Chapter 10
On Saturday at one, Terry left her house in Mount Airy to meet Russ Adams at the magnificent Philadelphia Museum of Art. Ever the optimist, she looked forward to spending time with him and seeing the exhibit in spite of the disappointments she’d had with Arvin in the previous months. It was not Russ’s MO to stand her up.
When the cab pulled up to the Rodin, Russ was waiting for her. Moving to the curb, he got the door for her and offered her his hand. “You’re right on time,” he said.
She smiled up at him, and then remembered she had to pay the driver. “I’ll get it,” he said, but she put her hand out.
“I can get it,” she said, then turned to him. “Thank you so much. You’re so chivalrous! But you don’t have to pay for my cab.”
He offered her his arm. “Icarus awaits. Do you know the story of Icarus?”
“Well, didn’t his father make him wings of feathers and wax so he could escape imprisonment in a labyrinth? But he flew too close to the sun, and the wax melted, throwing him into the Mediterranean.”
“Yes, that’s basically the myth,” Russ said, holding the door for her. “I’m impressed you know it.”
“It’s not the whole story though,” she said.
“It’s enough,” he replied. “So this piece is called The Fall of Icarus.”
He studied it with his chin in his hand, looking at it from different angles, walking around the sculpture. “Big deal,” he whispered.
Taken aback, Terry bit her tongue to keep from laughing. So the brainiac Russ was just a guy after all.
“I must be missing something,” he said. “Now I’m determined to find out what all the hoopla is about.”
She followed him around the base of the statue for a minute or two.
“Look! Icarus’s dickarus is bent!” she exclaimed, pointing to Icarus’s penis.
“It is!” he said, trying to keep his composure, bending over to look. “Could that be what all the accolades have been about?”
“Maybe,” she answered, laughing.
“I’m glad I didn’t buy these tickets,” he said. “What a waste of money.”
“What will you tell your friends if they ask?” she asked.
“Oh, the usual, how fabulous it was to be able to see the exhibit,” Russ answered. “Do you want to keep going?”
“I’d love to,” she replied.
They spent the next two hours wandering around the museum. Her sniglet had effectively broken the ice and the result would be a warm and affectionate relationship. But it didn’t help the lack of chemistry between them.
“Are you sure you want to go up to my place?” she asked. “Maybe it would be better if you came up during the day when we can scout out the neighborhood in the light.”
“Okay, that’s probably wise,” he said, realizing they might get into bed together out of loneliness.
“Thank you for a nice afternoon,” she said.
“I might owe Icarus a debt of friendship,” Russ said.
“Yes, I was just thinking the same thing,” Terry said.
“I won’t deny that I’m a little disappointed in us,” Russ admitted, switching his finger between the two of them.
“Me, too,” Terry said. “But at least we didn’t make a mistake.”
“No, no mistakes,” he said, looking at the pink sky. “I’d better get you to the station. I don’t like thinking of you on the train after dark.”
“That’s so nice,” she said.
“I’ll do all your research for you, too,” he said, seriously.
“Oh, I already thought of that,” she said. “But what can I do for you?”
“Just be my friend,” he said.
She stood up on her toes to reach his face and kissed his cheek. “It’s an honor.”
On her way back up to Mount Airy, Terry thought about Russ, how handsome and interesting he was, seemingly perfect for her in every way, but that vital spark was missing. She wondered if a marriage could survive without it. Could you force it? She’d never know, because a week later he called with news.
“I met someone! You’ll like her too, I think. She’s a psychologist at…” and he named a well-known clinic in the suburbs.
Terry would eventually meet her at the engagement party, would attend the wedding shower and the wedding, the baby shower, have lunch with the happy couple, and then meet the baby. As luck would have it, they’d move out on the Main Line and that would be it for the friendship, the wife not comfortable with Russ having lunch with his old friend Terry, and the phone calls finally dwindling to a voice mail message wishing her a Merry Christmas which she didn’t return.
***
The following day, Arvin had his turn to do a Sunday rotation in the ER. The usual car wrecks and sprained ankles and heart attacks came through the automatic doors. At three that afternoon, a motorcycle accident in town resulted in Oscar Butler arriving wearing a neck brace, lying on a backboard. Arvin met him in the hallway, and there was an instant connection between the two men. They were as different as two human beings could be: Arvin – articulate, educated, and Muslim, and Oscar – a high-school dropout who still lived at home and an avowed racist.
“Who’s your new friend?” his motorcycle buddies asked the first time Oscar brought him to the motorcycle club hangout. There were suspicious of Arvin’s dark skin and jovial demeanor.
“The guy saved my life,” Oscar said. “Show him some respect or get out.”
The important thing the two men shared was an interest in women, and Oscar had a fresh cache of beauties to whom an educated doctor was exactly to their liking. The only problem was that Oscar lived farther from the city than Arvin was comfortable traveling on a frequent basis, so when he went, it was for a long weekend at the very least.
“Where’s Arvin been lately? I never see him anymore,” Brenda asked Larry.
“He’s got a new buddy,” Larry said. “Arvin’s taken him under his wing.”
“How can Arvin take anyone under his wing?” Brenda asked, dubious. “The guy is barely able to take care of himself.”
“Evidently, Arvin got him a job with another patient he knows, someone out of town who owns a mechanic’s garage. This Oscar guy is a whiz with a wrench, I guess.”
Brenda relayed the information to Terry.
“Unfortunately, I’ve met Oscar,” Terry said. “I broke down and asked Arvin to have a drink after work one night when I was working late and Oscar showed up. I’m afraid he’s using Arvin, too. I saw money exchange hands.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were seeing Arvin? I feel like you’re hiding it from me,” Brenda said.
“It was for a booty call but then Oscar showed up and they left together. It was about as humiliating as it has gotten with Arvin and I didn’t think you’d mind if I saved face one more time,” Terry said.
“Oh honey, I’m sorry,” Brenda said. “Of course I don’t mind. I can’t believe it’s come to this!”
“I called him! That’s what’s so pathetic. I need to find someone else to be my friend with benefits, but it occurred to me I might be getting a little old for that.”
“What about a real date by looking online?” Brenda asked innocently.
“Yuck,” Terry sputtered. “You mean make a date and then meet the guy at the police station in case he’s a perv? I’ll pass.”
“What are you going to do then?”
“Give it six months and after I recover, try again with Arvin. Isn’t that our history? He’ll behave for one meeting, it’ll be amazing, and then the next time he’ll stand me up or meet me with another woman on his arm. That’s probably something else I failed to tell you about.”
“Oh, God. I don’t even want to hear it,” Brenda moaned.
One incident Terry had left out; Arvin had called her to come downtown on a Saturday night. Lonely that weekend, she agreed and took a train into Center City, planning on spending the night with him. She got to his place at nine and the next hour was fabulous, his attention on her. When he finished - as usual there was no ending for her - they took a shower together, got dressed, and walked a few blocks north. The streets were still crowded with weekend revelers. Terry remembered feeling such a sense of fun. The atmosphere was of partying, young people, memories. Later, she’d think, what the hell is fun anyway? When they’d had enough, they walked back to his apartment and a youngish woman was waiting at the door.
“Lila! Are you kidding me?” he cried, swooping her up. “Terry, meet my friend, Lila.”
Lila had an overnight bag. Evidently, Lila was a medical student friend of Arvin’s who was doing a rotation through the ER. She didn’t look like a doctor, with a pierced nose and tattoos. Arvin unlocked his apartment door and with Lila hanging on him, led the way upstairs. Terry was uncomfortable, not included in the conversation, clearly in the way. She went into the bedroom, packed up, and walked through the apartment with her bag.
“Arvin I’m taking off now.”
“How will you get home?” he asked, standing with his arm around Lila’s shoulders.
“I’ll figure it out,” she said, getting a cab to the station and taking the train home from Arvin’s for the last time.
It would be the last time Terry talked to Arvin for three months.