The Covenant - Chapter Forty

"I just love parties!  Don't you Annie?" happily asks Lauren squeezing Ben Wick's hand beside her who looks a little less than comfortable until looking over to Lauren and then warmly smiles at her.

"It's definitely good to be with friends again, that is for sure" agrees Annie sitting closely beside Rick at the large table in the middle of the restaurant who is gently touching her knee under the table. Because the touch is so light, Annie is not sure if this is by accident or plan but she enjoys being close to him none-the-less whatever the cause may be.

"I'm so excited to see the dresses tomorrow at the Auxiliary fashion show. Mama has promised to buy me one!" exclaims Lauren her eyes dancing in excitement "We'll have to find beautiful bridesmaid dresses for you and my sister too.  I want to have such a gorgeous wedding that people talk about it for years to come!"

"I'm sure it will be beautiful just because it is you and Ben together" offers Rick not understanding the production of a wedding but preferring a smaller ceremony among friends with a more romantic honeymoon if given a choice but no one was asking him.  He casually glances down at Annie's empty hand and wonders what kind of wedding she would like.

"I hear we are talking about weddings" begins Elliot sitting on the other side of Annie next to Ariel on his opposite side.  "I think the grander the better.  It's time to show-off to your friends. What do you think Annie? If you were to marry me, what kind of wedding would you like?"

In a second Annie catches a flash of the look on Ariel's face who appears to be in pain but quickly changes her countenance to a more cheerful fake smile.

"Well, if I ever marry anyone it would only be for love.  Having said that, a small wedding among family and close friends seems like a great option to me so that it would feel more personal and private.  I would definitely want to go on a great honeymoon to spend quite a bit of time with my new husband though."

The women at the table share a secret laugh together and Lauren turns beat red at the table while staring down at her plate of food to avoid any eye contact. 

"Why are you laughing?" defensively asks Ben not liking to see Lauren who appears to be upset to him but missing the point entirely. 

Quickly Beth jumps in "We were having some fun earlier discussing things in regards to her bridal shower, that's all. You might reap some benefits though, nothing to worry about."

Willfully ignoring Ariel, Elliot turns to Annie again "Where would you like to go?  I'd take you anywhere."

 

Hearing this statement, Rick huffs and wipes his face with his napkin not sure how he should respond.  He looks over to Annie who appears to be deep in thought for a moment considering Elliot's offer.  He moves his leg away from her as he waits for her answer.

"Whoever I choose to marry, I hope that it would be a place that we would both like to be to start our new life together" carefully responds Annie feeling Rick move closer to her again. 

Rick places rests his hand behind her chair for a moment until he notices Beth across the table looking puzzled back and forth between Annie and him.  Rick removes his arm but raises his chin to suggest to her, "So ...I want to be with Annie."  Beth raises her eyebrows in utter surprise and takes another bit of her food chewing it quite thoroughly.

Uneasy with the silence, Ariel jumps in "Wasn't that quite a storm we had?  I've never seen the streets shut down like that in New York before!"

Having an epiphany, Beth cunningly turns to her friend, "Yes it was quite cold.  Did you happen to see if any of the shops were opened?"

"Some were opened, but even Dunkin Donuts ran out of donuts.  But we found a nice deli for lunch one day" amiable remarks Ariel before taking a moment to realize what she said.

Immediately Elliot looks to her with a stone cold look not moving an inch.

"We?  Who were you with?  I recall you were suppose to be in New Jersey for a family reunion.  Did you come back earlier and not tell me?" accusingly asks Beth not appreciating being lied to by her best friend, "Were you here or not?"

Uncomfortably Ariel fidgets in her seat turning more red by the second, she stammers "I ...uuhhh ..... we ummm.... it was like this....."

"What?  What was?  What do you mean?" interrogates Beth with her voice rising in anger knowing that she will not like what she will hear next "Who is 'we'?"

Finally in desperation, Elliot intercedes "Ariel was with me during the storm.  We stayed in town.  My flight was cancelled and her car landed in a snow drift.  So I picked her up and we waited out the storm together."

"But why didn't you call anyone, you could have stayed with us?  We are all staying in the same building!" emphatically responds Beth in no attempt to keep her voice down in the restaurant.

Both Elliot and Ariel share an informative look and then in sync decide to look down at their plates and disturb what food has been left on them.

Placing both hands firmly on the table, Beth purses her lips, glaring at both of them. "Well, what a surprise this is?  Every one of us  thought you were interested in Annie, even talking about looking for rings with her.  You and Ariel trumped all of us."

 

 

Perusing around for her next victim of confrontation to release her anger, Beth turns to Ben and rudely asks "How does it feel to be with Lauren now?  We all heard how broken you were to lose your last girlfriend.  Have you fully recovered?"

Shocked by her question, but wanting to respond Ben starts to reply "I'm grateful for Lauren coming into my life.  I wasn't sure how much of a life I would have after I lost my girlfriend in the car accident as Rick can testify.  I thought that all my happiness had left with her" taking a deep sigh Ben Wick continues as his voice lifts "But fortunately God had other plans for me.  Although a horrible accident happened to Lauren when she fell, it gave us an opportunity to grow to love each other while she was healing.  I don't know how I will go on if I had to exist without her."

"Oh ... how long did it take for your feelings to change?" asks Beth wondering why Elliot would ever turn his attention away from her towards Annie or now Ariel, her former very best friend.

"It was gradual over time.  But there was a day when I suddenly knew she was the one for me" explains Ben.

"I think men's hearts stay more faithful over time than the hearts of women" offers Rick joining in the conversation.

"I don't think that is accurate.  Women are romantics and often take the time to analyze and consider all of the different relationships in their lives.  Men tend to get busy with work and are attracted to whatever is in front of them at the time" replies Annie remembering his car being parked in front of Ariel's home many years ago "They are attracted only as long as the woman is in front of them and lives only for them."

"I don't agree.  Men are often consumed with the loss of someone that they have loved.  Think of all the poets and songs that are written by men to attest to this fact.  Songs by women are mostly about moving on to find someone else" responds Rick trying to justify his point feeling that it only took Annie a few weeks to move on so many years ago.

"So true" agrees Ben with a swift kick under the table from Lauren noticing that there is more to the conversation than Ben is aware.

"I think it takes a long time to get over someone you have cared for especially if there is no clear reason given for their absence" shares Annie raising her voice slightly "A heart can linger wondering what would have happened if the situation had been different.  Women use their imaginations much more than men and dive in with too much eagerness into the 'what-if's where they tend to dwell for far too long.  By that time men have usually found someone new to capture their attention and have entirely forgotten the woman they have left behind."

"Isn't that right!" knowingly confers Ariel with her arms crossed looking over to Elliot who appears to have gone silently deep in thought listening to the conversation.

"But women seem to change by the moment as long as the guy provides something new that they think they will need" suggests Ben Wick "They want things and often head in the direction of the man who offers the most to them."

"That's not always so.  Some women who love have a very difficult time letting go if the love was genuine, good, and sweet to them. I think a woman loves longest if given the opportunity" firmly states Annie hoping to finish the conversation and wishing that Rick would know that she still loves him after all of these years.

"Hey! Are you ready to go?" blissfully unaware of the emotional climate and interrupting Jennings asks "It's been a delicious supper.  Congratulations Lauren and Ben!  May you have many happy adventures together!"

"Yes, we need to be on our way" explains Alfred "The Temple is having another concert tonight with Captains Will and Liz Darcy that we don't want to miss."

"I'm afraid that I won't be going tonight.  I have to leave town for awhile.  I'm not sure when I will be back" interjects Elliot looking towards Ariel "I have some family business in New Jersey that I need to take care of that I have been putting off for quite some time.  Ariel, would you like a ride with me back to see your family for a few days?"

Surprised by this sudden change of heart, Ariel quickly responds, "Yes, that sounds like a great idea! I just need to run back to the apartment to pick up a few things before we go.  I'll see everyone later at the wedding!"

As they get up to leave the restaurant, Rick takes one last look at Annie.  There are tears in her eyes that she is trying to hide by quickly wiping them away. She looks at him for a second but then pretends to be looking for something hidden deep in her purse.

"Come on Annie, you're going to be late for the bridal shower.  You can walk with me. Beth and Lauren are already on their way" commands Jennings walking behind Alfred and Alice Hammer "Now Alfred, you are not invited, this is a girl's party only!"