always tell the police where you last heard that I went. I wish I had a friend with a car who could take me to this place but apparently because I am poor…"

"Oh brother," Erica said, "why don't you go to his place in the day?"

"It's not that dark outside," Phoebe said, "I can still see it in the half dusk."

Erica exhaled. "You are… I don’t know what to say. I'll pick you up in twenty minutes, and don't believe that it's because of your pathetic attempt at emotional blackmail."

"Thank you so much, Erica. Do you have binoculars?" Phoebe asked humbly.

"No," Erica said abruptly, "why on earth would I… never mind. See you soon."

 

*****

 

When Erica reached Phoebe's place, Phoebe was standing at the gate; her wavy waist length hair out, and a pleased smile on her face.

She is so gorgeous, Erica thought silently. She is young, healthy, and beautiful. Why am I even out of my house ferrying Phoebe to spy on someone else's house? She was still asking herself the question when Phoebe entered the car, a whiff of expensive perfume accompanying her.

"Nice perfume," Erica said.

"Thanks," Phoebe grinned. "The bank manager gave it to me for my birthday."

Erica looked at her, her eyebrows raised. "Are you and him in something?"

Phoebe gasped. "Heavens no, the man is married and has crooked teeth."

Erica giggled.

Phoebe had a low threshold for humanity's imperfections. That is why she found it odd that she was even remotely interested in Ezekiel Hoppings.

"I was bored, that's why I am even here," Erica said glancing at her. "Something's on my mind."

"What?" Phoebe looked at her, her big brown eyes curious.

"Well, yesterday we went for dinner at Farmer McGregor's."

"I know his sons," Phoebe said grinning. "They bank at my bank; they are all gorgeous."

Erica rolled her eyes. "Anyway, he said something about Caleb being let out and I can't think of what he could have meant."

Phoebe studied Erica intently. "There are only two places a person can be let out from. It's either prison or a mental institution."

Erica looked in the rearview mirror and then stopped the car. "No! What about school? Isn't there a popular expression that says let out from school? And Caleb was studying something in Europe."

"Yes," Phoebe said searching in her bag for her pack of gum. "If your head was stuck in the sand and you were too in love to consider other options, I guess school could work as an excuse."

She giggled when Erica gasped.

"I once dated a guy who was let out from Bellevue Hospital. I met him at the bank. He was so fine. He had the cutest puppy dog eyes in Jamaica. I had no idea that he had serious mental issues. Let's just say that when he didn’t take his medication he was a monster.

"He didn’t like how the medicine made him feel so he started weaning himself off them but I didn't even realize that he was acting strange. I just thought that when I saw him hiding in the bushes near my yard that he was so smitten with me he couldn't leave me alone.

"One day he turned up at my gate, naked. Naked as the day he was born asking Poppa if I was at home. He almost gave Poppa a heart attack. He wouldn’t leave until his parents and doctor came to pick him up."

She blew a bubble with her gum and glanced at Erica. "It's not so bad when they are on medication, but watch out, when they are not things can get ugly really fast."

"What are you saying?" Erica looked shocked, "Caleb looks so normal."

Phoebe shrugged. "I had thought that Todd was normal too. Of course, there is another explanation for Caleb. He could've been let out of prison. Remember that night when you were so eager to pick him up and I had wondered if he had been deported? He might have been—you know—booted from foreign lands for unspeakable crimes."

Erica opened her mouth. "But that's… that's impossible. Why would he go to prison?"

"Are we going up to Hoppings' mansion or what?" Phoebe asked, exasperated. "Why don't you ask him? The two of you spend so much time together; you should have known this by now."

Erica started the car and drove toward Bluff Head slowly. It was the most exclusive community in St. Ann with its gorgeous homes and spectacular views of the sea, but Erica didn’t see a thing. Her brain was churning with the question, was Caleb mad or an ex-con, both options made her shiver with fear. He was her Mr. Right and her dreams were heavily invested in him.