Among the Ducklings Read Free Page B

went black.

     

    ##

    It took Dr.
Gomez ten minutes to reach her beachfront condominium unit on Saint Augustine
Beach. The distance between the hospital and her condo was about five minutes.
However, she was not in a hurry tonight. She felt that this weekend was a lucky
weekend for her. She stopped at a gas station adjacent to the only Supermarket
in the beach town and bought a lottery ticket. She didn't believe that she
would win. But with her good luck today, why take a chance by not buying.

    The
condominium development where she lived consisted of ten condominium buildings.
Each building was four stories high and had at least fifteen individual units. Dr Gomez's condominium building sat in the back of the
development. When she reached her building, the parking lot was almost empty
and she knew why. It was Saint Augustine after all, and on Saturday nights,
there was always a party to go to, a new drink to try, and a new blind date to
meet.

    When she
entered her fourth-floor two bedroom condo, the smell of the ocean coming from
the screened balcony reminded her of Miami. It was March, and she had left the
door to the balcony open before going to work.
It was also a cool night and she could hear the battle cry of the ocean as its
waves invaded the sea shore in its perpetual fight to occupy the dunes.

    She then
poured herself a glass of red wine and stepped out onto the balcony. There was
no horizon to see. At 10:00 pm, the beach was dark. But far away in the middle
of the ocean, she could see a speck of light moving like a lone firefly in the middle
of a large and distant field. It could have been a shrimp boat. However, to Dr.
Gomez, it was a glimmer of hope, a sign that confirmed that what she was about
to do was right. She was on the right path.

    Dr. Gomez
knew that she had to break up the relationship between Isabel, her niece, and
Richard. Until today, she didn't know how to do it without telling Isabel about
what she found out about Richard. All she wanted for Isabel was what she never
got from her marriage to her ex-husband: happiness. She knew that her plan had
only a very small chance of success. However, that's all she needed. Phil did
not know it yet but he was part of the equation.

    Suddenly,
the phone rang and she knew it was her friend Grace who lived next door. She
always called at this time to make sure Marcia got home safe. She picked up and
said, “Hi Grace.”

    “Hi
Marcia. How did
you know it was me?” Grace asked.

    “Because
you call me at this time every night,” Marcia answered.

    “How was
your day at the hospital?”

    “Better
than it has been in a long time.”

    “Did
something happen to make it better?” Grace asked. Grace was a widow, in her
early eighties. She was a former bank executive and married well. She was very
sharp and liked to sleep during the day and stay awake at night. She was like a
vampire without the bite or the sunlight problem.

    “First of
all, it was my last day at the hospital today. Second, I met someone that I
plan for Isabel to meet. His name is Phil,” she said.

    “What do
you know about that guy Phil?” Grace asked.

    “More than
he knows that I know,” Marcia replied. “I had an interesting conversation with
his friend who filled out his admission application.”

    “You mean , he was a patient in the hospital?” Grace asked, surprised.
“I’m not sure about this. Do you know anything about him? Even if Isabel
believed your story about Richard...”

    “I don't
plan to tell Isabel about Richard,” Marcia interrupted her.

    “If you
don't, who will?” Grace asked.

    “I know Isabel.
She would not be happy if she knew what I did to find out about the blond woman
that Richard was with that night,” Marcia said.

    “OK, but
don't go pulling any stunts like you did to your ex,” Grace pleaded. Grace's
last statement made Marcia smile. Two months after Peter, her husband, left her
for Janet, their neighbor, when she was living in Miami,