Wake Me with a Kiss

by Mila Summers

  It was pointless, to put it mildly, to expect anything from the hissing, steaming motor. The only thing left was to hope that the car wouldn't explode.

  "Can...I...help you? Are you...?" I heard a voice nearing the car. Frightened, I startled, and bumped - what else would I do? - my head on the hood.

  Betsy made every effort to go down in a blaze of glory. I could hear somebody say something through the murmurs and groans of the engine but it was only coming to me in fragments. I tried to push the cloud of steam out of my face. The mist slowly lifted and then I could see clearly.

  Before I saw the driver, a dark blue Cadillac Escalade caught my eye. There is such a thing as coincidence.

  "Are you ok? Do you need help?" I heard the male voice calling clearly now. All my doubts were erased. There is no such thing as a coincidence.

  Chapter 15

  From the beginning of time, mankind has pondered the question of whether there is something like fate or divine providence. Whereas earlier I was inclined to consider such views as nothing more than hocus-pocus, I had been taught a lesson this very day.

  A short time earlier I had still been suspicious that Aunt Heather had a finger in the pie. However, I didn't believe that she would have been savvy enough to bring it to bubbling over. Although, she had brought my operating temperature to a boil in the cafeteria a week earlier.

  Be that as it may. Since then much had happened. Things had progressed and now I was sitting again in the small, but very refined library at the Havishams' and looking again at the garden where the brilliantly purple lilacs were stealing the show from the other flowers. I never would have thought it was possible that it would happen, but in the end, providence had joined us again.

  "Would you also like an ice-cold lemonade with mint?" I heard Abigail asking.

  I accepted her offer thankfully. She no longer thought badly of my hasty departure from the wedding. On the contrary, Abigail seemed to be really happy for Mitch and me. Even if we didn't know how things would go for us in the future, at the present time we were sure that we wanted to spend more time with each other.

  I remembered how Mitch scratched his head in embarrassment when he saw me emerge from Betsy's hood. Neither of us were prepared to see each other again. Well, that's not totally correct. I had actually been on the way to go see him. This small but subtle detail was something I preferred to keep to myself.

  We were both silent for a time and then I gathered my courage and spoke to him about his text messages. In the meantime, Betsy was hissing so loudly it was hardly possible to carry on a reasonable conversation.

  So we called a tow truck and left Betsy to her fate. Mitch had me show him the content of said messages and then he dropped me off at home.

  He drove off with the words, "I'm going to clear this up and then come back here to you." His dark expression did not bode well. At this point in time, no way would I want to be in Samantha's shoes. I was overwhelmed by a guilty conscience. If I had had her number, I would have at least tried to warn her of the menacing disaster roaring her way.

  Mitch kept his word and two hours later was standing in front of my door with a beautiful bouquet of roses. We talked the entire night, but didn't waste any words on Samantha and her games of intrigue. We were silently in agreement that we didn't want to offer that individual any more space in our lives.

  At some point, Lindsey knocked on the door to the room and asked us to be a little quieter since Noah had to leave early the next morning. Shortly after that, Mitch left. But not before causing me to completely lose my mind.

  He gently lifted my chin just a bit with his finger and looked deeply into my eyes. My knees were weak when he finally laid his mouth on mine and forced entry with his tongue. The passion and deep desire which I felt when he touched my lips were impossible to capture in words. I would have preferred to pull him back into my room and spend the night with him. Reason triumphed in the end and I let him go.

  "Stacy?" Abigail tore me from my thoughts.

  "Here is your lemonade. You seem absentminded and withdrawn today. Is everything ok with you?" She handed me the cool drink with a worried expression as she tried to find a hint in my face about what kind of mood I was in.

  "No, no, everything's fine," I hastened to placate her.

  "I was just thinking. The space here invites one to do that," I said, looking at Abigail's garden.

  My eyes fell on the flowers and the deep green of the lawn. Only Samantha's baby bump clouded the picture as she went for a walk outside. Abigail put a hand on my shoulder.

  "That will take care of itself," she hastened to relieve me of my worries.

  "Of course. But how? What will Mitch decide when he's holding his child in his arms?"

  "Don't you think that he's already made a decision?"

  "Maybe at the moment, but what about in two months when the baby is born?"

  "Nobody knows for sure. A lot can happen before then. But I know my son. He loves you from the bottom of his heart. Since you two have been here, he hasn't graced Samantha with a single smile or addressed her with a kind word. Nevertheless, I am proud that my son accepts his responsibility. Not everybody would have after what she did to him. Quite frankly, I don't know that I would have done the same in his situation. It has cost him a lot, so I'm especially pleased that you two have found each other again. So, that's enough gloom. Let's see how Mitch is doing in the garage. We can take a look at how Betsy is doing. I love my son, but I also know the limits of his mechanical abilities."

  Mitch had insisted on working on Betsy himself. Drew was grateful since at the moment she was lacking the cash for repairs. After breakfast, Mitch pulled on overalls and went to work in high spirits.

  "Betsy, I'm giving you one last chance, otherwise you're landing on the scrap heap. Do you understand me?" we heard Mitch ranting from afar. Apparently, Betsy was not being very cooperative as far as the repairs were concerned. Abigail and I looked at each other uncertainly. Did we dare enter the lion's den?

  We fearlessly opened the garage door and found Mitch thoroughly coated with motor oil. It was hysterical. Abigail and I took a quick look at each other but couldn't hold back any longer and we roared with laughter.

  "Ha, ha, ha. Make fun at my expense," Mitch grumbled after we had overcome the first fit of laughter.

  "Say, what are you actually doing here? You were going to change the oil, not bathe in it," I teased, knowing that it would infuriate him.

  "Well, just you wait."

  Without pausing for a second, Mitch stood in front of me, laid his smudged hands on my cheeks and massaged the precious mud pack à la Betsy into my face with a circular motion.

  Saying "I'll leave you two alone," Abigail bade us goodbye and left me to my fate.

  I looked at my wristwatch for the third time that day. Two minutes had gone by. Now it was 9:27 am. The time on this Monday morning was as stretchy as chewing gum. Mitch had invited me to a romantic candlelight dinner at Alfonso that evening. The small Italian restaurant didn't have a star, but the ample portions fit our tastes better than the trendy joints which didn't have much flavor. At Alfonso, mama was still cooking the ancient family recipes.

  Mitch had to go to Memphis to the law office for a couple days. As yet, he hadn't worried about finding a job in Chicago but was commuting between the two cities. Hopefully that would end soon. Next week he wanted to call on a few law firms and sound out his chances.

  I paused in front of one of the exhibits in the show for the umpteenth time and noted a few details. Some members of the Friends' Association had requested that I put together a tour for that afternoon. I received the news that morning at 8:10, shortly after I walked into the building.

  To be sure, this wasn't my usual target audience, but I wanted to do my best and I carefully prepared for the event. The questions I would get from this group were certainly not going to be comparable with what eight-year-olds wanted to know.

  "Stacy?"

  "Yes
, I'm over here by the Pioneer Locomotive," I announced as I tried to identify the woman's voice.

  "Samantha? What are you doing here?" Astonished at her visit, I stopped and waited for her explanation.

  Since that evening when Mitch had told her in no uncertain terms that he had seen through her schemes and would no longer tolerate them, she had not spoken one word to me. Not that I laid much importance on it, but her ice-cold manner towards me was wearing me down.

  "Stacy, there you are. I won't keep you long," she whispered with determination. "The baby," she held her belly meaningfully, "will be born in a few weeks. I will not tolerate the affair between you and Mitch any longer. In the future, keep away from my man or you will find out what I'm capable of." The snake sprayed her poison and I was completely unprepared for it.

  "What? I don't understand...," I answered in confusion.

  "You understand me perfectly. If you don't stay away from Mitch, I will be forced to take drastic measures. It's better if you don't let it come to that. When I'm finished with you, you will wish you had listened to me. So once and for all, keep your hands off my man, otherwise you'll find out what I'm willing to do. I have the ways and means to make your life a living hell. He belongs to me and me alone. You'll never be happy with him. I'll make sure of that if it's the last thing I do," she turned after this pronouncement and vanished as suddenly as she had arrived.

  Chapter 16

  I dropped into the chair with a groan. The day had been more stressful than I expected. The event had gone well, although I had struggled with the preparation longer than I usually did. After Samantha's unannounced visit, I had a hard time concentrating.

  What was going on with this woman? What was she thinking? Did she want to instill fear in me in the hope I would keep my hands off Mitch? She couldn't seriously think that would work. Her behavior resembled that of a five-year-old who had her lollipop taken away.

  At the same time, she was the one who had spoiled the dream of a happy future with the father of her child. After all, it was she who had cheated on Mitch and not the other way around. Somehow she didn't want to accept that. She preferred to distort the facts until they corresponded to her wishes.

  What measures had she been rambling about? And that curse at the end. You will never be happy with him. How pathetic. Samantha had obviously seen too many bad movies. The whole drama wasn't explainable any other way, thinking about it the morning after.

  Why did I even spend mental energy on this woman? It'd be better to devote my attention to my boyfriend, who was finally in the city again and was taking me out to dinner that evening.

  Mitch sat across from me. He had even brought me flowers for our date, although he had barely arrived an hour earlier. The week had left its mark on him. He looked tired.

  "How was your week, my sweetheart?" he spoke up. I thankfully responded to the diversion. Samantha was not a threat and she would not endanger the happiness that we possessed. I would take care of that.

  "Oh, pretty good. Excepting the unscheduled tour this afternoon, everything was like usual. How about you?" I hastened to answer Mitch as calmly as possible. Under no circumstances should he find out that Samantha had threatened me. How could it help anything? The woman had a screw loose and Mitch no longer cared for her. He had assured me of that over and over. No, there was absolutely no reason to tell him about this annoying event.

  "A little stressful. That's why I hardly had any time to check in with you. I'm sorry, but I still had to close out some cases and didn't want to push them off any longer. I hardly slept more than five hours a night through the week, but as soon as I find something in Chicago, I can join a new law firm without any interruptions. No legacy issues, no briefs to clarify, everything cleaned up," he proudly reported.

  That's why he had those dark circles around his eyes and the general impression of exhaustion. For a moment, I was suspicious that he had spent the week with friends and had gone out with them to a bar for a few evenings. Shame on me. It was quite the opposite. He was working hard so that nothing more would stand in the way of our shared future in Chicago.

  "Wow, that sounds great. I'm going to be incredibly happy when you finally belong to me and me alone," I disclosed my delight, not leaving out a suggestive lip-licking. "Then we can look for an apartment together. I'm really happy staying with Lindsey and Noah as their guest, but it's high time for a place of my own. Don't you think?"

  Mitch scratched his head in embarrassment and lowered his eyes before he began to speak.

  "Until the baby is born and I'm certain that I'm the father, Samantha will live with my parents. Since they offered to accommodate her, it wouldn't be right if I took an apartment with you. Do you understand what I mean?" he self-consciously looked at me and seemed to be waiting for a reaction.

  "Oh sure, of course I understand," I answered casually at this disclosure. From the outside, I seemed to have been successful in convincing him that it was fine. Inside, I was shattered by his words.

  Samantha stood between us. To deny it would be naive. She would always stand between us and the chance that Mitch would live with me alone when his child was born was exactly zero. I didn't know what I expected. It should have been obvious.

  Mitch took on responsibility and that meant that he took care of his business. It was painful to admit that I had problems with that. Doubt gnawed at me. Would Mitch finally make a decision to only be with me some day or would this animal who wanted to tear him away from me hold the upper hand in the end?

  Was I in a position to participate in this battle? How long would it last? Until I lost? Or was there maybe hope?

  The questions wore me down, buried themselves deep in my unconscious, and caused me to remember my time with Mike. He had always made the most beautiful promises. I kept the faith in him for a long time until one day I was disabused of my misguided notions.

  Would it be the same this time? Was it worth it to put my heart in the balance and try to create a future or had destiny chosen another path for me? Maybe it was without Mitch?

  "Stacy, we belong together and we will look for an apartment together as soon as possible. Samantha will bring the child into the world in a few weeks and afterwards I will close this chapter of my life for once and for all."

  If he was trying to charm the worry lines from my forehead, he wasn't having much success.

  "Mitch, are you actually aware the circus really begins after her pregnancy is over? I have the feeling you're only waiting for D-Day and then you think the whole thing will be finished. But it doesn't really get going until afterwards. What are you going to do when the child is here? Will she continue to live with your parents if the paternity test is positive? What do you imagine the future to be? You're doing this whole thing alone. Mitch, I would like to be a part of your life. It's important to talk to each other. That's true not just for the good times together. A relationship is based on trust. At the moment, I don't think that you feel that for me."

  That hit home. Mitch sat across from me, his shoulders sunken. His face spoke volumes. I had touched him deeply with these words. He didn't need to tell me that. I could see it clearly in his eyes.

  "Stacy, I will do everything in order to receive custody of my child, if it turns out to be mine. I would never in my life let my child grow up with that woman. That must be clear to you?"

  "No, it's not as clear as you think," I was provoked.

  "It has nothing to do with a lack of confidence or some such thing. I just have to get clarity with this thing myself. How do you think it feels to conceive a child with a person whom you never want to see again in your life? I am constantly confronted with a chapter of my life that I would have liked to leave behind me. Samantha is past history for me. I long for the day when she finally disappears from my life and leaves me in peace."

  "Do you believe this day will come? After all, you have a child together," I tried to take a conciliatory tone.

  "That day will come. I give you
my word," he assured me with utter conviction.

  "That's enough for now," I hastened to accept his promise.

  I wanted to believe him. Really. But something inside me advised me to be careful. Life makes its own rules. The lawyer would soon feel that in his bones.

  "I have here one diavola and one Pasta della Nonna," Alfonso interrupted us not a moment too soon. It wasn't helping to constantly talk about eggs and unborn children. When the time came, hopefully we would be strong enough and we would fight for a future together. Both of us.

  "Buon appetito."

  I rummaged around in my small handbag, which I thought was so practical and in which I actually never managed to find anything. Where was my key?

  Mitch dropped me off at home. I wistfully watched his car drive off. I would have preferred to be going with him. Since that stupid conversation, something stood between us. The remainder of the evening had been silent. Nevertheless, the whole week I had eagerly looked forward to Mitch coming back from Memphis. It was as if there were a jinx on it.

  I slowly lost patience. Where in the world could that damn key be hidden?

  The door opened unexpectedly from the inside and Lindsey asked, "Are you maybe looking for this?" as she waved my key ring.

  "Damn, I must have forgotten it in my rush."

  "Come in. You're lucky. Noah and I just got back too. We went to the movies tonight. Finally. Although the film was not particularly good. Where were you? Is Mitch parking his car before he comes in?"

  "No, no. He's sleeping at home. Like usual. It's late, I should go to bed now. Good night, Lindsey," I hastened to escape her questions.

  "Wait a minute. What is up with you two? Is he treating you badly? Are you having problems?" Too late. She had already had me on the hook and from what I knew about her, she wasn't going to let me go free too readily.

  "No, no. Everything is fine. Really. It's just at the moment he's up to his ears in work and the move and of course with Samantha. It's not an easy time for him. So I just need to show a little more understanding for his situation," I said insightfully.