The Convertible - Another Road

"You're hereby awarded 10 boyfriend points," she laughingly replied, "I see a lot of potential in you."

She kissed me goodbye in the parking lot, out of view of her coworkers. She went to work while I went back to my room and showered, then went to bed to try to sleep. I ended up mostly tossing and turning until around 10pm; I couldn't stop thinking about my plan. The alarm went off at 1:45am Tuesday; I dressed and went downstairs to take my sweetheart home.

I couldn't wait to tell her what was on my mind; As soon as she buckled her seatbelt, I blurted it out. She became as excited as me; I had given her - no, more correctly, given both of us, a feeling of hope - something neither of us hadn't had in a long time.

When we got to the apartment, I reached back and grabbed a small duffel bag from the back seat.

"What's that?"

"Some toiletries, and a change of clothes. Like I said last night, if you don't object, I'll sleep in my hotel room while you're working, but your place will be home."

"I like the sound of that." She gave me another kiss, which by this point I could never get tired of.

In a state of newfound euphoria, we couldn't sleep so just snuggled instead, excitedly planning how we'd convert my bachelor condo into a home for two. Somehow, we finally managed to doze off.

After work the next day I clandestinely dropped her off at the hotel, not wanting her to catch any flack for fraternizing with a guest. I grabbed an order of sushi at a place nearby, then slipped back up to my room. Grabbing a few hours' sleep, I got up at 1:45am Wednesday morning to take Arianna home.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday had flown by; our new routine left me somewhat sleep-deprived; I only got limited sleep at Arianna's, since we spent a lot of time exploring each other's bodies.

It was now 2:30 am Thursday. My team's field research was complete, and I was scheduled to leave the hotel Thursday mid-morning for a noon flight out of LaGuardia. As exhausted as Arianna and I both were, we managed to talk a little about the logistics of my plan before falling asleep. To get it done, we couldn't do it alone; we'd need some vital support from California. I decided to take Friday off to catch up on my sleep, then I'd use Saturday as my day to recruit Joel and Charlotte.

++++++++++

On Saturday morning Charlotte greeted me at the door with a kiss on the cheek and a big hug, her 6-month baby bump pressing against me. She was wearing a pink flowered maternity dress that draped nicely over her curves. It had a modest high neckline, but the way the dress surrounded her breasts merely accented her bust even more. For being 49, she looked incredible; I thought to myself 'If I was Joel, I'd sure be sending my brother's sorry ass out of here and taking her straight back to bed', but I refocused on the task at hand. I said, "Wow, Charlotte, you look just gorgeous."

She chuckled. "Thank you, Jacob, it's nice to hear that from someone other than my moon-eyed husband. I don't always trust his judgment - sometimes I suspect he's either biased, or just trying to get into my pants again." I didn't bother mentioning that it looked like he'd successfully accomplished THAT mission.

"I tell her that at least twice a day, thanks for backing me up, bro!" Joel walked in, carrying my infant niece Gabriela. We bumped fists, and after saying hello to my niece I kissed her forehead. She smelled like sweetness and diaper cream.

Taking the baby, Charlotte slipped off to nurse Gabriela while Joel and I headed outside to the TR2. Jumping in, we headed towards Highway 17 to Santa Cruz, planning to take Highway 1 from there to Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey.

"Nice day to hit the track, right?" Joel nodded, grinning from ear to ear. Open track days were the best, just the joy of driving the open course, racing against your own lap time.

Soon we were heading out of the Silicon Valley, up over the Santa Cruz mountains on the way to the coast. Us and everybody else, it seemed. Because it was a nice summer day and everyone was headed to the beaches, traffic had slowed to a crawl. As we crept along, Joel turned and asked me "So, what's going on that you couldn't tell me over the phone?"

I took a deep breath and thought to myself 'Here we go': "You know how my last field assignment was in New Jersey? The hotel I was staying at, the evening shift manager looked really familiar. Turns out it was Arianna."

Stunned, Joel pulled his sunglasses off and stared at me in shock. "No SHIT? What was she doing there?"

"You know how she plead guilty last year to wire fraud, right? Well, because she had no prior offenses and was fully cooperative with the prosecutors the judge sentenced her to the 3 months' time she'd served, plus 3 years' probation. Her probation officer got her a job as a desk clerk at this lousy two-star hotel in Weehawken, the Ramble Inn, where I was staying or my latest project.

When I saw her, at first I was thinking, 'Oh, no, not this bitch again,' but we started talking, and she seemed different. Dude, when you were married, she was always a stuck-up snooty bitch to me, but now she's...different. I know you're not going to believe this, but after talking to her, I think her experience in jail and the court system really changed her. She said was lonely, missed California and asked me to have dinner with her. We had a good time, then it became two dinners, and then I was seeing her every night.

Honestly, knowing how she screwed you over I went in with some caution, thinking she was trying to pull some shit again. But no, we talked a lot. Well, it was actually her doing most of the talking, but also crying a lot. I mostly just listened. She was telling me about what it was being in prison, the lessons she learned from it, how awful she felt, and all that. By the time my project was over and I needed to leave I was totally convinced that she's a different woman now. She was remorseful about how she treated you, and everyone else in her life. She wants to come home and prove she's sorry."

"Please don't tell me she wants to get back together with me. It's a little late for that."

I swallowed, thinking 'wow, is this going to be awkward', then responded, "No, Joel, it's not about you, nothing like that...it's about," I hesitated, then blurted it out, "me."

Joel's reaction was, um, rather heated. "HAVE YOU LOST YOUR GODDAMNED MIND? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME..." he lowered his voice, realizing he was shouting in an open convertible at full volume in stop-and-go traffic, giving the coast-bound commuters around us an earful. "Dude, this is my ex-wife Arianna we're talking about, remember? She's a self-centered psycho-bitch from hell, and that's on a GOOD day! She's a backstabbing cheater and a master manipulator, not to mention a felon! And you're telling me you're seriously into her now? No fucking way!"

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. I was the brother with the Master's degree, but Joel was no idiot. Arguing with him was a zero-sum game; I had to take a different approach. "Joel, do you agree that Charlotte is a damned near perfect woman? Beautiful, smart, hot as hell and a great mom?"

"Well, duh, yeah!" he was grinning as he answered me, the lucky bastard.

"And you're married to her. You won the fucking babe lottery, bro. You're king of the world now."

"Yeah, OK." By the smirk on his face, I could tell part of his brain was picturing Charlotte, most likely naked.

"Dude, for you the Married Olympic Games are now officially over, and you won the gold medal. You're a national hero with your face on the cereal boxes, OK? You won her fair and square and are you're set; no do-overs, it's in the record books. Am I wrong about anything I just said?"

"No, bro, it's all true."

"Good. Now after spending two weeks with your ex, I'm telling you Arianna has changed, turned over a new leaf, as the old saying goes. I'm convinced she's made a fresh start, changed her attitude. She's like laundry detergent, you know? 'New! Improved!' and all that shit."

"Ummm, OK." I could hear the gears in his head turning. Almost there.

"So if you've won the game, why don't want me to compete now? I've spent the last few years on the road, barely been home, my love life is absolute shit, why can't I go for it? Where's my shot at happiness?"

"Aw, come on Jacob. You know I want you to find somebody. Just...why does it have to be Arianna?"

"It has to be Arianna because that's how it worked out. I saw her, I spent time with her, I know she's not a castrating hellbitch anymore, she's as sweet as can be and I've got it bad for her. You think I'm an idiot? If I'm convinced, dude, well, you just have to trust me." I could see I had him boxed in. Now it was time to play my hole card.

"One more thing, Joel. If Arianna hadn't asked you to drive Charlotte to St. Helena that weekend, you wouldn't be married with a family right now. You'd be pathetic and single, just like me." BOOM. Got him. Time to hammer the trap shut.

"I mean, think about it. Arianna did you a HUGE favor. You're a perfect match for Charlotte. She needed someone kind and caring to love her after being treated like shit by her ex-husband, and you were fucking perfect! You and Arianna, on the other hand, were a terrible match; she thought she could just walk all over you and that's exactly what she did."

"Arianna didn't actually ADMIT that, did she?"

"Hand to God, she did, Joel. Word for word. Like I said, she's carrying a shitload of regret. She's happy for you and Charlotte and wants to tell you herself how sorry she is."

My brother growled, "I haven't seen her getting her ass to California and apologizing." There was still a hint of bitterness in his voice.

I was having none of that. "Dude, she's on fucking probation! She can't leave New Jersey, she'd be back behind bars if she did that."

"She could call or write." I could sense Joel's resolve quickly weakening. This was progress!

"She was too broke to afford a cellphone plan, and after what went down with you and Charlotte, she's been too ashamed to write. She resigned herself to leaving you guys alone so you can be happy and get on with your lives."

"So why are you telling me this, Jacob? What's your plan?" My brother knew me way too well. I was an engineer; fuck yes, I had a plan! Better yet, my brother was actually willing to listen to it.

"OK, so as a convicted felon, if we can get Arianna's probation officer to approve, then she'd have to file a recommendation for Arianna's transfer with the Interstate Commission for Adult Offender Supervision. Two factors are significant in an ICAOS request; first she has to have family here, and secondly, she has to have employment waiting for her when she arrives. Since her mom and baby sister are here, that takes care of the family thing. The remaining piece is the job."

Hoo, boy, time to drop the bomb. "I was thinking maybe you could give her a job as a receptionist or something in Silicon Valley Exotics' front office."

Joel looked at me as if I'd lost my fucking mind, and I guess if I were him, I'd do the same. "Damn it, Jacob, I have half a mind to kick your ass out of the car here in the Santa Cruz mountains and make you walk home for even thinking such a thing."

I laughed. Joel talking tough is a joke, he's been a sweet fucking teddy bear his whole life. He hardly ever lost his temper because frankly, I don't think he ever had one to lose. "Not going to happen, dude. One, it's MY car now, and two, I'm the fucker who's driving! Come on, man, will you at least consider it?"

Joel shook his head, not in denial but in surrender. I smelled capitulation! He put his hand on my shoulder. "Jacob, buddy, I know you're the brains of the family and I usually trust your judgment; I have to say, though, what you're asking here has got me questioning that. But, you wouldn't be advocating so damned hard if you didn't completely believe in what you're doing.

It's not me you need to be worried about, it's Charlotte. Arianna hurt us both big time, but honestly, I think my wife got the worst of it. If - and I repeat IF - it's got a chance of happening, it's going to need Charlotte's approval. Pull a U-turn as soon as you can. If there are no accidents, we'll be home in twenty minutes, you can talk to her then."

I turned into the parking lot of a rest area, then pulled out into the northbound lane back towards San Jose. Traffic heading away from the beach was light; I put my foot in it, and the little TR2 got us home in fifteen minutes.

Now here I was with Charlotte; she sat at their dining room table across from me, stunned. "Jacob, you were actually WITH Arianna?"

"Yes, in the flesh." Boy, that an understatement. "She's on probation and was working as an evening shift desk manager at the hotel I was staying at. She's broke and a little underfed, but physically she's fine. She's living alone in a studio apartment in Weehawken, not far from my worksite on my last project. We had dinner, and we talked. Like, all night talked."

"What exactly did she have to say?" I was having a hard time reading my sister-in-law's expression, it was somewhere between wanting to kill me with a candlestick in the dining room, or just not beleiving a word I was saying.

"I was suspicious at first myself, Charlotte, but she did a good job convincing me that being locked up has completely changed her. After listening to her, I really believe she's not the spoiled, manipulative bitch she used to be. She's humbled, remorseful, and misses her family terribly. Her father's new wife has shut her out completely, forbidden him from seeing her."

Charlotte's eyes began to well up, I could see her struggling to keep herself together. "What else?"

"After our first evening together, the emotional state she was in...so lonely and sad, I didn't want her to be alone. Every night after that, I'd have dinner with her before her shift; then I started to drive her home when she'd get off work at 2am. I'd catch some sleep at her place, then get up at 5am to go to my job. And now...this may sound fucked up or crazy as hell, but I want her here, Charlotte, not in New Jersey. She belongs with you, Gabriela, the new baby," I took a deep breath now, then continued, "and most of all she belongs with me." Charlotte looked at me, her eyes wide in surprise.

She put her hand under her chin, as if her head were going to fall off. Her eyes narrowed. "You don't say."

Taking another deep breath and drawing myself upright, I made my point. "Believe it or not, Charlotte, it's for real. After spending time with her, I've fallen for Arianna. I don't want to live here without her."

Charlotte looked down at the table, shook her head and chuckled. "I have to say, both you Leopold boys certainly have a persuasive way with words." She lifted her chin and looked directly into my eyes. "That is quite a statement coming from you, Jacob, given how in the past you'd made it clear you couldn't stand my daughter."

I took her hands in mine. "Charlotte, I'm telling you straight. For all the bad blood and past history, spending the past couple of weeks getting to know Arianna again has gotten her stuck in my heart. I've talked to Joel about it, and we have a plan to get her home. There's one critical thing we still need for everything to work, though - your approval. Without that, it just won't work.

You're Joel's whole world, he adores you. I know my twin brother like I know myself; I can see how happy you've made him. I see it in the way he moves around you, the way he smiles at you, the way he talks to you. When he's with you, he's so happy he can't get that goofy-ass grin off his face. There's nothing between heaven and earth that will get me to screw with your relationship. I love you both too much for that. Unless you say 'yes', I'll forget about bringing Arianna here; I'll pull up stakes and move there to be with her, and that will be the end of it. I promise."

Although she was trying to maintain a stoic front, tears were flowing down Charlotte's face now. In a quiet voice, she declared "Jacob, if you'll excuse me, before we make any serious decisions I need a few minutes to go compose myself." Then she pushed her chair back, quickly turned and stepped out of the room. In a minute, I could hear her sobbing from down the hall, coming from behind their bedroom door.

At the same moment Joel walked in holding Gabriela. "How'd it go?"

"Well, I made your wife cry, if that's any indication." Joel handed me my niece and sat down in the chair next to me. Gabriela smiled at me and blew a couple of spit bubbles, waving her little fist at nothing.

Joel spoke to me in a low voice. "Dude, that's not necessarily a bad thing. She's pregnant, remember? Crazy-ass hormones, sometimes she needs a little emotional release. Given all that you've just laid on her, she probably needed a LOT of emotional release. Be cool, trust Charlotte, let's see how it plays out."

I spent the next ten minutes playing peek-a-boo with Gabriela, then Joel went in to check on his crying wife. Then I heard the bedroom door open. Charlotte came out, her eyes red but notepad in hand and a serious go-to-war look on her face. I had never seen her like this before, although Joel had warned me about it; sometimes Charlotte would simply take control. He told me when she did, the best thing to do was "just obey, and stay out of her way".

The pregnant little dynamo began giving orders rapid-fire. "Joel, cancel the babysitter for Wednesday night and give the San Jose Symphony tickets away. Call and tell the Andersons we can't come to their dinner party Friday night because I was unexpectedly called out of town on a family matter. Pack up a travel bag for Gabriela with enough onesies and disposable diapers for four days."

She turned from Joel to me. "Jacob, if you're not on a project now, call your manager tomorrow and ask for a week's vacation. Joel can't leave his business on such short notice, he's got customers to take care of so you're coming with me instead. We're bringing Gabriela with us, so if you've never travelled with an infant this will be good vocational training for you. I'll book the flight tickets for us tonight, then text you the flight times; you'll schedule a limo service for the three of us. We need to be ready to go first thing Tuesday morning. That should give you enough time to rest, pack, and get your work schedule sorted out."

She paused to take a breath, then addressed the quizzical looks my brother and I were giving her. "What are you boys waiting for? Hop to it! We're flying to New Jersey. My daughter needs me."

++++++++++

We flew out early morning Tuesday. No projects needed my attention, so my boss was cool with me taking time off. Travelling with baby Gabriela was not as awful as I had imagined. She cried at takeoff and landing, something having to do with the change of air pressure in her ears, but otherwise she was just a doll. Since I held Gabriela so much, the flight attendants assumed I was her father and Charlotte's husband; I think I saw a couple of them eyeing my sister-in-law jealously.

I made a remark to Charlotte, "Some of our flight attendants think we're married."

She gave me a sideways glance. "Well, if you were Joel, they'd be right!"

I chuckled, "One time when we were in high school, Joel and I dressed alike on a double-date and midway through the date we pretended to be each other. Wouldn't it be funny if..."

Shaking her head, Charlotte held up her hand. "Don't say it. It's flattering you would even consider it, but it would never work. I'm not some naive 16-year-old, Jacob. Plus, when two people are in a real relationship, they develop a unique communication style. I know my husband too well. The way Joel thinks, the things he says, how he responds to me, I'd spot you in a second. Plus, even if I missed all that, your ability to go for a full twenty minutes without discussing a single auto part would be a dead giveaway." She smiled and patted my cheek.