“Hello there. I wondered if you'd come.” She had an overwhelming urge to slap his face, but instead she turned away. She couldn't breathe just looking at him. She hadn't seen him since that night, and he looked as malevolent as he had then, as weak and evil and spoiled. She could remember his hitting her, and then …
“Get away from me.” She spoke in a barely audible voice.
“Don't be so uptight. Hell, this is my sister's wedding day. It's a romantic event.” She could see that he was more than slightly drunk. She knew that he had graduated from Princeton a few days before and he had probably been drinking nonstop since then. He was going into the family firm, so he could screw around and chase secretaries. She wanted to ask him who he'd raped recently, but instead she just started to walk away and he grabbed her arm. “That was a pretty rude thing to do.”
She turned back to him, her teeth clenched, her eyes wild. “Get your hand off of me or I'm going to throw this drink in your face.” She hissed like a snake, and suddenly Harry materialized at her side, watching her, seeing something he had never seen before, and also noting the look in Billy Durning's eyes.
Billy Durning whispered one word, “whore,” with a vicious look in his eyes, and with a single gesture, Harry grabbed his arm and twisted it back painfully until Billy groaned and tried to fight back but he didn't want to make a scene and Harry whispered in his ear, as he gripped his tie with his free hand, nearly choking him.
“Got the picture, pal? Good, then why don't you just take yourself off right now?” Billy wrenched his arm free, and without saying a word, he walked away as Harry looked at Tana. She was shaking from head to foot. “You all right?” She nodded, but he wasn't convinced. She was deathly pale, and her teeth were chattering despite the heat. “What was that all about? An old friend?”
“Mr. Durning's adorable son.”
“I take it you two have met before.”
She nodded. “Not very pleasantly.” They stayed for a little while after that, and it was obvious that Tana was anxious to leave so Harry suggested it first. He didn't say anything for a while as they drove back to town, and he could see her visibly unwind as they put some distance between them and the Durning house. He had to ask her then. Something so powerful had been in the air, it frightened him for her.
“What was that all about, Tan?”
“Nothing much. An old hatred, that's all.”
“Based on what?”
“He's a complete prick, that's what.” They were strong words for her and Harry was surprised, and there was no humor in her voice. “A rotten little son of a bitch.” Tears burned her eyes and her hands shook as she lit a cigarette, which she almost never did.
“I figured you two weren't the best of friends.” Harry smiled but she didn't respond. “What did he do to you, to make you hate him so much, Tan?” Somehow, he had to know. For her sake and his own.
“It's not important now.”
“Yes, it is.”
“No, it's not!” She was shouting at him, and there were suddenly tears rolling down her cheeks. None of it had healed in the past two years, because she hadn't allowed the air to get to it. She hadn't told anyone except Sharon, hadn't fallen in love, hadn't gone on any dates. “It doesn't matter anymore.”
He waited for her words to die down. “Are you trying to convince me or yourself?” He handed her his pocket handkerchief and she blew her nose, as the tears rolled down her cheeks.
“I'm sorry, Harry.”
“Don't be. Remember me? I'm your friend.” She smiled through her tears and patted his cheek, but something terrible had come back to haunt her again.
“You're the best friend I've got.”
“I want you to tell me what happened with him.”
“Why?”
He smiled. “So I can go back and kill him if you want.”
“Okay. Go ahead.” She laughed for the first time in hours.
“Seriously, I think you need to get it off your chest.”
“No, I don't.” That frightened her more than living with it. She didn't even want to talk about it now.
“He made a pass at you, didn't he?”
“More or less.” She was looking out the window again.
“Tana … talk to me.…”
She turned to him with a wintry smile. “Why?”
“Because I give a damn.” He pulled the car off the road, turned off the ignition, and looked at her. He knew suddenly that he was about to open a door that had been sealed tight, but he knew that for her sake he had to open it. “Tell me what he did to you.”
She stared into Harry's eyes and spoke expression-lessly. She tried to shake her head, but Harry wouldn't let her off the hook, and he gently took her hand as she finally said the words. “He raped me two years ago. Two years ago tomorrow night, in fact. Happy Anniversary.” Harry felt sick.
“What do you mean he raped you? Did you go out with him?”
She shook her head. “No.” Her voice was a whisper at first. “My mother insisted that I go to a party here in Greenwich, at the house. His party. I went with one of his friends, who got drunk and disappeared, and Billy found me wandering around the house. He asked me if I wanted to see the room where my mother worked. And like a complete fool, I said yes, and the next thing I knew he dragged me into his father's bedroom, threw me down on the floor, and beat me up. He raped me and beat me for hours, and then he took me home and cracked up the car.” She slowly began to sob, choking on her own words, feeling them rush out, almost physically, “I had hysterics at the hospital … after the police came … my mother came out … and she wouldn't believe me, she thought I was drunk … and little Billy could do no wrong in her eyes … I tried to tell her another time…” She buried her face in her hands, and Harry pulled her into his arms, and cooed to her the way no one had ever done to him, but listening to her almost broke his heart. It was why she had never gone out with anyone since they'd met, nor with him, why she was so locked up and frightened inside.
“Poor baby … poor Tan.…” He drove her back to the city then, took her to dinner at a quiet place, and then they went back and talked for hours at the Pierre. She knew her mother would be staying in Greenwich again that night. She had been staying there all week, to make sure that everything went all right. And after Harry dropped her off at her house, he wondered if things would change for Tana now, or even if possibly things might change between them. She was the most remarkable girl he had ever met, and if he had let himself, he would have fallen head over heels in love with her. But he had known better for the past two years, and he reminded himself of that now. He didn't want to spoil what they had, for what? A piece of ass? He had plenty of that, and she meant more than that to him. It was still going to take her a long time to heal, if she ever did, and he could help her more as her friend, than trying to meet his own needs by jumping into bed and playing therapist with her.
He called her the next day before he left for the South of France, and he had flowers sent to her the day after that, with a note that read, “Screw the past. You're okay now. Love, H.” And he called her from Europe whenever he thought of it and had the time. His summer was a lot more interesting than hers, and they compared notes when he came back a week before Labor Day, and she finished her job and drove to Cape Cod with him. She was relieved to be out of Durning International at last. It had been a mistake, but she had lived up to her end.
“Any big romances while I was gone?”
“Nope. Remember me? I'm saving it for my wedding night.” But they both knew why now. She was still traumatized by the rape, and they both also knew that she had to get over that. And after talking to him before he left, it seemed a little less painful now. It was finally beginning to heal.