Secrets{~~}~{~~} Chapter one

Jacob brought the white wine and put it on the coffee table. They all preferred white wine before dinner. The men who considered themselves expert in wine always said white before dinner, red with red meat and white with white meat. So that was the tradition that always respected full force in Jacob and Ed's wine shopping. The only difference between the two men was that Jacob always bought good, expensive wine, and Ed, being super rich, always bought the cheapest gallon wine. They had this custom that twice a month they would see each other; once in Jacob and Diana's and once in Ed and Thui's. Every time they were at Heimer's, they had good wine, good food which was mostly made by Diana, But when Ed's and Thui's turn came, it was always this watery supposedly Italian sauce that Ed said was his signature Italian sauce with no meat and cheap wine. Diana always said to her husband coming back from their friend's house:

"Can they cook something else for dinner for once? I've never seen any cheaper person than Ed."

Ed and Jacob's friendship was a point of contention for Diana and Jacob. She admitted to her husband that she did not like them. But like everything else, she never let this kind of things to come in the way of their marriage.

Diana had a basket of red and white grapes and a bowl of mixed nuts on the table.

"How are the kids? How come you didn't bring them?" Diana asked Thui.

"They are at their sister's Julie, tonight. Besides Ed told me that you're going to have another couple over so I decided it is better not to bring them." Thui answered with a wave of her broad hair, as though wanted to show off her hair to Diana's graying pony tail!

Julie was Ed's forty years old daughter from his first marriage. Ed and Thui had a son and and a pair of identical twin daughters. The son was six year and the two daughter were four years old. Thui never worked since she had married Ed. He had three grown up children from his first marriage, all of them older than his second wife. He had grandchildren older than his children with Thui. It was not only his attitude that Diana did not like, but his life style and the fact that at his age he had young children with a woman almost forty years younger than him.

"have you heard from Vickie" Thui always deliberately asked that question every time she saw Diana, as though she wanted to open the suffering wound in her heart.

Diana's politeness and good manner never allowed her to tell Thui that she would appreciate if her daughter's name would not be brought up. Today, she just ignored the malicious question and went to the kitchen to check on food. Jacob and Ed were talking in the living room. People always accuse women for talking too much, but those people should see Ed and Jacob. These two men always had so much to talk to each other, but mostly about their careers.

"Any interesting case you're working on these days?" Jacob asked Ed.

"All cases are interesting! Right now I'm working on a case involved a man accused of raping his neighbor's daughter."

"Is he innocent?"

"As his lawyer, I believe he is."

"Come on Ed, I didn't ask as his lawyer, what do you think?"

Ed smiled, and shook his head for no.

"How can you defend him if you know he is not innocent?"Jacob quizzed him

"That is how our criminal justice work. He tells me that the is innocent and as his lawyer I must believe him."

"Have you ever had other cases that you knew your client was guilty?"

Ed almost chocked on his wine. Diana was all ears.

"No," Then he added: "This is a privet matter."

Diana smiled. Thui saw her smile. Diana thought if it was a privet matter, it meant that he would take a case that he knew the defendant was guilty for money. He sounded like politician who ran for office. Most of the time reporters would find something in their past and ask them point blank in their campaign. she had never heard any of them to answer those kind of question. One of the most famous one was when President Clinton said: "I smoked but did not inhale."

Around six thirty, Tim and his girlfriend arrived. Diana had never met Tim before, but one look at him, she knew the evening would be a disaster. She knew him. She recognized him right away, even though it was over twenty four years ago when she had first met him. He had not changed much. It was obvious that he dyed his receding hair. However, she thought that he did not recall her. After all, twenty four years ago, she was a very young woman. He still looked sharp, and very fit. He had a yellow silk shirt and a blue pants on. His demeanor was still the same. He befriended everyone at once as though he had known them a long time. It was apparent that he liked women very much. This was the first time he was meeting Ed, Thui and Diana. First he hugged Thui and then he kissed her hand. He did the same with Diana which made Diana certain that he had not remembered her.

His date, Rosa, a twenty seven years old woman, was breathlessly attractive. Her face was as though was sculptured by an artist. She was slim, but not bony, tall for a woman, and just simply very beautiful. She had a white sundress on. Strangely she reminded both Diana and Jacob, independent from each other, of their own daughter. Her manner, the way she talked, moved her hands brought an unusual sensation for both of them. She was just simply gorgeous, with light brown shoulder length hair, tanned broad shoulders and arms which were bear, and her eyes, no one could say what color were her eyes. Was it green, or blue, or maybe hazel or may be the combination...

To Be Continued