by PN Books
“We thought you might like to take the long way,” was Cash’s remark as he led the way with his hands and helped me up to where Andy was sitting only to present me with an overflowing bouquet of white and pink roses.
“Happy birthday, baby,” he said and kissed me on the lips as I sat to receive them. I sat between my darlings and smiled from ear to ear as we enjoyed the ride just for fun.
Later on I waited until mother arrived for us all to drive to the dinner together to step out in my gown. I did so softly and shyly almost, wearing the most delicate shoes and light pink earrings.
“Oh my lord!” Mom cried, and the boys gasped the same with wows, “you are a real princess,” she said and I almost thought she might cry for a second. I did a slight twirl and for the rest of the evening enjoyed being on top of my birthday world, my cake and the city, as feeling once again like the luckiest woman to walk the night.
Chapter 12
Days without Andrew went on for both of us with an air of dragging and we felt his absence, though tried not to show it and keep ourselves busy. Cash was out of town here and there himself, so I simply stayed on task. I took lots of bubble baths, went for massages twice and sometimes three times a week, I shopped and I read and I wrote. Days rounded, weeks passed and things felt a little different, more than I could pinpoint why, and I felt it veered from just Andy’s absence.
I was quietly enjoying a book and some iced tea out at the park by myself when Cash called me.
“Hey, I just got in, I thought you’d be home around this time of the month,” he said almost jokingly but sounded quite serious in undertone actually.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Holly, I… can you come home?”
“Yeah, I’ll be there in a few,” I said and we hung up. Something was wrong. I walked in the door and he was sitting on the couch with his head in his hands.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Holly, listen, I didn’t want you to worry but…” I raised my eyes to question and sat across from him. “I got a call a week ago that Andy’s team hadn’t responded and disappeared. I didn’t want to worry you. They assured me that the divers were probably fine but protocol was to call it in. Today they’ve called me and it’s way worse. Their main ship was found abandoned and damaged, no sign of the divers and no radio call for 8 days now. The officer I spoke to said they won’t close the case but considering their location and nature of the dives they were doing they’ve all thrown in the towel.”
I stood up, “What!? Thrown in the towel?!”
“He said they wouldn’t stop looking but that from the way it seemed there was little to no hope.” I sat silent. It would do no good to be angry, I heard what words he was given. I stared of with a surge of desperation creep up and put my face in my hands and just cried.
“We just have to wait to hear,” he said, and hugged me.
Those days were long and there was something much bigger to pass the time about now. I didn’t take bubble baths. I didn’t get massages. Or shop. Or read. I just stared off and waited. Meanwhile there was a bigger worry brewing in the back of my mind, which with what was going on, I could only keep private. Mother would come over to comfort me and bring me food but with all the emotions and lack of definition to life, I felt helpless. I missed him. He was the sweetest man alive, he just couldn’t go like this. Andy wasn’t much of a fighter, he was strong and would surprise you, but… I just couldn’t accept that he was gone.
Cash was out of sorts, too and began to drink heavily to forget everything, and he didn’t know what to do. He kept saying he wanted to go find him, but knowing he didn’t have a clue where to look or how to do it better than who was already, he stayed with me.
The summer began to look hot out and I barely left the house, I just couldn’t bear to do anything. I often found myself just standing at the window and staring out. Life with only us two would not do. Half of my whole heart was in his hands.
Mother came one day and gently insisted I come with her out to have some lunch, just to get some fresh air. It had been four weeks since Andy’s crew had completely disappeared and still no one had heard a thing.
She managed to cheer me up with her perfect motherly way, convincing me to stay strong and not lose hope and think about what Andy would want me to do. I shed a tear but with a bittersweet half smile, and rose to put some real clothes on.
I put on a dress to perk me up and in the back of my mind was something I also wanted to speak with her about, personally. I knew just the one, the Alexander McQueen silk chiffon sweet pea gown I had been saving for something special and for the day and purposes it was perfect. We ate al fresco and I turned down wine.
“I’m surprised with everything going on that you, too haven’t been drinking more. I always do when I’m really stressed about something to take the edge off. Although Cash has taken things a bit far by the looks of his eyes, I understand why. How has he been?” Mother asked.
“Not so good,” I said, “but having me to take care of helps him hang in there… I haven’t wanted alcohol though, lately.”
We ordered and ate and I stared off a lot the way I had been. With thoughts of emptiness and Andy at sea.Praying. It was so good to be with mother, and really just being with her relaxed and energized me. I wanted to talk to her about what was on my mind so bad but I just couldn’t find the words. Something was missing, it wasn’t time yet.
We pulled up to the house and she offered to walk me up but I told her I’d be okay and how lovely the afternoon was and thanked her and hugged her. Before I went in to our place I happened to glance at my phone, which I realized had been off, when I saw 29 missed calls!
My heart was skipping beats and it was Cash calling. Shit. What happened? I started panting, and felt I just couldn’t take it, couldn’t take any news. He wouldn’t call me like that unless it was big news or he really needed me badly. I walked up to see if he was home before calling him and didn’t see him, so I went to call him on his cell when I thought I heard his voice outside. I went out the living room doors to the terrace and nearly had a heart attack. Andy!
Andy! I ran crying to Andy and Cash sitting on the terrace and they stood, I jumped to hug Andy and never let him go. I sobbed my eyes out and held him so tight. With my tear covered face buried in his chest I didn’t care where he had been I just didn’t want to ever let him go. I looked at Cash and he was wiping the tears running down his cheeks.
“We were going to die, Andy,” I spoke out crying, looking into his eyes, “we were going to die without you.”
He hugged me so tight and so gently saying, “I’m so sorry babe, I’m okay. I won’t leave you. I’m right here.” I held on to him tight and from the side looked at Cash and outstretched my arm for him to come and take my hand. He came near and I looked at both of them with crying tears.
Still sobbing, I said, “I’m pregnant.”
Both of their jaws dropped and I don’t remember the remarks of shock but with smiles and confirmations it quickly turned to sobbing laughter and we were all hugging. I cried through my tears how I’d known for a while, and couldn’t bear to think of it with him gone.
“It must’ve been that morning, my birthday,” I said. We were the happiest three we could be. We didn’t know who’s it was, we didn’t know if it would be a boy or a girl, but we knew—all of us now, that we were going to have a baby, a family. Being submerged in the most beautiful and sweet love in the world, all my worries about us having a child melted away as all the other worries did and I knew we were going to be just fine.
THE END
Mimi Stealing Ice Cream
Chapter 1
“Momma, please don’t put Mamere on the phone!” Orra nearly plead with his zealous mother concerning a fireball of a grandmother.
The mother and grandmother duo passed the phone between the two of them, seeming to have some choreographed WWE tag team match thing going on, while In the background Orra could hear the
deep voice of his father moaning, “Aw Ma, leave the boy alone. He will not get a single cent from me”
Orra was the only son of two children born to proud and spirited Günter and Samantha Duvall, of Lafayette Louisiana. Samantha, the only girl of four siblings, had one granddaughter from her only daughter, while Samantha’s brothers collectively had eight grandchildren between them.
Günter, the youngest son of seven didn’t mind that he only had one grandchild, while his four sisters and two brothers, had given their parents 24 grandchildren combined. To Günter, one grand baby meant more love for her, but to Samantha and Günter’s mother, Patricia, the more babies there was the more love you had to go around.
The problem was that at his age, Orra, who was the eldest grandson of Patricia Duvall, was wifeless and childless. To Günter it didn’t matter how many grandchildren he had, but Samantha and Patricia were going insane knowing that grand babies were popping up all over the place and all that Samantha and Günter had was one. Just one.
Orra always felt pressured but he never reacted to any of their pressure. He always believed that the perfect wife would come his way one day. He was in no hurry to please his grandmother, he wanted to get the perfect man. He had to admit that his age was catching up with him, he was in love with Smith and there was no way he was going to come out of the closet. He had to come up with a plan so fast.
“And by love,” Orra had heard his mother say on several occasions. “I’m going to have another grand baby if I have to hog tie Orra’s stubborn ass and drag his behind to the altar myself.”
All of Orra’s cousins had at least one child, his closest cousin, Lisette, who was a year younger then Orra, had four daughters under the age of seven. Hell, even Orra’s youngest male cousin, Carey, at the tender age of 20 had a nine-month old baby boy. And Orra ’s mother and grandmother wanted to know when Orra would settle down, get married and have a babe of his own.
Orra’s answer to them was simple.
NEVER!
The marriage and baby thing was all well and fine when it came to the rest of his family. If that was what they wanted, great, wonderful, fantastic, more power to them.
Just count him out. In his opinion, there were too many women and too little time to explore, to be thinking about settling down, let alone being saddled with a kid.
No siree! Orra wasn’t about to be anybody’s daddy or husband as long as the good lord provided man the ability to make condoms and he still had the breath to say, “hell no!”, when the preacher asked, “do you take this woman?”
For the last few years, Orra had been able to deter his meddlesome mother and grandmother from ganging up on him. The last time he’d visited the family as a collective had been three years ago. After that debacle, Orra made sure to go visit his parents when he knew that his grandmother would be in Baton Rouge visiting his Grandfather’s family. And he would visit his grandmother when he knew his parents’ jazz band were off to New Orleans playing at one of the clubs, festivals, or parties.
Orra knew the most important thing was not to let both his mother and grandmother come at him at the same time. They were a force to be reckoned with if they manage to corner someone together. They were like a set of Tasmanian devil stirring up a dust storm, and while the one was confusing you, usually his mother, the other, his grandmother, was going for the jugular.
Orra moaned when he heard his mother and grandmother talking in pseudo whispers about his refusal to get married and give them more babies to spoil. “Please, please, please.” He whispered, lying back on the bed, and using the thumb and middle finger of his left hand, he massaged his eyes, hoping to stave off the pending headache and praying for a meteor to fall on his house at that exact moment and knock him unconscious. He just wanted to kick his own ass for not letting his phone go to voicemail. Subtlety was not a word that the Duvall clan knew the definition of.
“Orra ?” his grandmother, affectionately known as Mamere’s rich Louisiana accent practically yelled across the line. “Orra , you there?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Lisette will be in North Carolina Tuesday after next. She has hotel reservations already set up. She made reservations at one of those swanky restaurants too. Don’t know what it’s called, but the name sounds kinda’ like an illness.” His grandmother said, and Orra could hear his mothers’ snickers in the background.
He shook his head at their antics and then realizing what they were saying said, “Whoa, wait a minute. Why would Lisette be coming all this way, just to turn around and head back to Louisiana the next day when I come home for Thanksgiving?”
“I just told you, she made plans at that swanky restaurant for you two.”
“What the he—.” He paused, remembering that he spoke to his mother and grandmother. “Heck for?”
His grandmother paused and then in that way she had of speaking with no filters that made all of her grandchildren laugh unless it was directed at them, she said, “Günter didn’t tell the boy about the birds and the bees?” she said in what sounded like amazement. “Well, no wonder he ain’t got no babies.”
Orra groaned.
“Mama he knows about the birds and the bees.” He heard his mother saying.
“Is that right Orra? You don’t need me to explain it to you, cause...?”
She went on about how she his grandpa had seven children and how she could tell him about his randy grandpa, and woo wee was he something.
Now Orra could imagine hearing his grandmother explaining her and his grandpa’s sex life to him... in graphic details.
He glanced at his bedside table searching for a pencil or pen to stab himself in the ear. “Uh, about Amelia coming here, and me coming home for Thanksgiving. I sort of have plans…”
“Plans something.” You can fit sweet Lisette into your busy schedule after her making arrangements to fly all,” she drew out the word, ‘all’, “the way up there just to see you. For shame.” Orra could overhear his mother chiming in with her own, ‘for shame,”
Grabbing the pillow from the head of his bed, he pulled it over his face and wondered if it was possible for him to smother himself, and put an end to it all. “Plus, she even bought a brand new white nightie.”
“Mamma, you weren’t supposed to tell him that.” Samantha whispered to her mother-in-law, “It was supposed to be a surprise.”
“Oh, I forgot.” Patricia said. Orra pictured his grandmother covering the phone and whispering back to his mother, which was a real shame, since her whisper was loud enough that he heard her as clearly as if she was sitting right next to him. “So, I probably shouldn’t tell him about that baby making music CD we helped Lisette pick out, right?”
Orra groaned again, muttering. “Jesus wept,” and he wasn’t positive, but he could almost swear he heard his father yelling, “Run son, run!” in the background.
****
Andris Orra felt slightly nauseous. He never thought he’d stoop so low.
Begging some lady to pretend to be his fiancé to help him save his inheritance, instead of just going home and stomping the shit out of the dick. This was not something he would have ever thought of doing. What was his life coming too, and how did he sink so low as to have to ask a thief for anything. He saw the kinds of object the thief went after. They never seemed to change. He was hoping for his plan to work.
****
Orra woke up to the sound of the phone. “Who can this be at this time of the night?” he grunted. “Hello, how may I help you?”
“Sir, it’s me Rodriguez, I found her.” Orra sat upright on his bed and wiped his face with disbelief.
“So were you able to hire her.” Anxious to know the answer to his question, Orra kept on tapping his fingers on the lamp stand next to his bed.
“Yes sir, she came to the hotel for the interview as agreed and she impressed me very much.” Rodriguez’s voice rang with approval across the phone lines. “I have no idea how you heard about her, but she is the best can
didate for this job. She is ideal, but I was not certain she would accept the job.”
“I knew it, thank you Rodriguez; you know what to do from there. Before you hang up, how did you convince her?” Rodriguez paced the Mexican hotel suite, his cell phone pressed against his ear.
“I followed your advice; give them what they can’t resist.”
“Good.” satisfaction filled him.
“Thank you Rodriguez.”
“It’s my pleasure sir.”Orra put the phone back to its cradle and inhaled deeply.
“Finally, I will do away with my family’s pressure.” He said to himself.
****
At mid-afternoon on a sunlit day, Mimi stood outside the hotel waiting for the mysterious man she was told was going to pick her and take her to the interview.
“Life is so sweet for the rich; they don’t struggle and get everything on a silver Plata. I’ll savor every moment.” Thought Mimi. She turned and saw a man pacing her way and she knew the time has come to live life to the fullest.
“Are you miss Mimi?” the stranger asked.
“Yeah that’s me. Can you please hurry up and take me to Mr. Smith, the sun is killing me. The taxi stopped next to a big building and the stranger nodded with approval to Mimi.
“So we are here?” Mimi asked excited.
“Yes miss. I’ll walk you to the office of Smith .” said the stranger. They reached the entrance and the receptionist appeared.
“I’ll take it from here.”
“okay” Said the stranger. “This way maam.”
Smith heard the knock on the door and knew who it was.” Come in.” the door opened slightly and the receptionist peeped in.