The Fix-It Man

by Donald Wells

  “Johnny are you… are you asking me to marry you?”

  “Yes, but baby understand something. I’m a mess. I’m still mourning Tori and all I can think about is killing David Thorne. This marriage, I don’t know how normal it would be. You just got out of one that was a nightmare; you might want to think twice before getting into this one.”

  She began to weep. “I don’t have to think about it, I’ve wanted to marry you since I was thirteen.”

  “I’ll ask Ms. Lee to make the arrangements; we’ll keep it small and have it in the house. Is that all right with you?”

  “Yes, except for one thing, I’d rather not get married in the house.”

  “Where would you like to get married?”

  * * *

  We said our vows under the old tree, the one that boldly proclaimed that our love was forever. Felicia wore a light blue gown, and I, a simple suit.

  Once again, Bill was my best man, while Janey acted as matron of honor and Sophie gave away her niece in matrimony.

  As the ceremony ended, I kissed my new bride, my very pregnant bride, and was shocked by the jolt of passion that coursed throughout my body.

  As we parted from the kiss, Felicia smiled a knowing grin. Yet suddenly, her smile disappeared and she winced in pain.

  “Hannah’s coming.” She gasped, and she was right.

  Seven hours after we were wed, Hannah Elizabeth Faron entered the world weighing six pounds and ten ounces.

  60

  I spent most of the following two weeks in Detroit and Los Angeles on Faron Engines business.

  Universal had gone all out and was now mass producing my Engine. Faron One was weeks away from the showroom floor.

  I had spied the baby only once before leaving on my trip, just a flash of pink skin swaddled among pink clothing.

  When I arrived home and stepped from the limo, Felicia greeted me with an embrace and a lingering kiss.

  “Welcome home.”

  I was looking at the old Felicia, or very nearly so. Her figure was returning to its pre-pregnancy form and I felt a stirring as I looked at her.

  “How’s the baby?” I asked.

  “She’s perfect, but sleeping, would you like to go see her?”

  “Um, maybe later,”

  “All right,” Felicia said, and then I watched her eyes narrow slightly, as Ms. Lee exited the limo. “Hello Ms. Lee, how was the trip?”

  “Fine Mrs. Faron and I hope you’re well too.”

  “Yes I am. Tell me, did you take care of my husband while you two were traveling?”

  Ms. Lee hesitated before answering.

  “John takes care of himself Ma’am, but I try to be of service.”

  “Yes, I’m sure you do.”

  I spoke up then. “Is Bill around?”

  Felicia said, “He’s in his office.” and gave me another kiss. “I’m so glad you’re home.”

  I caressed her cheek. “Me too,”

  The three of us went into the house and I gestured down the hall, toward Bill’s office.

  “I have to see Bill, but I’ll see you at dinner, all right?”

  “Yes Johnny, and go see the baby too, okay?”

  I nodded and headed off down the hallway with Ms. Lee following beside me.

  * * *

  I avoided the baby, for weeks. Twice, Felicia thrust her toward me and both times, I made the feeble excuse that I felt a cold coming on. The truth is, I was terrified.

  I had let my own child fall to its death while still inside the woman I loved and couldn’t fathom why anyone would ever let me near a child, much less a newborn.

  Our marriage was a similar disaster. Felicia and I were still living in separate bedrooms and had done no more than exchange polite kisses.

  I loved her, God knows I loved her, but I was just not ready to begin a sexual relationship. Inside, I was as empty as a well, save for the water of hatred roiling within me for David Thorne.

  * * *

  I was working late in my bedroom one night when a cry came through the baby monitor. Bill had put one in my room as a security measure. The crying continued, and so I opened the connecting door and looked in. Hannah was on her back, kicking away.

  I sidled over to the crib and peeked in.

  What I beheld was not possible, and yet, there she lay.

  She was the single most beautiful thing my eyes had ever seen.

  She was Felicia in miniature, complete with her own mane of that amazing hair.

  Before I realized I was doing it, I picked her up and held her.

  Hannah ceased her crying and then stared back at me, the look of wonder lighting her tiny face must have mirrored my own.

  “What’s wrong little one, hmm?”

  Even as my lips asked the question, my nose got the answer.

  I looked about the room and spied the changing table. I laid her upon it and found the proper supplies. I had seen this done a few times over the years, and after cleaning her and applying talcum powder, I fastened the diaper and held her again.

  She was so beautiful. I never would have believed there was beauty beyond Felicia’s, but I was wrong.

  “You’re my baby’s baby, do you know that? And I guess, I guess I’m your daddy.”

  Hannah smiled at me, she smiled at me and I laughed freely for the first time in months.

  After that, I would sit in the rocker beside the crib each night, waiting for her to awaken, and then I would change and feed her.

  Three nights later, as I was rocking her back to sleep, Felicia entered. She leaned in the doorway in her robe and smiled at me.

  “This morning I thanked Sophie for getting up the past few nights and changing and feeding Hannah. When she told me she hadn’t been doing it, I knew it was you.”

  I looked up at her with tears in my eyes.

  “She’s so beautiful.”

  “Johnny, I think maybe you’ve found something else to live for in this world besides killing David.”

  I nodded. “She’s mine. I’m her daddy, not Thorne.”

  Felicia walked over and knelt beside the chair.

  “She’s ours, yours and mine.”

  * * *

  The following months were hectic. The Faron One came on the market and was hailed a huge success. Sales of other automobiles plummeted and both Universal’s and Faron’s stock skyrocketed.

  Krebbs informed me that my personal net worth doubled in a two month period and I told him to give himself and the staff a huge bonus. It was the only time I’ve ever seen someone both happy and frustrated at the same time.

  After I presided over the opening of the parts plant, unemployment in the area dipped to almost nothing. Things were good.

  That is, things were good if you didn’t look at my marriage.

  We’d been married for months and still kept separate bedrooms. I knew that Felicia was giving me time to heal after Tori, but I also knew it had to be frustrating for her.

  Felicia spent hours in the gym every week, and had even gone away with Janey to a health spa in Vermont.

  She was an unbelievably beautiful woman in her prime and her husband wouldn’t touch her.

  She was also dropping innuendos concerning my relationship with Ms. Lee. I assured her more than once that nothing was going on between us, but over time, Felicia began to barely speak to the woman and sent me a look whenever I mentioned her.

  Then one day, things came to a head.

  * * *

  Ms. Lee and I were walking out of my bedroom early one morning, she had broken a heel on one of her shoes and so she decided to carry them, rather than hobble along on only one.

  We were laughing at her predicament when I spotted Felicia.

  Her features were a study in fury.

  “No! This is too much, to flaunt it in my face like this.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m not an idiot. Look at her! She didn’t even bother getting fully dressed this time before leaving
the room.”

  I looked down at the shoes in Ms. Lee’s hand and understood.

  “Baby, you’re not reading this right. Nothing happened. I’m not sleeping with Ms. Lee.”

  Ms. Lee walked over to Felicia.

  “Mrs. Faron, your husband and I are business associates, I even like to think friends, but no more than that, I swear to you.”

  Felicia looked her up and down with disgust.

  “I’ve never heard you tell Johnny no about anything. I bet he didn’t even have to ask, it was just offered, the Personal in Personal Assistant, hmm?”

  I said, “Felicia! That’s enough,” and then I pushed the door to my bedroom open all the way. Inside, Bill sat at the small conference table I kept in there.

  “We were working. I work in there sometimes since I barely sleep since Tori died. Ms. Lee is barefoot because a heel broke on one of her shoes. Nothing is happening between us. She’s a friend, that’s all.”

  Felicia stared in at Bill and then down at the broken heel in Ms. Lee’s hand, her mouth hung open as her face turned red. She then spoke a hushed, “I’m sorry.” and ran into her room.

  I apologized to Ms. Lee and knocked on Felicia’s door.

  No answer, only the soft sound of weeping,

  * * *

  I spent the rest of the day in Philly on business and didn’t return until nearly midnight. After checking on Hannah, I showered and sat down to look at sales reports concerning the Faron One.

  A knock came at the door. It was Felicia. She was wearing a diaphanous red negligee and a look of contrition.

  “I came here to apologize.”

  I shook my head, “That’s not why you came here.” and I pulled her into the room, into my arms, and into my bed.

  61

  We were in the middle of making love, when Felicia suddenly sat up. “What about Hannah?”

  “I have a monitor too, remember?”

  She said, “Right,” and then pushed me onto my back and straddled me.

  If Hannah awoke crying, I never heard it. When I awakened the next morning, Felicia was gone and my bedside clock said it was the amazing time of 9:42.

  I had slept, for hours at a stretch. I had not slept more than three consecutive hours since emerging from my coma.

  After a shower and a shave, I made my way downstairs.

  Ms. Lee met me with a smile. “Good morning John.”

  “Why didn’t you wake me? I have a meeting at the plant today.”

  “That has been cancelled; in fact, your schedule is clear until tomorrow.”

  “You’re giving me the day off?”

  “As per Mrs. Faron, she says you work too hard and I agree.”

  “Did she apologize to you?”

  “She did, we are now the best of friends.”

  “You are huh?”

  “Yes John.”

  “Where is Felicia?”

  “She’s in the kitchen making you breakfast.”

  “Good, I’m starved.”

  “I’ll bet.”

  “What was that?”

  “Nothing John, enjoy your day off.”

  I entered the kitchen and Felicia sent me a huge smile.

  “Good morning Johnny.”

  “Good morning baby.”

  Bill sat at the table reading the paper, while Hannah was in her highchair. I greeted Bill and kissed Hannah hello, then I gave Felicia a quick kiss on the lips.

  “I hope you’re hungry.” Felicia said.

  “Starved,”

  She put a plate before me; on it was an enormous omelet. She had made me the same meal the morning after we first made love.

  “I made that for you once before, do you remember?”

  “Of course I do.”

  “It’s been years since I’ve… cooked for you, I hope you’re not disappointed.”

  I took a taste of the omelet.

  “Was, I mean, is it as good as you remember?”

  I took her hand. “It was perfect.”

  Bill put down his paper.

  “Oh please you two, I’m not a moron, and may I say it’s about time.”

  Felicia and I laughed and she sat on my lap.

  Bill rose from his seat and grabbed Hannah.

  “I think I’ll take the baby to visit her Aunt Sophie for the day, you two have a good time.”

  We thanked him and then we began kissing, a few moments later the coffeemaker beeped and Felicia got up to pour coffee.

  I talked to her while I devoured my omelet.

  “Ms. Lee tells me that you two are now friends, I hope it’s true.”

  “It is, we had a long talk and I apologized to her.”

  “Baby, why did you think I was sleeping with her?”

  She talked to me over her shoulder.

  “Revenge,”

  “Revenge? What for, Thorne?”

  “Yes, and I guess I couldn’t blame you if you did.”

  I held out my hand towards her.

  “Come here, please.”

  She walked over with the coffee and sat on my lap again.

  “You and Thorne, that’s behind us and I forgive you, okay?”

  “I love you Johnny.”

  “I love you too baby.”

  We started kissing again, but a moment later, Felicia stiffened in my arms.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s that gun; do you have to wear it all the time?”

  “Yes, it may keep us alive someday.”

  “I hate guns and I hate the guards and the fear. Maybe David will leave us alone; after all, he’s probably spending all his time running from the police, and that man McCarthy you hired.”

  “Felicia, I can’t take that chance. I lost Tori, I can’t lose you too, or God forbid, Hannah.”

  “I understand; I just want our lives to get back to normal.”

  I kissed her. “They will someday, after I find Thorne.”

  “You mean after you kill him. I don’t understand why you need to kill David yourself.”

  I brushed back a stray curl of her hair.

  “I hope to God you never do.”

  * * *

  I returned home the following evening to find that my bedroom had been through some changes.

  The small conference table that I had in there was gone, along with the filing cabinet.

  The room had two walk-in closets; I opened the second one to find Felicia’s clothes hanging there. On the vanity was her make-up case and accessories.

  Felicia came up behind me, as I looked about the room.

  “I moved all of your work things into your study, I hope you don’t mind?”

  “No, it’s fine.”

  “I had a talk with the chef today also. I’d like to start making our meals. I’ve turned into an excellent cook over the years and I want to cook for my husband.”

  “That’s fine too,”

  She pointed toward the closet. “I moved my things in here. I think it’s time that we put separate bedrooms behind us.”

  I walked past her without saying a word. After closing and locking the door, I took her by the hand and led her to sit beside me on the bed.

  “I’m sorry it took me so long to be a husband to you.”

  “I understand why, that you still mourned Tori.”

  “Baby, these last two nights, us being together, it’s been like heaven.”

  She beamed at me. “Johnny, we’ve finally made it.”

  She was wearing a blue dress that buttoned down the front. I began undoing the white buttons from top to bottom. As I undid the third button, she slid out of her shoes and started loosening my tie.

  “Where’s Hannah?” I asked.

  “With Sophie,”

  “Will anyone miss us, for say, oh, an hour or two?”

  “I told Sophie that we needed time to talk.”

  Five buttons down, I viewed a lacy pink bra and a heart-quickening display of cleavage.

  As she slipped my tie off, I gent
ly pressed her to lie back on the bed. I then stood and gazed down at her.

  “You are without doubt the most beautiful woman on God’s green earth.”

  She blushed. “The way you’re looking at me now, I feel like the luckiest woman on God’s green earth.”

  I reached down and unfastened the final buttons, revealing a matching pair of pink lace panties. I then gently slid the dress out from under her. While never taking my eyes from hers, I undressed and lay down beside her on the bed, naked.

  She reached back to undo her bra and I stopped her.

  “Allow me.”

  I undid the hooks and slowly slid the bra from her perfect breasts; beneath the fabric, her nipples were erect. I then rose up onto my knees and grasped the waistband of her panties, again, I slowly, almost teasingly, removed that final piece of cloth.

  I stared down at her. “Felicia,”

  “Yes?”

  “Felicia my wife,”

  “Yes!” She smiled.

  “I love you baby.”

  “I love you too Johnny, oh God how I love you.”

  I lay beside her and we kissed.

  And while the specter of David Thorne still hung over us like a shadow, it was still just a shadow, while our love, our love shined bright and would illuminate our world forever.

  62

  One day, after nearly a year of fruitless searching, McCarthy called with good news.

  “My instincts were right, Thorne was in Hong Kong. I nearly caught up to him but he managed to get away. He had a cadre of bodyguards with him. I hired my own men and went after him, but we were outgunned and Thorne managed to escape. John, the house he was leasing, the police have unearthed eight bodies, female Caucasians, most likely all blondes, but with the decomposition of some it’s hard to tell.”

  “Richard, were you injured?”

  “No, but I lost three men.”

  “Goddamn Thorne!”

  “He’s not the David Michael Thorne you knew. I got a look at him before he got away. He’s thirty pounds heavier with a coarse beard. One of my men also managed to take a picture; I’ll forward that to you and send copies to the authorities.”

  “This is good news Richard; you’ve got him on the run.”