Page 53 of A Night to Remember

“Goodwill?” I sputter indignantly. “The bank went against its own policies! You never even offered us a chance to refinance!”

“I understand that the borrowers never received a preforeclosure breach letter—” Judge Green begins.

“The bank is not legally required to send such a letter in the state of Missouri,” Adam interrupts confidently.

“But if the bank wants to enjoy the goodwill of thecommunity,” Meg interjects, “it should adhere to its policies and take into account that Mrs. Johnson is an upstanding citizen who happens to find herself in a challenging situation. I can’t believe that there’s no room for flexibility.”

Adam looks at Meg like she’s something he scraped off the bottom of his shoe. She holds his gaze steadily.

“The bank has already been more than accommodating, considering the repeated missed payments,” he replies, looking at Judge Green. “There comes a point when enough is enough. Foreclosure is the logical conclusion if Mrs. Johnson can’t meet her obligations.”

“Foreclosure should always be the last resort, Mr. Wilson,” Judge Green replies with calm authority. “Have you fully explored all potential alternatives with your superiors?”

Adam’s eye twitches slightly.Hashe explored all potential alternatives with his superiors, I wonder? How much does his father know about what’s happening here today?

“I agree that the bank seems to have violated its own policies in this situation. Section 4, Subsection C of Bank of Kentwood’s policy handbook states that in cases of financial hardship, the bank is obliged to explore all available options to assist the borrower in maintaining homeownership. That would seem to apply to Mrs. Johnson.”

Adam opens his mouth to reply, but Judge Green presses on.

“Furthermore, in that same section, the handbook specifies that the bank should consider adjusting the terms of theloan, including interest rates and payment schedules, to accommodate the borrower’s financial constraints. Yet I see no documentation that this has been done.”

“It hasn’t,” I put in. “I’ve contacted the Loan Servicing department numerous times, but nobody?—”

“Sheisn’t the borrower.” Adam cuts me off without looking at me. Judge Green glances at me briefly, registering the slight. “I assure you that the bank has made an appropriate decision given the facts of the case.”

“I disagree,” Judge Green retorts. “It’s clear to me, Mr. Wilson, that your actions are not in line with the bank’s policies and, moreover, are not in its best interest. Bank of Kentwood has worked with homeowners to avoid foreclosure on hundreds of occasions. Until her present medical difficulties, Mrs. Johnson was gainfully employed as a school secretary and likely will find work again. She has the support of an educated and able-bodied daughter. Why would the bank be willing to jeopardize its reputation in the community over such a mundane case?”

Her eyes flick between Adam and me. I clear my throat and look down at my lap. Adam is still pointedly not looking at me, but it feels as if the entire room is pulsing with the tension between us.

“If I didn’t know better,” Judge Green continues with goddess-like insight, “I would almost wonder if personal prejudices were playing a role here.” Nobody says a word. The horrible thought occurs to me that if I hadn’t slept with Gabe, none of this would be happening.The bank had already violated its policies before he came to town, I tell myself.But you ghosted him eight years before, another part of me replies. My hands start to shake. I raise my eyes to Adam, who is studying the papers before him with a scowl. He and Gabe really do look very much alike. Same thick brows, same square jaws, same capable hands. I remember when Gabe instinctively stepped infront of me when Jeff confronted him. And Trudy’s stories about Adam hovering over his baby brother. I had assumed that Adam disapproved of me because he was a snob. But what if he simply shares Gabe’s protectiveness?

I am not a threat to Gabe, I think. Yet Meg, my mom,andAdam have all suggested, in their own ways, that I might break his heart. Surely he’s not that attached to me, though. I’ve been up-front with him about my intentions. Wemustbe on the same page.

If I’m wrong, though, I’ll end up hurting him when I leave town. If it turns out that helovesme… well, then, Ican’tjust leave, can I? I can’t treat him like I did eight years ago. I can’t throw him away like Gretchen did. He deserves better than that.

He doesn’t love me, I reassure myself. He likes me, he’s attracted to me, we’re friends. That’s it. Adam is being a dick about foreclosure because he’s a dick. End of story.

“Mrs. Johnson, do you have anything to add?” Judge Green’s question jerks me back to the present.

“I haven’t even told Kayla this,” Mom says, glancing at me with a smile. “But I’ve just been hired as a receptionist at my doctor’s office here in town. I’ll earn $31,000 a year, plus benefits. If I were given the chance to refinance, I think I’d have no problem keeping up with the payments, particularly if they were lower than they were before.”

Fifteen minutes later, the meeting is over. I leave the room in a daze. We’ve agreed to a 6.69% interest rate and a monthly payment of $258.71. I’ve shaken hands with Judge Green, who I now want to invite to Thanksgiving dinner, Polo Shirt Guy, who seems desperate to escape, and even, amazingly, Adam. He takes my hand loosely, begrudgingly, and even meets my eyes for one brief moment. I should hate him for what he’s done. But mostly I feel confusion and a nagging sense of guilt.Gabe doesn’t love me, I remind myself.I am not a threat to him.

Meg chats amiably with Mom, congratulating her on her new job, as we make our way down the stairs. A familiar figure steps out of an office on the first floor. Dark hair, amber eyes, cautious smile. I feel a stab of fear so cataclysmic that it makes my worries about foreclosure seem trivial. I grip the iron railing to keep my feet from sliding out from under me.

What if he really IS in love with me?What if Mom, Meg, and Adam are right and he feels more than he seems to? What would happen if I stopped fighting my own feelings and let myself be his girlfriend? We reallycouldlook for jobs together. Move in together. Wake up together.

But what if he’sNOTin love with me?And I offer him everything, only to end up broken and abandoned like Mom?

Part of me wants to avoid the whole situation and run from him the way I did the night of Steven O’Connor’s graduation party. But I don’t. Instead, I give him a weak smile back. He breaks into his best-friend grin, rushes towards me, and scoops me into his arms. I shouldn’t let him, given that we’re not alone, but I can’t help but savor the feeling of his strong body pressed against mine.He doesn’t love me, I repeat like a mantra.And I can’t love him.

25

Gabe

“So you haven’t been seeing muchof Kayla lately, huh?” Adam asks on Super Bowl Sunday between fistfuls of potato chips.

“What makes you say that?” I ask, staring, in increasing misery, at Adam and Lucy’s 98-inch state-of-the-art TV as the 49ers continue to score against the Kansas City Chiefs.

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