by J. S. Brent
The waiter hopped to their table and collected the order while Kate casted her gaze to the skies which were now almost dark as the nimbus clouds paraded with the rushing winds.
“Yes I got something small.” She responded, suppressing the air of resentment that arose whenever the thought of her betrayal struck her. She’d decided to give her a last chance, but sometimes it was rather easier to forgive than to forget.
“Look what we have here girl.” Paula provoked struggling with the shopping bags, while Laura had a plastic on her hand, probably the supplies they’d ordered. Apparently they’d been inside the restaurant and they hadn’t notice the two friends outside.
“Who said birds of the same feathers don’t flock together?” She asked in a loud note that attracted a couple of eyes that stared Kate and Karen with questioned countenances maintained in studious and disdained stares.
“Two losers, stuck with each other.” She added, displaying the beautiful rod that sparked on her finger while Kate sought to ignore the temptation at her very best. Paula was smartly dressed in a pink strapless junk suit that fitted her perfectly immaculate complexion under a fitting pair of sunglasses. She was the envy of all the girls in the town as her modeling career put her in the limelight via screens and magazine covers.
“We are minding our business Paula, so cut the chase.” Karen interrupted, seeing there were too many eyes watching and lips that could readily spread the gossip.
“I wasn’t referring to you, tramp.” Paula insulted, pushing Karen to one side and facing the one she’d considered her enemy. She’d not been able to totally conquer Adam’s heart because of Kate, but she had no regrets because she will be the one marrying him.
“I’m talking to your whore of a girlfriend.” Paula brooded pushing Kate slightly from her seat while she stood up to face her woman to woman.
“Adam is mine now,” Paula boasted, maintaining an overbearing excitement as to how she was in control of the small drama she’d put up, at Laura and the customers watch. “He isn’t within reach anymore.” She assured, in a happy grin making her way out of the restaurant, fulfilled she’d given them a piece of her mind.
“I see you are good at recycling someone else’s trash.” Kate’s words shocked her as she felt the pain that came with the cynical assertion that Adam whom she was doing everything to keep was actually her trash. She spun in a wheel of anger to tell her the story of her life. She glared spitefully on her red turtle neck blouse that held her tattered body loosely over a faded pair of jeans that spelt the totality of her misery.
“How dare you?” Paula landed a searing spank on her cheek while Karen sought to intervene.
“You can keep him, but I have his heart which you don’t and will never have.” Kate bragged with a slap from her tightened fist.
There was no need for Paula to brag about her knew possession. If she didn’t see that Adam’s heart was elsewhere, then she was rather too stupid or blinded by her desperation. She’d consoled herself that Adam was marrying her for love. She didn’t need to make a farce out of her distress; time was going to prove one of them wrong Kate had asserted.
The two belles resorted to a physical combat while a small rally gathered to dissolve the struggle. Kate struck had jabs that designed silly scars on Paula’s face forcing her to abandon her opponent in shame. Jeering murmurs stemmed from behind, while she fled in a fit of anger, with Laura on her trail.
Chapter 9
The enchanting breeze of the Auberge de Jeunesse brought about the peace he’d long sought for. There was no point relying on blind faith. He and Paula was now a couple and there was nothing he could do other than accept her in his life and make room for her in his heart.
Paula dived into the raging waters buzzing with numerous visitors from all over America. Perhaps Rio was the perfect place anyone could reside in the world he thought. It instilled life into the soul and watching Paula, emitting momentary radiant smiles and winces, proved to him that she was happy being with him.
He waved an involuntary hand at Paula who’d motioned with a hand for him to join her, water droplets trickled down her smooth thighs that crept to her lustrous boobs, which caught his attention. He fixed a studious stare at her while she exhibited lewd tendencies with her tongue.
The silky sand grains caressed her soft feet while she paced back and forth in semi dancing steps typical of her true self. She had an outrageous temper but she was a love goddess and had the power to emit charms that didn’t reflect her temperament nonetheless.
Her blue swimsuit matched his blue pants while he sought to hide his overall appearance with a pair of sunglasses that masked the sort of look he’d worn at that moment. His gaze fell while tiny bits of memories flowed pass his mind. It was a new life for him he thought stretching his arms perhaps to dismiss the horrible feeling that he’d been fighting to suppress in months.
Paula was a beautiful woman and they were of the same social stratum though Paula’s exigencies were sometimes overbearing. She had several ways to turn a man crazy in bed that alone could keep a man under her possession.
He’d sought to see Kate one more time after his wedding but there was no trace of her. No one seemed to have had an idea of where she was. She’d probably moved on he thought, dismissing such a terrific feeling that,he probably never actually meant anything to her after all.
He beat his guts for being utterly selfish, what if she did move on? His conscience passed judgment on him; maybe it was for the best. He remarked inwardly. The woman had given up so much for him and the least she deserved was to find happiness, though he convinced himself at the very least that he was his happiness. What impudence! After all she’d been through on his account; he had the nerve to make himself a demi-god in her life?
It was insensible of him to have underestimated Kate on his own terms, but a thought kept echoing at the back of his mind, Kate was vindictive at her very best and she’ll get even, even if it meant being unhappy. She will find a man at an early convenience to flaunt his betrayal to his face.
Three weeks in Rio de Janeiro had fanned the flames of their passion; they drove off to the airport with gratifying smiles that marked the beginning of a new found life for them, more or less a happiness they both hoped to initiate.
Sicily was the perfect place far from home to make a marriage as theirs work. The months yawned while the little Jake who looked exactly like his mother stumbled over stuff on the couch.
“Hey chubby!” Judy raced after him, preventing him from causing more havoc that he had on the beautiful decorations that were within his grasp. He was lovely and above all, Adam was more than proud whenever he saw the radiant smile that leaked out of his small mouth. His eyes sparkled whenever he wriggled his little belly and he’d spent almost all his life with Judy. The new nanny Paula had hired to help her out.
“Where’s my wife?” Adam demanded, resting his briefcase on the glass table that mapped the center of the room. He helped Judy with Jake and inspected the baby’s overall appearance with a pale countenance.
“Monswa,” She bleated under a slight French accent, “Madam has been out of the house since yesterday and little Jake here, has been crying, I ran out of ways to comfort him.” Judy added, perhaps afraid of the outcome of what may become of her job if Paula found out that she’d told Adam what had happened behind his back.
She had felt sorry for the poor child who’d cried all night and had fallen sick and it didn’t matter if she lost her job or not. She was tired of her mistress and the way she mistreated her child. She’d left with a red haired man that had fetched her; she hadn’t seen her in one week. She’d decided to be subtle with the truth as it wasn’t her concern however her employer lived her personal life.
Adam had been out of town for most months and she’d either busied herself with her unending contracts which were suspicious rather suspicious or out on countless dates.
“You mean my wife left this house since yesterday?” He brooded
with an anger that marked the height of her irresponsibility. He struggled with his pocket to grab his phone. He dialed the caller ID –Paula and the phone rang endlessly, suddenly the call was taken. At first he couldn’t make any sense out of what Paula was saying, and then from the background stemmed stiffened breaths with loud moans.
He dismissed Judy with a wave of his hand while she faded towards the stairs in a popping gaze shocked about whatever his wife had said, that had made him dismiss her with such urgency.
“Yes …yes…yes Joe, fuck me fuck me like that.” Paula’s voice echoed in elation from the background while he pressed the phone tightly to his ear with a bitter expression that had never crossed his face in almost all of his life.
“Uh…uh…you are the sweetest baby.”The energetic and tense voice reassured in loud ecstatic moans that tore Adam’s heart apart. He’d given his best to make their marriage work and the best he could have in return was a cheating wife who had no time for their son.
He put Jake on the cradle after he’d dozed off perhaps from his father’s comforting arms or better still, exhaustion from too much crying. His angry steps ravaged the entire room while he sought to kill the pain he felt with each drop of Scotch that he gulped directly from bottle.
Memories of Kate rained on him, she could push him away but not once will she ever screw another man. She’d married a prostitute in the guise of keeping the family name. He’d overlook so many things in their marriage because of their son. He’d caught Paula sniffing cocaine in the bathroom on one of his trips back home. He’d wanted to surprise her as he’d traveled to Milan to visit his mother who had taken temporarily ill. She’d abandoned Jake as usual with the twenty years old Judy who put in her very best to make sure Jake was always catered for.
“Honey I’m home.” He’d stormed into the bathroom hoping to join her in a swirling bath after he’d engaged a little time with his son. The door had cracked wide open revealing her somewhat hidden agenda while she lay in the bath “high”. She could barely recognize him and she’d spat a whole lot of shit to his face. He’d confronted her with the issue when her sanity returned,but she’d put up a huge defensive mechanism which he hesitantly bought. She’d exhibited such drama queen attributes that were typical of every woman of her intellect.
“Baby I don’t do drugs, yesterday was the first time.” She’d cried out on both knees while Adam watched with a hand that cup his chin pressing his index finger over his lips. Fear mapped his overall countenance as he imagined he’d been living with a psychopath. “I was just lonely and I needed to feel alive, it was the first time I promise.” She’d begged him while he paid little or no attention to her spectacle.
It was definitely consoling for her to use his absence as a bait to contest her despicable act, but he was willing to overlook it as she’d denounced drugs on her honor.
The pain of her contemptible escapade was driving him insane and he didn’t know for how long he was going to put up with her excesses. She’d abandoned her vows on the altar and cared less about his plight but he was going to make her regret ever nursing the thought of banging another man.
“Where the hell have you been?” He asked in an alarming base that struck her mute while she tiptoed barefooted into their master bedroom. He’d seen her drive in and had headed for the bedroom to confront her of the heart arching thoughts that had drove sleep off his eyes the previous night she’d been out.
“Hey baby…” She rushed to dot a forceful kiss on his cheek. Her antics could be read in her gaze that shook while she resisted looking into his eyes lest he found her out.
“Quit the drama and tell me where the hell you have been since I left this house.” He brooded, resisting giving her the spank of her life. He was a complete gentleman and he fought the urge to design some marks on her face if she tried to be economical with the truth.
”I only stepped out yesterday with Laura, she needed me…, I didn’t know you were on your way home, I should have reported right away.” Her lips flipped vigorously, keeping a fixed and serious look to confuse Adam who stuck his eyes to hers.
“I will ask you this once Paula, where have you been in the last week.” He barked her, with the sought of rage she’d never seen in all of their years together.
”Okay…fine…I was with Laura.” She argued begging his gaze to calm down.
“For one week?” he spun to face her at hair breathe, “And our son?” He demanded fixing a menacing gaze on her big eyes that flapped while fear ran down her spine. He was about to hit her really hard, but something had stopped him maybe his son or probably something he was afraid of.
She staggered at the impulse of his words,which tore her heart apart, but the damage had begun and she wasn’t going to do anything about it. She was being unfair to him but she knew in her heart that though Adam had tried to love her in all their years of marriage, he still thought about his one true love. She’d resorted to getting satisfaction from elsewhere and he seemed to be more affected than she’d imagined.
“What kind of mother abandons her son, to be with a man?” Adam demanded while she tried to evade his eyes that stuck on her as she agitated about the room in guilty steps.
“I wasn’t with a man, I was with Laura.” She insisted trying to shame him by picking up her phone pretentiously to place a call to Laura.
“Yeah I see Laura is now Joe.” He announced in a spiteful manner that induced the sort of embarrassment he’d sought to induce from the very moment she’d walked into the expansive bedroom.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” She argued trying to wave the guilt she’d exhibited.
“Loose woman” He added while she sought to agitate without any form of remorse that had provoked him to tell her what he’d concealed for the past months.
“To hell with you and this god forsaken marriage.” He pushed her to one side out of his way and faded to the beautifully designed sitting room.
Chapter 10
The exotic dunes and the swift bays that possessed the Ponza Island were as magical as the love spell the beautiful goddess had enchanted on Odysseus there at Ponza. Dan was her enchanting prince and she’d lost all memories she’d shared with Adam. In his arms she’d built a new life, far from the pain in Milan.
They’d spent so much time in Ponza while they took a tour in the world, to assist him with his research. Dan Taylor, the man in whom she’d found solace, perhaps was sent from heaven to tame her heart once again,against the danger the world had succumbed it.
“You are the sweetest thing that has happened to me Kate.” He whispered into her ears during one of their trips to the Appalachian Mountains. He’d been involved with the study of earth science as well as the evolution of different species of animals and plants inhabiting the colder parts of Europe as well as Greenland. They had journeyed different parts of the whole world in less than a couple of months.
The spark that had joined their hearts in holy matrimony was a magical glance they’d shared the day he stepped into his father’s flat. She’d been busy in the kitchen preparing what Taylor had called his son’s favorite menu. The aroma of fried potatoes steak had involuntarily pushed him to the kitchen without her knowledge. He’d heard a lot of commendable remarks on her behalf but he’d never been carried away by so much beauty and charm blended in virtue.
A spontaneous twirl on her part had caught his transfixed gaze that pricked her butts as she faced him to blind the attraction she’d unwittingly spurred.
“I’m Daniel Taylor.” He cleared his throat and extended a slightly shivering hand adorned by a diamond ring on his finger that exposed his richness. Their hands melted each other’s heart in a vivid inspection that could have escalated to savoring a moment of lust against their will.
“Kate Winstone.” She added simply, withdrawing her hand against her wish in a shy but bewildered smile at how much he’d been carried away by merely watching her butt from behind.
“Oh, right, he jested dismissing t
he air of embarrassment their first encounter had initiated and trying at the very least not to sound effusive.“By the way my dad told me you are a great cook.” He maintained a studious smile at the area around her boobs that made her clear my throat in dismissal of whatever notions he was nursing about a cook in his father’s house.
She’d tried to entertain the sort of ambiance and the respect that was deserving of a first meeting. She didn’t want to give him the impression she was the type to flirt around with, though she found his charms strikingly rare. He’d emitted a short smile while he departed from the kitchen leaving her in a mesmerized mood that indicated the impact he’d created on her.
His soft lips and warm smile kept her heart at rest, she only wished he was the brand that showed respect for women, and nonetheless she’d waited to see if he would make any other moves.
The weekend came with unexpected blessings that Kate had grabbed with both hands. Taylor had begged her to stay over the weekend to keep Dan accompanied while he traveled to see his doctor. Dan made reservations in town for Taylor and the driver. He didn’t want the old man to go through the hassle of traveling in the night as it was a great distance from home.
He and Kate had suppressed the burning desire they’d suddenly developed for each other as sleep had escaped their eyes the two nights they had spent under one roof. Kate had been practically restless and she’d wished for him to come and knock and say the words, but perhaps the presence of his father had been an obstruction which she’d sought to find out while they bade the old man and Peter goodbye.