Diana thought of Tim, who could have one woman like any normal man and settle down, yet he had chosen the adventure of being a womanizer and a rapist. He abused his position to a degree of no return. She wondered what kind of marriage he had had, and what happened to his only son. She wondered why Rosa dated a man older than her father! Was she the same as Tim, a user? She was not sure how long she stood there, gazing into dark; however, the sudden silence appeared to her lasted a long time. There was no sound. She turned around and faced others. Everyone was sitting quietly. They all looked at her. Jacob was still sitting next to Rosa.
"Maybe we need to end this night." Rosa said while getting up. She walked to Diana and hugged her.
"Are you okay?"
"I need to say my side of the story. She made me look like a monster." Tim said with an apparent anger. Then he ignored Rosa's intervention and continued:
"I'm not leaving until everyone hears what really happened!"
"No one will believe you. I know I won't." Rosa broke in rudely. It was obvious that their relationship was over.
"Now you're turning your back to me, too. I thought we were match made in heaven." Tim's tone of voice showed nothing but derision and contempt for Rosa.
"We're no match, and you know it. You and I used to be the same. We used each other and we used others. But now, right now, I'm going to stop. I don't want to be like you, shameless..." Rosa burst into tears. She could not finish what she intended to tell him.
Jacob put his arm around her shoulder and drew her close and kissed the top of her head. Rosa did not object this fatherly affection.
"You all think that I'm an evil person, but I'm not. Yes, I am, but what made me to be like this, you don't know." Tim got up and helped himself with a glass of wine.
"And Diana's story is somewhat true, but not all of it." He paused and then continued:
"You must hear what really happened."
"No, we mustn't." Ed broke his long silence.
"I want to know." Jacob finally said what Diana was so afraid to hear.
"Jacob stop it. This man is crazy. He wants to ruin every one's life. Where did you find him?" Ed said with exasperation.
"No, everybody must hear." Tim broke in. "And I know what kind of person you are, Mr. Ed, or I better say Edmund Hoyle, the powerful lawyer. You ruined my son's life. I know who you are. I know what kind of dirty and selfish lawyer you are. For you money is everything. We'll hear your story after I'll tell mine. You can's escape it tonight." Then he got up and began pacing the room. Then he sat again.
"Why do you think I accept Jacob's invitation for tonight? Do you think it was for reading poetry with Diana? He told me one of his friend, a powerful lawyer, would be here, too. I asked him your name, and when I heard that despicable name, I told him that I would accept his invitation. I hate all lawyers, especially you, Mr. money lover."
"What is all these? How do you know Ed?" Jacob asked with a real concern in his voice.
"I am sure I don't know this man. I've never known this man before tonight." Ed answered.
"You'll remember when you hear what you did to my son. But before that I must confess that Diana's story is mostly true, except the part she said she didn't enjoy it. I know she did. She said she fainted, I don't..."
"Stop it Tim, stop..." Rosa screamed as hard as she could.
Diana was still standing by the window. Her heart knew that this doomed night was not over yet; nonetheless, her feeling rose above pity and meanness. She indistinctly realized that it was up to her to come up with some kind of resolution for this horrid night, to stop this madness. But her opponent, the man who had come to her home for revenge, was intelligent and could outsmart her. She looked at everybody one by one and deliberately. It seemed to her that all gone mad. Her orderly routine was lost, something that she lived by and it always bothered her when something disturbed it.
"I think we need to put all these personal vanity and vendetta aside." She reflected. Then she continued: "They all are further than truth. Please, Tim, stop. I don't know what kind of pain you're going through; but I know you're in pain. It's pain that has made you so angry, so very much against everyone, to the point that you think everyone is after you, everyone had done something terrible to you. Your anger has turned you to a mean man; but you're not a truly a vicious man."
To Be Continued
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