He Loves Lucy

Chapter 11

October

It was a glowing evening in suburban Fort Lauderdale, and the Cunninghams’ backyard was overflowing with guests. The reason for this get-together was Lucy’s parents’ thirty-fifth wedding anniversary, and Dan had come down from Pittsburgh and Mary Fran and the kids were there and-total shocker-Keith came, too. Lucy noted that he was laughing a lot and seemed more relaxed than she’d seen him in years. Mary Fran was working part-time and Keith had quit his sales job and started a consulting group with a former colleague. Money was tight, but Frannie said he was home at least three nights a week for dinner. There had been no dancing on bars in quite a while.

Milling around the backyard were Theo and Buddy plus Aunt Viv and Uncle Martin, whom Lucy hadn’t seen for several months. Everyone seemed to get along fine, and the party was in full swing when Dan came over to sit next to her.

He fidgeted with the sleeve of his shirt and stared down at the grass. “I don’t think I do it for Gia anymore.

I think the novelty has worn off.“ Dan raised his eyes to his sister’s. ”She hasn’t returned my calls. She doesn’t swing by Pittsburgh on the way back from New York. I guess I was deluding myself.“

Lucy didn’t know what to say. She’d never seen Dan so sad or even so serious. She herself hadn’t talked to Gia much, so she had no idea what was going on in her life. “I know she’s traveling a lot, Dan.”

He shrugged, giving her a weak smile. “Who’d a thunk in the first place, huh? I mean, how many other residents at Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital have ever dated a supermodel?”

“My guess would be zero,” Lucy said, patting his hand.

“You got that right.”

Lucy smiled at her brother. “You’re great, Dan. You’ll find somebody. It’ll happen.”

Dan wagged an eyebrow. “Word’s gotten around, though. The women back home are trying to figure out what ole Danny’s got that Gia Altamonte wanted. My stock has gone up dramatically.”

Lucy and Dan joined Theo, Buddy, and Keith in a game of volleyball. Then Lucy went to chat with Viv and Martin for awhile, then helped her mom make the salad. When Lucy carried it out, Theo said he had an announcement to make.

“Only Buddy knows about this.” Theo smiled at his brother and continued. “I thought I’d use this opportunity to tell everyone that I did get readmitted to medical school.”

Aunt Viv screamed and made her way as fast as she could to Theo and hugged him. Uncle Martin followed, slapping Theo’s back. Lucy smiled at Theo, so proud of him she could scream, too. Instead she kissed his cheek and whispered, “You rock, Redmond.”

“The downside is I have to pick up in the middle of my second year. I start classes January tenth.”

Lucy saw the disappointment in Theo’s eyes-he had to repeat a whole year-but he was smiling.

“I thought long and hard about it, but I’ve decided it’s worth it. I’m back in.”

Lucy’s dad went inside and rustled up a bottle of champagne. They were in the middle of toasting to Theo’s success when the phone rang.

“Hold that thought just a moment.” Her dad ran into the kitchen to answer it. Everyone waited for him to return, but it took several long minutes, and when he did make it back, he was frowning.

“Who was that, Bill?” Lucy’s mother stopped her conversation with Viv and Martin and waited for him to answer, but he just continued to frown. “Bill?”

His eyes found Lucy, and he began to walk toward the lawn chair where she sat. Lucy swallowed hard. Something was wrong.

The twins chose that particular moment to stop screaming and it got very quiet as everyone watched Lucy’s dad come closer. He knelt down at her feet and placed a hand on her knee.

“Pumpkin, that was a young lady from WakeUp Miami-one of their producers.”

“OK. What’s up?”

Theo had moved up behind Lucy, and she felt his hand on her shoulder.

“Well, it seems somebody’s put a bee in their bonnet to do a special show about you this month, and they want your mom and me to come on TV and be interviewed.”

Lucy’s pulse began to drum. “What kind of special show, Dad?”

“The girl said they’re calling it, This Is Your Life, Lucy Cunningham.”

Her body went stiff. She tried to remain calm. “Oh really?”

“Pumpkin, I’m so sorry to have to tell you this…” Her dad craned his neck and sought out her mother, who gasped before he could finish his sentence. “They’ve gone and tracked down Brad Zirkle and he’s coming to do the show.”

Lucy was out of the chair in a flash, running up the back steps to the kitchen. Without breathing, without thinking, she grabbed her purse and keys off the counter and stumbled through the living room and out the front door to her car. She was inside and driving before the first sob hit her.

Theo was right behind her, but Dan grabbed his arm before he made it out the front door.

“Get her to tell you what happened,” he said.

“I’ve tried!” Theo said, exasperated. “Would somebody please just tell me what the hell-”

“She has to do it, Theo. It’s her story.”

Theo jogged for his car, Dan still at his side. “Can you get Buddy and my aunt and uncle home?”

“Sure.” Dan prevented Theo from closing the driver-side door. “Do not let her run away from this any longer.”

Theo let out a bitter laugh, shut the door, and drove to the end of the residential street, where he barely caught the flash of Lucy’s red Toyota as it went around the bend. He ran a stop sign to catch up with her.

He immediately called her cell phone and got her voice mail. He checked his gas gauge and cursed himself for not filling up before he arrived at the Cunninghams‘. He had a quarter tank and no idea where Lucy was headed.

He stayed behind her on southbound 1-95, and for once he was glad there was a decent amount of traffic- at least she wouldn’t be pulling a Starsky and Hutch on him. He stayed close behind, heading toward Miami.

The fourth time he tried, she picked up her cell.

“Where are you going?”

Her voice was very small. “I don’t know.”

“Drive to my house. It’s closer than the city.”

“No.

“Then go to the gym. Park wherever you can.”

“All right.”

She hung up, but Theo was relieved that at least he’d heard her voice and he knew where they were going. He was on empty when she took the Miami Beach exit. He was running on fumes by the time he found a place to park. He jogged down Washington Avenue and caught a glimpse of her rounding the corner of Second Street, heading toward the strip.

“Lucy!”

She ignored him. Theo caught up with her and did a quick check to make sure she still had all her limbs. Lucy looked straight ahead, marching toward the beach.

“Are we going swimming, Luce?”

“No.”

She stomped across Ocean and walked up the sidewalk to the beach entrance. She took off her sandals and dangled them in her hand.

“Tell me. Whatever it is, now’s the time. Who’s Brad Zirkle and what did the son of a bitch do to you?”

“I’d like to be by myself.”

Theo laughed. “Not this time, sweetheart.” He grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around. Lucy looked past his eyes toward the South Beach strip, already buzzing with the early dinner crowd. “Lucy. Look at me.”

Her eyes slowly focused on him, and her mouth began to tremble.

“You’ve been by yourself long enough. Now you’re with me, and you’re going to tell me what happened to you. Right now.”

She nodded almost imperceptibly, her eyes still on his.

“Hey! It’s Lucy and Theo!” A woman with two sunburned kids stopped on their way back from the beach. They stared, their arms full of beach toys and their mouths open in surprise.

“This isn’t a good time,” Theo said, taking Lucy’s elbow.

The mother pushed her two children on ahead. “I understand.” She smiled at Theo. “Good luck to the two of you.”

Lucy and Theo headed down the gentle slope of the beach to the surf. Theo put his arm around her waist and pulled her tight. The waning sun lit up her footprints in the wet sand and Theo knew it was a strange time to notice this, but Lucy had the cutest feet and the prettiest little toes.

“I was very athletic in high school, but somewhat overweight, as you know. I wasn’t particularly appealing to the most popular boys.” She looked straight ahead up the beach.

“Go on.”

“So when I got to Pitt State, it was a chance for me to reinvent myself. I really thought I could change myself-that I could leave behind the ‘fat chick’ label.”

“OK.”

Lucy stopped and turned toward Theo, the breeze lifting her hair off her shoulders. “Do you know what scares me the most about telling you this?”

He smoothed her hair back with his fingers. “What?”

“That you’ll hear this and you won’t ever see me the same way again.”

He cocked his head to the side. “How could that happen, Luce? What is there left that we haven’t seen in each other?”

Lucy half-laughed and half-sniffled as she resumed walking. “You want to know why I started gaining weight the second part of my freshman year? It was to avoid men. I wanted to become completely invisible to men.”

“Why did you want to do that?”

She pressed her palms into her eyes and stood still on the sand. When she looked at him, Theo saw no tears, just fierce determination.

“I’m a slump buster, Theo,” she said. “No, wait- I’m the famous Pitt State Slump Buster: Lucky Lucy, the fat girl who helped Brad Zirkle end his six-game rushing slump. The fat girl who thought she had a relationship with Brad Zirkle, only to learn she was being used, and she learned this in a packed stadium during a nationally televised game, no less!”

Rage thundered in Theo’s ears. “Say what?”

“The fat girl whose public humiliation brought down the entire Pitt State athletic department and caused the team to forfeit their Taco Bowl berth to their archri-vals, the Purdue Boilermakers. Does this ring any bells?”

Theo was struck by the tone of Lucy’s voice. She sounded like a TV news anchor giving background to a faraway tragedy. He wondered how many thousands of times she’d repeated that cold summary in her own head.

“So? Does that sound familiar to you?”

He nodded. “I knew I’d heard Zirkle’s name before-I watched that special on ESPN. I can’t believe that was you.”

Theo reached up to touch her face, but Lucy backed away and crossed her arms over her chest.

“It was me, all right.”

“Start from the beginning.”

Lucy took a deep breath and stared out over the ocean for a moment, then focused on Theo. “I met Brad in a geology class in October. He sat by me a couple times, was very nice, and I kept wondering why in the world he was acting interested in me. I was a freshman. I was overweight-around one seventy-five, probably about what I weighed back in May. I wore a size fourteen.”

“That’s pretty average size, Lucy.”

“I realize that now.”

“Go on.”

“So he was very sweet to me. Told me he’d seen me on campus. He asked me to have lunch with him at the student union. The thing is, he wasn’t very interesting, Theo. I didn’t really like the guy all that much, but I was blinded by the fact that the senior football star Brad Zirkle wanted to be seen with Lucy Cunningham! It just boggled my mind. The girls in my dorm were flipping out with jealousy.”

“And then what happened?”

“The next week, he asked me out on a real date- took me to see a rerun of Aliens and them out for ice cream. He kissed me good night.” Lucy shook her head and laughed. “I should have listened to my gut instinct right there.” She looked up at Theo. “I hated his kiss. His mouth was all slimy and cold and his lips were too thin and… and… the feel of his tongue creeped me out.”

The anger sat hard and icy in Theo’s gut. He didn’t know how much more of this he could take. But he’d asked her to tell him, hadn’t he? “Go on.”

“So when Zirkle asked me out a second time, what did I say? I said yes! Duh! And why?” Lucy wiped her wet cheeks with the back of her hand. “Because I wanted the dream to continue. I wanted so bad to believe he liked me, found me attractive-”

Theo reached for her and Lucy pushed his arm away.

“On our next date he took me to a Prince concert, but it wasn’t called that back then because Prince was going by that unpronounceable symbol. Anyway, he took me to his fraternity room after, and we drank a bottle of Chardonnay. I pretended to be interested in his stories about football. I got pretty tipsy. I decided what the heck.”

“Oh, Luce.”

“I had no idea that this was all a setup. That a bunch of his teammates were outside the door listening, verifying that I was a legitimate, bona fide slump buster.”

“Shit.”

“Hey. It worked. Brad rushed for two hundred and eleven yards the next game. Broke the school record.”

“And your heart.”

Lucy stopped talking. She let her eyes drop to the sand, and Theo watched her stand still for a long moment.

When she finally had the courage to look up, she saw deep hurt and raw pity on his face, and she hated it. “Don’t you dare feel sorry for me, Theo.”

“I don’t feel sorry for you, sweetheart. I want to fight for you. I want to fight with you. I want to fucking kill that guy for treating you like that. He deserves to die.”

Lucy blinked. “Well, thanks. Nobody’s ever offered to commit a felony to protect my honor. It feels kinda nice.”

Theo was suddenly hit by a horrifying thought. “That wasn’t your first time, was it? Please tell me you didn’t give your virginity to that asshole.”

Lucy laughed. “Nope. I gave it to a different asshole my senior year of high school-a tortured punk poet type who wore lots of black and a Mohawk. He’s now a megamillionaire software developer, I understand, but I digress. So, no. I wasn’t a virgin the night I ended up in Brad Zirkle’s fraternity room, but I wasn’t exactly the campus harlot, either. But I sure remember… I remember…”

Lucy couldn’t finish the sentence, and the tears ran down her beautiful face and Theo stood helpless in the sand in front of her, the water lapping at his feet. “Don’t stop. Tell me everything. Get it out.”

“I… I just remember how badly I wanted to look beautiful for him that night.” Lucy shook her head as the tears continued to pour. “I worked so hard on my hair and was so careful about what I wore. I thought I looked pretty. I thought he found me attractive. I had convinced myself that I was… that I could be… oh my God… desirable.”

Theo was on her in a second. “I’m so sorry, baby. Oh, Lucy.” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight. She fit so close against his chest and smelled so good and felt so damn right. He stroked her hair and felt her start to shake all over. “It’s OK. Let it go.”

“Not here.” Her body went stiff. “I can’t let it go here. Not in public.”

“C’mon, then. Let’s run.”

Theo pulled Lucy by the hand and raced across the sand. They ran barefoot across Ocean Drive and down the two blocks to the gym. She had no problem keeping up.

A couple of teenage girls yelled out, “Hey! It’s Lucy!”

She and Theo bounded up the stairs instead of taking the elevator, and they raced by the receptionist, who didn’t even have time to say hello. Lucy was still crying, and Theo was literally dragging her through the cardiovascular studio, and for some reason all he could think about was that first morning she came in here, more than ten months ago, and how she choked on her Milk Duds and he had to save her and now everything had changed, but she was still choking, and he still hadn’t saved her. At least not yet.

Theo opened the door to the kickboxing gym and flipped on the far bank of lights toward the back of the room. Lucy stood in dirty bare feet on the red exercise mat, gasping for breath.

Theo frowned at her. “You’re wearing a skirt.”

She looked down, curious as to why he’d suddenly taken an interest in fashion. “Well, yeah,” she said.

“You’re going to have to take it off.”

“What?”

“Take off your skirt, Luce. Otherwise, you won’t have free range of motion in your legs, which you’re going to need when you start to kick the living shit out of Brad Zirkle.”

“Hello?” Lucy was worrying that Stephan Sherrod’s mental instability was contagious, and Theo had somehow caught it, while she watched him run to the side of the room and grab one of the kickboxing dummies- the one with the padded blue head, shoulders, and torso of an opponent who stood about six feet tall. Then he ran over to a cabinet and pulled out two thick rolls of gauze tape and returned to her side.

Theo shook his head in disgust. “I guess I’ll have to do it myself.” In one hard yank, her nice chino skirt was at her ankles, and Lucy was shocked. “Step out,” he ordered. “Right now, Cunningham.”

Lucy did as she was told, then held out her hands in front of her, palms up. Theo wrapped them quickly, testing to make sure the bandages weren’t too tight, and then stepped behind the dummy.

“Lucy Cunningham, I’d like you to meet Brad Zirkle.”

“Oh no. I can’t possibly do this.” Lucy shook her head and made a beeline for the door. She hadn’t progressed two steps before Theo snagged her skirt from the floor and unceremoniously stuffed it down the front of his shorts.

“I know you, Lucy, and you’re not going anywhere with your butt on display, so I’ll make a deal with you.”

Theo looked fiercer than she’d ever seen him. She wasn’t sure if she appreciated that comment about her butt, even though it was 100 percent accurate. “What’s the deal?”

“Simple. You tell our buddy Brad Zirkle here everything you’ve ever wanted to tell him-right this fucking minute-and I’ll give you back your skirt and you can go home. Deal?”

“I can’t do this.”

“Why not?”

The panic was so sharp that it poked at the soft lining of her throat. Her chest hurt. She couldn’t breathe. There was hardly any air to say the words… “Because I’m terrified.”

“Of what?”

“Of starting.”

“Why?”

And that’s when it happened-something broke loose inside her body, and Lucy could feel it claw at the walls of her lungs. It burned. It hurt. It hurt so much, but she just couldn’t stuff it down anymore… she didn’t have the strength any longer… and it felt like barbed wire as it came out of her mouth…

“Because I might never be able to stop!”

“That’s it, sweetheart. Let it out.”

Lucy threw herself at poor Brad Zirkle with such ferocity that Theo briefly questioned his brilliant plan. As she began to punch, he realized the most important thing was that she not hurt herself.

“Watch your form, Cunningham.”

“Fuck my form!” Lucy punched so hard, it knocked Theo back a full step.

“Listen, Lucy. This is going to be Brad Zirkle talking from now on-not me-until I tell you otherwise. Are we clear on this?”

“Crystal.” Ole Brad got a killer ax kick to the gut.

“You were fat and ugly.”

“No! I was not!” Two uppercuts to the jaw, followed by a side kick that would have broken a whole lotta ribs on a real man. “I was average size, you jerk! And I was pretty-”

Smack!

“And smart-”

Slam!

“And I was way too special for scum like you! I just didn’t know it at the time!”

Lucy was breathing hard and crying even harder.

“Nobody thought you were attractive.”

‘That’s not true!“ Lucy’s foot slammed brutally into the dummy’s chest, and she panted for air.

“Nobody liked you.”

“That’s such bullshit! I had a lot of friends! So many people liked me!” She jabbed Brad right in the nose.

“You are not attractive now.”

“Fuck you, you stupid, mean-spirited loser!” Her fists were flying, and the sweat was pouring off her face. “I am drop-dead gorgeous now-more beautiful than I’ve ever been in my life! And stronger! And I’m going to-”

Thwack! went a roundhouse kick to Brad’s kidneys.

“Kick-”

Wham! went the right jab to Brad’s eye socket.

“Your-”

Theo peeked around to enjoy the spectacle of Lucy finding just the right balance on her left foot to support a big ole juicy hook kick, which was executed perfectly…

“Ass!”

And connected with Theo’s left brow bone.

The pain was instant, and it was monumental. Right away, Theo knew there would be a lot of blood.

“Oh my God! Theo!”

He was sprawled flat on his back on the mat, the bank of lights swimming in and out of his vision. He felt the blood start a warm trickle down the side of his face and he opened his good eye to see Lucy hovering directly over him, crying so hard her tears were running down his own cheeks.

“I think I might need ice,” he groaned, watching as

Lucy raced out the door without her skirt. He nearly laughed, but it hurt too much.

Theo endured the indignity of Lucy’s ministrations and the litany of Tyson’s questions-which seemed to focus on why Lucy was kickboxing on the weekend in a pair of leopard-print underpants-as he drove them to the emergency room.

Lucy sat with Theo while he waited for the plastic surgeon on call to arrive, and she held his hand while the local anesthesia kicked in. She couldn’t stop apologizing.

“Your face, Theo! Your beautiful face!”

The surgeon was finishing up the last of six delicate stitches just above Theo’s left eye when he broke out laughing. “I’m sorry.” The surgeon snorted, handing the supplies to the nurse. “I’ve just got to tell you, Lucy-some women threaten it, but most don’t actually kick their man in the head.”

Theo chuckled out of the area of his mouth that wasn’t numb. “She had some anger issues she needed to let go of,” he slurred.

Lucy sighed. “I’m never going to live this down, am I?”

“Good luck to the both of you,” the surgeon said as he left the room. “And go easy on the guy, Lucy. Med students need understanding lovers.”

Tyson drove them back to Theo’s house, still doing his best to get all the details about why Theo had Lucy’s skirt shoved down the front of his shorts. Buddy was staying at Martin and Viv’s house, so after Tyson left, it was just the two of them. Lucy made sure

Theo was comfortable on the couch and got him his pain medication and a cool drink.

She sat next to him. He reached out for her hand. She stroked his hair. All the while, Norton stayed in the dining room doorway, glaring at them with distrust.

“How bad does it hurt, Theo?”

“Not so bad. It’ll heal up real quick.”

“But you’ll always have a scar.”

“We all have them. Mine’s just going to be more obvious than some.”

“Will you ever forgive me?”

Theo leaned his head back against the sofa cushion and sighed. “There’s nothing to forgive. We got the job done. That’s what matters.”

Lucy nodded in silence, then laid her head down on Theo’s lap. “I feel empty inside. That’s the only way I can explain it.”

Theo stroked her hair.

“It’s very calm inside me. It’s like I hacked up a giant hairball that’s been giving me indigestion for years.”

Theo laughed softly. “Maybe that’s Norton’s problem.”

“Nobody’s ever done something like that for me. Thank you, Theo,” she whispered. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome, baby. Will you stay with me tonight?”

Lucy raised her head and frowned at him. “The whole left side of your face is swollen. You can only see out of one eye-granted, that might be the best way to see me naked for the first time, but…”

Theo laughed and said, “We still have a few weeks left before the big payoff, but I need you to sleep with me tonight, keep me company. It’s the least you could do after kicking me in the face.”

Lucy took him by the hand and looked at her watch. They’d spent nearly four hours in the emergency room and it was close to midnight. “Let’s get you to bed, then.”

Theo led her to the room at the end of the hall and then to a queen-size four-poster mahogany bed. He unceremoniously removed his shorts and shirt and stood by the bed wearing nothing but a pair of pale blue cotton boxers and a fine down of chest hair. Lucy tried to swallow, but there wasn’t enough moisture in her mouth to get the job done. She licked her lips.

“I never asked you, but was this your parents’ room?”

Theo nodded. “Does that bother you?”

Lucy stared at the nearly naked man in her direct line of vision and knew that nothing could bother her at the moment. Nothing mattered but that a gorgeous and barely clothed Theo Redmond was about to climb into bed with her.

“What clothes should I take off?” Lucy’s hands had already started to tremble, and she’d already begun to analyze the quality of the light coming from the bureau lamp. Not too harsh. About a 60-watt bulb. A wide white shade that diffused the glow. It would probably be all right.

“You know my preference.”

She watched Theo climb in between the sheets and prop himself up on the headboard with a groan. The man was in severe pain, but he still wanted to see her naked. This was good news.

Lucy unsnapped the waistband and pushed the skirt down over her hips, smiling to herself with the memory of how Theo had ripped it from her body a few hours ago. She’d always think back on that moment fondly.

Then she pulled her pink scoop-neck T-shirt over her head and stood before Theo in a cream and black leopard-print bra and panty set. Theo’s good eye had popped quite wide.

“Lucy-don’t move.” Theo adjusted his position against the headboard and hissed with pain.

Lucy gasped. “Are you OK?”

“Do you have any idea how I’m going to ravage that body come December?”

She smiled. “Tell me.”

“I’m not going to let you out of my clutches for at least a week, and clothes will be strictly forbidden. You’ll have to do dishes naked, work naked, scramble eggs naked, dance naked. I’m picturing naked kickboxing, skinny-dipping, all-nude Andy Griffith marathons…”

“Being naked in front of Floyd the barber isn’t a turn-on for me. Can I borrow a T-shirt to sleep in tonight?”

Theo laughed, gesturing to the middle drawer of the bureau. Lucy selected a well-worn but clean Special Olympics T-shirt and pulled it down over her head. She reached up her back, unhooked her bra, and pulled it through an armhole.

“I’ve always loved to watch women do that. There just isn’t an equivalent for men.”

Lucy smiled, clicked off the light, and climbed into bed next to Theo, her trainer, her business partner, her lover, her hero.

Theo scooted down and opened his arms. Lucy rested her head on his chest-that not too hard and not too soft place that smelled like heaven to her. Theo caressed her shoulder.

“Everything you told Zirkle tonight was dead-on correct, you know.” Theo traced his fingers up and down her arm. “You are beautiful. You are strong. And you are smart. But you left something out, my sweet Lucy.”

“I did?”

“Mmm-hmm. You’re one hell of a brave woman.”

She nodded, feeling Theo’s soft chest hairs brush against her cheek. “That’ll come in handy when I see Brad Zirkle again, won’t it?”

“I’ll be right there with you.”

“You can’t do this for me.”

Theo laughed at that, hard enough that Lucy’s face got tossed around on the surface of his chest. “Think of it like the military press, Luce. I’m not going to do any of the work for you, but I’ll be there, just in case you need me.”

Lucy rubbed her cheek against Theo’s warm skin and waited until his breathing became slow and deep and his hand slid away from her shoulder.

When she was sure he was asleep, she whispered, “You are the love of my life, Theo Redmond.”

Office of Doris Lehman, MSW, PhD

Though he’d known for a week that he was coming along to Lucy’s appointment, it still surprised Theo to find himself there, on a little pinkish couch, looking at weird Japanese girls on a paper screen.

“You don’t have to do the show, you know,” Dr. Lehman told Lucy. “You have a choice.”

“I choose to confront Brad Zirkle and be done with it.”

Doris squinted in Theo’s direction, and he rubbed his palms on the top of his slacks. He had the vaguest feeling that the therapist didn’t like him all that much. Maybe all therapists were like that. Theo promised himself that he’d never need therapy of any kind.

Doris eventually returned her attention to Lucy. “Do you know what you’re going to say?”

“I’ll come up with something-and I promise they won’t have to cut to a commercial this time.”

“Would you like me to come?”

Lucy scrunched up her brows and pondered that. “You’re welcome to, but I’ll be fine.”

Doris nodded, then looked to Theo. “So, how exactly did you come up with the idea to assume the identity of Brad Zirkle in order for Lucy to vent her anger?”

Theo glanced sideways at Lucy, checking to see if this was a trick question. But Lucy just smiled amenably. Theo didn’t know whether the throbbing in his head was from the now rainbow-hued slice on his brow or simply the stress of being trapped in a small room with two women and a paper screen decorated with little anorexic Japanese chicks.

He shrugged. “It seemed like the thing to do at the time. Lucy was obviously ready to let it out, so I let her take it out on me.”

Doris smiled at him. “Yes,” she said. “It certainly appears you did.”

Lucy reached over and grabbed Theo’s hand. He squeezed her fingers tight and smiled. And when he looked back toward Doris, the therapist had a thoughtful expression on her face.

Mercifully, the session soon ended, and Theo shook Dr. Lehman’s hand and waited while Lucy hugged her good-bye. He was half out the door when the two women broke into hoots of laughter, and Theo could have sworn he heard one of them say something about biscuits.

He asked Lucy about it in the car, but she pleaded doctor-patient confidentiality.

The entire hour of the WakeUp Miami show was to be dedicated to the story of Lucy’s life, and she was supposed to be sitting alone in a producer’s office while her family and anyone else they’d hauled in for this freak show were left to mill about in the green room.

Lucy sipped at a Styrofoam cup of black coffee and tried not to obsess about what she’d decided to wear to her own execution (a tailored suit jacket and matching slim skirt in a rich brown that looked great with her hair) or what Brad Zirkle would look like after all this time (she was hoping for fat and bald and poorly dressed) and what strange conversations might be taking place in the waiting room down the hall.

She was contemplating another trip to look out the window toward the MacArthur Causeway when the office door creaked open and Gia’s lush head of hair appeared.

“There you are, chica! She ran over to the desk chair and threw her arms around Lucy and whispered, ”God, I’ve missed you! You look mahvelous! I’m not supposed to be in here-it’s like it’s your wedding day or something; they don’t want anybody to see you before!“

Gia looked beautiful as always, but there was something different about her, and Lucy studied her closely until it dawned on her-it was Gia’s eyes. She looked radiantly happy.

“What have you been up to?” Lucy asked her, patting the desktop for Gia to have a seat. “I haven’t seen you in ages.”

“Oh, Lucy. Work has been crazy, you know? I got a shoot scheduled for next month in Sydney.”

Lucy smiled. “Wow!”

“And that’s not all, and I’m afraid to tell you about this other thing because-”

“Of Dan?”

Gia jolted and pursed her luscious lips. “Yeah. Because he’s your brother and he’s great, but he’s just not-”

“Right for you?”

Gia smiled and shook her head. “Yeah. I just ran into him in that green room, you know? And he was so sweet and we talked and I told him I was sorry for not being direct about it, but we’re cool now. I really like him, Lucy, but he’s more friend material, you know?”

“I know.”

Gia sighed. “But I met someone in. New York last month. He’s incredible. You’ll love him. I brought him home with me.”

Lucy felt her eyes go wide with surprise. “Like a puppy from the pound?”

“Ooh, girlie, listen to me when I tell you that this man is no puppy!”

The door opened. It was Theo. “You’re not supposed to be in here, Altamonte. Get back to the green room.”

Gia got up and acted all huffy as she strutted to the door. “But it’s OK for you, Theo-dorable? You’re allowed? How come you’re allowed? Who crowned you king?”

Lucy laughed.

“Just go back to the green room.” Theo turned Gia in the right direction and then grinned at Lucy. He’d obviously gone for a more formal look today himself-a white cashmere knit sweater and a pair of charcoal gray pleated slacks, plus a discreet little bandage applied lengthwise along his stitches. Lucy had indeed gotten used to seeing Theo’s charming face, but it didn’t mean she appreciated it any less.

“Are you looking at my bruise?” He lightly touched his brow. “I probably shouldn’t stand too close to you on the set-we’ll clash.”

Lucy smiled at him. “Hi, Theo-dorable.”

He checked behind him in the hallway, then closed the door. In a flash he was leaning on the armrest of Lucy’s chair and kissing her, his lips warm and soft and more demanding than she’d felt since before she’d kicked him. He was apparently gaining back the use of his facial muscles.

“You doing OK, Cunningham?” He left little kisses all over her forehead. “You up for this?”

She nodded. “I am.”

“Well, he’s here, baby. Brad Zirkle is down the hall. They put him in a separate room.”

Lucy felt a hot rush of fear move through her, but it didn’t stay long, and its passage only gave her a burst of energy. “I’m ready to rumble.”

Theo laughed and pulled her to her feet, then hugged her hard. “No kicking. No punching. No cussing.”

“You’re no fun anymore.”

He chuckled, releasing her and holding her by her shoulders. He leaned his forehead against hers and whispered, “I can’t wait to show you just how fun I really am.”

There was a knock on the door, and it was time.

“It’s time to WakeUp Miami!” Lucy was an expert at this by now, and she gestured broadly toward the set and the band took it as their cue to start up and the crowd went crazy. The audience today was a sea of white T-shirts with red hearts and lettering that proclaimed: We Love Lucy!

Lucy had already spotted a few guests of note in the studio that morning. Doris sat in the second row, engaged in nonstop conversation with Tyson. Stephan, Maria, Barry, and Veronica were in the back left section, and Lola was sitting by herself in the far right corner, looking pissed.

The producers of this extravaganza had apparently decided that chronological order wouldn’t be dramatic enough, so John Weaver and Carolina Buendia brought out everyone but Brad Zirkle, including family members, to childhood teachers, to friends from junior high and high school, to Lucy’s first boss in Pittsburgh. In between there were softball teammates and a Girl Scout leader and a horse trainer and Gia Altamonte and even Buddy.

Lucy was thirsty and hot and her stomach was in knots when they took a final commercial break.

“Don’t go away, Miami,” Carolina cooed. “When we come back, we’ll have a shocking surprise confession that Lucy may want to hear…” She patted Lucy’s knee. “And then what we’ve all been waiting for-we’ll get the skinny on this month’s weight loss! Can she do it with only one month to go? Don’t go away!”

During the break, the makeup technician blotted Lucy’s damp forehead and let her take a swig of water. Theo stood at the edge of the set, his arms crossed over his chest, his face serious. She gave him the thumbs-up sign and he winked at her.

When Brad Zirkle walked onto the set, Lucy felt her head swim and her vision fail-then she remembered to breathe. He sat down in the chair right across from her, his eyes focused on his shoes. He wore an expensive business suit and a red-and-white-striped dress shirt with cuff links and a silk tie. He held a little blue book and a piece of folded notebook paper in his hand. Lucy had to admit he looked just the way he did in college, except better.

So much for fat, bald, and poorly dressed.

Her glance darted to Theo, but he didn’t notice-he was staring at Brad Zirkle like he wanted to eviscerate the man. She hoped he remembered his own advice regarding acts of violence and curse words.

Lucy sat still while the producers ran an old video montage of the events of a decade ago-the bedsheet unfurled with the painted words, Thank You, Lucky Lucy Cunningham-Slump Buster; her father yelling at reporters from his front stoop; Lucy hounded by ESPN cameras as she walked between classes; the dean announcing that the coach, athletic director, and assistant athletic director had been fired and four athletes expelled.

John Weaver asked her how it felt to see that.

Lucy said, “Like it happened to another person.”

As Brad cleared his throat and started to speak, Lucy was amazed at how loose her body felt, how relaxed and comfortable she was at this moment of truth. Her heart beat quietly. Her hands lay still in her lap. She stayed focused.

She wondered briefly if this meant she’d had a mental breakdown, but it didn’t feel like illness. It felt like health. It felt like strength. It felt damn good.

Brad began to read from a prepared statement, telling Lucy and the entire Miami-Dade TV-viewing area that he’d always been ashamed of his behavior that day and that his life since then had been a series of relationship and job failures, including a struggle with alcohol.

“Oh my God,” Lucy whispered, searching out Doris in the second row. She shrugged and gave her a sympathetic smile and Lucy went back to listening to Brad Zirkle explain how his twelve-step recovery required that he apologize to Lucy for his behavior.

Is there nothing people won’t do on television?

“I take full responsibility for what happened. It was wrong and cruel, and I am so sorry, Lucy. You did not deserve to be treated so badly.”

Suddenly the camera zoomed in tight on Lucy’s face, and Carolina and John looked at her expectantly and Lucy realized this was her chance, her opportunity for the ultimate words of revenge.

What came out of her mouth instead was a huge sigh of relief.

“Thank you for your apology, Brad,” she said. “You hurt me a lot, and I’m sad to hear that you suffered, too.”

Brad fell back into his chair like he’d been pushed.

Lucy went on. “Someone once told me that at the end of the day, the most important thing is that you make the most of what God gave you. I guess you and I are both trying to do that now. Everybody deserves a second chance.”

“Thank you, Lucy,” Brad said.

“But don’t you dare ever hurt anyone like that again.”

“I won’t.” Brad wiped a tear from his cheek.

Carolina cried next. Then Lucy’s mom broke down in her chair at the back of the set, followed by Mary Fran and Gia and most of the females in the studio audience, and that’s when Lucy thought for sure she heard Stephan Sherrod’s voice shout out something about being a dead man.

After the next commercial break, Theo led Lucy to the scale. She started laughing with joy before he could even settle on the number, which turned out to be 148, a loss of six pounds for the month.

Lucy had no idea how much a decade of rage and shame weighed, but she knew she’d unloaded a few of those pounds just moments ago, when she’d forgiven Brad Zirkle.