by JQ Jones
Manny and Iona settled into a calm casual pattern. Manny worked on her menu and Iona worked on a multinational project originating in Capetown. After weeks of negotiating, Iona decided to go back to the States.
Manny watched the seaplane take off to take her friend to the airport then back home. She sighed. It was not the right time to introduce the Bean to the rest of the family. She almost e-mailed David with the news a few times. She chickened out each time. E-mail seemed a bit tacky but that way she could fashion the announcement the way she wanted it. But whatever she wrote ended up sounding like she was either a heartless bitch or a needy clingy woman. She was neither. She put it off again. Later would be soon enough.
Dr. Kingsley wanted to see her once a week. Pau allowed her to take the boat out alone after she proved to him she could get from place to place without veering into the middle of the ocean. Dr. Kingsley was thorough and professional.
“Your butt’s getting big and your pressure is a little high. It’s time for you to decide where you want to have the baby. You’re not quite high risk but you’re close enough. For me, with a bottle of scotch I can deliver anything. But make up your mind pretty soon,” he said. It was just after two as he poured himself three fingers of scotch.
“I agree. I need to know that my doctor won’t pass out drunk while he’s delivering the Bean.”
“Drunk or sober, I’m the best OB-GYN in the world,” he said. He coughed as the liquor hit the back of his throat.
“I’ve never seen you sober but drunk you’ve been pretty good. I’ll leave by the end of the week.”
“I can recommend some doctors. They won’t be a good as me but then, nobody is,” he said. He poured more scotch and sipped it down.
“I’ll miss you. I hope you remember how to be happy soon.”
“Ah, lass, you and I finally agree on something.”
* * * *
Manny played spot the people as the plane got closer to the ranch. The horses and cows were over being spooked when the planes flew in low. The plane taxied down the airstrip to stop where she saw Clint waiting at the end of the runway.
For most of the flight, she’d slept. Now she scrambled to get her things together. She was still working on the amount of money for her and the Bean to live for at least a year while she opened a new restaurant. The location of a restaurant was the reason she couldn’t sleep. She was bouncing from wanting something in the States to, for obvious reasons, a European location. The amount of money dictated the location and vice versa. Her skin glowed with added color from spending time outside working and taking long walks. Manny loved walking along the beach in the early mornings sometimes with the local children but most of the time alone.
As Manny looked out the cabin window, she saw Clint standing with the much smaller Iona beside the car waiting to pick her up. She felt a pang of apprehension at the first of her family to see her new growing condition. Dr. Kingsley assured her that she was well within the healthy range of weight gain with her pregnancy but she felt like she swallowed a small horse most days. The door opened and she let Miguel go first to distract Clint before she descended the steep steps. Miguel stood at the bottom helping her negotiate down to the ground. Her cousin had appeared on the island last week. He raised an eyebrow when he saw her but asked no questions.
As she stepped of the plane, she was almost overcome by the hot Oklahoma October sun. After almost two months on the island, she was used to a different sun. Clint watched her come down the steps, meeting her halfway after he spotted her extra burden. He snatched her small overnight bag from her shoulder as she started across the tarmac to the car.
“Oh my,” he said. She was well aware of the fact that her stomach arrived most places before she did. She could just barely see her feet but expected that novelty to go away in another week or so.
“Shut up and don’t talk to me,” she said as she tipped up to kiss his cheek and down to kiss Iona’s.
“Well, somebody’s been doing more than talking,” he said. His laugh was loud.
“I’m serious about the not talking, Clint. I need to get to the ranch and get cool. It’s hotter than the island and even this little bit of time is making me woozy,” she said.
“I’m so sorry. I’m just trying to get my jaw up from the floor. Let’s get you into the car. Ernesto’s going to have a bull calf,” he said. He opened the passenger door and helped her up into the high seat, then threw her bags into the back seat after Iona climbed in. Iona was on the phone speaking with her usual dry calm to the owner of the small gardening company trying to expand into the worldwide market. Only Iona could tune out a possible family scandal with such ease.
“I’m over forty, I going to have a baby. I want to have a baby. I make enough money to take care of us. In addition, I’ve saved my salary for ten years and I have enough to support us for quite a long while. Besides it’s my business,” Manny said as she struggled to get the seat belt on.
“When Ernesto and the boys find out who the daddy is, shotguns are going to come out.” He leaned over, pulled the belt further out and clicked it in. He laughed.
“Shut up, Clint,” Manny said.
* * * *
Manny slipped into her new room in the west wing of the house. Her old rooms were occupied by the new cook, Jodie Ebony Greg, Iona’s cousin, of sorts, from West Virginia. The tiny bronzed woman with huge hazel eyes was the daughter of one of the white Davises from the tip of the hollow where Iona was raised and still had a house. Ebony’s parents, Debbie Davis née Gregg and her African-American husband, John, met in the Air Force, raised three kids as military brats traveling all over the world and finally retired to a nice quiet house in the Hollow.
Ebony was a great cook, quiet, efficient and quick to take care of the needs of the household without making a big fuss. All the men on the ranch treated her as if she were the teenager she looked but she told Manny that she was thirty-three.
Manny kicked off her shoes and lay on the strange bed, doing her now-normal nightly bed wiggle dance to get herself into a position that allowed her to sleep without the Bean kicking the bejeezus out of her kidney or any other reachable organ. Right now the Bean was on her pressing her stomach so she felt like she would never eat again. Which would be a shame because Ebony’s food looks good.
Ebony placed a large platter of food at the two-seat table placed at the window facing the distant mountains. She asked if Manny minded if they had dinner together upstairs. At Manny’s quick nod she laid the table from the food cart she had wheeled into the room.
“I’m used to eating with a lot of people,” Manny said. “The island is more communal than even here at the ranch. Everybody from babies to grandparents eats at the same time in the main dining area.”
Manny watched the other woman’s quick smooth movements and tried to cover the deep stomach growl at the scent of grilled vegetables, chicken and peaches that soon filled her plate. A very light raspberry lemonade over ice that was tart with just the right sweetness allowed Manny to appreciate the food. The younger woman cooked with a light hand and with herbs that were different and unexpected combinations.
“Where did you learn to cook?” Manny said. She thought the grilled peaches with ginger and cumin were exceptional and told the small woman next to her that.
“My parents were in the Air Force and we moved at least every three years. Mom and Dad love different experiences and they taught us kids the same. As for the food, wherever we moved, I spent a lot of time with locals. I’ve incorporated just about everything except roasted insects. I like grasshoppers and ants but it still weirds me out,” Ebony said. She poured Manny more lemonade and herself more white wine.
“How did you come to be here?”
“Oh, that was all Iona,” she said. She laughed a light sweet tone. “The Davises, white and black, in the Hollow don’t like to admit we’re all related. But Iona’s been changing that by just starting to call everybody cousin. Since I’ve been here, I
realized that she got that from all the men around here. CJ, Clint, Mano, Miguel and all the rest call one another ‘cousin’ all the time. When she got home and started saying it to black and white people regardless of how they are related. After that all the kids started doing it at the elementary school, then finally the older ones did too. Anyway, Iona wanted Vanessa from the diner to come take your place. Van won’t leave that diner so she suggested me. I’ve been working there for something to do, until I decide where I want to do for the next few years.”
“Do you want to stay here? I’m moving on, me and the Bean are going to start a restaurant. I’ve not picked a city yet but I’ve got time.” Manny helped herself to another chicken leg.
“Iona hinted at me staying but I didn’t want to take your job without seeing if you wanted it back,” Ebony said.
“No, you’re welcome to it. If you cook like this every day then I expect CJ and Iona will be in good hands,” Manny said. “Thank you so much for dinner. I’ll be down in a minute to help you clean up, I just want to get a quick nap. The Bean allows me to be lazy,” Manny said. She trudged over to the chaise in another corner. She flipped a few times before she settled onto her side.
“Don’t worry about coming down anytime soon. CJ’s bringing a guest and they’ll be here early this evening. You know how CJ and his guy friends are, it’ll be Scotch, baked potatoes and grilled steak. I’ve already cleaned up and prepped for that. Rest here until tomorrow. I’ll bring you some dessert, I’m trying tres leches again. The last time I tried it, I ended up with soggy cake. But Adriana gave me a better recipe so I have high hopes for this one.”
“I’ll definitely be here waiting.” Manny closed her eyes and was asleep before she heard Ebony say. “His friend from London shouldn’t be that hard to take care of. He seems so nice and quiet.”
Chapter Six:
Passing From the Left
David flew into the tiny airstrip for the second time in less than four months. Barbara, who seldom noticed anything that didn’t make her life easier, had commented on the number of trips he was making to the States. He had been able to deflect his parents and grandfather by saying that he was working on a new set and was collaborating with designers all over the southwest.
David was here to see Manuela again. She’d not answered any of his calls to the ranch or, after he’d pried it out of CJ, his e-mails which were going to her junk e-mail account. She might not want to see him but he had to see her. His engagement to Barbara was slowly tottering down to nothing. It would have to be ended without him having met Manuela because it was a ludicrous idea to marry for the sake of family cohesiveness in this day and age. The addition of Manuela had been just the push he needed to begin the termination speech with Barbara.
Talking to Barbara was like talking to a recalcitrant child. The only thing she didn’t do was put her fingers in her ears and chant, “I can’t hear you, I can’t hear you.” Her entire body language told him she wasn’t listening and she had no plans of backing down. She looked at him with cool gray eyes, countering all of his impassioned statements of why he had no plans of going through with the wedding with cold, emotionless reasons why they were going to marry. She made no mention of love, respect or passion. As he left she and her mother were planning an April wedding. David’s voice fell on deaf ears even when he told her in no uncertain terms that the groom would not be attending. He contacted CJ to beg another invitation to the ranch on the hope that at least one of the women in his life would listen to what he had to say. CJ never asked why. Three days later they were back in Oklahoma.
CJ grabbed Clint in a bone-crushing bear hug. “How are things, Cuz?”
CJ threw his leather overnight bag into the back of the beat-up SUV. David placed his bag next to CJ’s and climbed into the back seat. He barely had time to fasten his seatbelt before Clint barreled off the tarmac and onto the road to the ranch.
“It’s interesting,” Clint said.
“Is Lil Bit back yet? She said she was coming home with Manny. I never imagined that such a little woman could be so worrisome. This is the longest we’ve been apart in almost two years,” CJ said.
“It’s been a busy day for the official ranch taxi that I run. They got in earlier this morning. They both look great, healthy, glowing, you could say,” Clint said.
The cousins caught up on the latest news from the ranch during the short fast ride up the road. CJ was out of the car and in the house before they came to a complete stop. Iona sat on the porch in the swing with a broad smile. CJ swept her into his arms and kissed her long, hard and with repressed passion.
“How are you, CJ? You look great.”
“I’m fine. No more of these two-month trips without me. Okay?” He put her down long enough to collect his bag.
Iona turned to David for a quick hug and peck on the cheek. “I thought you’d be in London planning your wedding,” she said.
“I rather think there’s not going to be a wedding. Well, I’m not going to go so I think that would mean that the bloody thing is off.” David placed his bag onto the porch and dropped into a cane chair beside the swing.
“Why were you planning on marrying her in the first place? You two don’t seem to have that much in common outside of that whole ‘our properties are side by side’ thing. Very 15th century.”
“More like 9th but my parents want the line to continue. They decided that Barbara was the right person for the task. I do want children, I’ve known her all my life and exclusive of the fact that she has expressed her distain for pregnancy, birth, and children, it seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“Wait, Barbara doesn’t want to have kids? What was the purpose for this farce then?” Iona said. She moved over so that CJ could sit beside her but he just picked her up and put her on his lap. His arms closed over her. He stroked her back and neck, burying his head in her hair. She squirmed a little but eventually settled back into his arms.
Ebony delivered a cart with iced tea, an assortment of beers and iced tequila. She poured tea for Iona and two shots for CJ and David. The men toasted each other before downing the drinks.
“Where is Manuela?” David said.
“She’s upstairs in her room. She doesn’t feel very well,” Ebony said. She placed a small bowl of cut limes and an even smaller bowl of sea salt on a table within reach of the men.
“Is she sick?” David asked. His drink halfway to his lips, he stopped dreading the answer.
“Nothing serious. Pregnant women just need more rest than most,” Ebony said. The screen door slammed shut as she went back into the house.
A long silence followed her leaving broken only by David’s exclamation as he gulped down his second shot. “Bloody Hell.”
* * * *
The night air was still warm with a brisk breeze coming in from the west. Frogs, owls and the ranch dogs did their nighttime noises as they prepared for their nocturnal activities whether it was sleeping or hunting. Manny sat with her swollen feet in the pool cooling them off as she allowed the breeze to flutter her hair around her head.
Even with the nap her feet and ankles looked two sizes larger under the magnification of the water and the soft lights that were just below the surface of the waterline. She tread them back and forth letting the water cool her down and enjoying the sensation as she did figure eights and tried to think of what to say to David when she saw him.
“Were you ever going to tell me?” David said.
Manny started a little before she allowed herself a small smile. “Probably not, I take full responsibility for not taking the proper precautions. But to my defense, I’d never done a one-night stand so I was totally unprepared.”
“As was I, I mean that I don’t have unprotected sex. But I really lost my head the first night. The other times was because I loved the feel of you,” David said. He eased beside her, pulling his shoes and socks off and rolling up his khaki pants past his knees.
“Let’s get married. I want my c
hild to have a mother and a father.”
“Thank you, no. Besides, I thought you had a wedding planned for spring already.”
“I canceled that before I came here. Something I started doing before I went to Houston and something I should have completed when I returned. Even though I didn’t know if I would meet you again or if you would want me if I did but I know that I couldn’t marry anyone else when I feel about you the way I do. I want you. Now we’ve made a baby together so we can go to London and get married before the baby is born. When are you due?”
“In mid-March.”
“I would have missed it. I’m not very pleased with you. You should have called me or at least answered my calls and e-mails.”
“Really, David, I apologize for not answering your calls and e-mails. I still wouldn’t have told you about the Bean because this is my responsibility. Now that you know we can set up some sort of visitation when the Bean is older.” She splashed her feet out away from her body, enjoying the sensual feel of the warm liquid as it flowed over her feet.
There was no moon out, just a clear sky that sparkled with a million stars. Off in the distance, a squeal of a bat meant either it had feasted on the unwary prey or had missed an opportunity. David sat for a long moment looking at his lover from the corner of his eye. She was glowing, as Clint had alluded to, with a rich bright color highlighting her cheeks. She was still slender which made the huge protrusion of her stomach all the more prominent. He wanted her.
Fully clothed, he slipped into the warm water of the pool and grasped her legs. He stepped between them and allowed the buoyancy of the water to bob him up to kiss her gently on the lips. She smiled into the kiss, following his up and down motions. They played at kissing until he splashed up the steps and pulled her to her feet. Directing her to the lounge chairs surrounding the pool but out of the sight of the indirect lighting, he gently arranged her on the chair before joining her.