by Ju Ephraime
They went to bed together. It was a bit strange to be in this house in a bed surrounded by a mosquito net—a necessity in the tropics.
As he turned down the light and reached for her, she went to him willingly. She didn’t know how long she would have this freedom, so she would make the most of it.
He removed her clothing, one piece at a time, as if unwrapping a precious gift. Turning to him, she whispered to him, her mouth hovering close to his, “Take me to paradise, my darling.”
And he did. When he finally withdrew from her body, she was wrung dry, like a towel that had gone through the spin cycle of a washing machine. She was wrung dry, but completely sated.
***
They spent a pretty uneventful night after they had fallen asleep. She didn’t have any strange dreams, and Todd didn’t appear to have any himself. He woke her in his usual fashion, his mouth on her breast.
Feeling his hot mouth on her breast, she wondered, as she had done before, if he had a need to be nursed like a baby. She wondered what would happen if and when she became pregnant and had to nurse their child. Would he still have this fascination with her breasts? She didn’t have an answer, so for now, she gave herself to him.
They finally got out of bed when there was a persistent knocking at the door.
“Oh my God, Todd, the household staff is here.” They had completely forgotten the staff. She hurriedly donned her robe and went to open the door. There were two women standing at the door.
“Good morning, ma'am.” She was greeted by both of them. “We’re reporting to work.”
“Good morning,” she responded.
She couldn’t remember their names. She hadn’t had the time to go over the paperwork the agency had left behind. They appeared to be two nice enough women, but she was not accustomed to more than one other woman in her home, and that was Cook. Both she and Todd were very independent individuals. But she wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Come to think about it, she could use their help in getting to know how things stood on the island.
She found out the cook was Gloria, who appeared to be the older of the two, and the house girl was Joan.
What a pickle. She needed to get rid of them for a bit, to give her and Todd time to get decent.
“My husband and I overslept. There’s no food in the house. I’ll need someone to do the groceries. Can you do that, Gloria?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“You can take Joan with you. That way you’ll be done sooner. My husband and I will be up by the time you get back.”
“Okay, ma’am.”
“Thanks.”
She watched until they disappeared down the street. Turning quickly to return to the bedroom to wake Todd, she almost hurt herself bumping into him.
“Where are you going in such a hurry, sweetheart?”
“Oh, I was going to wake you. Don’t sneak up on me like that, darling. Do you want to give me a heart attack?” she asked, laughing.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
“I’m not used to having strangers in the house with us. We’ll have to readjust while we are here.”
“What’s to readjust, Simonia? Just give one of them a key to get into the house when they report to work in the morning.”
“Todd, I don’t feel comfortable doing this.”
“Do you have another suggestion? Because I’m not going to go through this every morning, so you work out what you feel more comfortable with.”
“Why are you being a grouch? Oh, I get it; you need your coffee. Let me visit the bathroom, then I’ll put some coffee on.”
“Oh, do we have coffee?”
“Yes, we do, darling, compliments of the house,” she said, giving him a kiss on the chin.
“We’ll do one better. Let’s go shower together.” Lifting her, he carried her to the shower.
They had showered and were sitting in the kitchen enjoying a cup of coffee when the women returned from the store.
She still hadn’t decided on her course of action in regard to the women and the house keys. She would talk to the cook, Gloria, about it and asked her what the tenants before them had done.
That decided, she went into the kitchen to see what they’d bought while Todd went to set up a space for him to get some work done. The telephone company was supposed to come by to install their phone some time that day.
She didn’t think she needed two people in the house, but she had no control over this, and she didn’t want to deprive someone of their job. So, she took herself off to inspect the garden. She loved gardening, but even that was taken care of by the gardener who came with the place. She’d never been at a loss for something to do. She felt useless. She supposed most tenants who occupied the house were grateful for the help because they were more often than not on vacation and welcomed the arrangement of doing nothing.
She went into the bedroom, where Joan had already stripped the bed and was in the process of remaking it. She took one of her romance novels, State of Ecstasy, and went back to the garden, found herself a shady spot, and settled down to read.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
By the end of their first day on the island, there was a system in place, which she believed would work well for everyone.
She had given Gloria the key to the kitchen, which was separate from the rest of the house. Joan knew her tasks and the gardener was all set. Todd had his day set up. He would be going to the lab for a few hours each day. She would spend her time catching up on some reading while she got herself familiar with the neighborhood. She would become a woman of leisure!
Never being one to look a gift horse in the mouth, she thought to put some of her free time into finding information about local witches and/or sorceresses. She was living under this dark cloud of gloom and was not able to shake it off, no matter how hard she tried. She envied Todd his single-mindedness, the way he was able to go to work with this threat looming over them. She didn’t have that fortitude.
It turned out Todd was able to talk Sharon into coming back to work at the facility. Whatever was going on between her and Dr. Harman was patched up, and everything was back on track. Actually there really wasn’t much to do but to finalize things and clean up. Todd had already done most of the work.
They were going into their third day in St. Lucia, leaving seven days before the fateful day. She did nothing but count down the days. When Todd came back from the facility and offered to take her into the city and around the neighborhood, he didn’t have to ask her twice. She was dressed and ready to go before he had time to grab a snack.
Todd wasn’t too thrilled with Gloria’s cooking. He complained about everything. She found herself making excuses for the woman at every turn. She’d already decided she would have to teach Gloria how to prepare some of Todd’s favorite dishes. He was like a kid if he did not get some of his favorite dishes in any meal. She placed the blame squarely on his mom; she’d spoiled him rotten. In his defense, she had to admit he was not an overly picky eater. He just liked what he liked, and since she was madly in love with the man, she did what she could to make him happy—a happy Todd was an ecstatic Simonia.
And there was Todd now, bounding into the garden where she waited for him, anticipating her time with him driving around the town.
“Are you ready, sweetheart?”
“I’ve been ready. Are you ready?” she asked, laughing happily.
They got into the vehicle and were on their way, merging into the heavy traffic. Todd took her to the city, where she was able to pick up some of the supplies she needed. The place was teeming with life. They left the city and drove to the suburbs where the homes were bright and colorful. She marveled at some of the homes that were built on the sides of hills and appeared to be sitting there so precariously. The island was very hilly, and from all vantage points, there was a beautiful view of the Caribbean Sea.
She was used to the view of the ocean being from New South Wales, but the ocean here was much bluer and bright
er. It was hot, but there was a beautiful breeze. Todd put the windows down and allowed the breeze to cool them as they drove to the various tourist attractions on the island.
After visiting the shops, they visited the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. The exterior of the church was a bit shabby, but the interior was breathtaking. They were so taken with the church that they had a hard time leaving. The beautiful wooden altar’s adornments and colorful paintings depicting Catholic saints were amazing. The church was a real depiction of Caribbean heritage.
They drove by the Central Library, which was a small and quaint building. Next to the library was the Derek Wolcott Square, named for Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott, a native of the island. It was surrounded by beautiful old buildings with interesting architecture and a 400-year-old saman, or monkey pod, tree. She was fascinated with watching the people and admiring the various styles of the buildings.
They were driving back to the house when she thought it would be a good idea to stop for something to snack on. So she suggested it to Todd.
“Why don’t we stop at the restaurant you told me about?”
“Which restaurant?” he asked, not looking directly at me.
“Josephine’s, I believe, right?”
“I don’t want to go to Josephine’s,” he said with a note of finality in his voice.
“Why not?” Simonia asked. “I thought you loved Josephine’s. You wrote about the wonderful food you ate there constantly. What happened?”
She thought perhaps he had something there he didn’t enjoy, and that was the end of it. What he told her next had her sitting up straight in her seat.
“Sweetheart, remember I told you at home that I stopped going to Josephine’s because the woman who I believe is the witch works there?”
“Todd, are you sure you told me this? I don’t recall having this conversation with you. You’re telling me that you know the woman who you think is the witch and you know where she works? You used to go to Josephine’s practically every day if I recall.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? So I went to the place to eat. That doesn’t mean anything,” he all but yelled.
She became heated herself and would not let the matter rest.
“You had to have given this woman some reason to target you. For all I know, you could have had a relationship with her.” With this, she burst into tears.
She cried all the way back to the house. She wouldn’t be consoled. She’d thought he would give in and take her to the restaurant, but he didn’t. He drove straight back to the house. This made her even more suspicious. What was he hiding? What was it that he didn’t want her to know?
She’d never had any reason to doubt Todd before. She knew he had lots of women throwing themselves at him, but Todd was a snob, and he was very particular in the women he dated. As a matter of fact, he didn’t pursue women—he’d never had to, until her, or so he’d told her on several occasions. And even then, he had her before he began the pursuing. He just hadn’t known it.
***
Arriving at the house, she was too distraught to teach Gloria how to prepare the dishes Todd would enjoy. Tonight, he’d have to make do. She walked into the bedroom and, after locking the door, threw herself across the bed and had a good cry. She guessed she was feeling sorry for herself.
She had not eaten anything since breakfast, and her stomach was starting to revolt. She needed to eat something, but she couldn’t bring herself to go into the kitchen. She was avoiding running into Todd. She was still too upset to talk with him.
Just then there was a knock at the bedroom door. It was Todd. “Sweetheart, would you like me to fix you a tray?”
She debated with herself about answering him, and in the end, she capitulated.
“Yes, okay.” If he believed she has forgiven him, he had another think coming because she had not. He’d not been open with her about this very important piece of information. On the other hand, she didn’t want the two women in the house to know something was up with her and her husband. She wanted to avoid gossip at all cost.
So she answered him and opened the door to him. He walked in carrying a tray. It was beautifully arranged with a small bouquet of red roses.
My, he’s been busy. “Did you fix this yourself?”
“I sure did,” he answered. “I’m not helpless you know.
Really? That’s good to know.
“Are you feeling better?”
“I’m not sick, if that’s what you are asking, Todd. I just need some time alone.”
“I’m going to the lab. You want to come along?”
“No. Why are you going to the lab at this time in the evening?”
“I want to check up on an experiment I have in the lab. “So, do you want to come along? I won’t be long.”
“No, I’ve got some things to do here. Thanks for asking me.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean? Thanks for asking you? Snap out of it, Simonia, and grow up!”
Grow up? He is telling me to grow up?
She began seeing red. She opened her mouth to make a cutting remark, but she never got the chance to. He gave her one look and stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.
Todd and I are having our first fight.
She lay back down on the bed and could not control the heart-wrenching sobs racking her body. He didn’t understand. He didn’t even try.
After remaining in the room for the rest of the day, she finally came out just as the sun was setting and the women called out to tell her they were leaving.
Splashing some cold water on her face, she walked into the kitchen, admitting she was not feeling well when they inquired after her welfare. She felt like a fraud because they were immediately concerned and offered to brew her some tea to settle her stomach. She said she was feeling a little better and could brew the tea.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, dismissing them.
After they left, the tea seemed like a good idea, so she brewed herself a pot and took it back into the bedroom to enjoy while she ran a bath.
She was in the bath when she heard him calling for her. She didn’t answer until she heard his knock on the bathroom door. “I’m in the bath.”
“Are we going to have closed doors between us now, is that it?” he yelled through the door.
She didn’t answer. Let him figure it out. She was still too hurt and angry to have a civil conversation with him.
She was not enjoying this. She wanted to, no, needed to, be able to talk to her husband. This was killing her, but she had to stand her ground until he saw her side of this argument. She walked out of the bathroom fully clothed. She was not going to allow him a peek at her body, and she didn’t want a peek at his.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Todd couldn’t believe Simonia was behaving this way. He had nothing to hide and hadn’t done anything wrong, so he wasn’t going to apologize for something he didn’t do. He didn’t even know what he was being accused of—withholding information? He was confused. He was sure he’d told Simonia that he thought he knew who the witch was. He’d not gone into any great detail, but he was certain he’d mentioned it. He could have, subconsciously, phrased it in a way that was not very clear. If he had to be honest, though, he knew if she saw the woman, no amount of denial on his part would hold water. He was damned if did and damned if didn’t.
This was a situation he wouldn’t wish on his worst enemy. He’d give her some space. Maybe she’d get over it, and things would go back to normal. They had to because, without her participation, he wouldn’t be able to destroy the witch. So she had better get over her anger in plenty of time. He needed to tell her the final piece of the plan. But more than anything, he missed his wife, even if it had only been a couple hours. He loved talking with her, bathing with her, kissing her, touching her, and overall spending time with her. But he wouldn’t apologize for something he hadn’t done. She’d started this. The next move was hers.
He soon found out that was easier said than done. He was having a difficult time not talking to her. Every time he turned around, he was looking to say something to her, until he saw her body language. She was not backing down. He was waiting to see what would happen when they went to bed that night. He needn’t have worried. There was nothing happening in the bedroom because Simonia took herself to one of the guest bedrooms. He couldn’t believe when he went to bed and waited and waited. When he realized that it was 11:45 P.M. and she still hadn’t come to bed, he went looking for her. Again, he encountered a closed, locked door.
He felt a splitting headache coming on as a tremor went through his body. Had this been his home, he would have broken the door down, so strong was his anger. But his mind cleared just in the nick of time to stop him from making a serious mistake. Had he done what he wanted to do, he’d have gone caveman on her—breaking down the door, stomping into the room, grabbing her, throwing her over his shoulder, taking her to his bed, and having his way with her until he had her singing a different tune. But sanity returned.
He returned to the master bedroom and spent a sleepless night, lying on his back going over and over the events of the day. No matter how he looked at it, he could not see a way he could’ve avoided the discussion about Josephine’s.
The next morning, he got up with a woody that just wouldn’t quit. He was used to getting up with his wife. When he was away from home, he had ways of dealing with it, but he had no intention of going that route, not with his beautiful, healthy wife under the same roof. Something had to give.
He was so stressed that he spent the entire day at the lab. Dr. Harman and Sharon were happy to see him. Unfortunately, he was not happy to be there. But he was able to remain busy until the end of the day.
Driving home, he racked his brain to come up with a solution to the problem he had at home, and he kept coming up with nothing. He knew he was pressed for time because he had to discuss the final part of the plan with Simonia. The plan could not work without her. But because of the nature of the things he had to do, she had to be of an open mind to accept what he required of her. Given the way she was feeling about things at the moment, and knowing Simonia, he just couldn’t see her going along with the plan.