A Taste of Utopia

by L. Duarte

  “Well, just wait until you meet him. He’s the sweetest boy in the entire world. You can’t help it but fall in love. Head over hills.”

  “Thought so,” I say with laughter.

  For the remainder of the ride, she continues to fill me in on her family and the usual programs that are pre-planned. They don’t deviate from their schedule. Which is fine, since it’s my first time. But boy, do they repeat the same activities year after year?

  Finally, we arrive. Contrary to what I expected, the waterfront house is modern-style. A Jeep occupies the parking space in front of the garage, so I park on the road.

  When I sprint around the car to open the door, an older man beats me to it.

  “Finally. I was about to revise my will,” the man says, pulling Lottie out of the car. “What took you so long?”

  “Grandpa,” Lottie says, launching herself at him. Her arms fly around his neck. “I missed you.”

  “Let me look at you.” He hugs her tight and then holds her at arm’s length. “All grown up. A married woman, I hear. Although I was informed by a third party. ” His voice is warm but carries a hint of reproach.

  “Yeah, it was a spur of the moment thing. You know me, Pop, Miss Spontaneous,” she says, scrunching up her nose. “Sorry,” she adds, looking down.

  “You are forgiven. But let me meet your young fellow.” He turns to me. Uh-oh.

  “So, you’re the one to steal the precious heart of my only granddaughter.” His gray eyes examine without reservation and sparkle with humor.

  “Seth, meet my grandpa, Benjamin Berger.” The timbre of Lottie’s voice denotes pride and love.

  “Great to meet you, sir. Lottie speaks fondly of you.” I raise my hand.

  “Don’t sir me. To you I am now ‘Grandpa.’” He grabs my offered hand and pulls me into a bear hug. “We have lots to talk about, young man,” he says, slapping my back in a friendly way though his voice does hold a warning.

  “Sure, Grandpa. It will be great to get to know one of Lottie’s heroes,” I say genuinely.

  “I like the way you think. We’re going to get along just fine.”

  I offer him a smile and peek at Lottie. She’s drawing circles on the floor with the tip of her flip-flop.

  “Let me get the luggage.” I step to the trunk of the car, to give her space with her grandpa.

  “Where is everybody?” Lottie asks.

  “Well, your father is locked in the office. Your mom and grandma are at the beach with the little rascal.”

  “Can’t wait to see them,” she says.

  “They wanted to wait for you, but you know your nephew. He wanted to go for a swim.”

  I retrieve the luggage and close the trunk with a thump.

  Grandpa grabs one of the duffel bags from my hands, and strolls to the front door, beckoning us to follow him. “Let’s get you two settled.”

  As we follow him inside, Lottie asks me, “Can we change and join them at the beach, or do you want to rest?”

  I smile at her. “Let’s join them.”

  We change into bathing suits and exit the house without seeing as much as a hint of Lottie’s father.

  “You didn’t want to greet your dad?” I ask, linking our fingers as we walk through a grassy path leading in the general direction of the beach where Pop indicated the ladies were.

  She shrugs. “He knows we’ve arrived. The window to his office is open. It’s his prerogative to come to welcome us.” She goes for nonchalant, but a frown marks her face.

  “He’ll come around. I’ll win him over,” I say, pulling her to me to kiss her head.

  After a half hour walking, Lottie abandons the search and asks, “Can we swim?”

  “We forgot towels,” I respond.

  “We’ll be dry two minutes once we leave the water,” Lottie says, pulling off the sarong covering her hips.

  My eyes fix on her apex, hunger stirring in my loins. Calm down, boy. The last thing I need is to meet Grandma sporting a tent in my trunks.

  “Race you,” Lottie says over her shoulder as she darts to the water.

  I charge after her. The water is mid-thigh when I lunge over her. Our bodies collide and she squeaks, her arms flailing. I snake my arms around her waist and pull her tight, her back against my chest. We fall back, and she lands on top of me. We are a tangle of limbs as we submerge in warm, salty water.

  When we emerge, I turn her around to straddle me as I move us in deeper. “Trying to escape your husband?” I nibble on her shoulder.

  “Never,” she says, pressing her gorgeous titties on my chest, water lapping in the valley between her breasts.

  “Behave, Cherry Lips. Voyeurism and Granny should never be used in the same sentence.”

  “Can’t a girl enjoy the attributes of her husband?” she asks with mocking innocence, rubbing her small hand over my chest and pinching my nipple.

  “Not when she’s bringing the said man to the brink of his control.” I tighten my hold on her, grinding the joint of her thighs over my thick erection, and I lick behind her ear. It tastes of ocean and wind.

  “Who’s being a tease now?” She pushes on my chest, releases my hips, and lounges back in the water. Her face, framed by the clear water, is flushed with a desire that matches my own.

  I took her sweet pussy less than three hours ago, making her a new member of the mile high club. Why do I have this urge to move inside her again?

  My arms quietly stroke through the water, taking me opposite of where she is, and giving my body time to cool down, if that’s even possible.

  “Jake!” She calls from behind me. Her excited voice is slightly muffled by the sound of the water. My body goes still. Did I hear it right?

  She calls again. “Jake!” This time, it rings clear, loud, like the chime of a church bell at midnight.

  My limbs go lax. My heartbeat suspends. My mind freezes.

  Dazzled, I spin in the water to respond to her call. How the hell does she know my real name?

  A FEW FEET FROM me, Lottie is facing the shore, her hand waving over her head. “Over here, Jake,” she calls.

  Rooted in place, I watch the scene unfold.

  With a gleaming smile, Lottie dashes out of the water. She meets a little boy sprinting down the sandy shore. Her arms fasten around his lanky body.

  “Auntie Lottie,” the little boy squeaks, wrapping his arms around her neck.

  “Hey, little man,” she twirls him in the air, kissing his cheek.

  I shake my head, hoping to unwarp the distorted images. My eyes peer at the boy. He’s a younger version of me.

  A rush of thoughts tumbles through my head as images of a jigsaw puzzle shaping into a clear picture: Cahan. Older brother. Yale Law School. Connecticut. Veterinarian sister-in-law.

  No. No. No. It can’t be. It can’t be. It can’t be.

  Then, I turn to the shore, to where Lottie’s mother and grandmother stroll down our way. Recognition throttles me. Memories race through my mind. I remain paralyzed, observing the past, catching up with me, like a returning boomerang.

  “Seth,” Lottie calls to me. “Come and meet Jake.” Oblivious to my inner turmoil she hugs her mother and grandmother.

  Panic surges through my body, crawling under my skin like a flesh-eating bacteria. What if Mrs. Cahan recognizes me? Though I recall seeing her a few times, I don’t remember meeting face-to-face. What if she’d seen me in pictures and recognizes me? No, impossible. I’m very different from the drug-addicted teen from ten years ago.

  My feet trudge across the sandy ocean floor, but my steps are clumsy, hindering my progress. Finally, I reach them.

  “Mom, Granny, this is Seth,” Lottie says with Jake hooked on her hip. I avoid looking directly at him. “Seth, this is my mom, Ana, and my grandmother, Edith.”

  “Lovely to finally meet you,” I say, stretching my hand out to Lottie’s mom.

  “Likewise,” she says in a pleasant tone. Her sharp eyes roam over me, scrutinizing me. There
is no recognition in them, just curiosity and caution.

  “Now, I can see that Lottie’s beauty is simply a family trait.” To my relief, my voice is steady, and I’ve regained my poise. The years have been kind to Mrs. Cahan. She hasn’t aged a day since I last saw her.

  “So you’re the boy who caused such a fuss in the family?” Lottie’s grandmother pulls me into a hug. “I can see why our Lottie snatched you away.” She turns to Lottie. “Lord have mercy on us, Lottie, it took you long enough, but you sure know how to pick them.” Her wrinkled hand pats one of my cheeks, and she plants a kiss on the other. “Welcome to the family.”

  “Thank you, ma’am.”

  “Nonsense, call me Granny.” She pinches my cheek. Winking at Lottie, she adds, “He’s a hunk.”

  “Granny,” Lottie says with something between nervous laughter and a snort. She turns her red cheeks to me. “And this is Jacob Cahan, soon to be a big brother, and the most amazing boy in the world.” She tickles his tummy from which erupts a series of giggles.

  I swallow the lump in my throat, and my eyes fix on the little boy. “Hey there, buddy.” My voice catches. “How’s it going?” I offer my knuckles for a fist bump.

  “Hi,” he says, his small fingers closing into a fist as he flashes a smile at me.

  “Right on,” I say, fist bumping him.

  “Are you my new uncle? Daddy told me I was getting an uncle.”

  “Yes. That would be me, Uncle Seth.”

  “Cool. My friend Brian has three uncles.” He raises three fingers up. “Now I have one.” He holds Lottie’s face between his hands. “Auntie, can you get me two more uncles?” he asks hopefully.

  “I don’t think so, buddy,” I say, mussing his hair.

  “Why?” he frowns.

  “Because Auntie Lottie is mine,” I say, laughing. “Like when you have a favorite toy and don’t want to share.”

  “Mom always makes me share,” he says.

  The mention of his mom sends a pang of pain up my spine. “That was a bad analogy,” I say, laughing.

  “A woman can only marry one man, hon. I’m afraid Uncle Seth will be it,” Lottie explains it.

  His face falls. My heart cracks. A desire to make him happy radiates through my body in waves of zealous need. “Here is the deal, though. I promise to be a super uncle.”

  “What does a super uncle do?” he asks, scrunching up his nose.

  “Does all the neat things that the parents won’t let you do.”

  “Like eating ice cream for breakfast?” he asks hopefully.

  And fuck me. I’ve known him for less than ten minutes, but I know I would do anything he wants. Even allow him to go into a sugar coma. “You caught my drift,” I say with a lopsided smile.

  “Cool,” he says, wiggling free from Lottie’s hold. “Can we go swimming?”

  He lifts his little hand, and I take hold of it. The gesture squeezes my heart. I won’t think of the ramifications of being involved with Luna’s family. I’ll just allow myself to enjoy this moment with her son. Consequences be damned.

  Lottie

  I WATCH SETH and Jake walking to the water, hand in hand. Seth is good with kids. I wonder if he wants children of his own. From the way he interacts with Jake I can tell he’d be a good father.

  Mom pulls out towels from her beach bag and spread them on the sand. We lounge, facing the water.

  “One glance at that boy and all my questions are answered,” Granny says, pointing to Seth.

  “What do you mean?”

  “First, he’s eye candy.” She fans herself. “But the way you look at each other . . . Better yet, the way he looks at you. Your generation would say it’s hot. I say scorching.”

  “Granny,” I mumble.

  “Charlotte,” Mom says, clearing her throat. “Now might not be the best time, but you and I need to have a long conversation. You never told me you were dating someone. Not a word. Then, I find out you got married. This is not me judging you, but you need to admit this is all too sudden.”

  “You deserve an explanation, Mom. An apology even.”

  “No, sweetheart. You’ll have enough hell with your dad. He’s livid. I want you to know that I’m on your side. However, I need to understand what happened. You’re not the impulsive type.” She pauses, measuring her next words. “You aren’t . . .” She raises her eyebrows, waiting for me to finish the sentence. “Are you pregnant?” she finally asks.

  “No. No, no, no. Gosh, Mom, are you crazy?” My cheeks burn, and I know it’s not from the sun.

  She sags in relief. “I mean, that’s the only feasible explanation I could come up with.”

  “No, Mom. I’m not pregnant,” I repeat.

  I look at Seth. He’s throwing Jake in the water. I think of our hasty marriage. Ponder on the unexplainable reasons that drove us here. I didn’t go through this lie, brought a guy I barely know to meet my family to save face. I know Mom would be okay, aside from the first shock, she would get over it. I never feared Dad’s wrath. He lost my fear or respect long ago. No, I brought Seth here because I wanted to keep him close. Get to know him.

  “I can see the wheels turning in your head. Are you having doubts?” Mom asks. Yeah, that’s my mom. She reads me like an open book.

  “I don’t know. Everything happened so fast.”

  “Nonsense. You just know it when you meet the one,” Grammy says. “Like when I met your grandfather. It was my debut. He was visiting his uncle’s family and went to the party as their guest.” Her eyes turn dreamy as she goes on. I have heard the story about a thousand times. But every time she retells it, she has my rapt attention.

  “When he saw me for the first time, I was dancing with my father.” Her lips spread into a smile. “Before the end of that first dance, he tapped on my dad’s shoulder and requested the next one.” She sighs like a teenager in love. “’Moonlight River’ played next. Before the end of the song, he asked me, ‘Can you be my girl?’ Oh, that was it. I was smitten. I was in love. I knew then before we finished our first dance, we would be together for eternity.

  “We were married at the same club three months later.” She sighs again, her eyes dreamy and distant, turned back to another era.

  And though I have heard that story thousands of times before, it had never affected me like today. Perhaps it’s my own infatuation with Seth.

  For the first time I accept, without reservations, that Seth and I might indeed have a deeper connection just as my grandparents felt while “Moonlight River” played and they danced.

  “We’ll see. Time will tell where Seth and I are headed,” I say.

  “If you two divorced in a few days no one would even remember. You know that, right? It is an option. I would support you through it all,” Mom says.

  “Oh, Mom.” My eyes fill with tears. My mom is the best, and her support touches me. But truth be told, what has my eyes watering is the idea of divorcing Seth. The realization is scary as heck. What’s happening with me? Am I in love? After a week together? Then, I think of my grandparents and their lifelong testament that it is possible. “Thank you. I know I have your support no matter what.” I lean in toward her and grab her hand. “But how about you? How are you feeling?”

  “I’m well, honey. You worry too much. Last week was the year mark of my remission. Dr. Taylor is pleased with my last checkup and lab results. No need to worry.”

  Mom had a double mastectomy and radiation therapy after the detection of a tumor in her right breast.

  “Well, we’re going to go home and prepare lunch,” Mom says, standing up. “It should be ready in an hour.”

  “Don’t overthink this, honey. If it is true love, as I suspect it is, you two were meant to be together. It’s fate. The universe conspired in your favor and united you. And nothing or no one but yourselves can separate one from the other.” Granny pats my face. Her hands tremble slightly, reminding me her body is weakening with age, and I won’t have her forever. Her face, wise and crump
led, is filled with emotion. She means every word of what she just said.

  “Thank you, Granny.” I look up. “Thank you, Mom. I’m a lucky girl to have the two most amazing women on earth by my side.” I stand up and help Granny.

  “Honey, please be patient with your Dad. He’s not happy. And we have to grant him the right to feel that way. You’re his baby girl.”

  “I know, Ma.”

  They leave me to my thoughts. I watch Seth and Jake. They hit it off well. Seth is pretending to be a sea turtle. With Jake on his back, he dives into waves and surfaces.

  I wish Caleb and Luna were here to meet Seth as well.

  Seth turns into a sea monster, roaring and pouncing. Subsequently, he transforms into a shark. Finally, he claims to be a jellyfish. “No strength left in my body, little man. We need to get out of the water.”

  “Can we watch Dragon Tales?” Jake asks.

  “After lunch? I’m famished.”

  “I’m famished, too,” Jake repeats in the same tone as Seth. Jake lifts his hand to fit into Seth’s. A slew of emotions runs across Seth’s face as he stares at their linked hands. When he raises his head, his expression is unreadable.

  We stuff the towels in the beach bag mom left behind and head home. Strolling up the dry grass skirting the beach, Seth and I hold Jake’s hands and we swing him back and forth.

  “Weeee. Again, again!” Jake says, giggling and squeaking.

  AFTER A QUICK shower to rinse off the ocean, we head to the back patio of the house where we usually have our meals. It offers an astounding view.

  My heart thumps when I identify Dad’s omnipotent frame. He glares our way. His gaze is fixed on Seth. Oh, this will be a disaster. I can feel it.

  “Hi, Dad.” I let go of Jake’s hand and inch closer to him. “How are you?” My mouth feels as if I just gargled with sand.

  Dad locks his arms around my shoulders and kisses my forehead. “Hey, darling.” His body is stiff against mine.

  I take a side step to stand next to Seth. “I want you to meet Seth. Seth, this is my dad, Ben Cahan.”

  Seth offers his hand and his lips curve into a warm smile. “It’s great to finally get to meet you, sir. Lottie has told me great things about you.”