Page 157 of Now and Forever

As soon as I walk in, I call out “Mojitos!” to forget about Eric. After several, I’m grinning and dancing salsa with Reinaldo. These people, my friends for all those months in Germany, welcome me with affection, hugs, and lots of love.

At eleven o’clock, I get a message from Frida:Eric is here.

That throws me off.

Knowing Eric’s at a private party without me makes me angry. Is he playing with other women? At eleven thirty, he calls me, but I don’t pick up. I don’t know what to say to him. After several more calls from him that I don’t answer, Frida calls at midnight. I run to the restroom so I can hear her.

“What’s going on?”

“Judith! Eric’s really pissed off!”

“Why? Because I’m not at the party?”

Frida laughs.

“He’s pissed off because he doesn’t know where you are. God, what a mess, Judith! Knowing you’re in Munich without being able to control you is killing him. Poor thing.”

“Frida, has Eric participated in any games?”

“Of course not, dear. He doesn’t have the stomach for it, although he’s come with other people.”

What other people?

“Why don’t you come? I’m sure if he sees you ...”

“No.”

“But, Judith, darling, you confessed you wanted him, and we both know he wants you and ...”

“I know what I said,” I say, still furious to know he’s there with other people. “And please, don’t tell him where I am.”

“Judith, don’t be like that ...”

“Promise me, Frida. Promise me you won’t tell him anything.”

After getting a real promise out of Frida, I hang up. When I get back to the dance floor, Marta, unaware of what just happened, hands me another mojito. Trying to be happy, willing to have a good time, I scream, “Azúcar!”

I get back to the hotel at seven o’clock in the morning. I’m wrecked and fall on the bed as if I were dead. When I wake up, it’s two o’clock in the afternoon, and my head’s spinning. I drank too much last night. I look at my phone. The battery is dead. I take the charger out of my suitcase and plug it in.

Just when the phone starts to charge, it rings. Eric. I decide to pick up.

“Where are you?” he shouts.

“Right now, in bed. What do you want?”

Silence.

“Alone?”

I look around and turn over on the huge bed.

“What does it matter to you, Eric?”

He sighs.

“Jude, who are you with?”

I sit up in bed and push my hair out of my face. “What do you want?”

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