Page 14 of Tell Me What You Want, Or Leave Me

When we arrive at a very modern building, a man in a uniform opens the car door. He greets Eric and quickly calls for an elevator. When the elevator doors open on the eighteenth floor, Dexter is there to meet us. His warm smile lets me know how happy he is about our visit.

“Look at how pretty and tan the lovers are,” he says. We all laugh, and then Dexter takes my hand. “Goddess, what a delight to see you again.”

“Hey, what about me?” Eric protests.

Eric fist bumps him.

“Sorry, dude, but I like your woman more than I like you.”

Because he’s in a wheelchair, I have to lean down to give him a kiss on each cheek. After our initial greetings, Dexter introduces us to a woman who’s been standing near him. “This is Graciela, my personal assistant. Eric, you’ve already met.”

“Welcome, Mr. Zimmerman,” says the brunette.

Eric shakes her hand and responds warmly. “Good to see you again, Graciela. Everything going OK with this jerk?”

The young woman looks over at Dexter with a shy smile. “Right now everything’s fine, sir,” she says.

“Judith is Eric’s wife, and they’ve come to visit us after their honeymoon,” he tells her.

“Delighted, Mrs. Zimmerman, and congratulations,” she says.

“Please,” I say, “call me Judith. All right?”

The young woman looks over at Dexter for approval, and he nods.

“Please, you don’t need their blessing to call me by my first name, OK?”

I smile and she smiles back.

“Now you know, Graciela,” says Eric. “Just call her Judith.”

“Of course, Mr. Zimmerman.” She turns to me. “A pleasure, Judith.”

I don’t particularly care to be called ma’am or Mrs. Zimmerman all the time. In fact, I don’t like it at all.

I think Graciela must be a few years older than me. She seems meticulous and, from my point of view, attractive. She has dark hair, captivating eyes, and a sweetness about her. And yet, she doesn’t really look like a woman of today. Her beauty feels old-fashioned and not like that of someone my age.

Once we’ve been welcomed, we retire to a simple room. There are no obstacles so that Dexter can move around with ease in his wheelchair.

For about an hour, the four of us chat and talk about the wedding. Dexter asks about my sister, and when he mentions her for the fourth time, I decide to be crystal clear with him. “Dexter, don’t go anywhere near my sister,” I say.

He and Eric crack up, and I get it. I can’t even imagine what would happen if Dexter made a date with my sister and proposed any of his games. She’d slap him so hard, she’d knock him off his chair. I laugh the more I think about it.

“Easy, Jude,” says Eric when he realizes what I’m thinking. “Dexter knows very well with whom he can and cannot mess around.”

I nod. I want to make sure I’m clear, but Dexter gets ahead of me. “Got it. Are you a little jealous of your pretty sister?”

I just stare at him.

Me? Jealous of my sister?

Please! “No, I’m simply protective of her,” I respond, again trying to make things clear.

Dexter smiles.

“You’re so sweet, my dear Judith.”

“Thank you; you too,” I say, teasing him. “But your promise means you’ll leave my sister alone. Remember: you were warned!”

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