Tough Gal: You are glowing.
Can’t blame a girl for being happy for a change, can you?
Ken tells me about the time he spent in Stuttgart in the early eighties. “Too bad, I didn’t meet you then; otherwise, I would have most definitely asked you to marry me,” he says.
Romy: Melt…melt…Awww. No idea how he got into possession of the code that defrosts my heart?
A strong desire to run over, pull him off his horse, and hold him close until the world ceases to exist, clutches me. The exhilarating ride comes to an end, but we agree to meet again tomorrow.
Night turns to day. I am out with Ken once more, galloping through the tranquil trails of Agoura Hills. Our hands connect as the horses walk side-by-side at a steady gait.
Romy: If I get any happier, I think, I’ll pass out.
Somehow, I get the impression that Ken feels the same.
“What makes you feel most loved by a man?” he asks.
“Someone brushing my hair or touching my face ranks really high. Oh, yaaa…and someone who won’t flirt with other women. That’s a big one. What about you?”
“When a woman cooks for me, gives me massages, and keeps herself well groomed, takes care of her hair.”
Romy (celebratory): Well, that’s a no-brainer. I’m it.
We rendezvous again. I delight in the sound of the horses’ hooves, clickadee-cluck, as they mosey across the asphalt road which quickly turns back into sandy trail. At the same time, I attentively listen to what Ken has to say. His words go down like caramel pudding.
“Would you have an affair with me?” he asks, totally catching me off-guard.
“Of course not,” I indignantly reply.
He gets all apologetic, saying he did not mean anything by it.
Romy: The least I want is for him to assume that we have to have a fling in order to be together. I insist you ask Raymond for a divorce right away. You must—a.s.a.p.
Scaredy Cat: Whoa. No need to rush.
Tough Gal: Why not get to know your new friend a little better first?
Romy: How long did you say?
A new day approaches. I run into Sarah, a regular riding buddy of Kens, at the barn.
“Ken talks about you all the time. You did not hear this from anyone, but he really likes you. And get this, he is one hundred percent single and available,” she says.
Romy: Who would have thought that he’d check out spotless…no red flags, not even a roaming eye?
Oxygen
Greatly enthused to get to the barn for another ride with Ken, I promptly gather my riding gear from the bedroom this afternoon. As I attempt to close the door to the office, I detect a white piece of paper on the floor. Assuming that it fell from Raymond’s pocket earlier and may be important, I reach for it. It is the receipt from a jewelry store.
Romy: He bought what?
It indicates he purchased an expensive diamond studded ring two days ago.
Romy: Holy mo. I have a feeling he’s planning on asking me to marry him again, so we can have that bigger ceremony he talked about some time ago.
Scaredy Cat: He’s probably going to pop the question on Christmas or New Year’s Eve.
Ragelina: I got his answer ready – NO--- NO--- and HELL NO.
Romy (sobbing): There’s no way I am going to head into the new millennium with that asshole. I want Ken. I only want Ken, forever and ever.
Scaredy Cat: The holidays are only weeks away.
Romy: You must tell him…tonight.
Evening comes. I walk in after having been out on the trails with Ken for a couple of hours. Ray shows up twenty minutes later. He saunters into the office and plunks down into the chair behind the desk. I follow him and position myself vis-à-vis while remaining standing. I feel sweat collect in my palms, and I can hear my pulse throb. Nervously, I change my weight from one leg to the other, feverishly working on coming up with the right words.
Tough Gal: There is no right way to do this. Just say it. You deserve this shot at happiness.
Picturing Ken’s sweet face in front of mine, I inhale deeply.
“I’ve got something to tell you that can’t wait.”
Ray looks at me in suspense.
Scaredy Cat: Yikes. Let’s not do this.
“Okay.”
I pause for two seconds.
Doubt Cloud: This is going to end in disaster.
“I want a divorce.”
Deadening silence fills the room while I watch his demeanor alternate between shock, sadness, and anger.
“You are seeing someone, I know it. Who is he?” he growls.
Scaredy Cat: Don’t engage.
Romy: Yeah. I must get back to my honey.
Scaredy Cat: Alive and well. Think about the animals, too.
Calmly, I deny all allegations. With renewed confidence, I inform Ray that we will no longer be sleeping in one bed together and ask him to pick a part of the house to set up camp in. He gives me the evil eye, but eventually agrees to relocate into the den. I leave. Heavily buzzing with never experienced happiness, I drive to the payphone a mile away. High on love sickness, I punch in Ken’s number.
“Hi, baby.” The tone of my voice sounds more loving than I’ve ever heard myself speak to anyone before.
“I miss you already,” says Ken no way less lovingly.
“I miss you more.”
“I highly doubt that.”
“Guess what, babe? I’m a free woman. I just asked Ray for a divorce.”
“Wow. I wanna see you right now, honey. How about I come to your neck of the woods? Twenty minutes? Does that work?” Ken asks.
Hearing the excitement in his voice makes me even giddier.
“Awesome, I can’t wait to see you, my love.”
It is already dark outside when the man of men meets me in a parking lot of a grocery store. I hop into his spacious Ford Bronco, and we take off to a deserted playground that he parks his car in front of. The moment the engine goes off we fall into a tender yet tight embrace. Supreme oblivion takes me over as our lips touch for the first time.
Romy: He kisses like a champion. My champion. I could stay puckered up with him forever.
The windows fog over. Time loses meaning while we become deeper and deeper immersed in the pool of bubbling passion.
Romy: He feels like I’ve known him all my life and even before then.
The “committee” cheers me on, confirming my belief that Ken indeed is “The One.”
Whip Cracker: Hookers don’t deserve a guy like him. You’ll never be able to meet all his needs. Trust me, you gonna get burned.
Romy: Shuttt uppp. We love each other. I will make him happy.
Hot Shot: And there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.
Tough Gal: Fuck off, Whipper.
~~~
The yearning for Ken’s touch obtains imposing strength now that I approach the door to his apartment on Linden Street in Van Nuys.
Romy: I guess, this is it, eh…the moment I’ve been waiting for all my life…to make love to someone I truly trust and adore?
Pretender Babe: There shall be no faking it, then again who needs to with someone who arouses me like no other?
Hot Shot: Whatever this visit has in store, I’ve come prepared.
Smelling like rose pedals, looking scrumptiously delicious in tight denims, white cork heel sandals, and the sexy white chiffon top that leaves plenty of room for the imagination, I press down on the doorbell. The audible movement from the other side drives my heart rate to pulse at record heights. The door swings open momentarily, revealing a smirking Ken who looks hugely pleased to see me.
Lustania: Dang, he is yummy to say the least. I want to fuck his brains out bad.
Romy (hissing): Watch your mouth. You are talking about my future husband. He’s precious.
I step inside the modest but clean apartment.
Romy: Frankly, I wouldn’t give a hoot if he lived in a shack, rode a bicycle, or cleaned
toilets for a living. Only two things matter - that he loves me, and that we get as close as humanly possible.
Our lips interlace while holding each other tight for a good five minutes. This moment, Ken pulls away from my face, lifts me off the ground, and carries me into the bedroom. A darn beautiful country song by Clint Black in duet with someone plays in the background. Ken carefully sets me down onto the comforter and begins to undress me. Lustania gets so carried away, she persuades me to rip his thin T-shirt off of him. I do. I can tell by the look in his eyes and even more engaged moves that he approves.
Doubt Cloud: I worry about what Whip Cracker said. It might be true.
Scaredy Cat: That I am going to get burned?
Romy: Ehhh. Bull…Relax…breathe…let love in. This is it…he’s the one…I trust him with my life and then some.
Blushetta: I am home—at last.
Hot Shot: I never thought I’d say this, but I know for sure that no other grass can ever stand a chance of getting greener. His attention is all I want for as long as I live…
I let out a couple of gratifying groans as his mouth explores my body inch by inch.
“There really is a God,” he mutters once I return the pleasure.
“You are damned right about that, babe,” I laugh.
Albeit I do not reach a true orgasm, I sense a feeling that is brand-new - a pleasant vaginal tingling.
Lustania: Something big is on its way. I can feel it. It’s only a matter of time.
Romy: I will never stop making him happy. Just like that country song ‘Back at One’ goes—’One, you’re like a dream come true, two, just wanna be with you, three, it is plain to see, you’re the only one for me…’
Each time the tune hits the airwaves, Ken sings along with it, staring at me in languishing worship.
Romy: Whatever kind of God is up there—it must have finally reached my name on the list.
“Move in with me. You can always find another place if it doesn’t work out between us,” Ken temps after hearing about my struggles with trying to find a place in the slow holiday rental market.
Overjoyed, I answer, “Yes, darling.”
~~~
Back at the residence in Agoura Hills this morning, Raymond informs me that his mother died earlier due to the complications of the heart attack she suffered two days ago. Dazed by the sudden turn of events, I aim to hug him, but he shoves me aside.
“I’m really sorry ‘bout your mother. I know you’re dealing with a lot right this moment, but when do you think is a good time to discuss how we should split things up between us?”
“That gotta wait. I’m too busy with funeral arrangements. By the way, you must be thrilled now that she’s dead, mhhmm? Wasn’t that what you had wanted all along?” he says with great contempt in his voice and eyes.
Romy: Ach. Fuck him. Just let him have all the shit if he insists. Who needs material possessions anyway? I’m already the wealthiest woman in the world with Ken in my life.
I don’t say a word; just migrate into the room next door. He does not follow. Knowing that Ray won’t be around for at least forty-eight hours as he told me earlier, I spend most of the next two days and nights at Ken’s house.
As my honey and I drive around town running errands this morning, a lively conversation erupts. Somehow the topic touches on pandering. Ken openly admits that he has previously pimped women, but assures me that it is strictly an issue of the past.
Romy: Ehhh. He did not say that. No, he did not. I would be crazy to let that insignificant comment ruin my beautiful fairytale. It never happened. End of story.
~~~
The raunchy sound of Barry White’s deep voice enriches the atmosphere with even more romance inside the dimly lit room.
“Closer. Come on, baby. No…closer than that. I want you close, closer than close, honey,” I mutter, feeling Ken’s well-endowed manliness swell up inside me. He abides momentarily, gazing into my eyes with adoring fondness.
Dotingly, he murmurs, “I love you.”
Romy (elated): Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.
Doubt Cloud: Impossible. But, wowww, just wowww…what a feeling!
A dense layer of goose bumps covers my skin. Face flushed and ears clogged like at high altitude, I lay still, relishing in every second of the electrifying experience. If I had to pick just one moment in time to seize for as long as I live, this is the one.
Romy: I’m the happiest woman alive.
“I love you, too, baby,” I say, tenderly placing a kiss on one of Ken’s eyelids, then the other.
Romy: Life finally makes sense.
Exhausted from the intense bodily activities, I fall asleep with my head on top his chiseled stomach. When morning comes, I wake up with Ken’s arm still wrapped around my torso. Barely opening my eyes, I feel one of his hands caressing my head.
“What are you doing?” I ask, noticing him focus intensely on me.
“Oh nothing. Just been watching you sleep.”
He begins nibbling on my earlobe, softly sighing,
“Honey, do you know you are the most loved woman in America? Where have you been all my life?”
I furl my arms around his neck in fervor, leading to yet another lovemaking marathon. Never having been a fan of morning sex in the past, I now cannot get enough of it and Ken’s sweet, sweet, sweetness, no matter what time a day or night it is.
Romy: Life is great. I have NO problems…can handle anything.
Up until this point, Ken has made no secret out of his plans of wanting to marry me and try for a baby as soon as my divorce comes through. The target date is this summer, that is, if everything goes according to plan.
Romy: There is nothing in this world I would rather do than marry my sweetie and give birth to our child.
~~~
I make a pit stop at the house in Agoura. Ray walks in. By now, he is well aware that my ultimate plan is to move before the year turns.
“I know you’ll keep Bella, but I can only take one cat to where I’m going, so will you please keep Otis?”
“No, you take both of them,” he insists.
“If he can’t stay with you, I’ll have to drop him off at the shelter.”
“Well, then I guess that’s what you’ll have to do because he sure as hell isn’t staying here,” he says with cold as ice demeanor.
Last House on the Block
After stuffing the rest of my things inside my car this morning, I return to the living room. Seeing Bella’s sweetest brown eyes looking at me in anticipation shatters my heart into a million pieces. I place a tender ten-second long kiss onto her sleek muzzle while holding it shut with my hand, so she cannot lick my face.
Blushetta: How does one say goodbye to an angel?
Tough Gal: I am sure Raymond will take decent care of her, keeping the house, and all.
Scaredy Cat: You must go now. It’s best to be out of here before he shows up.
I stroke the dog’s reddish head once more.
“Bye, Sunshine. Know that I will never forget you. Will see you again, I promise.”
Drowning in melancholy, I shut the door behind me, holding on tightly to the two cat carriers while making my way to the car.
Doubt Cloud: I don’t think I have the strength to leave her behind.
Tough Gal: Keep going. Freedom comes at a price.
I get into the vehicle and using the utmost of caution, I avoid glancing at the large bay window, because like clockwork, Bella’s face always appears. I manage to drive away, instantly heading for the animal shelter. Grudgingly, I hand Otis over to the woman at the counter.
Whip Cracker: Traitor.
I cannot recall how I make it out without suffering a nervous breakdown, but twenty minutes later, all pain evaporates as I rest comfortably in Ken’s safe embrace.
The holy days move in on us. Undoubtedly, the fest earns the label “best Christmas ever.” We spend hours in bed, make love, cook for and feed each other, topping it all off wit
h an idyllic horseback ride hand in hand into the moonlit night of the mystical hills. New Year’s Eve and Day are equally memorable, consisting of much of the same events.
When putting on paper our goals for the coming year, getting hitched and making a baby top the list. We both agree that “making every effort to deter others from trying to get into our pants” should also have its rightful place on the sheet of paper.
Romy: So this is what forever feels like. Wowww…woww…
Brown Sugar Smack
I ache to make love to Ken, but realize that it can still take hours until he arrives. Feeling like a person walking through the desert without water, I lie down on the bed and play with Mister V, the electric vibrator my honey introduced me to a few days ago.
A good ten minutes of fiddling around with it go by, making me feel better and better by the second, not an end in sight. The earth moves. Well, okay, not really…but I do, quaking, shaking, and quivering as the Big O marches in with trumpets and fanfares, smacking me with sensations too delightful to name. Stunned by the unbelievable intensity of the incredible rush, I let out several shrieks of uttermost rapture.
Lustania: Fooockckk Meeee. Now I see what all the hoopla is about.
It’s the best feeling I’ve ever experienced. Let’s try this again, shall we?
Hot Shot: I can’t believe I lived without that for thirty-six years? Where have I been?
Fantasia takes me to Happy Land a few more times in the following twenty minutes. The more intensely I think about Ken and the enjoyment I envision him deriving from seeing me coil around in this much pleasure, the more worked up I become.
He walks in an hour later. During the first five minutes of exchanging tenderness, I let him in on my latest discovery. His eyes widen while I tell the story. He kisses me, lifts me off the couch and sets course for the bedroom.
“I think I need a private demonstration,” he chuckles. As soon as he puts me down, we jump onto a sixty-minute tidal wave ride of in-sync ‘climaxation’. I am hooked—hooked on Ken, hooked on Mister V, hooked on both, because together, they make one hell of a team.
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