by Ju Ephraime
He walked into the house, and Simonia was not there. When he tried to find out from the two women working in the home, neither had a clue where she had gone. This was very unlike Simonia. He walked into the master bedroom to change out of his work clothes and take a shower.
Walking out of the shower, something white on the dressing table caught his eyes, and he walked over to see what it was. That was when he found her note.
Went out for a bit, will be back soon.
What’s soon? What time had she left?
This entire business was beginning to piss him off. The problem was he was out of his element, and he didn’t know what to do to make this better. He’d never had a fight with anyone before. In any of his prior relationships, he usually just walked away. There was, therefore, never any need for recriminations and arguments. Now he knew how some of those women had felt. It was the most stressful thing to want to talk and be denied that opportunity.
He’d tried, but Simonia just ignored him. She refused to answer, refused to have any dialogue with him at all. She was good at this. He was not.
He had planned on forcing the issue when he got home today, but now he was denied the opportunity because she had removed herself from the house, making herself unavailable. It was ridiculous he didn’t know where his wife was.
Pouring himself a stiff scotch, he went out into the garden to talk with the gardener. He had not spoken more than two words to the man. It was not by choice. He just hadn’t had the time. Had Simonia been at home, he would probably not have this time either, but now that he was at loose ends, he took that time to strike up a conversation with the gardener.
Turned out, the gardener, Jacob, was a very personable and pleasant man. He was very knowledgeable on the plants and their care. It was a good thing they were not staying on here because Simonia would have dismissed him. She was an avid gardener. Next to dancing it was the thing she was most passionate about.
Thinking about it, he’d not given much thought to her not being able to dance while she was here with him. In his selfishness, he’d just taken it for granted that she’d be happy to be here with him. When she returned, he would see if he could find a club where she could practice some dancing and/or exercising. Simonia had too much energy to be sitting at home doing nothing. She may have gone for a walk to burn off some energy. He would talk to her about this when she got back.
He walked back into the house and turned on his computer to send out some emails, fax some paperwork to the head office, and do some research on the Internet while he waited for Simonia to get home.
He toyed with the idea of calling Boris, but he really didn’t want anyone from the old crowd, with the exception of Sharon, knowing he was back on the island. These were the same individuals who saw nothing wrong with being violated by a witch. They treated it as a joke. Even Boris didn’t take the fact that he was not okay with the entire situation seriously. He wanted to get this over with. He intended on being back home before anyone who knew him realized he had been there.
He was about to give up and go out to search for Simonia when she walked in. He took one look at her, and he knew something did not bode well for him. He didn’t know what it was, but he could see it in her body language—the way she avoided looking directly at him, holding herself erect. Almost as if to say, don’t come near me if you know what’s good for you. He was never one to let himself be intimidated by posturing, and he didn’t intend to start now.
“I was just about to come looking for you, sweetheart.”
“Don’t you sweetheart me. And why were you just about to come looking for me? Am I a child? Was I lost? What’s the matter? Are you afraid of what I’d find out if I were allowed out on my own?”
She flung the sarcastic questions at him, left and right, in rapid succession. What the hell was going on? This was getting waaaay out of hand. She was standing there, the heat of the anger rolling off her in waves. He knew when he was beaten. He turned around and walked out of the room. Grabbing the keys for the vehicle, he walked out of the door. He thought he heard a bloodcurdling scream, but he could not be certain. He was taking flight. He was giving her room to cool down.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Simonia was furious. How dare he? How dare he walk away and not stay and fight? She was primed for it, but he’d played her again. He was denying her the opportunity to have an all-out argument.
She felt like a deflated balloon. She poured herself a brandy as she got ready to prepare her bath. Walking into the bathroom, she took the drink, along with the book she’d been reading. Locking the door behind her, she sank blissfully into the heated bath.
Leaning her head back onto the headrest in the tub, she went over the information she had learned while she was out.
She had been sitting in the garden watching the gardener do his thing, feeling absolutely useless, when the idea came to her, and she wasted no time acting on it.
“Jacob, do you know the restaurant called Josephine’s?” she asked him.
“Yes, ma'am, I sure do.”
“You do?” she said, all excited. “Where is it? Is it a place I can get to from here?”
“I don’t see why not. You can take one of the transportation vans.”
“Really?”
“Yes, ma’am. There’s a stop two blocks from here. It costs one dollar and a quarter. You tell the driver where you are going, and he’ll drop you off right in front of Josephine’s. When you are ready to return, it’ll cost you another dollar and a quarter, and you do the same thing—give the driver your address and he’ll drop you at the same spot where he picked you up and you walk the two blocks back here.”
“Thanks, Jacob.”
She’d wasted no time changing into more casual clothes and more comfortable walking shoes, scribbled a short note to Todd, and she was off.
She had no difficulty identifying the bus stop. There were already three other people waiting for the van. They had to wait for about fifteen minutes before the van came along and let off two people then took on the four of them.
She didn’t know what she’d expected when she’d made up her mind to go to Josephine’s, but it surprised her. It was a small place that didn’t look like much on the outside, but when she entered the restaurant, she was impressed. She could see immediately why Todd had taken a love to the place.
Simonia was impressed with the formal/casual atmosphere of Josephine’s. She’d only intended visiting the place to satisfy her curiosity, but from her perusal of the menu, it appeared that all the dishes were exquisite French-inspired, Creole-influenced dishes and reasonably priced. So she decided to join the lunch crowd. She ordered pan-fried snapper with orange and butter sauce and green fig lyonnaise. She had a long, cool lime squash. It was made up of freshly squeezed lime juice and honey banana extract served over crushed ice. It was the most refreshing drink she’d ever had. As a matter of fact, the entire meal was prepared superbly.
She ate very slowly to allow Josephine to stop by her table, so she could engage her in conversation. Sure enough she did. Simonia struck up a conversation, but never identified herself as being from Australia. She claimed to be from England, staying at the local hotel. When Josephine asked her the name of the hotel, all she had to do was appear to be searching for the name until Josephine supplied her with a name, and she agreed to it. She complimented her on the place and the excellent food. While they were chatting, Simonia observed two female staff and one young man. She wanted to take the conversation in the direction of the staff.
“It must be difficult managing this restaurant all by yourself,” she told her.
“It’s not so bad,” Josephine replied. “I have some excellent help, although it has gotten a little more hectic since my long-time assistant left. She’d been with me since I opened my doors twenty years ago. But I found a good replacement for her, Nora. She’s a good waitress, but she lacks the people skills my assistant had.”
“Oh, that’s sad, but I know
what you mean about people skills. You either have them or you don’t. Which one is Nora?” she asked, without giving her the chance to see where the conversation was going.
“Nora is the young lady in the white T-shirt and jeans. I’ve spoken to her repeatedly about the dress code, but you can’t really tell Nora anything. She’s a law unto herself.”
“I know what you mean. Young people can be so self-involved,” she agreed.
“Funny you should say that. She’s not that young. She’s one of those people who will always look much younger than they really are. A lot of my customers mistake her for a teenager,” she volunteered.
“She’s not a teenager?” Simonia asked, incredulously.
The woman waiting on the tables didn’t appear to be more than eighteen, nineteen at the most. Even the outfit she had on was that of a teenager. How could she be anything else?
“Trust me,” Josephine said, “a teenager she’s not. I’ve known her a lot of years, and I’m in my forties.”
Just then, one of her kitchen staff came to get her.
“It appears I’m needed in the kitchen. If there’s anything I can do for you, please let me know. Hope to see you again.”
Simonia sat there in stunned silence. She’d even forgotten her food until the young woman in question, Nora, came to ask if there was anything else she could get her. Keeping her head down and appearing to be busy with her food, she answered her without looking up at her.
Simonia was wearing her sunglasses to conceal her identity and to avoid any chance of the woman looking into her eyes and casting a spell on her. She was happy when Nora walked away.
Nora’s walk was the most sensual thing Simonia had ever seen. It appeared a lot of the men, and women for that matter, couldn’t help themselves from watching her.
She could see how Todd had given this woman reason to single him out; he probably couldn’t help it. If Todd screamed sex, this woman screamed barely-controlled passion. She walked as if she was having sex. Simonia couldn’t have imitated it even if she’d wanted to. It was in the way Nora rolled her hips. There was an aura of unleashed passion surrounding her. Simonia had never seen anything like it before.
She could see Todd with this woman without even trying. But what disturbed her most was the knowledge that this was the woman who had been in her dream. This was the woman her husband had been smiling at so lovingly as he held out his hand to her.
She wanted to talk with Todd to ask him why he hadn’t just told her who the witch was and that he’d seen her quite frequently. From what he’d told her, Todd ate most of his meals at Josephine’s. He had conveniently not discussed the staff with her, but he’d mentioned Josephine’s in most of their conversations, via email or on the telephone.
In his defense, she’d always asked what he had for dinner, and he would inevitably tell her he’d eaten at Josephine’s. Very seldom had he eaten anywhere else. But she had no clue that the witch worked at this particular restaurant. There were hundreds of restaurants on the island.
***
She heard Todd’s steps in the bedroom. She was going to wait until he left the room before getting out of the tub. She got out of the bath, rinsed herself down in the shower, applied some soothing oil to her body, got dressed, and then opened the bathroom door. He was no longer in the bedroom.
She went into the family room, and he was sprawled out on the settee. She walked right by him without looking at him and went into the guest bedroom, locking the door behind her.
She wanted to talk with him, but every time she saw him, the hurt and anger hit her all over again, and she became irrational. She knew she was being irrational. But hell, she couldn’t help it.
She saw the handle of the door turn, but she knew it was locked and paid it no mind. He knocked on the door.
“Simonia, I need to talk with you.”
She didn’t answer.
“Simonia, I need to talk with you about the things we have to do.”
That set her off. “You don’t need to talk with me about anything. Why don’t you go talk to your girlfriend at Josephine’s? I saw her today, if you must know.”
“Simonia, the woman is not my girlfriend. I give you my word. Remember, I told you what had happened to my father. I have not disrespected any woman from any of the places I’ve worked.”
“Who said anything about disrespect? Is that the new name for it now, disrespect? I will not believe anything you say to me in this regard, Todd Montgomery. You are a liar.”
“Simonia, I did not lie to you. I’m tired of talking to you through a door,” he said and stomped off.
She was even more upset when he stomped off. She wanted him to break down the door. She wanted to have this fight with him. She wanted to get all heated and sweaty, and then she wanted to make up. His stomping off would not work to relieve the anger burning her up inside.
She was so exhausted from her walk in the heat and the emotional struggle she was having with herself that she fell asleep and didn’t awake until the roosters woke her about 6: 00 A.M.
She got up, opened the door to go to the bathroom, and almost tripped on a body lying at her door. It was her husband. He was fast asleep in a sheet on the cold floor. Her heart began to race.
Did the witch come after him last night?
“Todd, Todd…” She began shaking him. “Darling, why are you sleeping on the floor?”
He opened his eyes. It took a minute for him to focus on her then he reached up and pulled her down on top of him. The next thing she knew, she was underneath him, and he was kissing her as he whispered to her.
“Please don’t do this to me again, sweetheart. I can’t stand not being able to talk with you, to touch you, to hold you, and to love you. I love you, sweetheart. I have never been unfaithful to you. You are my heart.”
While he was saying this, he was busy removing her nightgown. She felt the cool air and his mouth was on her breast.
“Todd, you can’t do this here. The staff might come in any minute now. Todd, Todd…”
Without breaking stride, he lifted her. He kicked the door shut then took her to the bed. His mouth had not once left her breast. He covered her body with his as he worked his way up from her breast to her mouth. She could smell whisky on his breath. He must have been drinking all night.
She opened her arms and her mouth to him as she whispered against his mouth, “Come to me, my love.” She gave herself to him, holding nothing back.
He rolled over, taking her with him, and she ended up on top. “Ride me, my darling,” he whispered as he lifted up to take one of her nipples into his mouth.
Simonia lifted her body and came down on him just as he lifted his hips and pushed up. That set the rhythm—he thrusting up into her and she slamming down to meet his upward thrusts. The pace was fast and furious. She was going to explode. She wanted to tell him something, but she could only chant his name over and over. She was stuck in repeat. She was out of her mind with lust. He kept up the furious pace until she exploded, whimpering as the orgasm took her body and twisted it and spat it out. Her muscles began spasming uncontrollably, taking him over the edge with her.
When they finally surfaced for air, it was the most glorious joining she’d with her husband besides the first night they’d made love. This morning, it had been charged with something more. It was edgy with an air of desperate hunger, heightened by their mutual excitement and love.
She had to apologize to him because she had set this entire thing in motion. She should therefore be the bigger of the two of them and apologize.
“I’m so sorry I doubted you, darling. I was so shocked to learn that all along you’d known the woman who was visiting you in the form of the witch. It devastated me.”
“It’s I who has to apologize. I looked at it from your perspective, and I don’t blame you. But you wouldn’t give me a chance to explain. I tried several times, but you were so upset. Don’t you ever do this to me again. I don’t like it. We should
always be able to talk things over.”
“I know that now. But at the time I was seeing red.”
“Yeah, you sure were seeing red—locking me out of the room. Had we been home, this would have ended the first night.”
“How so?” she asked.
“I would have broken the door down. I didn’t want to do that here. That’s the only thing that saved you.”
“Really, I was ready for an all-out brawl to vent off some steam, but you chickened out on me.”
“I’m not good at that sort of thing. I didn’t want to worsen the situation with you.”
“So, like I said last night, I saw the witch.”
“Simonia, please don’t tell me you went and confronted the witch.”
“Why would I do that? I just wanted to see the woman who had you so bent out of shape that you had to avoid mentioning her to me.”
“How did you know which woman it was?”
“I asked Josephine who was the new girl working for her. I do recall you mentioning this to me, and when I saw her, I knew why immediately.”
“How?” he wanted to know.
“Just let me say, something about the way she moved, and the way I felt when she came to my table, after I’d ordered my lunch, gave her away.”
“I’m sorry, darling. I should have been clear in my explanation to you. But I only found out myself by accident.”
“What sort of accident?” she asked curiously.
“Well… don’t go getting upset again. I’d been going to Josephine’s ever since I discovered the quality of the food. It’s one of the best restaurants on the island. About a week or so before I came home the last time, I went in for my usual lunch special, and I noticed the regular waitress had been replaced. I didn’t pay it any mind.