Why Romeo Hates Juliet (44 page)

Romeo pulled back from kissing Juliet’s soft lips and gazed into her beautiful eyes. “You know, this is the first time in my life that I’ve tasted what normal feels like,” he mumbled. It was the beginning of the third week of his court ordered work detail and he was giving his wife a goodbye kiss before heading out.

“What do you mean?” she asked, curious.

“I never knew normal when I was growing up, and then I got into the Holl ywood scene soon after that and you really can’t call that normal either.

But look at me now; I’m going off to work at a real job and I’m going to do an honest day’s labor for an honest day’s pay, and then I’ve got an amazing wife waiting for me when I get home, with a hot meal on the table, a beer, a TV remote…” his eyes then twinkled mischievously before continuing, “… a night of hot sex - and love.” His eyes locked onto hers, wanting her to know how much this all meant to him. “This is the happiest I’ve ever been Juliet and I owe it all to you. Thank you for letting me taste normal for awhile.” Juliet’s eyes welled up with tears as she felt her love for him stirring in her heart. “I love you, Romeo Boyd - know that always,” she whispered, before bringing his head down with her hands to meet her waiting lips.

They kissed for what seemed like eons but was really only seconds. He released her then and with a sly smile, walked out the door, confident in her love for him.

* * *

Disaster struck at 10:28 later that morning.

Juliet had dialed Sara’s phone number in Vancouver, wanting to talk to her little sister before she went to work at the school. It was after 6:00

a.m. on the west coast of Canada, where the British Columbian city was situated. Juliet knew that at that hour of the morning, Sara would have just woken up and probably been sitting in her kitchen, drinking her first cup of coffee for the day.

On hearing her sister’s sleepy ‘hello’, Juliet launched into her speech. “Sara, I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to tell him tonight - about the money I owe and the bankruptcy,” she said excitedly.

Sara’s voice suddenly sprang to life. “Juliet - finally! My God, you don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for you to come to your senses. You won’t regret this.”

Juliet chewed nervously on her lower lip. “Do you think he’ll be pissed?”

“Of course he will. He’s going to be livid that you’ve kept this from him, but he’ll get over it. He loves you. What made you decide to do it now?”

“I finally believe that we have a shot at making it. I believe in us now, I guess.” Back in Vancouver, Sara rolled her eyes heavenward as she held the phone receiver closer to her ear. “Juliet, I knew that long ago and so did he. You’re the only one who was too stubborn to realize it.”

“I know it now. And I know he loves me, he really and truly loves me.”

“Yes he does and don’t you forget it! So, how are you going to tell him?”

“Well, tonight when he comes home, I’m going to feed him a really great dinner first. After all, you never give a man bad news on an empty stomach. It’s the first rule of Man-Animal 101,” Juliet teased. She heard Sara burst out laughing on the other end before she continued detailing her little scheme. “And then, I’m going to suggest we retire to the bedroom for a little one on one time, and when he’s completely satisfied on all counts and he has his arms wrapped around me, I’ll come clean and tell him everything. How does that sound?” Sara continued her giggling. “I think you’ve got all bases covered. I almost feel sorry for poor Romeo. He has no idea what’s going to hit him tonight.”

“Poor Romeo, nothing! I’m the one sitting here with my stomach in knots with worry about having to tell him and what his reaction’s going to be.

My hands are actually shaking right now.” She raised her left hand to prove it to herself that she was telling the truth, and sure enough, she could see a slight tremor going through it.

“Don’t make yourself sick over this, okay? He loves you and there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for you; remember that.” Juliet nodded. “I know.” Suddenly, she heard her front door bell ringing. “Sara, I’ve got to go. There’s someone at the door.”

“Okay, but call me tonight after the deed is done and tell me everything. Promise?”

“You’ll be the first and only one I call.” After the sisters said a quick goodbye, Juliet shut her phone and quickly walked to her front door where the bell was ringing for the second time, this time sounding more insistent.

Opening the door, Juliet found Faith standing there with her husband, Brad and Reverend Jake behind her. Surprise coursed through her system at seeing all three of them there at that hour of the morning. “Faith?” she questioned.

“hello Juliet. Can we come in, please?” her friend asked, somewhat apprehensively.

“Of course.” She opened the door wider and ushered all of them into the living room. “Can I get you some coffee?” she politely asked, as they sat down on the couch.

“N - no - umm - we need to talk,” Faith stammered awkwardly.

Juliet’s heart started racing on seeing the nervous look on her friend’s face. What was this all about, and why was Jake here too, she wondered? She hadn’t seen the pastor since the day of her wedding. She looked from one solemn face to another before sitting down in the armchair opposite them. “Okay, what’s going on here?”

“Well - Romeo’s not here, is he?”

“No, he’s at work.”

A look of relief flashed across Faith’s visage. “Good. I wanted to tell you first.” Juliet studied her friend’s glum expression. Faith was clearly upset, Brad’s eyes were trying to avoid hers and Reverend Jake seemed to have an apologetic look in his. “You’re scaring me, Faith. What’s this about?”

It was at that point that the good reverend took command of the scene. “Juliet, I’m going to come right out and say this. Did you and Romeo ever apply for a marriage license before the day of your wedding?”

Juliet’s breathing stopped and in a split second she knew where this might be heading. Slowly, she shook her head from side to side.

Jake continued. “In this province, a couple has to apply for a marriage license at the Department of Vital Statistics before the ceremony in order to have the marriage be considered legal and binding.”

Juliet felt as if someone had punched her in the stomach and her arms instinctively came around her mid-section to protect herself. “Oh my God

- what - what are you saying?” she whispered, barely able to get the words out.

A look of sadness flashed in the reverend’s eyes. “I’m sorry, but you and Romeo are not married.”

“But - I don’t understand? We had a ceremony. We signed a contract. You said we were married, you said so.” Tears began to well up in her eyes. Could it be true? Could she and Romeo not be husband and wife after all?

Faith came to crouch beside her friend. “Oh Juliet, I’m so sorry. I had no idea. Jake called us this morning. He’d been under the impression that you and Romeo had applied for the proper paperwork. My husband…” she turned in Brad’s direction and gave him a lethal look before continuing,

“… had told him you had.”

It was at that point that Brad piped up. “I’m sorry Juliet, but when I asked Jake to perform the ceremony he asked me if all the proper licenses had been obtained and I said yes.” He shrugged his shoulders, as if he was asking for absolution for his honest mistake. “I just assumed…” His words trailed off into space.

Jake cleared his throat before speaking again. “The fault lies with me. I should have made certain that the license had been obtained. I thought it had, and after the ceremony, when it was clear that neither of you believed this to have been real, I simply thought that this had been a case of cold feet and games. Since Brad had previously told me the license had been applied for and since you both went through with the wedding and signed the contract anyway, then regardless of what your beliefs were at the time, the marriage was legal and binding. But yesterday, after I’d sent in all of your paperwork to the Department to have the marriage officially registered, they advised me that they had no record of you or Romeo ever applying for a license.” Juliet looked at him then with large, frightened doe eyes. She was speechless and couldn’t make a sound if her life depended on it. Jake continued in a more gentle tone. “Faith insisted on telling you first. Do you want us to come back tonight and tell Romeo, too?” Silently, Juliet shook her head. “N - no, I’ll tell him.”

“Juliet, please don’t make this worse than it is. This can all be fixed so easily. All you and Romeo have to do is apply for a marriage license and then I’ll perform the ceremony again.” A smile flitted across his lips. “The license only costs $100 and then you can both exchange vows again on the beach if you want, this time with no more games between either of you.” He threw her a look of censure, but his tone of voice was still very gentle. He knew this was a shock to her and he felt awful that he had not looked into the circumstances of their marriage further when the wedding debacle had happened last month.

Faith spoke up then, trying to infuse hope and encouragement into the situation. “Sure, we’ll throw another party. Brad and I will cater again, and maybe Sara can fly back for the ceremony too. We’ll have it on a Saturday, so she won’t miss work - and we can make this right; we can fix this.” Silent tears fell down Juliet’s cheeks as she looked at the hopeful look on Faith’s face. Wiping them away, she put on a brave smile and nodded. “I’ll - I’ll talk to Romeo,” she said.

For a one crazy second, Juliet wondered if Romeo would marry her again when he found out that they weren’t husband and wife. But she knew that he would - she knew it deep down inside her heart. He loved her and she loved him; she believed that completely. So why was she so upset about this news?

It was just that this time together had been so special and magical for them both and the marriage had bound them together. She’d thought of him as her husband and he had thought of her as his wife. Now she was being told that what they’d believed together and what they’d shared together for the past month had been a lie and an illusion - and it hurt. It just hurt.

After Faith, Brad and Reverend Jake had all left, Juliet curled herself up in the confines of the armchair and just sat there, dumbfounded. She couldn’t move, she couldn’t speak and she couldn’t think. She was in total shock. What was she going to say to Romeo tonight and how would he react? She’d been planning on telling him about her financial problems, but she couldn’t do that now. This marriage issue would have to be resolved first.

Desperately wanting to talk to someone, she reached for her cell phone to call her sister. By now, Sara was probably already in her classroom teaching her kids and Juliet didn’t want to disturb her, but she really needed to speak to her. But just as she was dialing the number, she heard a knock at the back door of the beach house. Quickly shutting her phone, she stood up, wondering who it could be now. Had Faith or Jake forgotten to tell her something? She walked to the door and opened it.

There, standing before her very eyes, was Carrie Ann, Romeo’s ex. She was casually dressed in jeans and a peasant top, her bleached blonde hair was hidden underneath a sun hat and her eyes were concealed behind a pair of large, black sunglasses.

The actress slowly removed her glasses and threw Juliet a smug look. “hello, Juliet,” she arrogantly greeted the other woman.

For the second time that morning, Juliet was gripped by a sense of impending doom.

~ ~ ~

“Romeo’s not here,” Juliet declared, as she turned her nose up at the Holl ywood actress, still remembering how this woman had been the cause of her near-drowning last month.

“I didn’t come to see him. I came to see you. Can I come in?”

Indecision flashed across Juliet’s face before she relented and opened the door wider. Carrie Ann entered and Juliet closed the door behind her. “Did you come to finish the job?” she sarcastically asked the blonde.

A smile played on Carrie Ann’s lips as she removed her hat, letting her hair spil out. “No - and for the record, I didn’t know you couldn’t swim; it was an honest mistake. I guess I should thank you for not pressing charges.”

“I didn’t do it for you; I did it for Romeo,” Juliet said, as she took note of how the other woman really hadn’t apologized for having pushed her in the pool. The words that had sprung from the actress’ surgically enhanced mouth had been very carefully couched and it was obvious she really wasn’t sorry for anything at all. Suddenly, Juliet wanted the other woman gone. She hated having her here, inside her house, where she and Romeo had been living their life together and loving each other. Her presence seemed to taint everything. “Why are you here, Carrie Ann?” she asked impatiently.

The actress turned then and boldly met Juliet’s eyes with a perverse defiance. “I’m pregnant and it’s Romeo’s baby.” The blood instantly drained from Juliet’s face as she gasped aloud in shock. Her stunned eyes immediately scanned Carrie Ann’s countenance looking for any signs of deceit but there were none. Slowly, she shook her head from side to side in disbelief. “N - no, you’re lying,” she barely choked out.

But the actress firmly stood her ground as her eyes narrowed on her rival. “Whether you believe me or not doesn’t matter to me. The facts are that I am going to have a baby and it’s his.”

“No!” Juliet shouted the word out, as if by saying it loudly, it would make it true. “No - it’s not his. He’s always carefull- about that sort of thing.” Carrie Ann ambivalently shrugged her shoulders. “Usually, but I remember the night very well. It was back in ll.A. before we came here. We were partying, we were drunk and we were careless. We’re not the first to do something like that and we won’t be the last. Shit happens, I guess.”

“Even if you are pregnant, how do I know you’re telling me the truth about it being his?”

“Because I am,” the blonde smirked. “And Romeo can have all the paternity tests taken that he wants once this baby is born and they won’t change the fact that it’s his.”

Juliet saw the conviction and determination shining in the other woman’s eyes and she knew that she was telling her the truth. The blonde was indeed pregnant and she was going to have her husband’s baby. But wait a minute… he wasn’t her husband, was he? Suddenly, the full force of the mess they were in hit her and Juliet’s knees began to buckle. Her breathing literally stopped and she plopped down on the couch behind her, not having the strength to stand up on her own any longer.

Juliet’s terrified eyes lifted to Carrie Ann’s, which showed no signs of relenting. “What do you want?” she whispered to the actress.

“Romeo.”

Juliet shook her head again, refusing to believe this was actually happening. “No, I won’t let you do this to us.” Carrie Ann laughed sarcastically. “I think it’s already done, honey. Romeo and I made a baby together, so deal with it.” Something about the way the other woman was snickering at her lit a fire deep inside Juliet and she felt her strength returning. In a flash, she shot up from the couch and faced her opponent. “Okay, we can work this out. We may not like each other, but we can agree to be civil for the baby’s sake. And I promise you that I would love Romeo’s baby like my own. We can work out visitation and…” Carrie Ann burst out laughing. “I don’t think you’re getting the picture, Juliet.”

“Which is?”

“I want you
out
of the picture.”

Juliet lifted her nose up at the other woman’s venom that she could feel emanating from her body. “I don’t understand.” The actress’ eyes narrowed as the corners of her mouth turned downwards into a frown. “I want you gone and out of his life for good. There’s not going to be any ‘working things out’ or ‘visitation schedules’. What I want is a chance to be a real family with him, with his child and me - just the three of us, and if you’re in his life that can’t happen.”

“He loves me,” Juliet defiantly challenged.

“I’m not stupid. I know he loves you. And I also know he’d never leave you, no matter what. That’s why I need your help.”

“Why should I help you, of all people? You nearly killed me last month.”

“Like I said - that was an unfortunate mistake.” Carrie Ann suddenly sighed and some of her bravado left her. “Look, I’m going to put my cards on the table and tell you how it is. I’ve been a struggling actress for the past four years and I finally got a starring role in a new TV show that’s going to start production next month. But ‘if’ I have this baby, I’m going to have to drop out and I’ll lose the part and my career is dead again.” Juliet took a step back at the other woman’s tone. “What do you mean ‘if’ you have this baby?”

“We’re both women of the world; you know exactly what I mean. If means if - and ‘if’ I can’t have Romeo, then I’m not losing that part. I’m not going to be some unemployed, pregnant, struggling actress like every other Holl ywood wannabe out there. If I can’t have him and have a chance to be a family with him and this baby, then I’ll take care of things immediately so that I won’t lose that role. So you see the choice is yours, sweetheart.

What are you going to do? Stay or leave?”

Juliet gasped at what she was hearing. “Are you saying you’re going to have an abortion if you can’t have Romeo all to yourself?” Carrie Ann shrugged. “I don’t want to, I want to have this baby, but I’m not settling for second best. It’s either Romeo or nothing, you understand?”

Appalled, Juliet eyes took in the determination stamped across the blonde’s features and she knew the other woman wasn’t bluffing. She meant every word. “I’ll tell Romeo what you just said. It’s his baby too, you know. He has some say in things.”

“Until Romeo can grow a baby inside his own uterus, he has no say in things,” Carrie Ann said angrily. Then her eyes softened slightly. “Look, I know you think I’m being a witch about this, but I’ve got nobody in this world who cares enough about me to look after me, so I have to look after myself. Bottom line? I want him and this baby deserves a mother and a father… a real family. But in order to have that, I need you gone.” She reached into her purse and pulled out a piece of paper and pen. She quickly scribbled something on it and dropped the note onto the coffee table.

“I’m staying at a hotel on the other side of the island. Nobody knows I’m here and thankfully there were no paparazzi at the top of your road who saw me drive in just now. I guess they’re following Romeo on his new job.” She gave a quick laugh but saw that Juliet was silently staring her down.

“That’s my cell number and address,” she pointed to the paper she’d just written on. “I’ll be waiting for your decision.” She put her sun hat back on and quickly tucked in her blond hair so that it was completely concealed. Plopping her dark sunglasses back onto her upturned nose, she completed the disguise. Walking to the back door, she turned back to Juliet who’d been watching her intently. “Don’t make me wait too long for your answer, Juliet,” she ordered, before walking out.

The minute the door closed behind the actress, all of the strength drained from Juliet’s body. Feeling weak, she suddenly dropped onto the couch behind her, curled up in a tight, self-protecting ball. Her shoulders began to shake as deep sobs racked her body and the tears began to fall.

~ ~ ~