She stood in front of her closet trying to determine what to wear. They were going to a classy little restaurant called New Beginnings that was all the rage in Ocho Rios. The restaurant had live music and the food was said to be so sumptuous that you had to make a reservation, up to three days in advance, for evening dining.
She chose a paisley maxi dress with striking green hues and held it up to her figure. She had barely gained weight during her last pregnancy and was almost as slim as before.
She looked at her hair critically. Earlier in the day she had washed it and left it to air-dry. It had now shrunken to her neck in tight corkscrew curls, but otherwise would have reached her shoulders—she sprayed oil sheen on it to make her natural curls pop.
Years ago she had learnt how to tame her hair before it descended into frizz, and she was glad she knew the techniques now because it looked healthy and thick. She left it loose and finger combed her curls so that they had some semblance of order around her face.
I look pretty good for a mother of three, she thought to herself. An adulterous mother of three, the unbidden thought rose up to the forefront of her mind and she quickly slammed it back where it belonged and pulled the dress over her head.
She hadn’t seen or heard from Chris for the past three months and she was ridiculously grateful for that. Her sister had told her that he took an extended vacation to Canada, and Theo had mentioned that he gave up his position as elder because he had issues.
Theo had said gleefully, “He admitted to me that it was a woman who had him in knots. I have to say I am happy for Chris. He has finally moved on.”
She had hurriedly changed the topic when Theo brought it up, but sometimes, like tonight, she wondered about him. She knew that she was the reason that Chris was overhauling his life and she felt a twinge of guilt for that but also a very real relief that he was not going to make any trouble for her by claiming Mark—he had seemed pretty fierce and determined the last time she had seen him, at the hospital.
That scene had caused her several sleepless nights, but now it seemed as if she had gotten off scot free. Kelly whispered a heartfelt prayer. She was finding it extremely hard to pray these days because she was living with a huge secret.
She heard the door open and looked up. “Hi, honey.”
“Whoohoo, you look gorgeous,” Theo said. He was wearing jeans and a white dress shirt which was opened at the neck. His face was clean-shaven, and she could smell his aftershave.
“You look gorgeous.” Kelly walked over to him and kissed him on the lips.
“Don’t start that now,” Theo said, “or else we will not make it to the restaurant.”
“We can't leave yet.” Kelly pulled away from him and looked at the clock. “Erica's supposed to baby-sit.”
“She's here,” Theo grinned. “In the kitchen, mumbling that she had to carry her own food because all we have is fake meat.”
Kelly grinned. “Okay, let me just go and say hi and then we can go.”
She headed to the kitchen and found Erica rummaging in the pantry.
“Miss Fatty,” Kelly laughed, “what are you looking for?”
Erica spun around. “You were in the bathroom when I got here, just looking for some mayonnaise and ketchup—and stop calling me fat, darn you. Didn’t you just have a baby? Why do you look so good?”
Kelly hugged her sister. “I eat in moderation, and I do Pilates for an hour a day, except Saturdays and Sundays. That’s free advice, take it once and for all and do something about your weight!”
“Next week,” Erica mumbled, turning back to the pantry. “For now, I am looking for ketchup. Don’t tell me that ketchup is on the blacklist?”
Kelly grinned. “I forgot to get some. We rarely have it anyway. Why use ketchup when I have a vegetable garden with tomatoes, go pick one and put it on your burger. She looked in the plate that Erica was fixing. “Is that dead meat?”
Erica giggled. “We humans frown on people who eat live meat, Miss Suddenly-Turned-Vegetarian. Last week Mom cooked curried goat, and she said you had some.”
“Were you having a heart-to-heart with her?” Kelly asked suspiciously, lowering her voice.
“Yup,” Erica grinned. “We went to New Beginnings for lunch and we both sat and licked our lips for an hour when we saw the owner. I think his name is Winston or Froggie. I hear them calling him by both names.”
“Oh, brother.” Kelly rolled her eyes. “When is mom going to act her age, and when are you going to find yourself a husband?”
“Whenever you tell Theo about Mark,” Erica retorted, grinning.
“Shhh,” Kelly said, slapping her sister on her hand. “I can't stand you. Don’t like you. Wish I never told you a thing.”
“You two at it again.” Theo came to the doorway. “Come, huns, we gotta go. Erica, I looked in on Mark. He’s sleeping peacefully. Here’s the baby monitor. If anything happens call me immediately.”
Erica laughed. “Parent trumps nurse. Okay, sir, I will call you as soon as anything happens. Go out and enjoy yourselves and tell Froggie that Erica says hello. He might give you a discount if you tell him,” she said, winking.
Theo laughed. “Froggie is married, Erica. That shining gold band on his finger is a wedding ring.”
“You know him?” Erica squealed. “You know the owner of New Beginnings?”
Theo nodded. “I know his mother better though; she is married to a pastor friend of mine.”
“Drat it,” Erica said disappointed. “He has this little air of danger about him, you know. Mom and I were saying he'd make a good husband for me. I didn’t see him wearing a ring, are you sure?”
“Yes,” Theo grinned, “he got married almost a year ago to a Miss Jamaica finalist. Can't remember her first name. She’s Stanley Winter's daughter.”
“There goes my dreams, dashed,” Erica grumbled. “I should have carried more meat to soothe my weary soul.”
Kelly laughed. “You are too funny. Let’s go, husband.”
They drove toward New Beginnings, chatting about the children and Erica's perpetual man-hunt. They arrived ten minutes early and sat in the lounge area. There were some instrumental jazz sounds coming through discrete speakers.
“That’s my song,” Kelly said excitedly to Theo.
Theo grinned and kissed her on the lips.
“Ehem.” A pretty girl with a notepad stood near them. “That’s George Benson and Al Jarreau's version of the song ‘Ordinary People,’” she informed them.
Kelly looked up smiling. “I had no idea who was playing, but I know my jam when I hear it.”
The girl smiled. “Your table will be ready soon. What would you like to drink in the meantime? We have so many options: green juice, fruit juice, all the healthy options. The chef’s special is a papaya, mango and pineapple blended. No liquor, sorry.”
“That’s fine, we don’t drink,” Theo said. “We’ll take the chef's special.”
“Cool,” the waitress said, scribbling something down on her paper.
“Is Froggie around?” Theo asked. “I got a special hello for him.”
The girl grimaced. “No, sir. Froggie is in Kingston for a wedding. His wife's sister, I think.”
“Oh,” Theo grinned.
“Your juice is coming up.” The girl walked away and Theo looked at Kelly. I really wanted you to meet Froggie. He was an inner-city don, you know. His wife is one of those upper crust Winters. I don’t know how they even know each other—another time, I guess.”
“I really like the atmosphere here,” Kelly said, nodding. “So I am guessing we will eventually meet. This could be our date-night spot.”
She was relaxing in her chair and drinking her juice and chitchatting with Theo when she suddenly felt a stare. She looked up and there was Chris at the door of the lounge. He was standing beside a statuesque woman, who was clinging to his arm possessively. His jaw clenched when he saw her.
She sat up straighter in her chair and drunk him in. H
e looked so sophisticated with his curly hair slicked back and his burnt orange shirt opened at the throat. They stared at each other for what seemed like forever. His eyes were sending off such deep chaotic emotions that she inhaled involuntarily.
“What's the matter?” Theo asked, noticing her tension and then he looked in the direction she was staring and saw Chris.
Chris smiled at him slightly and raised his hand. He whispered something to his date and they headed over to Kelly and Theo.
“The Palmers, fancy seeing you here,” Chris said a little too brightly.
“Chris,” Theo said, pleased to see him. “I rarely see you these days.” He got up and shook Chris' hand enthusiastically.
Kelly felt wedged to her chair. Seeing him was a shock, and she realized once more how attractive she found Chris and that she was not as nearly over him as she had thought.
He was watching her helplessly too; it would have been exceptionally awkward if his date had not piped up. “I'm Estella, nice to meet you.”
Theo frowned at both Kelly and Chris and said, “This is my wife, Kelly.”
Kelly reluctantly stood up and said, “Hello, Chris. Hello, Estella. Nice to meet you.” Kelly forced a smile in Estella's direction and then sat back down.
“Your tables are ready,” said the pretty waitress who had taken their drinks order earlier. “I requested that the live band play ‘Ordinary People,’ just for you,” she then said to Kelly.
Kelly smiled, though she was feeling a little light-headed. “Thank you.”
“That’s my song too,” Chris said, smiling at the waitress.
As Theo led his wife into the restaurant, she felt her heart beating normally again.
“What on earth was that about?” Theo asked her curiously when they sat down. “Is there something you are not telling me about you and Chris?”
Kelly felt her pulse fluttering again. “No, no, nothing. Isn’t the décor in here a nice combination of sophistication and casualness?”
Theo watched her for a minute and then nodded slowly. “I guess you would know since you are the one with the artistic-eye.”
He watched her keenly throughout the evening, his senses attuned to her every move. She was acting differently since Chris came into the restaurant, and he could not fathom why. Kelly, meanwhile, tried to pretend that she was not casting furtive glances toward the table where Chris and his date were seated, but Theo could see her and because he was directly in line with Chris' table he could also see that Chris was finding it hard not to look over at their table. What the hell was going on?
He puzzled over the matter all the way through dinner and through the silent car ride home. They were both introspective, with Theo vowing to talk to his wife about the strangeness of her behavior and Kelly wondering who Chris' date was and if he had really moved on. Her heart wavered between intense jealousy, a sense of loss, and a low humming guilt that refused to subside.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Theo was sitting on the back patio cradling a drink, the baby was in a bassinet beside him and Kelly was gardening. Thea and Matthew were assigned a spot for themselves and Kelly was instructing them on how to plant their vegetables. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon, and the day was cool with a little chill in the air—it was three weeks till Christmas.
Theo’s mother usually came to Jamaica from New York for the holidays but his year she was super excited because she was yet to meet her newest grandchild. She would be arriving in the upcoming week and Theo felt a fissure of excitement. He was always excited to see his Mommy. His Dad had abandoned the family when he was just twelve and his mother had really struggled hard to make ends meet in the early days.
As soon as he had turned eighteen she migrated to America, where she worked as a practical nurse for years. Her retirement was ten years away and she was planning to come back to Jamaica to retire.
She loved Kelly and her grandchildren and usually took her three-week vacation in December so that she could spend every moment with her family.
Theo smiled to himself quietly, and looked into the bassinet as Mark cooed. The baby was awake and smiling too. He grinned and took him out. He was getting bigger and heavier by the day and at four months he was already demonstrating a sharp intelligence that only a doting father would notice. He cuddled the baby and kissed him. He smelled so good and sweet.
He loved a baby's scent; it was so clean and innocent. Mark looked up at him his hazel eyes wide and flailed his arms. His eyes were a unique combination of green and brown, an unusual color. Theo looked into his baby's innocent eyes and laughed. “What are you thinking about little one?”
The baby blew some bubbles as if he wanted to talk to him.
Theo looked over at Kelly and grinned, she was trying to convince Matthew to dig a deeper hole for his tomato seedlings but Matthew was distracted by a worm. He was insisting on taking up the worm to examine it closely. He pushed his podgy hands with the worm that was wiggling like crazy in his mother's face—Kelly was looking decidedly squeamish.
All was well in his world, Theo thought. He was so grateful to God for the blessing of family. Many people did not have this kind of togetherness and he had to count it a blessing that he did.
“That boy is going to be the end of me.” Kelly stomped up to the deck and sat beside Theo. “He pushed the worm at me and told me to stroke it.”
Theo laughed and she looked over at the baby, “hi handsome, I would touch you but my hands are dirty.”
“Do you want us to go for ice cream later?” Theo asked.
Kelly looked at him and smiled. “Sure! I like this, more family outings and you spending time at home.”
Theo shrugged. “When you were pregnant with Mark you were so distressed and depressed; I knew at the heart of that was my hectic work schedule and me not being able to spend more time with you, so I decided that I am going to make more time for my family. I never intended for you to raise the children alone.”
Kelly smiled but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. She hadn’t been distressed because Theo was hardly home but because of her duplicity—obviously he had been watching her and taking note of her mood.
She sometimes forgot how observant Theo could be. A month ago when they had gone to the restaurant together and she had shown too much attention toward Chris it’s as if Theo had beefed up his efforts to be the perfect husband. Instead instead of pleasing her, it had the opposite effect—it was making her angry.
Where was this perfect husband when she had been lonely and seeking attention. If he had been around she never would have had that affair. Her little episode with Chris would never have gotten out of hand.
She looked over at the baby and wondered when his powers of observation would kick in and he would realize that the baby didn’t resemble either of them?
Theo hadn’t yet said a thing but she was silently waiting. Several persons had commented on his lack of resemblance to her or the pastor and she could see some of the older church members speculating. Of course they would not dare come out and suggest that her baby belonged to anyone else but she could see questioning in their eyes.
She hardly wanted to take her baby to church anymore and she was sure that it would only get worse. She was living on borrowed time and as long as her husband would have her she was going to hang in there until it dawned on him that something was wrong.
She sighed and then looked at him again, he was watching her closely.
“Where do you go when you zone out like that with a thoughtful wince on your face?”
Kelly forced a laugh, “here and there.”
Theo frowned. “I want us to communicate Kelly.” He rocked the baby, who was chewing on his knuckles. “There was a time when I did not have to guess about what you were thinking.”
“There was a time when I was the most important person in your life,” Kelly retorted and then instantly regretted it. She closed her eyes, “sorry.”
Theo grimaced, and then caressed her chin wi
th his finger. “You are always the most important person to me, never ever doubt that. I love you now and I'll love you always. I have reformed somewhat, haven’t I? I am home by four most days and I have shifted my workload a bit. I am helping out around the house and I am chief babysitter to our youngest. I aim to do more.”
Kelly looked at him with tears in her eyes, thinking of how stupid she had been. “I really am sorry, Theo.”
“I know.” He reached over and kissed her. “You are forgiven. Let’s tell our two gardeners that we are going to get them cleaned up and give them a treat.”
CHAPTER NINE
Chris was invited to Sunday brunch at his parents’ house, and as he drove up to the house he saw several cars in the driveway—his sisters must have arrived. He sighed. The house would be a hustle and bustle of nosy nagging women, noisy kids and good-smelling food.
All three of his sisters had come down from Canada for the holidays. They always arrived together in the first week of December, but one by one they would leave by the end of January.
Camille, the youngest of the three, was usually the last to leave, preferring to spend an extra four weeks in Jamaica. She would move in with Chris when her husband and everybody else had returned to Canada. She enjoyed spending the extra time with him so that she could boss him around in his own house.
He grinned as he headed up the steps into the house. Just as he anticipated the scent of jerk chicken hit him at the front door.
He licked his lips and yelled, “where’s everybody?”
“Uncle Chris, Uncle Chris.” Three little bodies hurled themselves at his feet. His eldest nephew hugged him around the waist and he took up his youngest niece.
“At least there are people here that are happy to see me,” Chris kissed his nieces face. “How are you pumpkin?”
“Fine Uncle Chris,” she giggled her hazel eyes beaming, “Mommy was just telling Grandma that you were acting weird and heart broken when you came to Canada three months ago and grandma said you would have to tell them the story yourself. Can I hear the story Uncle Chris, can I?”
Private Sins (Three Rivers Series: Book 1) Page 5