Promise To Keep

by Rainwater, Priscilla Poole

  “Why should you feel guilty, brother? You were a good provider, and faithful to Jenny. You and the children made her happy. You aren’t betraying her memory, because her greatest wish in life was for her family to be strong and whole. She knew Aisha would be that woman for you and the children, and I have a feeling that everyone of you are giving Aisha a strong sense of family, of simply belonging, that she never had.” He had then placed a hand on his shoulder, looked him in the eye, and said, “Trust me, brother, the good Lord has blessed me with that knowledge, after praying for all of you for so long. And if you ever consider marriage, I would be honored beyond words to do it for you.”

  Marriage! He hadn’t thought that far down the road. Although thinking about it now, he didn’t think it would be a bad idea. The children would be returning the following week, maybe they should at least sit down and discuss the possibility.

  Walking back to the house, he was surprised to see Aisha sitting on the porch steps. She was wearing a thin peach gown with a matching robe, her curly locks around her face. She didn’t see him coming, as she was preoccupied, scribbling in a leather bound journal and scrapbook that Jonus had given her for her birthday.

  Hearing the crunch of gravel, she looked up and smiled at him. “You really made my day, I just want you to know that. The party was nice, thanks again. Oh, I’m supposed to meet Carol Ann tomorrow about the interview.”

  “Great, glad you two hit it off so well. Her and Dave, they’re good people.“ He said, then sat next to her, taking her hand in his, lacing their fingers together. He looked at his hand coupled with hers. The mixed seemed to mesh perfectly to him. Raising her hands to kiss them, he said, “ I’m glad you enjoyed your day, it was a long time coming, you’ve earned every bit of it, and more. Hopefully, there will be other things to celebrate.”

  Suddenly, she was afraid to ask what he had meant by the casual remark.

  He stood up, pulling her up with him. “Come on, there’s one more thing I want to give you for your birthday.” he said with a sly grin.

  ******************************************

  Aisha quickly finished the cake, she wanted to have everything done before Connell got back with Megan and the children. Looking around the kitchen, she was satisfied everything was clean and in order. The table had been set for dinner, so now all she had to do was wait. She was disappointed that Helen and Ben wouldn’t be able to come, but Helen’s sister and newborn nephew had dropped in for a visit unexpectedly.

  Taking the apron off, she looked down at her long floral dress and thought, Oh Lord, what have I become, a black freaking June Clever? Jeez! All I need now is a pearl necklace.

  At that moment Jonus knocked on the door kitchen door and stepped inside. He was wearing the cable sweater she had bought him in New York, Levis, and hiking boots, and his damp, long, wavy was hair around his shoulders. She wasn’t into long hair normally, but on him it softened his rugged good looks. She had given up on him allowing her to cut it, and she got the feeling that although he didn’t talk about his military service, he wanted to be a different man now than he was when he had been in Afghanistan. “You look handsome tonight. Well, you always look handsome.” she said and smiled as a blush crept up his face.

  Hearing a vehicle pull up in the drive, they stepped outside just as Connell’s truck came to a stop. She smiled as she saw Abby almost leap out, but catch herself at the last second.

  “Daddy!” the little girl cried, holding her arms out. “I need help, I almost forgot and jumped out by myself. That would hurt my ankle if I landed wrong, wouldn’t it?”

  That’s right honey.” he replied as he scooped her up, twirled her around while she giggled, then set her on her feet.

  “Aisha! I missed you sooooooo much.” she squealed as she ran in her direction.

  Going down to her knees she embraced the little girl, kissing her on each cheek and giving her a fierce hug. “I missed you too, did you have fun?”

  Standing, she smiled at Megan, who returned the silent greeting, albeit it seemed a bit strained.

  “We had a wonderful time, but this is home, and we missed it. Connell told me you were hurt by a stray dog, hope you‘re healed up.” the older woman said as she lifted Shawn out of the car seat.

  “Oh, I’m fine, thanks.” Aisha replied, reaching for Shawn, surprised that he had seemed to have grown a bit more in only a month. She was also surprised when he not only smiled and leaned towards her, but when she took him in her arms, he gave her a wet baby kiss on her cheek, and began blowing spit bubbles.

  Content to finally have all his family back under one roof again, Connell scooped and Abby up once more, from behind, making her squeal again.

  “Uncle Jonus, I missed you too! Are Thelma and Louie here?” she asked as he stepped forward and gave her a peck on the cheek.

  “They’re around somewhere, don’t you worry about a thing.” he smiled.

  Out of the corner of her eye Aisha noticed Megan giving her a look, but she had promised herself she wouldn’t let her ruin the evening.

  After a moment, they all walked inside the kitchen.

  “Be right back, I’m gonna’ take Abby’s bags upstairs.” Connell said, kissing her on the forehead.

  After he disappeared up the stairs, she turned and looked at Megan as she placed Shawn in his playpen. The older woman appeared to be very uncomfortable for some reason.

  “Abby bought you a pin at the airport in Ireland. She was so excited, couldn’t wait to get home and give it to you.” Megan said.

  Aisha smiled and nodded as she put the platter of baked ham on the table. “Megan, I’m getting the distinct impression you’re wanting to discuss something other than Abby’s gift. Please, just say what’s on your mind.” she said quietly.

  Megan moved to help her put the food on the table, wishing she could take her sisters advice and leave Connell to his own life. But she simply couldn’t, still firm in her beliefs that her grandchildren would be fighting an uphill battle someday, against all but a handful of people.

  Aisha stopped and looked at her, waiting patiently.

  “Well, I can tell by the way Connell was talking about you on the way home, that you two have become…very close. I just know, trust me, he is my son, after all.”

  Aisha wanted to tell her that yes, they had had sex, but was afraid the woman would freak out on the spot. Still silent, she looked closely at her. The woman’s hair was up in a simple bun, and she looked tired and stressed. Opposite of Shawn, she seemed to have aged five years in one month. She decided to break the news to her in a gentler manner than she normally would have. “Yes, Megan, I’m not going to lie to you, we are….close, as you put it. I’m sorry if that distresses you.”

  Megan sighed as she picked up the dinner rolls from the top of the stove. “Well, thank you for being honest with me about it, I suppose you would have been well within your rights to tell me it’s none of my business. I can’t tell you or that boy of mine what to do with your lives, but always keep in mind Abby and Shawn will have to live with the consequences of the choices you two make, good or bad. That‘s all I‘ll say.”

  “I’ll certainly keep that in mind.” Aisha replied.

  Nodding her head silently, Megan raised her voice and called everyone to the dinner table.

  Connell noticed how distant Aisha seemed during dinner, and how quiet his mother was. He asked them both if something was wrong, but they were both quick to deny that anything was amiss. He was pleased to see Abby smiling and happy though. She had given him post cards from all the places her grandmother took her, and gave Aisha a four-leaf clover pin, (which she proudly pinned on her dress.). She seemed so happy to be home, and spending time with Aisha. He himself felt so content, it just felt so right, having Aisha sitting next him, sharing the joy of his family with him. He knew what he had to do, and mentally, began planning for the future.

  *******************************************************

 
Dinner had ended. Jonus had volunteered to drive Megan home, and they had both thanked Aisha for the meal, then left.

  Connell sat at his desk in the office working, planning. He had locked the door, desiring privacy.

  Aisha quietly closed the door to Abby’s room. She had gotten both children off to bed and asleep with no trouble, which came as no surprise, considering jet lag. She had to nearly force her legs to carry her in the direction of her own room. With every fiber of her being she wanted to crawl into Connell’s king size bed and wait for him, but they had both agreed they would sleep in separate rooms, since the children were back.

  She stopped in front of the old dresser, looking in the mirror. Turning from side to side, looking at her face, she felt different somehow. Pushing her locks off her face, she thought about changing her hairstyle. Shaking her head, she dismissed the odd feeling, then turned and switched off the lights and crawled into bed.

  Her mind went back to what Megan had said, but then stubbornly refused to allow the woman to plant seeds of doubt in her mind. She knew how she felt about Connell, and nothing or no one would ever change that.

  But the doubts came creeping back as she tossed and turned. She thought about how much she would miss the children if things didn’t work out between her and Connell, how much she would miss him.

  An hour later she finally drifted off into an uneasy sleep:

  In her dream she was standing inside the gazebo, the same one she and Connell had shared their first kiss in. It was nighttime, and a half- moon was out. A cold wind was blowing, and she shivered as autumn leaves rustled, then blew across her bare feet. Looking off in the distance, she could dimly make out the silhouette of the cottage the party was taking place in, but the place was dark and empty, completely silent. Suddenly she heard a voice whispering faintly, urgently, the sound seemingly coming at her from every direction at once. Unable to quite make out what the voice was saying, she spun round and round in a panic, eyes searching frantically, trying to catch a glimpse of whoever it was, to pinpoint the exact location the noise was coming from, but was unable to. The voice seemed to be drawing closer and closer with each passing second. Completely panicked, she tried to will her legs to run, but froze in terror when she felt two ice cold hands, from behind, grip both her bare arms painfully. Terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought, she was unable to turn around and look, unable to scream even. She felt a cold breath on her ear, colder even than the night air, and a merciless voice hissed, I’ve always wanted him for myself, I love him! REMEMBER?

  She finally recognized the voice.

  She woke up thinking she was screaming, but in reality was nearly hyperventilating instead, a faint wheeze coming from her lungs.

  Hurling the covers off her, she ran into the bathroom and leaned over the sink just in time for it to catch her partially digested dinner coming back up.

  With hands that were trembling badly, she washed her face with cold water, then slid down to the floor where she sobbed quietly.

  A moment later, still spooked, she suddenly sprang to her feet, legs still shaking, and ran out of her room to check on the kids.

  ********************************************************

  Connell looked over the figures again, but looked away from the paper when he heard the familiar ring tone of Aisha’s Blackberry cell phone. Picking it up off the desk he glanced at his watch, irritated. Who in the hell is calling at this hour…he thought. Looking at the caller ID, he scowled. So it’s HIM, Max. Well, this shit is going to come to a screeching halt, RIGHT NOW! he thought grimly.

  He cursed under his breath and groused as he fumbled with the maddening device. “Jesus, this damn thing has more buttons than the cockpit of an F-14 fighter,.“ he muttered. After fumbling with it for a full thirty seconds, he finally got lucky and managed to hit the right button. “Yeah! It’s after midnight, so this better be important!” he snapped, not even bothering with a hello.

  Several seconds ticked by, then a surprised and angry Max spoke. “Don’t you snap at ME, asshole! It’s none of your Goddamn business if it’s important or not! You’re the one being nosy and answering HER personal phone! So just BACK OFF, and put my WIFE on! If she’s able to, that is. Have you allowed any anymore harm to come to her lately?”

  Connell was beyond pissed. The bastard was apparently keeping tabs on her, and had the nerve to still refer to her as his wife. “She’s asleep, I answered the phone because I don’t want you bothering her anymore. She doesn’t want you sniffing around, and neither do I! And you don’t need to keep tabs on her, you sneaky, slimy little jizz-bucket! I keep an eye on her very well myself, thank you!” he shot back, wishing the man was standing right in front of him so he could snap his neck like a chicken’s. But unlike the animals, he would feel no pity, no remorse.

  “Now see here you overbearing, ignorant peasant, I…”

  He was cut off as Connell raised his voice an octave higher and said, “And another thing, she is NOT YOUR WIFE, you spineless bastard! You forfeited that right when you climbed out of your marital bed and hopped in the sack with the first woman who would spread her legs for you in order to hatch your spawn!” He was fighting to control his voice, and not scream at the top of his lungs. Sensing that Max was on the ropes, surprised about his knowledge of what had happened between them, he continued. “That‘s right, she told me all about it! Told me how you fucking left her the moment you found out she couldn’t have children. You’re the worst kind of scum, you know that? You make me sick! You took a wonderful, unselfish, giving, loving human being, and made her feel like SHE was the one lacking! Well ya’ know what, buddy? YOU were the one lacking!”

  Growing angrier by the second, Max found himself in unfamiliar territory, confused and on the defensive. “I never told her she was lacking, get your facts straight, you clueless buffoon! I loved her, still do, and gave her everything she ever desired! And I can still do more for her than some coltivatore di sporcizia allevato basso!” (low bred dirt farmer).

  Connell didn’t need to understand the language to know he was being insulted. “You can’t do SHIT for her, you uppity, weak-kneed pussy! Do you honestly believe all these flowers you’ve been sending her, the ones that are stinking up my place like a damn funeral home, and some fancy week at a spa in Club Med, or whatever else your girly ass could think of, would make her happy for her birthday? Or any other time? THINK AGAIN! I’ll tell you what made her happy! Old-fashioned breakfast in bed! A barbeque! A walk in a park looking at ducks. Watching a play. And spending some time with friends who don’t have their noses stuck so high in the air they think their own shit don’t stink!”

  “You wait till I get my hands on you.” Max growled, so angry he felt his head would explode any second.

  “Get your hands on me? Don’t make me laugh! I’m not done with you yet anyway, not by a long shot! You may have more money, and a more sophisticated education than me, but I can give her some very simple things she treasures, unlike YOU! Like unconditional love, for starters! Do you think I would have left her just because she couldn’t have children? Never! Instead of throwing THINGS in shiny, pretty little boxes at her, simple man that I am, I can still give her something more precious than the Hope Diamond, something she would treasure till the day we both die, Max! You wanna’ know what that is? A sense of belonging, of FAMILY!”

  The words stung Max, right to the very core of his being. Getting to his feet, he began pacing his office back and forth, like a caged animal. He’s slept with her! That fucking…GORILLA has had his filthy paws on her! I have to, I NEED to get her away from there!…he thought, and felt sick to his stomach as he realized how dangerous his train of thought was quickly becoming.

  “You still there, or WHAT?” Connell’s voice barked.

  Taking a few deep breaths, he spoke in a deceptively calm voice. It was a voice that had had bigger men than a simple farm boy run and cower in fear. One that had made trained killers fall to their knees, begging h
im to spare their lives, and those of their loved ones. “You have no idea what I’m capable of, do you? I could have that little shack you live in and the land it sits on taken away from you in twenty-four hours. I’ve had powerful men, at my whim, disappear, never to be seen again. Believe me when I say this: You do not want me to come after you. This is your first, last, and only warning. Send her away, or lose everything.” He was amazed when he heard the sound of laughter.

  “See, that’s the difference between you and me, Maxi-pad ol’ buddy! I love her enough that I would let her go if it meant HER happiness, and if she WANTED to! Hell, I don’t think you ever loved her when you were married to her, and I certainly don’t believe you love her now. It’s just some sick, twisted, obsession with you. Maybe it’s all about control or something, I don’t know. But I DO know it’s not about love! You wanna’ know what else I think? Aisha is a woman that could challenge any man, and I bet when she didn’t fall at your feet when you first met her, you HAD to have her because she was, and is, different from any woman that you were ever with. Even when you left her, I bet you just KNEW she would come crawling back to you on her hands and knees, right? But she didn’t, and that really bummed you out, didn’t it? As far as my place goes, well, go on Mr. I Can Make Powerful Men Disappear, take every damn dime I have! My land, my home, my truck! Hell, you can have the drawers off this dumb hick’s ass! But I will STILL have something that you never will: The love of my children, the love of my family and friends, and my love and respect for Aisha! No amount of money, big, fancy houses, bank accounts, or shiny new pickup trucks are worth losing her over. I can get all that back, but people like her only come along once in a lifetime!”