Chapter 5: Learning the Truth

I didn't have to wait for Saturday night for a surprise. On Friday morning, "Black Friday" as it's known, I got a phone call.

"Good morning, John, it's Nan desBiens calling. Have you recovered from yesterday's big meal?"

"Only just, Nan. That was a feast and it was wonderful. I'm really grateful I was invited."

"You were a perfect guest, John. But that's not why I called. I understand you have a date with Georgie on Saturday night."

"I see there are no secrets in the desBiens-Fulton household," I chuckled. "Yes, I have a date with your granddaughter on Saturday."

"I wonder if I could impose on you to join me for lunch on Saturday ... say one o'clock?"

"I guess. I should be able to find the time. Where would you like to meet?"

"I thought we might go to a little Mexican place I know. I'll pick you up just before one then?"

"Uhhm ... sure. Just the two of us?"

"Yes ... I'll call a cab and stop by your apartment."

"You know where I live?"

"Yes, Georgie-Girl told me. So I'll see you Saturday?"

"Yes, I'll be waiting out front so you won't keep the cab waiting."

"That's very considerate but not necessary. I have an account with them and they are very good about waiting. See you Saturday then."

When I hung up I wondered what this was all about. It never seemed to end. I was getting involved with their family whether I wanted to or not.

I didn't have long to wait in the lobby on Saturday afternoon. A city cab pulled up at five before one and I stepped out of the lobby and headed for it when I saw Nan wave to me from the back seat.

The little Mexican restaurant turned out to be Castillo Hidalgo, one of the most highly regarded restaurants in the Bay Area. The building was divided into three parts: a formal dining room, a lounge, and an open area that was more suitable for families with children. Nan chose the lounge.

"I don't get to come to this place often," Nan explained, "so I thought I'd take advantage of you today. I hope you like Mexican food."

"I do, but I don't get to enjoy it at places as nice as this."

The waiter appeared with menus and took our drink orders. For a change of pace I ordered a Negra Modelo, while Nan chose a Tequila Sunrise.

"They make a proper one here," she confided.

I scanned the menu and almost immediately saw what I would likely order. The lunch special was grilled yellow fin tuna with rice, beans, lettuce and pico de gallo salsa. Not too heavy, since Georgette and I were going out to dinner that evening.

"I'm sure you're wondering what an old bat like me wants to talk to you about in private, so I'll get right to it." Nan was nothing if not direct and I nodded for her to continue.

"I can see that you and Georgie-Girl are something more than just friends. It may have started out that way, but that's not what it is today. I thought I'd better tune you in to what's been going on in her life so that you can understand her a little better. If I don't, you may be in for some heartache."

I wondered if she was about to reveal some fatal flaw in Georgette that I couldn't see or know about. My only option was to wait her out and listen.

"I'm sure she hasn't told you that she was married for nearly three years."

I was completely unprepared for that. "No ... no ... she never said a word. I had no idea."

"She fell in love with Bradley Little when she met him at a corporate reception at her uncle's office. She was a guest and just socializing at the time.

"Bradley was an associate at Cunliffe, Harcourt and desBiens. He was just new at that time, but he was rising in the eyes of some of the partners. He was also quite a charmer with the ladies. When he met Georgie, you could almost see his eyes light up, I'm told. She was the niece of a senior partner and he was ambitious. He smooth-talked her and the next thing you know, he was dating her.

"Anyway, it was a whirlwind romance and since he was from a decent family and had good prospects in our family law firm, he was considered a good catch, especially by Sarah. My daughter was a bit of a snob in those days, so Georgette was expected to marry into a 'proper' family," Nan said, hooking her fingers in quotation marks.

"I'm not sure if Sarah talked Georgie into the marriage, or Georgie was just young enough and naïve enough to think he was Prince Charming. But six months after they met they were engaged and four months later they were married. I have to admit that I thought she had done all right with this guy and we expected to hear about grandchildren fairly soon.

"None of us were prepared for what happened next. They were living in a house in South San Francisco, so we didn't see them that often. The first sign that all was not well was a year or so after with them coming to dinner at the house and Georgie showing a bruised cheek and walking very stiffly. She claimed she had slipped in the kitchen and fallen. We didn't have any reason not to believe her.

"But ... little by little, we began to see a change in Georgie and we were seeing a lot less of her as well. She lost that youthful enthusiasm that was part of her personality, and seemed listless and unresponsive when we did see her. Both Sarah and Tom were as worried about her as I was. Tom went as far as talking to Devon to see if he could shed any light on what was going on with Bradley. Was he under great pressure or something that would cause him to change?

"The answer was that he wasn't under any pressure at all. He'd been given a couple of straightforward briefs and, as far as anyone knew, he was doing what he should be doing. The other thing that was worrisome was whenever Sarah or I teased her about producing some grandchildren, she'd either go into a shell or she'd break down and cry. It was pretty obvious then that something was wrong in the Little household.

"It all came to a head when Thomas and Sarah went down one Sunday to visit them unannounced. When Bradley answered the door, he didn't seem to be anxious to have them in the house. Thomas, I guess, used his gift of gab to talk their way in and when Georgie appeared, they were horrified. Her left eye was black and blue and swollen shut. She looked like hell, Sarah told me.

"Well when Bradley tried to tell them that she slipped and fell again, Thomas exploded. He didn't believe a word of it and accused Bradley of beating Georgie. That led to a screaming match between the three of them while Georgie was in tears, hiding her face in her hands and trying to be invisible. The upshot of it was that Thomas threatened to file assault charges on Bradley if he stopped Georgie from coming home with them. That stopped Bradley cold. He knew that would be fatal to his career at Cunliffe, especially since his wife was the niece of a named partner.

"Sarah collected up some clothes and personal items and hustled Georgie out to their car and Thomas drove them home, making sure Bradley wasn't following them," Nan paused, taking a sip of her drink.

I hadn't said a word because I couldn't. I was still in shock and trying to absorb what had happened to Georgette during this horrible time. Nan must have read my thoughts.

"It was a hell of a mess, John. And the worst was yet to come. It turns out that they had been trying to get Georgie pregnant virtually since the wedding, if not before. However, nothing was happening and Bradley was getting more and more angry thinking that his wife wasn't trying hard enough, or worse yet, was deliberately trying not to get pregnant. Can you imagine a guy, supposedly married to the woman he loves, thinking like that after only two years of marriage? I sure the heck couldn't.

"Well, Bradley had insisted that Georgie get tested and make sure there wasn't a physical problem. The tests showed that she didn't have any problem at all. So, the doctor suggested that Bradley come in and get tested. He refused. He not only refused, he threw a fit and clouted Georgie, blaming her for not being able to conceive. It was soon after that Thomas and Sarah discovered what was going on. It was becoming petty clear that he was unstable and Georgie didn't know what to do about it. If her mother and father hadn't intervened, I don't know what might have happened."

I shook my head in dismay. I almost had tears in my eyes as I thought about this guy hitting Georgette.

"What happened then?" I asked.

"Devon thought it might be possible to get an annulment and declare the marriage void. No such luck, though. So, to the embarrassment to everyone in the family, Georgie filed for divorce on the grounds of mental cruelty. It was a mismatch with the best of Cunliffe, Harcourt and desBiens up against an inexperienced young guy that was probably all Bradley could afford.

"The divorce was granted thirty months after their wedding and it was final just after what would have been their third anniversary. Unfortunately, Bradley didn't accept the decision. Despite the fact that there was no alimony and no charges of assault were laid, he was incensed that she would divorce him.

"He began to harass her. He would show up unexpectedly and beg her to come back to him. When she wouldn't even talk to him, he began to threaten her. Both her parents and I were witnesses to some of these threats. He was going to 'come and get her and take her home where she belonged.' He was losing his grip and we were all worried that he might become more violent.

"So, Georgie did the only thing she could do. She filed for a restraining order, with her parents and me as witnesses to Bradley's threats. It was granted and for a while, that seemed to work. What we didn't realize was that Bradley still wasn't accepting the divorce and was planning another avenue of attack. It was only luck that he was never able to grab Georgie and take her somewhere."

"This is a horror story, Nan," I said, feeling the onset of a headache from listening to this tale.