An Iron Fortress

An Iron Fortress

Jerry awoke toward midnight, as Rachelle climbed into bed with cold feet.  “Where've you been?” he mumbled sleepily.

“Julie and I were just solving all the worlds problems... unsuccessfully,” was her reply.  She was punch drunk from the bottle of wine that she and Julie had shared, and her speech was deliberate but clear.

Jerry warmed her up, and they soon fell back asleep.

In the morning, he kissed her awake, and as the cobwebs cleared she recalled that Jerry didn't know that Julie had confided in her about Dr. Busch.  As she puzzled over how to tell him, Jerry in turn puzzled as to how to include her.  She did not yet know that Chad knew about the self same Dr. Busch.  From Jerry's point of view, Rachelle didn't even know that Julie had told HIM, much less that they had intercepted Julie's secret confession to her. 

Jerry's main concern was to spend this capital in such a way that Rachelle responded to his own message definitively.  She had not yet said “I love you.”  He hoped his mind would conjure some way to turn it to romantic advantage.  Could he count on her to join him in disciplining Julie on Chad's behalf? 

He broke the meaningless string of “Where are my shoes,” and “Have you seen my hairbrush,” by asking, “'Chelle: Do you think Chad 'n Julie are forever?” 

Very few people are willing to speak authoritatively on the relationships of others, but at the same time, adherents of Pollyanna win out in numbers over those who will predict doom and gloom.  When Rachelle saw that Jerry was going to let her think about her reply before continuing, she turned her hard-won social intelligence upon the problem.  Chad and Julie cut a good figure together.  Chad's family might “only” run a Radio Shack, but he had a towering intellect.  Julie's dad was an architectural draftsman, but she wasn't the greatest student.  “Truth?  I'm afraid not,” Rachelle blasphemed. 

Jerry was staggered by this, but the followup comment was almost too easy.  “If you don't think THEY have a chance, then what about US?” he queried. 

Although Rachelle was his social superior in myriad ways, it happens to the best of us.  She had not anticipated the need to reply to a question of THAT complexity before she had her morning coffee.  She couldn't afford to say “There is no 'us!'”  She had burned her bridges back at school, like Caesar crossing the Rhine.  Mark would spend untold political capital on ending them, unless he was placated, and Jerry would be her only committed ally.  Yet Jerry's greatest ambitions were those of a small business owner, while her father was a D.C. Lawyer, with associated ambitions for her.  She felt like a Chess master whose Four Pawn's gambit had been foiled as soon as she had made it.  She had managed to break a terrible stalemate with her Dad, but it was sinking into her consciousness that her career in Human Rights Law might have asserted itself in a sort of civil disobedience to her dad. 

“Us.”  The concept reverberated through her mind.  If “us” was to fail, then the only way to give meaning to the pain would be to see to it that Chad and Julie made it.  Hmm... IF they made it, THEN Chad 'n Julie might be allies to her cause.  “Jerry, you're resourceful and all, but...”  Her voice trailed off.  Her mental steed had balked at voicing the magnitude of their adversity.  She failed to take the hurdle of articulation in stride, and although it was not a resounding and confident endorsement, she found she wanted to say “I love you.”  Tears filled her eyes as she turned her gaze on him.  “You don't understand!” she wanted to scream.  “There's just no way for you to overwhelm me with respect.” 

His arms were engulfing her in a bear hug of affection before she sniffled her next breath.  “Rachelle,” he whispered.  “If anyone tries to separate us against our will, a bull dog crossed with a blood hound would come second in the race to get you back.  I'd eat the bear for breakfast that tried to stop me.  Do you understand?” 

“Yes,” she choked out.  She didn't actually know how it would work out, but she suddenly felt very, very safe.