Printable version from Angela's Truth

The annoying sound of the telephone woke her. Only slightly conscious, Angela glanced at the night table clock and smiled - 10:06 a.m. "That must be Philip calling to beg forgiveness," she thought as she picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"Ange? Janet."

"Janet? Good morning. You're up early." Angela wasn't used to hearing from Janet before noon. Angela wiped the sleep from her eyes as she waited for Janet to begin.

"Angela, are you still in bed?" Janet sounded surprised.

"No. I had to get up to answer the phone." Angela chuckled.

Janet continued, "What the hell are you doing at your Mom's? I tried your place but there was no answer."

At first, Angela thought Philip must have gone to the office but then thought, "It's Sunday. Why would he go to the office?" She became angry again; Philip was supposed to be at home pining for her, it was the least he could do. "Philip and I had a big fight about my father yesterday. I just..."

Janet interrupted, "Listen, Ange. We have to talk. Something's come up you need to know." Janet's voice sounded far too serious.

Angela was concerned, "My God, Janet, what is it? You okay?"

"I'm fine. Not on the phone, girlfriend. I'm coming over. I'll be there in thirty minutes, so get out of bed," and Janet hung up.

"Something must be very wrong," Angela thought. She got up, dressed, and went to the kitchen to put on coffee. Reaching for the coffee carafe she spotted the note her mother had left.

"Good morning, Dear. I have a few things I need to take care of at the office. I'll be home in a couple of hours. There are some bagels on the counter and cream cheese in the refrigerator. See you soon, Love Mom"

Angela smiled, thinking how dedicated her mother was to the business - even on a Sunday.

When the coffee was ready she poured herself a cup and put the rest in a thermal carafe. Before long the doorbell rang and Janet walked in. The ringing of the doorbell was merely formality; Janet had no intention of waiting for a response. She was breathing hard and the look on her face made Angela's heart skip, "My God, Janet. What's going on?"

Janet put both her hands out in front of her, and tried to catch her breath. "Ange, sit down." Angela wasn't standing and she half screamed at her friend, "Janet!?"

Janet looked down at Angela, shook her head and sat beside her. Angela's patience waned, "Janet!?"

Janet gathered her thoughts, "Okay. Okay." she paused, the direct method was best she thought. "Philip is screwing around on you."

Angela was almost relieved. She calmed down when she realized that was all of it. The events of five months ago rushed forward from the depths of her memory. She was sure she had discussed the whole matter with Janet back then.

"Janet! I thought it was something serious. That's old news." She paused, "I told you about all that back then. Philip and I had that huge fight and I almost called off the wedding. Don't you remember?" Angela had been so enraged at Philip. He thought that since they weren't married he wasn't doing anything wrong. He vowed that he would never be with anyone else ever again. Her trust in him returned slowly and she decided not to let it stand in their way.

Janet was shaking her head. "No, No. Not that. I remember that. Believe me, I remember." Angela's tears had ruined Janet's favorite silk blouse - she wore cotton today.

"He's never stopped. He's screwed around on you on almost every trip since then - including the last one!" Janet's voice cracked as she spoke but she knew she had an obligation to tell Angela no matter how much it was going to hurt her.

Angela sat on the couch in disbelief; feeling like something deep inside her was being ripped out by the roots. She started shaking, and her voice was almost a whisper, "What?" Janet looked at her compassionately and nodded confirmation.

Janet continued, "Mike told me last night while we... Well, after we... Mike told me last night. He made me promise not to tell you." Janet was getting angry, "He talked as if Philip was his hero or something. Philip had said it had been the last time. Mike was proud of him for that or something. Who knows what goes on in men's heads, I just couldn't believe it."

Janet had no doubt of the story's validity. She often said, "The only time men tell the truth is in a death bed confession or as pillow talk after they have been satisfied." She wouldn't have said anything to Angela if she weren't absolutely sure and Angela knew it.

Angela began to cry and Janet reached out and took her in her arms, "I'm really sorry, Ange. Men can be such pigs. It's really the reason I try to avoid getting too serious with them." That revelation didn't help. Angela buried her face in her girlfriends shoulder and wept uncontrollably.

Just as suddenly, Angela stopped crying and straightened up, startling Janet. Her expression was cold and it made Janet shiver. Rage was building inside Angela and when she spoke her voice sounded alien, "That bastard! He's going to pay for this." Angela got up, pushing Janet aside as she strode from the house. Janet ran after her pleading for her to stop. Angela ignored her as she continued to her car. Janet gave up the pursuit at the front door and stood watching as Angela drove away. She felt so totally helpless, wanting desperately to do something but realizing that there was nothing anyone could do. When Angela was out of sight, she went back inside and began to cry.

The phone rang and instinctively Janet answered it.

"Janet?" Philip was surprised to hear her voice. "Is Angela there?"

"No, you pig. She's gone out." Janet didn't attempt to hide her feelings. Philip was instantly angry and confused, "Pig? What's going on, Jan?"

"She knows, you bastard. I told her. She knows everything." With that, she hung up the phone.

Philip sat in his office still holding the phone to his ear, stunned. Replacing it, he realized what had happened. He muttered under his breath, "Mike". At that moment he wanted to kill Mike.

Philip knew he would never be unfaithful again, but that didn't matter now. Angela had found out and she would never trust him again. He didn't know what he was going to do or what Angela would do. He felt his whole world was about to come crashing down. He was more desperate now about the future than he had ever been in his life.

He remembered all the things he had done in the past and how sorry he was now. However, it had happened, and was a part of history forever. There was nothing he could do about the past; all he could do was try to fix the now - and the future.

He had no idea where Angela was or how much damage had been done. He wished he had called her before he had left the house. He had to deal with this appointment first and then he would go find her. He had to try to make it right - he had to.

Angela was heading to her mother's office but arrived at the Drake Hotel instead. She found John easily and he immediately saw she was in trouble, "Angela, what's the matter?"

Angela had stopped crying, "Can you talk?"

"Of course, of course," and he put his arm around her shoulder. As they passed the front desk John glanced at Andrea and pointed to his watch. Seeing that Angela needed him, Andrea nodded her approval of his early break.

John led Angela into the staff lounge and sat her on the only couch. He hurried to the sink to get her a glass of water, and then joined her on the couch.

"Okay, Angela. Tell me what's wrong." There was a certain pride in the realization that she needed him. He had no idea what was wrong, but knew he would do whatever he could to help her.

Angela had trouble getting started. She thought if she didn't actually say the words then maybe it never happened but she knew it had and she needed to talk about it.

She began telling John about Philip's early affairs, and continued through to the information Janet had relayed this morning. John grew angrier as her story progressed. He was forming an opinion about the kind of person Philip was and he didn't like him.

He searched his mind for just the right words to say but none came. He couldn't decide if she expected him to actually say anything or if she just wanted him to listen. He hoped it was the latter. All he could say was, "I'm so sorry, Angela. I'm so sorry." Saying those words made him feel even more helpless.

When she had finished, Angela got up and went to the sink for another glass of water. She knew the next thing she would tell was going to be equally as difficult. With her back to John, she told him everything Philip had said about him and how he didn't want her to see him anymore. Her voice cracked at almost ever syllable.

John had been upset about Philip's affairs, but this news enraged him. "How could someone be so cruel? How could Angela be married to such a beast? She deserved so much more." He thought.

Only after she finished could she turn and face the hurt and anger she knew would be there. "I just don't know what to do. He's my husband. I only hope that I can convince him that he's wrong about you."

John was devastated and the first thing that came to his mind was, "What does your mother think about all this?" Hearing his words, he wished he had said something else.

"Well. She did say that she had had some of the same concerns."

John's face dropped. His only interest had been in making a connection with Angela. Now he didn't know what was right or wrong.

Angela saw his anguish, "She has changed her mind since she met you. She said your eyes told her the truth. She knew you were who I had hoped you would be. She was sure of it. She said she could see you in me."

Just as quickly he felt better. He never understood how women could tell lineage with a glance. They hadn't been together very long that night before he had stormed out. Remembering that, he said, "About the other night, I'm really sorry I took off like I did. I just got very scared with your mother there and all. I thought I could handle it but I was wrong. I'm sorry."

She smiled at him. It felt good to smile again. "Not at all. Mom understood. She really did. Besides, we've already talked about that, remember."

John remembered the conversation, but felt an obligation to apologize anyway. He walked over to Angela and put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Listen Angela, I love you. I know that now. Like nothing I have ever loved before. I really need you to believe that. But I really don't know what we are going to do." He paused, "I think you should go now. Go back to your mother's or something. I need a little time to try and figure things out. Don't talk to Philip for a few days. Let the bastard wallow in his guilt for awhile. He has said and done some pretty awful things. I have to think. You need some time, too."

John realized that he had been preoccupied with Philip's assault of him. He had put Philip's infidelities on some back burner, like they were of much less importance. He knew that was not true. They were actually the most important thing. He felt bad about his selfishness, and that made him dislike Philip even more.

Angela was surprised by John's sudden change of emotion. She had come to be consoled but now she was feeling concern for him. She didn't want to leave him like this but could see how badly he wanted her to go. As she was heading for the door he called to her, his voice totally void of emotion. "Angela, do you still love him?"

Angela stopped in her tracks, shocked by the question, stunned by his tone. She had only been thinking about the things Philip had done. She hesitated, and then turned to face John. The look in her eyes answered his question, "That's all I need to know. I will call you tomorrow. Tonight you rest. Don't worry sweetheart. No one is going to get between us. I'll come up with something."

John sat in his apartment in silence. He hadn't been able to concentrate at work after Angela left. Andrea had offered her assistance but that wasn't what he needed. She promised to cover for him and he left for the day.

Sitting there, he looked over at "Nemesis". The object almost screamed with all the pain and suffering it represented. He wept. All he had ever wanted was a good woman by his side and a few kids - a family. He wondered if that had really been so much to ask. He knew Angela was the only thing in the world that would prove he had existed at all and he wondered what he had done that condemned him to live this life.

John looked around his apartment and for the first time thought how pitiful it looked. He remembered the elegance of Angela's house and how everything in her world was so beautiful. Then he thought how Philip was trying to take his daughter away from him.

John laughed at himself, "My daughter? Who am I kidding? The bastard's right. She's not much more that a lab experiment." He didn't really believe that. She was undeniably a part of him. "I had no idea what I was doing. I wasn't in it to create life - I was in it for the bucks, but now this beautiful creature..." His mind was on fire and his emotions were being torn in every direction. He was losing the ability to discern right from wrong. He looked at "Nemesis" again. He couldn't think straight. The cap came off.

printed from http://www.angelastruth.com