“Mamá?” My head peered over the trunk of my car as that word did not come from Alondra but from Amber. I saw Catalina was a little surprised, too, by it, but that surprise quickly turned to happiness that flooded her eyes. “Would you show me around?” I had no idea why Amber was all nervous for.
“Certainly,” Catalina said, holding out her right arm to Amber. “You boys don’t mind unloading the car, do you?”
“We can handle it, can’t we?” I asked, looking over at David, who nodded along.
“Come, Alondra, let’s show your sister the ocean,” Catalina said in that sweet, caring voice of hers with Alondra’s cheerful ‘Kay!’ filling the air.
“Did something happen between Amber and… her mother?” I caught myself from saying what I normally call that woman. I could see something brewing in his eyes as David thought on the matter as we unloaded the bags.
“I think Amber should be the one to tell you….” I noted how he looked down when I took hold of his left arm.
“Did that witch hurt my little girl?” I asked in a firm tone.
“Emotional, nothing physical, at least that’s what she told me. Still does to this day, not when I’m around, though. She knows I won’t put up with it in my house. Kicked her ass out a few times when I heard it.”
“I think you’ll do,” I said, releasing my hold on his arm. “I won’t say a word to Amber.” With that, I showed him where he and Amber could stay on the other side of the house so they could have some privacy to do what engaged couples do without worrying about having Alondra overhear. With the bags stowed in their proper rooms, the two of us headed out to join the girls. “I told you I’d get you here someday, didn’t I?” I spoke from behind them as Catalina and Amber just stood there looking out at the white-capped waves while Alondra ran along the beach looking for shells like she normally does. I was not expecting my daughter to throw her arms around me like she did.
“Thank you, it’s so beautiful.” Her whisper was hot on my neck as I just held her and gently rubbed her back.
“You and I need to have a talk, later, just us,” I whispered low into her ear. Feeling her nodding against my shoulder before slipping out of my arms and into David’s. “You ever been to the beach?” I asked the man in my daughter’s life.
“No. This is the first time for me as well. My folks were poor, not saying they didn’t work, just poor, so something like this; always just a fantasy for us growing up,” David said, yet his eyes weren’t on me; no, they were out on that vast expanse of blue before us.
“I can understand that, when Amber was growing up, money was tight. I was like you, worked my way up while going to night school so my family could have a better life,” I said, feeling Catalina slipping her hand into mine as she came to my side. Then Amber’s hand took hold of my free one like she had done so many times as a child.
Later that night, after putting Alondra to bed and Catalina keeping David entertained. I led Amber out the back onto the back deck of Roberto’s beach home. I knew I would hate what I was about to hear; what parent likes to hear that their child was abused? Yet I had to do it, I had to know what she had done to my children?!
“Okay, Amber, I know I told your brother I didn’t want to hear about what happened after I left. But I think I need to hear it,” I said as the sound of the waves breaking on the shore filled the air.
“You sure?” Dropping her gaze, this wasn’t like my daughter, not the daughter I knew. I placed my hand on her right arm, which brought up her gaze to me.
“Very sure.” I’m sure Amber saw the seriousness of my words as she looked into my eyes.
By the end of her tale, I wanted to kill the Bitch! Yet, I couldn’t right then, so I just hugged my daughter as tightly as I could as she cried into my chest. The cunt couldn’t take responsibility for her own damn actions that destroyed our marriage, so she had to blame our kids?! Children who she wrangled into her fucking scheme to guilt me into staying with that fucking slut. If that wasn’t worse, she tried to get her to entertain one of her male friends she had on the side when she was married to that prick! I wondered why my parents didn’t tell me this unless they didn’t know. I knew my old man would have gone ballistic, and my mother would probably have beaten that cunt with a rolling pin.
“Oh, baby, I’m so, so sorry,” I whispered into her hair. “I’m sorry about…”
“No, Dad, you were hurt; you had every right to think we didn’t want you. I don’t blame you. You’re here now; that’s what matters.” I knew one thing; my children were not going to be dealing with that woman again. Not if I had a damn thing to say about it!
“Is everything al…” Catalina huffed as Amber hugged her quite unexpectedly. Her eyes glanced at me when I knew she could feel the same trembling as I could. I think Catalina knew something had happened with their mother for Amber to take such a liking to her. Not that she ever voiced it to me. Well, at least not at that point in time. “Shh, it’s going to be alright,” Catalina cooed in that motherly voice of hers as she comforted Amber. “Come, let’s get you cleaned up and something to calm your nerves,” she said, guiding Amber into the house and giving me that look that she wanted to know everything.
I was beating an old two-by-four against a post to vent my anger out on. So I didn’t take it out on anyone else, seeing how I couldn’t wrap my hands around that bitch’s neck at the moment. So, beating the hell out of that post would just have to do.
“I take it, Amber told you?” David’s voice filled the air as my chest heaved from my excursion of beating the daylights out of that pole.
“Yeah,” I said, tossing the plank into the sand.
“I want you to know I would never ever treat Amber like that,” David said, walking down the steps that led to the beach.
“You best not; I don’t think my wife would enjoy visiting me in prison,” I joked.
“Dully noted,” David said with a friendly smile.
“She isn’t helping to pay for the wedding, is she?” I asked, looking over at him when David joined my side.
“God no, she thinks us getting married is a mistake. She wants Amber to be single, so she can use her to lure men in.” I was really starting to like this man as he spat in anger.
“Good. If you need help, you contact us, and we’ll help out any way we can,” I said firmly.
“You really mean that?” David asked with this quizzical look on his face.
“I do,” I nodded. “I know what a wedding costs having been through two myself,” I said, taking a jab at myself. “I know venues, and whatnot isn’t cheap, and I know how it is starting out in life when you’re just now laying the foundations of your adult life. So I know money might be tight for you and Amber planning this all out. If we can lend a hand, don’t hesitate to call us. We’ll set something up,” I spoke in a fatherly voice as I turned to the man and held my hand out to him.
“I will; you have my word, Nathan,” David said with that firm handshake of his.
“Did your father teach you that handshake?” I asked, seeing him nod. “Good. A father should teach that to his son.”
“What are the two of you doing out here?” Catalina asked from the top of the steps.
“Oh, you know, guy things,” I said, smiling up at her. I didn’t need to see it; I knew there was an eye roll at that.
“Well, it’s getting late; you two should come in for the night,” Catalina said, yet I knew from the way she stood she wanted to talk.
Saying good night to David before he walked back up those steps. Hearing him utter those same words to Catalina as he passed her. Catalina knew me well enough to know while I might not show it on the outside, I was royally pissed at my ex-wife.
“Shh, Amor, this anger isn’t good for you. She’s not under her mother’s thumb anymore,” Catalina cooed in a soft tone as she ran her hands up my chest.
“She told you?” To this, Catalina only nodded.
“I can’t blame you for leaving that woman, although I do wish you would have had brought the kids with you. Then I could be a mother of three,” Catalina teased.
“Three? But not four?” I mused, wiggling my eyebrows.
“I don’t know. Do you think you have it in you to knock me up again?” Catalina asked in a challenging voice.
“Oh, you damn right I do,” I stated firmly.
“Then I best stop taking my pills,” Catalina said in a sultry smile.
The next three days were a whirlwind of fun as we took Amber and David all over that island. Ate some good seafood. Met some very nice people, although I did have to hold Catalina back when this person, the same age as Amber, came up and called me racist and whatnot. I didn’t take it seriously; who would when some multi-color haired, nose pierced, wack job comes up to you screaming you were stealing Latinx culture. I knew if the kid came looking for a job at my corporate office, she wouldn’t make it through the door. Her appearance was not professional, and in my line of work, you have to appear professional. Otherwise, no one is going to trust you with their money. I don’t think the woman saw the punch coming until it was too late, and the woman was on her ass staring confusedly at Catalina as she cursed in Spanish. I won’t go into what she said; let’s just say I learned far more curse words that day than I did on the days Alondra was at her grandparents’ place. I was thankful that David had the wherewithal to cover Alondra’s ears.
“Maybe next time you shouldn’t accost people you don’t know and get in their faces about shit you don’t fucking know. Then you wouldn’t be on your bony ass when you can’t even understand what my wife said to you. Now, I suggest a new dye job and a new outlook on life if you want to get anywhere in this world,” I said before leading my family off. It kind of made me wonder what the fate of the world would be with people like that running around. I just hope I’m long dead by then.
Even that little blip on our radar couldn’t spoil our time there, but all too soon, it was time to leave after washing the sheets and placing them back in the closet. Roberto never wanted sheets on the beds if the house was going to sit unused for a while. I knew it would since the family didn’t come down here until two weeks before the start of the new school year. So the kids would have something fond to look back on when they start a new class with brand new people. Amber and David helped ensure the house was tidy like we had found it before I locked up the house. Knowing we wouldn’t be back in Charlotte until late that night.
“Thanks, Dad, the beach was just perfect?!” Amber said in a happy voice as she hugged me as we entered my condo.
“You’re welcome, honey,” I said, rubbing her back. “It might have taken a while, but I do keep my word.”
“I’m going to put Alondra to bed,” Catalina whispered before placing a kiss on my right cheek and carrying our dozing daughter to her room.
It wasn’t long before Amber and David retired for the night as well. Like I was about to do as I carried Catalina’s and my bags into our bedroom. The moment she slid that body next to me, everything in the world seemed right as I turned off the light.
The monthly family get-together was a hoot. Amber and David were welcomed with open arms. Catalina’s mother and father took a keen interest in Amber. Not that it was surprising; after all, Amber was their step-grandchild, and they were very family orientated. I kept my ears open for anything that might have been said about the two of them. I know Catalina did the same; I even saw her lay into one of the teenagers when he said lewd things about my daughter. If I had heard it, it wouldn’t have been just a tongue lashing. The boy was eighteen; if he could say that, he could take the beating that followed, and the boy knew it too. Although I did have to jump in and save David before he burnt his tongue to a cinder when he was about to eat chili, I know it had ghost peppers in it. David might like the heat, but he wasn’t that suicidal. Which got a round of good-natured chuckles from the others before they handed him a bowl of chili with the heat he could handle. Like all good things, it came to an end far sooner than I would have liked. I hadn’t talked to my boy all week due to him doing some type of training he couldn’t tell me about. I did hope Carson was doing well in whatever the Army had him doing.
As we stood there in the airport saying our goodbyes. Amber held onto Catalina like she was really going to miss her stepmother. Then again, Catalina was probably the only motherly figure Amber had had, other than her grandmothers, in seven years. I watched how Alondra held back her tears as my two children hugged for just as long.
“You two have a safe flight; call us the moment you land,” I said, bringing David into a one-arm hug. Which I could tell surprised him. What can I say? The man grew on me.
“We will,” David answered, with Amber nodding along.
“Don’t forget what I told you; if you need help with the wedding, we’re just a phone call away,” I stated, with Catalina nodding along.
“Does that mean you’ll walk me down the aisle?” Amber asked with hope in her eyes.
“Most definitely, wouldn’t miss it,” I said with a fatherly smile which caused my daughter to crush me in a hug.
“And you call any time you need to talk. I’m always here to listen,” Catalina said in a motherly, caring voice.
“I will, thank you.” I heard Amber whisper as she hugged Catalina again.
“No need for thanks. I’m your stepmother, I want you to be comfortable in talking with me about anything that’s troubling you, and I know Alondra is going to want to talk to her big sister.” I watched as Catalina rocked Amber like she did with Alondra when she knew Alondra was troubled by something.
Picking Alondra up so she could wave bye to her sister over the throng of bodies. I had to fight back my tears as my daughter’s form disappeared within that group. Yet, I knew at least now we were talking again. Making up for the lost time that I foolishly squandered in my sorrow. That there would be a next time and a next, there wouldn’t be a damn thing anyone could do to stop me from seeing my daughter.
The months passed, and the re-founding of my and my children’s relationship grew stronger as the days passed. Amber and I spoke almost every day; David even called to get advice on banking and whatnot, which I was glad to offer. Carson called as much as he could when he wasn’t on duty or out training somewhere. I know the two of them talked to Catalina a lot. Something I know thrilled her to death. I know the wedding planning was stressing Amber out, and I knew there were a few times Catalina had to calm her down. When summer was over, Alondra started her kindergarten class; I was both proud and saddened at the same time. Knowing my little girl was growing up so fast. Catalina stayed on her birth control, stating she didn’t want to be pregnant when it was time to fly out for their wedding. Which I could understand; by then, I knew she and Amber had formed a very tight bond. Something I know she didn’t have with her mother. If I was truthful it was a blessing, and I knew it irked the shit out of the Bitch.
As Thanksgiving approached, I knew Carson couldn’t fly back to Kansas City, which saddened me. Still, he promised to fly to Charlotte for Christmas. He wanted to save up enough leave time to attend Amber’s wedding before he would be discharged that summer. Not to knock anyone in the service, I was damn happy to hear. I’m not demeaning anyone who takes that oath. I’d never do that. That would be dishonorable, and I like to think of myself as an honorable man. It’s just some nights when Carson was off training on whatever it was had me laying in my bed in worry about my son’s safety. I think a lot of service personnel can understand that because some of them have their own kids in whichever branch they join.
“Hey, Mom,” I spoke into my phone as we walked through the airport to catch our flight to Kansas City to join my parents and David and Amber, along with his parents for Thanksgiving. “No, we haven’t boarded yet; the flight doesn’t leave for another two hours. I was calling you to let you know we’re at the airport and should be on our way soon.” Handing Alondra my phone when she was so eager to talk to her grandmother. They try to get out as often as they can to see us, not that they would ever have to buy a plane ticket. I handled that. They just didn’t travel a lot, given their age.
As we sat waiting for our flight. I noted how Alondra was texting like mad to Amber. Telling Amber everything she needed to know with her vast experience as a five-year-old. I noticed that Amber was playing right along. Then I heard the ding of the text that I set for Carson should he have free time to text us. It would seem my daughter was chatting away with the both of them and happy as a clam too. Rising from my seat and taking my phone from Alondra as our flight was ready to board.
“Mom! Dad!” I noted how Catalina’s cheeks got rosy when Amber called out to us as she and David had come to drive us to my parent’s home. I know she and Amber hugged for a very long time. I never interrupted when she and Amber would talk. I could tell from the look on Catalina’s face that Amber needed a woman she could talk to that wasn’t trying to manipulate her. I know Alondra loved the praise from David. After all, he was about to become her brother-in-law.
“David,” I greeted, holding out my hand to him. Which he took then pulled me into that manly one-arm hug.
“These all your bags?” They asked, which I nodded in response.
“The car is this way,” Amber said, holding Alondra’s hand, which she was happy to do. After all, Alondra hasn’t seen her big sister for some time.
“Wait, isn’t that Mom’s car?” I asked as I noted the Buick.
“Yes, they’ve been letting us use it since ours has been giving us problems as of late,” Amber said embarrassment coloring her face.
“What’s wrong with it?” I asked in that fatherly tone of mine.
“Other than being older than I am, the engine went out on us a few days back,” David said in a sad voice.
I looked to my wife; she knew already what I was thinking. Giving me the nod of approval to spend that kind of money which we could afford. I wasn’t about to let them drive around with an unreliable means of transportation. What father wants their daughter stuck in the bad part of town in a broken-down car with no means of getting home?
As we drove towards my parent’s home, I noted the Volvo dealership knowing just where I would be going in the morning, seeing how Thanksgiving wasn’t for another three days. Pulling out my phone, looking up the dealership to see what stock they had on their lot. Listening to the chatter as they talked as I came upon the car, I knew I would be getting for them. It was a 2018 Volvo S60 with a little over fifteen thousand miles on it. While it wasn’t brand new, it was damn near close to it. So I knew they wouldn’t be having car troubles for a while.
My parents were standing outside of their home as Amber pulled my mother’s car into their driveway. Smiling as Alondra squealed out in joy as she raced towards her grandparents, who were just as happy to see her as she was to see them. Catalina and I had a little chat as the opened trunk hid us from my daughter’s and David’s eyes. Seeing her going through the list of what the car offered before handing my phone back to me.
“See, I knew you cared,” Catalina teased when she handed my phone back. “Go, make the call; I’ll see to the bags.”
I noted my parent’s odd looks as I waved to them before walking down the block so Amber or David wouldn’t hear the conversation. Dialing the number for the dealership, my eyes looked around my old neighborhood seeing the changes that had taken place since I was a boy as the line rang.
“Hello, this is Mrs. Huffman; how can I help you?”
“Hello, I was wondering if you could hold the 2018 Volvo S60, the one with fifteen thousand miles on it, until tomorrow,” I spoke into my phone when the very polite woman answered.
“I can, but why not today? We don’t close till nine.”
“You do? I did not know that,” looking down checking my watch, noting that it was four in the afternoon, “can you have it ready to test drive in, say, thirty minutes?” I asked, knowing it would be a very good car for David and Amber.
“I certainly can. May I have the name of whom I’ll be dealing with?”
“Mr. Nathan Hal.”
“Well, Mr. Hal, I’ll be looking forward to seeing you in half an hour.” With that, we hung up, and I walked hurriedly back to my parent’s place. They were still clustered outside, chatting away, waiting for my return.
“Amber, keys,” I commanded, which, to my daughter’s credit, didn’t bat an eye when she tossed them to me. “David, you’re coming with me. Mom, Dad, sorry about this, we’ll be back,” I said, seeing the confusion on everyone’s faces except for Catalina’s. Who just smiled and gave me that approving nod.
“Where are we going? You just got here?” David asked as I backed out of the driveway.
“It’s a surprise,” I said with a smile as I backtracked to the dealership.
“Nathan?!” I heard the surprise in his voice as we pulled into the dealership.
“You and my baby need a car, a reliable car,” I said, cutting off the engine. “And what’s more reliable than a Volvo?”
“But you…”
“Think of it as an early Christmas present from Catalina and me to the two of you,” I said, holding up my hand when he began to speak. “This way, you two will have a car while you decide on what to do with your other one.” As on cue, Mrs. Huffman had the car waiting and standing right beside it, eager to sell.
“Good afternoon, which one of you gentleman is Mr. Hal?” she asked in a polite tone.
“I am, but the car is for my future son-in-law and daughter, so he’ll be doing the test drive,” I said, placing my hand on David’s shoulder.
“I wish my in-laws were as nice as yours,” Mrs. Huffman said, flashing David a smile. “Now, Mr…”
“Callister,” David supplied.
“Shall we take a drive, Mr. Callister?” Mrs. Huffman asked, gesturing to the car.
I could tell David was in awe of all the fancy gizmos packed into the dashboard as he started the car up as I sat in the rear. Got to say it was rather roomy in the back. Listening as Mrs. Huffman listed off all the bells and whistles that came with the car as we cruised down the streets of my hometown. I knew David liked the car when he handed the keys back to her once we had returned to the dealership.
“Please, if you’ll follow me, I’ll get the paperwork started,” Mrs. Huffman said after I made sure with David that Amber would like the car. “Now, how will you be paying for this?” she asked once we got into her little cubicle.
“In full,” I said, handing the woman my debit card seeing the flabbergasted look on David’s face.
“Nathan, that’s…”
“I told you; early Christmas present,” I said with a smirk. After all, I did miss buying my daughter her first car. I do have a lot of time to make up for.
“Wow. My in-laws never bought us a car, lucky,” Mrs. Huffman teased; I kept my chuckle to myself at how red David was getting. “Just let me go run this and get the car detailed for you,” she said, rising from her seat.
I looked over as David’s phone was dinging like mad. “If it’s Amber, don’t tell her anything; I want to surprise her,” I said, seeing him nod.
“Oh, she’s going to be surprised, alright. That is if she doesn’t flip out,” David said, typing away on his phone. “I just told her that you and I were having a little man-to-man talk.” I nodded as he pocketed his phone. “You don’t know how much this is going to mean to her. She’s been stressing out over the wedding bills, house bills, and now the car for the past month. I know this is going to take a load off her mind.” Again, I nodded; I know how weddings could do that to the bride. The Bitch and Catalina were like that as well. Then I saw David’s facial expression change as this curious ring tone played from his phone. Shooting him a look when the words ‘Smack my bitch up’ kept playing. I caught a quick glimpse of his screen that said bitch on it before he declined the call.
“Something you want to tell me before you marry my daughter?” I asked in a protective fatherly voice.
“Yeah, your ex-wife is a bitch.” I couldn’t help myself. I burst out in laughter at David’s straightforwardness.
“That she is,” I agreed. “I take it that was who was calling?” I asked, seeing him nod.
“Yeah, only ring tone I could find with the word bitch in it,” David said, joining my mirth.
“Well, I say it’s damn fitting; wish I had thought of it,” I stated, “it would have been so much fun in arbitration.”
“I can imagine,” David nodded.
“Mr. Hal, here is your card and the receipt, and Mr. Callister, if you could please sign on the dotted lines where you see the red tabs,” Mrs. Huffman directed. I wondered if this was the fastest she’s ever sold a car before as I folded the invoice before stuffing it into my pocket.
While we might not be able to take that vacation, Catalina and I had been planning to Spain; given how I used that money, it was for a very good cause. So I knew my wife wouldn’t be too upset by it. Then again, how could she? She did sign off on it beforehand.
“Mr. Callister, the title for the car should be mailed to you in a few months, and the plate within the week,” Mrs. Huffman said, rising from her seat and shaking my and David’s hands before handing David the keys and the temporary license plate to him. “Thank you for choosing Crown Volvo, and if you have any problems with the car, we’re here to help.” Waving to her as she led us out of the dealership.
“What am I going to tell Amber?” David asked, running his hand through his hair as we waited for the detailing to be done.
A sneaky smile formed on my lips at what popped into my mind. “Here’s what we’ll do,” I said before whispering my plan to David.
It was twenty past six when I pulled into my parents’ driveway with David waiting two houses down for my signal. I saw movement from the living room window of my parents’ home as I walked towards the front door.
“Dad?! Where’s David, and where have the two of you been?” Amber asked heatedly as she stood on the brick porch of my childhood home with my wife behind her, wearing a smile.
“Yeah, Papi, you can’t leave like that,” Alondra said, mimicking Amber’s stance, which, I’ll admit, was adorable as hell.
“Oh, doing this and that,” I mused as my parents joined us. Handing my mother her keys as I hugged her and then embraced my father.
“Dad?!” I couldn’t help but smile at the tone of my daughter’s voice.
“Patience, li’l mouse,” I mused, seeing my daughter’s cheeks heat at the pet name I used for her when she was a child. “You’ll see.” Texting David that it was showtime. Amber didn’t pay attention to the blue four-door Volvo as it pulled along the curb, that was until David got out of it.
“David, what did you do?!” Amber asked, eyeing the car.
“You should ask what did I do?” I corrected her. “I hope you like the car, honey,” I said, watching that annoyance fade to shock, then glee.
“You… bought… us… car?” Amber’s words stumbled off her lips as she tried to get her brain to work.
“Well, Catalina and I did,” I said before I was crushed in that hug of hers.
“Thank you so much!” Amber said happily into my ear.
“You’re welcome, honey,” I said, watching how Catalina held Amber when she hugged her too.
“Don’t you worry about a thing; this is what family does for one another.” I noted how my parents gave me that look, knowing I was never going to live this down. Well, I have said I was an idiot, so you can’t expect greatness all the time. A smirk was on my lips as I watched as Amber jumped from the porch and ran towards David, and leaped into his arms. I could see the relief on my daughter’s face as David spun her around at the fact they wouldn’t have a massive repair bill looming over them unless they decided to fix their old car. Personally, I would junk it if the engine died on them. Probably would cost more to put in a new engine than the car was worth.
Pulling my wife into me as Amber called out that she was going to take a quick spin in it around the block. I nodded in understanding, watching how Amber rushed to the driver’s door. Seeing David shaking his head when Amber said: ‘Get in, you goof, you’re coming with!’ I could tell the moment Amber slid into the driver’s seat she was in awe of all the gizmos before her eyes.
It wasn’t even five minutes before Amber pulled the car back to its former position. We all had waited outside for her to get back. My smile lifted the corners of my mouth at how joyous my daughter acted as she danced in the seat when she cut the car off. Then she bolted out of the car, leaving the door open as she raced towards us.
“I so love you two!” Amber said, hugging both my wife and me at the same time.
“Amber, you’re very welcome,” I noted how Amber looked at Catalina like she had done to her mother before her mother went batshit crazy. “Your father and I are happy that we could help the two of you. I know this will take some of the stress off of you that I know you’ve been feeling lately.” I noted how Amber’s eyes watered at that as she nodded. Wondering what the two of them talked about when Amber would call Catalina. Not that I would pry into their private conversations, I was just curious.
“But you didn’t need to buy such a fancy car?!”
“Fancy?! That’s a standard model,” I joked. “You’ll just have to pay the taxes and the upkeep on it.” I huffed as those arms wrapped around me, hugging me tightly. I didn’t say a word as I just cradled my daughter, seeing how she needed it at the moment.
“Okay, everyone wash up; dinner is almost ready,” my mother said from behind me. Looking down as Alondra took her hand as she led Alondra into the house.
“I must look like a mess,” Amber chuckled as she wiped her eyes as David came to stand at her side.
“Nonsense, you’re beautiful as ever,” David said, laying on the charm. Catalina and I left the two love birds so Amber could gather herself as we headed in.
We were halfway through our meal when Amber’s phone rang from in the living room. She would have just ignored it, but whomever it was just kept calling. Excusing herself as she got up from the table and hurried into the living room. I tried not to eavesdrop, yet the moment Amber uttered the word ‘Mom,’ old habits came back.
“No, I told you this Thanksgiving David and I are having it with his parents and that we would see you on Christmas. Well, I don’t care if that doesn’t suit you. Take it or leave it because we aren’t going to be home that day.”
“How would I know if Dad will be in town. I haven’t talked to him since you chased him off, remember?” I looked down when Catalina placed her hand on my left forearm and shook her head when she knew I was about to get up from my seat to confront my ex-wife. “Why do you care anyway, isn’t that new man you’re seeing not living up to your expectations?” I arched an eyebrow when I saw the sparkle in Catalina’s eye at the tone of my daughter’s voice. “Hey, I wasn’t the one calling in the middle of dinner and kept ringing my phone until I was forced to answer it, interrupting my dinner with Papa and Nana.” Hearing my daughter’s frustrated ‘Ugh!’ from the living room. I could relate to it. My eyebrow rose once again when I noted that proud smile on her lips.
“Sorry, you had to hear that,” Amber said with an embarrassed look as she reentered the dining room.
“Honey,” laying my hand over hers as she retook her seat, “has she been giving you problems?” I asked in a concerned voice.
“A little, she’s under the impression you’re back in town. I don’t know who told her that, but it wasn’t me,” Amber said; I noted how her eyes begged me to believe her.
“I don’t care if she does or doesn’t know I’m here. What matters is the way she treats you. Do you want me to have a word with her?”
“No,” shaking her head, “I can handle Mom,” I noted how Amber glanced to Catalina, “I don’t want this week ruined because of her.”
“Okay, but if she gets too much, you let me know, and I’ll snap that woman back so fast she’ll sue for whiplash,” I said, patting my daughter’s hand.
“Thanks, Dad,” I noted her reddening cheeks as we finished enjoying our meal.
When it was time for Alondra’s bedtime David and Amber hugged her for a long time before I led her off to my old bedroom, where Alondra usually stayed in, given it only had a twin-size bed in it. Catalina and I would be using the hide-a-way bed in the study that used to be my cousin’s room when his folks got into a very rough patch and lost custody of their son to my parents until he turned eighteen. I knew he still talked to my folks daily; I don’t know if he does with his own. Not that I can blame him; if I remember correctly, his father got sent to jail for cooking meth or some such thing. Amber and David left around ten that night, seeing both of them had to work in the morning but promised to be over the moment they both got off their shifts.
The week rolled on, and no sightings of the Bitch cropped up. Which I was thankful for; I don’t know who would have taken a chunk out of her hide first, my wife or me, if she thought to show herself. It would have been an amusing sight, I assure you. When Thanksgiving rolled around, my mother, David’s mother, and Catalina banished me to the living room. David was chatting away with my father and his father joining in as the football pre-game show aired. Amber was on the floor playing an old board game with Alondra as the fireplace crackled. As I looked around the room seeing the three generations under the same roof, I couldn’t think of a more heartwarming sight. I looked down when Alondra came to my side and took my hand into hers.
“Come play, Papi,” Alondra said in that loving voice of hers.
I have to admit it; at first, I was dreading going back home. Not because of my daughter; no, it was the ‘I told you so’ my parents would give me for being so damn stubborn. Sometimes it’s a good thing to be proven wrong. David’s parents were nice people, although I didn’t like how David’s father eyed my daughter when she called me Papi. Still, I wasn’t going to make a fuss about it at the dinner table. Not on Thanksgiving; my mother would kill me if I ruined Thanksgiving. Yet, I made a note to keep my daughter away from him in the future. It wasn’t lost on me that Catalina noted that look as well. Unlike me, she had the grace to hide her glances. Once dinner was over, I pulled Amber into my old bedroom and asked what was the deal with David’s father while Catalina kept Alondra close to her. Okay, kick me in the ass for thinking the worst of the man. It wasn’t because he was a racist or a child predator; no, it was because Alondra had a resemblance to the daughter they had lost around the same age as Alondra. I fell down to my old bed, dropping my face into my hands to assume the worst of the man. I wouldn’t know what I would do if I lost one of my daughters and another couple had one that looked similar to my own. It must be tearing that man up inside.
Other than making a total ass out of myself, the holiday wasn’t so bad. I know Catalina and David’s mother hit it off after I told her in private about what Amber had told me. I know David’s father was very attentive to Alondra whenever she would ask him something. I even saw him playing cards with her one time. I knew the man was letting Alondra win on purpose. So I let them be and ambled out the back to help bring in some firewood for my father.
“Need some help?” I heard David’s voice behind me.
“Could use an extra hand,” I chuckled. “Load me up, Doc.”
“That enough?”
“Should be,” I nodded. “So you didn’t tell us you had a sister.”
“Yeah, we don’t talk about her too much,” David said, dropping his gaze. “I know Mom and Dad nearly divorced after her passing.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up painful memories.”
“It’s okay; I know the way my dad acted set your hairs on end. He gets like that sometimes, but he doesn’t mean anything by it,” David said, trying to reassure me.
“No, I get it; I would probably be a nervous wreck, curled in a ball in the corner of a padded room somewhere if that happened to one of my girls. It couldn’t have been easy for them going through that,” I said; I don’t know how I managed it with a load of wood in my arms, but I did as I patted David on the back. “Alondra, what are you doing, you goof,” I teased as she chatted away with David’s parents, who were listening to every word. Nodding my thanks to David as he unloaded my arms and stacking them with the others so my father could have his fire going through the night if he so chose.
“Talking,” Alondra giggled.
“Oh, you are, are you?” I mused. I nearly dropped the last pieces of wood on my foot when a spider crawled out of the gaps between them if it wasn’t for David’s quick thinking in getting it onto a stick and tossing it into the fire. “My hero,” I teased, getting a laugh out of David’s parents. Sitting down on the couch, calling my daughter to me, and resting her on my lap. “And just what are the three of you talking about, hmm?”
“Everything!”
“Everything?! You don’t say,” I said, smiling at my daughter as she used her arms to depict the whole of her knowledge. I noted from the corner of my eye at how smitten David’s mother was with Alondra. I know she must be thinking about the daughter they had lost.
“Mmmhmm,” Alondra nodded.
“You have a lovely daughter,” David’s mother, who I learned was named Meredith, said as she looked at the two of us.
“I can’t take all the credit; that honor goes to my wife,” I said, knowing my spider-sense was telling me she was standing behind me within earshot. “But I do love this munchkin,” I cooed, tickling my daughter, who was laughing like mad.
“You wouldn’t mind if we take a picture of the two of you, would you?” David’s father asked, pulling out his cell phone.
“We don’t mind,” I replied once I made sure with the little monster in my lap when she shook her head. I watched how Meredith leaned against her husband, resting her head on his shoulder as they stared at our picture. Helping Alondra down, watching her amble over to them to see how good she looked in the photo. I noted how they looked at me before they picked her up, which I nodded. Watching how Meredith nestled Alondra between her and her husband as they just chatted away with one another.
“Can I get you two something to drink?” I asked, rising from my seat, listening to my dad snore in his turkey coma. “I’ll just be a moment.”
“So, what do you think of them, Dad?” Amber asked when I entered the kitchen as she, my mother, and Catalina were chatting at the kitchen table.
“Not bad folks, but they’re going to be your in-laws, not mine,” I said, patting Amber’s shoulder as I went to make David’s father, who was named George by the way, and Meredith a drink.
“Yeah, but you’re coming to the wedding, and I want you all to get along.” I felt my daughter’s eyes on my back as I filled their glasses with ice.
“Other than that little misunderstanding, I don’t see a reason we would…” Then the world turned cold as I heard that voice from the past coming through the front door as she knocked rapidly on the door. I turned to go put that woman in her place for ruining this day, only to see my daughter surging from her seat.
“I’ll handle it Dad, if Mom knows you’re here, she won’t leave,” Amber said, marching towards the front door.
“What have you been teaching my daughter?” I asked, looking at my wife, who had a coy grin on her lips. It wasn’t lost on me that my mother was smiling into her glass.
“This and that,” Catalina said vaguely.
“That so?”
“Mmmhmm,” arching an eyebrow when Catalina sat all proper in her chair, “you don’t have to worry about that woman holding sway over her any longer,” Catalina took her own sip of her drink.
“Please, tell me you didn’t teach her how to be as feisty as you are?” I uttered feigning a sigh as I pinched my nose.
“I… that’s not nice, Nat,” Catalina grumbled, puffing out her cheeks when she caught on that I was only messing with her. “I thought you would be happy.”
“I am; it’s good you helped her to get her confidence back. At least I know she has two mother figures looking out for her,” I said, praising my wife and mother. Seeing my wife blushing hard at that.
“Well, she’s my daughter now, and women in this family are strong-willed,” Catalina said, regaining her composure.
“Don’t I know it,” I said under my breath as I carried George’s and Meredith’s drinks out to them.
“What was that?” Catalina’s voice trailed after me.
“Nothing, honey,” I called back.
“Better be nothing.” I knew she only said it in jest.
“Papi, who is that woman? She doesn’t seem like a happy person,” Alondra asked, peering out the window through the crack of the curtains.
“No one you need to worry about. Now what have I told you about spying on other people’s conversations?” I asked in a fatherly voice as I handed the two of them their drinks.
“But David is watching; why can’t I?” Alondra pouted.
“Because David isn’t watching to spy on them, he’s watching to ensure Amber will be alright,” I stated, seeing David nodding along.
“Is she a bad person?” Alondra asked innocently, unaware that the stranger was my ex-wife.
“I think she is,” I said, noting how David’s parents were staying out of it.
“But what did she do?” Alondra asked with the curiosity of a five-year-old.
“Leave it alone, Alondra,” I said. She must have noted the look in my eyes, for she didn’t say another word about that woman again.
“God, she pisses me off sometimes,” Amber hissed as she stormed back into the house and buried herself in David’s arms. “Sorry, Dad, I didn’t mean to curse with Alondra in the room. I’m sorry Papa, George, Meredith that you had to be here for that,” she said, looking around the room when I peered back at her.
“Amber, are you alright?” I asked, knowing her mother was a touchy subject.
“I will be,” Amber sighed, hugging David tight.
“Young man, are you trying to take liberties with my daughter?” I asked in a teasing light as they kissed. Noting how David’s parents were trying not to laugh.
“I am,” David said with a smile on his face.
“Good.”
“Dad?!” Amber gasped.
“What? This is 2021, no sense in being stuck in the 1900s, live a little,” I said, embarrassing the hell out of my daughter; after all, isn’t that what parents do when their kids are in love. “Although, I do wonder if his thoughts are pure enough for my girl,” I mused, tapping my chin, watching my daughter’s face go through various shades of red as I continued my teasing.
“I assure you, Nathan, they are not.” I chuckled when Amber slapped his chest, telling him not to play along with my antics.
Dinner was a hoot as we all gathered around the table to have the leftovers from lunch. Laughter and stories abounded as we all swapped one story for another. With Alondra chiming in telling them all about our trip to the beach and the zoo, while Catalina let on that, we were thinking of taking a trip to Spain sometime next year, after the wedding, of course. Although it didn’t seem that Amber was surprised by the news. After all, she and Catalina had become thick as thieves over the months. Then we said our goodbyes to David’s parents, then to Amber and David, promising to spend that Friday together before we flew back to Charlotte on Saturday. When the time came to leave, there were a lot of hugs to go around, knowing we wouldn’t be seeing each other till March unless they flew in to see us on Christmas. Which I hoped they would but knew Amber wouldn’t not if she didn’t want to deal with my ex-wife for being left out. Personally, I say she could rot in Hell, but Amber is the one that has to live in that town with her, so I didn’t want to rock the boat and leave her to deal with the mess.
The next twenty-one days were brutal on me as I was on edge to see my son. Carson was planning on flying in on the 19th and leaving on the 26th so he could save the rest of his leave for Amber’s wedding. Not that I cared, I would have my boy with me for six whole days. That was six days more than I have had with him in seven years due to my stubbornness. I know Catalina got a little annoyed with me. Still, she didn’t say anything, given she knew I was on pins and needles as I, along with Catalina and Alondra, waited for Carson’s plane to arrive.
“Carson! Carson! Carson!” Alondra shouted in joy at the sight of her half-brother as she bounced on her feet beside her mother. Waving her hand wildly as we waited for my son to make his way through the throngs of bodies.
“Go on, Amor,” Catalina whispered, giving me that loving smile of hers as she nudged my arm.
Carson’s bag dropped to the ground as his pace quickened. We crushed each other in a very tight hug as I held my boy in my arms like I had done long before his mother went insane. “Look at you,” I said. Pride filled my eyes as I held my son’s face in my hands. “You’ve grown so much!” I tried not to tear up, I tried, but this was my boy, wouldn’t you?
“Come on, Dad, don’t embarrass me in front of Mom.” Even if my son was a grown man now, I could still see that little boy I raised. Although, I did wonder when my kids started to call Catalina their mother. Not that I was opposed to it, it was just a pondering that probably would go unanswered.
“I hope your flight was uneventful, Carson,” Catalina said when she joined my side, getting her own hug in from my son.
“It was; thank you for everything.” I arched an eyebrow when I heard my son whisper that to Catalina. I wondered just what my son meant when he said that.
“It’s what family is for,” Catalina said, rubbing his back. “I’m always going to be here for you two, so don’t you hesitate to call.” I noticed how my son was hugging her tighter when she said that. I looked down when Alondra tugged on his pants when she too wanted her own hug as she held out her arms to him.
“Hello, li’l sis,” Carson greeted as he squatted down and hugged his sister tightly to him. I noted the ‘Wow’ when Alondra patted Carson’s right bicep when he flexed his muscle for her. I still think I got my son beat. I might be old but not so old that my son can beat his old man.
“Carson, what are your plans when you get out of the Army?” I asked as we walked back to my car.
“Thinking of becoming an engineer.” I heard the matter-of-fact tone in his voice when he answered me.
“Oh? Is that what you are in the Army?” I asked, peering over at him as he walked beside Catalina.
“No, I’m just a grunt,” Carson said, shaking his head.
“You looking at schools?”
“I got a few in mind.” I saw his nod.
“Maybe we can help you narrow them down,” Catalina said in that loving tone, which I nodded along.
“I have one in mind, but I don’t know if you’ll go for it.” I noted how my son slyly eyed me.
“Oh, and where would that be?” I asked as I popped the trunk of my car.
“Duke.” I stopped in my tracks as that name left my son’s lips.
“What did you say?!” I uttered, trying to keep my voice steady.
“I know it’s not close, but it’s closer than California, and I thought, maybe you’d be alright with me coming…” I heard my son’s huff as I hugged him abruptly.
“Of course, son, you can come home anytime you want, you know that,” I said with a trembling voice. “I can’t promise you you’ll keep that figure with the way Catalina cooks.” Feeling my wife playfully slapping my arm. Yet I knew from that smile she was thrilled as well.
“You sure? I don’t want to…”
“Carson, you’re always welcome in our home; it’s yours and Amber’s home too,” Catalina cut in with that warm motherly voice of hers as she lightly touched my son’s right arm.
“Yay! My brother is coming home!” Alondra squealed as she did a little dance.
“I’m so glad you two said that.” I arched an eyebrow when I noted the stress leaving his shoulders. “I already got accepted into it for the start of fall semester there next year.” I could only laugh, laying my arm along his shoulders and pulling Carson into me. Seeing that blushing face of his as I bestowed my fatherly pride on him.
“Well then, let’s get you home; Amber and David are so going to be mad they lost the guest bedroom,” I chuckled as I stowed my son’s bag in the trunk of my car.
******
“Here,” I said, holding out a beer for my son as he leaned on the railing of my balcony, looking out upon the city. “You’re old enough, don’t give me that look,” I uttered when my son looked at me and the beer in my hand.
“Just never thought I would be able to do this with you,” Carson spoke, taking the bottle from my hand.
“I didn’t either,” I admitted. “Glad I was proven wrong.”
“Catalina seems to love you a lot,” Carson muttered offhandedly.
“As do I.” Turning to wave at her as she puttered around in the condo while Alondra colored in her coloring book at the coffee table.
“Dad, about that day…” Carson’s words stilled in his throat as I placed a hand on his shoulder.
“It’s okay, Amber told me; your mother should have never put you two in that kind of situation. That isn’t how a parent should act. I just never knew she would sink that low to wrangle the two of you into her schemes to keep me as an unknowing cuckold. So let’s not worry about the past and focus on the here and now, okay?”
“I can get behind that,” Carson said with a warm smile as he tapped the neck of his beer bottle against mine. “So Dad, you two planning on having any more kids?” I nearly spit out my beer when my son asked me that.
“Don’t you do that!” I chided, wagging my finger at my son. Who was just smiling like a fool. “Have you been talking to Catalina?” To this, my son just nodded. “We’re going to try after your sister’s wedding. But I don’t know Carson; by the time Alondra is in high school, I’m going to be in my sixties.”
“So? Does that matter if you are or aren’t?” My son did make an excellent point.
“And you’ll be alright with another brother or sister?” I asked, leaning on the railing.
“Yeah, our family might have imploded, but you were always a good dad. I can’t say the same about Mom.” I rubbed my son’s back as he sighed.
“What your mother did is solely on her and no one else. So don’t trouble yourself over it,” I said before taking the last sip of my beer. “Come on, lunch should be ready,” I spoke, taking my son’s empty beer bottle from him.
“What we having?”
“Carnitas, you’ll love them, I promise,” I said with a warm smile as I led my son back into the condo.
“Oh, this is good.” I watched as my son groaned in enjoyment as he took his first bite of his carnitas. “What’s in this?” I saw how he looked to my wife like a child seeking his mother’s knowledge.
“Pork, just pork, a little seasoning, but pork mostly,” Catalina answered with that smile of hers. “Please, if you’re still hungry, there is still plenty more for you to enjoy, although, if you are, I’d get to it before your father does.” I shot my wife a glance when she winked at my son, who sat beside Alondra. Who blew me a kiss, I knew she was so overjoyed that my two adult children enjoyed her cooking. I watched how Alondra told Carson how to fold it so that the filling wouldn’t fall out when he took a bite. Noting the wide smile on Alondra’s lips when Carson asked if he had done it right. I took heart to know that my children were getting along with one another despite their age differences. I knew Alondra got lonely sometimes with being the only child in the house. It warmed my heart to know that she could now speak with her siblings when that happened.
“Son?” I warned when he reached for the hot sauce.
“Relax, I can handle it; Mom’s got me hooked on it,” I noted how Catalina’s face was burning when my son smiled at her.
“What have you done to my son?” I asked in a teasing voice.
“Expanded his pallet, don’t blame him because he has excellent tastes,” Catalina said, turning her nose up at me.
“I think we need to have a discussion about this later, in the dormitorio,” I said in a sinful tone.
“Oh? Is that so?” Catalina replied with a purr.
“Oh yes, a nice azotaina is in order,” I said low so Alondra wouldn’t hear me. Noting how my wife’s nostrils flared, how her breathing quickened, to the way that blush colored her cheeks as the flames of her hunger burned in her eyes.
“I look forward to it,” Catalina said in this sexy tone before taking a bite of her rice. It wasn’t lost on me on how Carson was looking at the two of us during it as he chewed his bite. Before that smile appeared on his lips, and went back to his meal.
When Christmas came, as all children are on that day, Alondra was there at my bedside at far too damn early in the morning on my day off with that look on her face that it was time to open presents. I wonder if children have this network for such events so they could freak the ever-loving shit out of them when their parents were still half-asleep.
“Thanks, Mom,” Carson yawned as he took his cup of java from Catalina. What can I say Catalina wore the mantle well, nor was I ever going to stop my kids from calling her that. After what Amber had told me, I figured they needed someone that actually treated them like their child. After breakfast, we all gathered around the living room. Alondra raced around giving out presents to each of us and setting her pile off to the side. I got my son a very expensive watch with a time zone setting set to the east coast while the main face was on pacific time. However, the gift I gave my wife other than the pearl earrings and necklace, not the kind you’re thinking of, but I do give her those as well, but that’s neither here nor there. What truly had my wife perplexed on that Wednesday morning was the set of keys she pulled out of a velvet box I had placed them into.
“Nat?!” Catalina gave me that look as to explain.
“Well, you’ve always wanted a large family, you never said it, but a husband knows,” as I spoke, I saw her eyes widening, “and well, this condo isn’t large enough to house our family and the future members to come,” I stated, placing my hand on her stomach as she looked down at it. “I know my fretting about this entire month got on your nerves about Carson coming in, but that was also to keep you unaware of what I was doing as I was in talks. You do have a way of sniffing out things,” I spoke, a smile touching my lips. As her mind raced to comprehend what I was saying.
“You bought us a house!” Catalina shouted, leaping up from her seat.
“I did, I knew the bank had some foreclosed houses just sitting around, and I took a look through them until I got to one big enough for our needs. The bank and I worked out an agreement to take the payment out of my checks, so we don’t need to worry about a mortgage. We can move in after the first of the month,” I said, watching how her emotions were all over the place before she squealed in joy and leaped into my arms.
“You’re going to love the place, Mom,” Carson said, smiling at the two of us.
“You knew!” I couldn’t keep my smile from showing as Carson bowed his head in embarrassment.
“I did; Dad took me to it on Monday to see if I’d like staying there when I came home on the weekends.” I bit my lip at how small Carson’s voice was when he said that. My hand moved along my wife’s back as she rose from her spot and walked over to Carson. Keeping my curious look to myself when Carson had this look in his eye, a look that Amber had on Thanksgiving when she looked at Catalina, that reminded me when he would look at his mother when he was a small boy as Catalina took his face in her hands.
“Did you like it? Good,” Catalina cooed after Carson nodded as she hugged him. “We want you to come home as much as you want, Carson. Our home will always have a place for you and Amber in it; never forget that.” Taking a dry swallow when those brown eyes of hers cut to me. “Now you are going to show me this house you bought us.”
“Now, where are we going?” Catalina asked me as I started up my car.
“Belmont,” I answered, backing out of my parking space at the condo complex. Which I was going to rent out since we own it outright. I know the traffic would be bad going in the mornings. Still, really, that condo already felt small when Amber and David came to visit, and I wanted all my children to be able to come home and know they would have a place for them to stay.
It took about thirty minutes to reach Belmont due to the light traffic on I-85 and another ten to reach the old district where the house was located. I heard my wife and daughter gasp as I pulled up the concrete driveway and into the attached garage to the two-story, red brick house. Black fixed shutters lined the windows, while old, the house had been brought up to code so there wouldn’t be any cold drafts leaking in.
“How big is this place?” Catalina asked as she got out of the car as the garage door came down, bundling herself deeper into her coat.
“Four bedrooms in the main part of the house, with three baths, and an apartment over the garage. I was thinking of letting Carson stay there so when he comes to visit us, he doesn’t have to worry about waking us if he arrives late,” I said, pointing at the side door and the stairs that lead up to it. Seeing my wife nodding along.
“You wouldn’t mind that, Carson?” Catalina asked, peering at him as my son stood at her side.
“No, I think it’s a good idea. I’ll try not to bring too many girls home,” Carson spoke, causing me to snort in amusement.
Leading them into the house proper and unzipping my own coat given how the heat was on, watching my wife move around the large kitchen, noting how, which I could only assume, she imagined how it would look when we got the appliances in. Smiling as my daughter mimicked her mother as Alondra went about examining the bottom cabinets like Catalina was doing with the overhead ones. Watching Alondra running around the empty living room, laughing like mad at all the space. I showed my wife the only bedroom and bath on the ground floor, which I told her I thought it would be a good place for Amber and David whenever they visited us again. That way, they would have their privacy to do… what couples do. Seeing her nod of agreement.
“You know we’re going to have to christen this place,” Catalina whispered lustfully into my ear as she snuggled up to me.
“Oh, I’m so waiting for that day,” I replied; hell, wouldn’t you be?
“Now show me the rest,” Catalina purred, pressing those heavenly breasts into me. That impish smile of hers was on her lips when she noted how I adjusted myself. What can I say? My wife has that effect on me.
“Alondra?!” I called out as me, and my wife neared the stairs.
“Yes, Papi?” Alondra’s voice filled the house as she raced towards us while she was playing with Carson.
“Let’s go see your new bedroom,” I said with a smile as Alondra nodded very vigorously. Wincing as my daughter squealed in laughter as she spun around her room that sat on the west wing of the house down the hall from the master bedroom. Showing the room I thought could be the baby’s room if we have another while Alondra explored her new accommodations. Kissing the top of my wife’s head as she rested her head on my chest. I knew she was picturing the new bundle of joy as she stared into it.
“It’s perfect, honey,” Catalina sighed in happiness. “Now what I really want to know is what does the master bedroom look like?” she spoke with this coy grin on her lips as those libidinous brown eyes gazed up at me.
“Thought you would never ask,” I retorted, matching her smile.
“Look at all this closet space!” Catalina squealed before dashing into the master bath. “Oh. My. God! It has a jacuzzi tub!” I noticed how she was already sitting in it when I walked in. Noticing how the lights of the bathroom that ran along the black marble that surrounded the roundish tub meant for two people that sat on a raised platform. The standing shower sat off in a corner with the toilet facing it while the duel sinks lined the wall next to the tub. “Why, Mr. Hal, I do believe you’re trying to seduce me. You know I’m a married woman, right?” Catalina cooed at me while batting her eyelashes.
“Such a shame a beautiful woman like you needs to be wined and dined, and maybe some nighttime activities in that tub,” I said, playing along, wiggling my eyebrows.
“I don’t know. Do you think you can handle this hot, sexy Latino woman?” Catalina purred, thrusting out her chest as her fingertips lightly ran down the cleavage of her breasts. Giving me that look, I knew all too well; the same look that always makes my cock stand on end, and she knew it too.
“Oh, most definitely,” I said with firm determination. Watching how those eyes of hers flared in hunger and how she bit her lip while I teased her by running the tips of my fingers along my hard rod that I had placed against my left thigh; because we (men) know how annoying it can be when you’re hard as fuck while walking around and your pants don’t provide enough room for such things.
“That so, Mr. Hal.” My heart raced, my cock throbbed like mad when Catalina rested on her knees, her hands pressed on the marble as those eyes of hers bored into me. Her sweater hung open, taunting me to peer down into that darkness to ponder on the treasures that lie beneath it. Noting how that taut ass of hers wiggled in the reflection of the window tempting me to delve into that paradise that I know oh so well. “Are you telling me you’re going to take me here in this tub over and over again? Making me howl in bliss as you take me as your woman?” My head bobbed like mad as her hand ran along her firm backside. “Good, you better, you shouldn’t leave your woman wanting for her man’s touch,” Catalina purred as her tongue flicked against her teeth.
“I’d never do that; that’s just a crime against nature,” I uttered truthfully. Watching her smile widen at the events to come in our future.
“You dirty old man, getting me all hot and bothered like this,” Catalina cooed, posing herself in the tub as one hand ruffled her hair as the other cradled her breast. I’ll admit I nearly blew my load at the sight.
“I’ll make sure to take full responsibility for my transgressions,” I said in a sinful tone.
“You best, or you won’t be getting any of this for a while.” I groaned in my head as my wife teased her mound through her pants as she rocked her hips. “Honey, does the water work?” I noted how she quickly got out of the tub.
“Yeah, why… oh, one or two?”
“One,” Catalina uttered, doing this little dance.
Pulling out some of the tissues I keep in my coat for when Alondra had a runny nose on cold days like today. Handing them to my wife before shutting the bathroom door behind me. Alondra and I strode down the stairs hand in hand, arching an eyebrow at how red my son’s face was.
“Something wrong, son?” I asked once we got down to the ground floor.
“It’s… nothing, don’t worry about it,” Carson muttered, unable to look me in the eye.
“Son?!”
“I kind of overheard you and Catalina talking. I didn’t mean to; I was just coming to see how she liked the place.” I simply just chuckled at my son’s plight.
“It’s okay, son, no shame in that,” I said lightly, patting his shoulder as we both stared out the living room window at the neighborhood that would soon be our new home.
“Carson, show me this apartment of yours,” Catalina said as she gracefully sauntered down the stairs.
“Sure, Mom,” I noted the happiness in his eyes when he said that.
“I approve,” Catalina mused with a nod as she peered around the open floor space. I noted how Alondra darted into the small bathroom that sat in the far right corner that the equally small kitchenette was butted up against. “We’ll go shopping for you when you move here.” I watched how my wife gently rubbed my son’s back as he nodded along. I noted how Catalina pulled out her phone as it chirped. “Honey, if we don’t leave, you know my parents are going to be upset if we miss Christmas lunch,” Catalina stated, peering over at me.
“Then we best get moving,” I nodded.
“Umm… you sure you…”
“You are coming, too, Carson, you’re a part of our family now; get used to it,” Catalina said lightly, patting his cheek before slipping her arm around mine as we headed towards the stairs.
*******
The moment we arrived at her parent’s place, we were greeted very warmly. However, Carson was showered in hugs and very pleasant greetings all around. I noted how Catalina’s uncle, who was going deaf, took a shining to my son given he too was a former serviceman; he joined the Marines during the desert storm days. I had no earthly idea what they were talking about when they began speaking in military jargon. Nodding to my son as he was led off into the crowd by the firm hand of Catalina’s uncle while my wife and I went off to greet her relatives while Alondra zoomed off to play with her cousins. I was chatting away with Hector and one of Catalina’s cousins as I slyly noted how she would glance at me while she softly spoke to her mother and sisters before the three of them squealed in joy. I saw the approving smirk on my sister’s-in-law lips when she gazed at me.
“Amigo!” Roberto exclaimed, bringing me into a warm hug.
“How’s it going?” I asked, patting my brother-in-law’s back.
“Doing good, I can’t complain. How’s having your son home?” I noted the smirk on his lips when he asked me that. Like everyone there, they all thought I was foolish and stubborn in how I acted for the past seven years. I couldn’t say they weren’t wrong on that matter.
“Good. Glad he’s getting out of the Army soon,” I admitted, seeing Hector nodding in understanding.
“Oh? What’re his plans once he does?” Roberto asked in a sincere tone.
“He’s going to college,” I said in that proud fatherly tone.
“Where?” Hector asked, joining the conversation.
“Duke,” I answered with a smile on my face.
“Will he be coming home?”
“I hope so,” I nodded to Roberto. My eyes glanced to the left of Hector, seeing my son trying to get my attention. Excusing myself, I eased around my family members and headed off towards my son. I looked down at how my son took hold of my arm and dragged me off without an explanation.
“Dad, who is that?” Carson asked; I heard the keen interest in his voice as he pointed out the window.
“That’s Maria…” I thought it was Maria until I noted the small star tattoo on her left wrist when she brought her hand up to her face and the sleeve of her sweater slid down her arm as she talked to one of her many cousins. In my defense, they were identical twins. Maria was married, Rosa was not. “Sorry, my mistake, that’s Rosa; why?” I asked, seeing the confused look on his face. “Maria is Rosa’s twin sister,” I supplied, watching how Carson mouthed, ‘Oh.’
“Dad, what does…?” I kept my amusement from my face after it took Carson a while to enunciate what Rosa had said that he happened to overhear. I have to say I was a little flattered that a twenty-year-old thought this old man was handsome when she stated that my son was just as handsome as I was, or that’s what I took from it.
“Tell me, son, why are you trying to speak Spanish?” I asked, knowing Catalina’s family didn’t take too kindly to anyone knowingly belittling their language.
“So I can talk to Mom and Alondra.” At this, I couldn’t help but feel my smile lifting the corners of my lips.
“Who’s been helping you?” I inquired. Carson was too good for a beginner to know how to roll his ‘Rs’ like he had done, so I knew he had to have someone helping him like I did. However, like me, he was struggling with it as well, as I did when I first started to learn.
“A buddy in my unit, once I told him why I wanted to learn, he was more than happy to help,” Carson said in this bashful tone.
“Carson, there’s nothing to be ashamed of in wanting to learn Spanish,” turning as I saw my wife through the doorway, our eyes met, I watched that smile lifting her lips, “I learned because I loved that woman,” nodding in Catalina’s direction, “the moment she walked into my office and told me to pull whatever had crawled up my ass out of it.” I grinned like mad when Carson belted out a laugh.
“But how do I talk to her? I don’t want to sound like an idiot, you know?” Carson sighed, turning his attention back out the window. “Dad?!” His head snapped towards me when I motioned for Rosa to come to talk to me.
“Relax, son, I’m just lending a hand,” I mused; I was so loving that look on my son’s face. Who says being a parent isn’t fun? Just think of all the embarrassing moments you can put your child into, like right at that second?!
“Si, Nathan, querías verme?” Rosa spoke once she had appeared in the doorway.
“Would you mind speaking in English while my son is just now learning, it would be rude to continue this conversation with him not understanding a word of it,” I stated; I noted how Rosa’s eyes glanced over to Carson, and a soft smile appeared on her lips.
“Yes, of course, Nathan, what shall we talk about?” I noted how she immediately caught on to why she was there. I knew if she wasn’t interested, then she wouldn’t have stayed or spoken in English, given how it’s been banned from the gatherings unless my children were in town.
“Hola,” Carson spoke, stepping forward and holding out his hand, “I would like to say more in Spanish, but, well, I’d rather not mangle it and have you thinking I’m an idiot.” I arched an eyebrow at my son’s opening remark. Not something I would have gone with; nonetheless, it appeared to be working.
“Hola, Carson, you’re father has spoken a great deal about you,” Rosa replied, and that was my cue to skedaddle.
“What’s going on in there?” Catalina asked the moment I reached her side.
“Oh, you know, two kids from different worlds, finding each other in the darkness of night,” I mused with a broad grin on my lips.
“I hope they get along; Rosa needs a good man,” Catalina said, wrapping her arm around me as we listened to how her sister’s trip turned out when she went home to Mexico for vacation.
The moment it was time to head home, I went searching for my son only to stumble into what appeared to me as a rather steamy make-out session. “Have him home before midnight,” I teased before either of them could say a word when only surprise-filled their faces at being intruded upon. Rosa nodded as her face heated, knowing what I was saying and knowing I meant it. Shaking my head, chuckling to myself as I walked down the hall. Who knew my son could move that fast?
“Where’s Carson?” Catalina asked, looking behind me for my son.
“Él está siendo Romeo para su Julieta,” I whispered in Spanish into her ear.
“Oh?!” Was her only response as her eyes lit up at the news.
“She’ll bring him home,” I said, leading my wife and daughter out the door after waving our goodbyes to them.
It was eleven on the dot when a soft knock came on my condo door. As I opened it, there stood my son, the grinning fool. Shaking my head when he uttered: Best Christmas ever!
“You know if you cheat on her, you best stay on the west coast,” I stated as my son walked towards the bedroom. A wicked smile formed on my lips as that stopped my son in his tracks. “Rosa will kill ya, no lie.” To this, my wife nodded along, who had stayed up with me to wait for my son to return.
“You’re joking, right?” Carson stammered.
“Oh, no, Rosa has a worse temper than Catalina does, well you do,” I said, looking over at her when she pouted out a ‘Hey!’ “And Rosa doesn’t like cheaters. Her father did so on their mother and ran off with the woman. So if you think this has any chance of going anywhere. You best keep that in your pants,” I spoke, giving my son my fatherly advice.
“I understand, Dad, thanks for the heads up; I’m not going to be like Mom,” Carson said with firm determination. I was a little proud when I saw the truth in my son’s eyes. “Thanks for taking me along; your family is wonderful, Mom. I’m going to turn in, night Dad, Mom.”
“Night, Carson, I’m glad you had fun today,” Catalina said, getting up from her seat.
“Night, son,” I spoke, watching my son heading off to his room, knowing tomorrow would be the last time I’d see my son till March.
“Come, Amor, let’s head to bed,” Catalina cooed as she snuggled up against me. Hey, like I ever was going to turn down the chance to go to bed with that woman. If I did, that means I’ve been replaced by a pod person because no sane man would do that.
“I love you, Dad,” Carson said as we hugged as we stood in the airport.
“Love you too, son. You take care of yourself, you hear?” I responded as I lightly patted his back.
“Of course, because I got to watch out for my li’l sis, ’em boys will be coming out of the woodwork soon,” I noted how my daughter blushed when my son smiled down at her. “No es un adiós, solo hasta luego, Alondra.” I saw how my wife smiled when Carson spoke those words as he hugged his sister goodbye.
“You promise to be safe?” Alondra asked with a trembling voice.
“Promise,” Carson nodded. “You watch out for Dad, you hear?” A loving smile formed on my lips as my daughter straightened out her back, squared her shoulders, placed her hands on her hips, and nodded firmly.
“You call us the moment you land; I’m going to worry until you do,” Catalina uttered in a loving voice as they hugged.
“I will; you have my word,” Carson said; I noted how he was holding back his emotions just like my wife was. I have noticed ever since that day, the day Amber called me out of the blue; Catalina no longer called them her stepchildren but her son and daughter. I saw the pride in her eyes when she did. I pondered on with her help, we could reverse the damage their mother had inflicted on them since I wouldn’t go along with being her damn cuckold. “I’ll see you all in March!” Carson called out once he was through the checkpoint.
“Bye, son!” I called back with a raised hand.
After that, life was hectic with getting the condo packed up and coordinating with the movers, along with getting the house in Belmont neat and tidy with all the boxes. Also, with finding renters in subleasing our condo, which turned out to be one of her co-workers in the accounting department she works in. The man needed a place far from his wife, who he was divorcing — get this on the grounds of adultery, small world, huh? — and he needed a place large enough for his two kids and close to work so he wouldn’t have to see his wife. So I was happy with working with him to come to an agreeable rent payment. Then there was the talk of if I wanted to do the yard work and the upkeep or hire someone to do it. Luckily, my wife solved that problem when she called Roberto since he ran his own lawn care business. Which he employs many of his nephews. We still pay him just at half price of what he normally charges. He’s going to help Catalina pick out what kind of plants she wants planted in the front and back of the yard when it gets warmer.
Alondra loved her new home, yet the first few weeks, she would crawl into our bed in the night. I can’t blame her, new — well, old — house, strange noises in the night. Could spook any five-year-old, then the night came when she went to her own bed and stayed the entire night. And yes, Catalina and I did break in that tub quite often, and I loved every damn second of it. I know she did, too, given the amount of moaning she did when I had her writhing on my pole. I talked to my kids once a day, if not more, depending on how busy they were with their own lives. I noted quite a few times Catalina walking around the house chatting away with one of them. The day after Carson left to head back to his base, I told Amber about the house. She was so ecstatic to know that she and David had their own room here should they ever visit again. However, all their traveling plans were on hold for the moment until after the honeymoon. I can’t blame them. I know the wedding was taking a hit on their wallet, given how Catalina and I had stepped in a few times to pay for things when they were short. I know my parents helped out as much as they could. Nevertheless, I had a sickly feeling growing inside of me.
I just couldn’t place it at first yet as the days grew long and the date of Amber’s wedding approached. I had a distinct feeling my slut of an ex-wife was going to do something to ruin it. I know Catalina sensed my mood. I know it was irrational; then again, this is my ex-wife we are talking about. Rationality wasn’t something the Bitch was known for. Catalina assured me that even as poor of a wife the Bitch was even she wouldn’t do something to ruin Amber’s wedding. I knew she meant well; moreover, my wife never met her, never spent time with her, so she wouldn’t know how vile that Bitch could be. As the day arrived for us to fly out a few days before the wedding so we could attend the rehearsal dinner I hid my fears under a mask of happiness as Alondra skipped towards the terminal. With her mother and Rosa tagging along, which I found strange. That was until I noted the very rosy cheeks Rosa sported when my gaze fell on her. I had wondered if what I saw at Christmas had gone any further than that day. It would seem it did. Hector wanted to come, but due to a blood clot problem, he was forbidden to fly, and he didn’t want to drive the fourteen hours it would take to get to Kansas City by car. So he opted to stay home and give his ticket to Rosa, who was very eager to go.
“Rosa?”
“Yes, Nathan?” I noted how her eyes glanced sideways at me as we continued to the terminal.
“Are you and my son dating?” I asked in a fatherly voice.
“Si. I hope you aren’t upset,” Rosa spoke; I could feel in her words that she was seeking my acceptance.
“Go easy on him; I doubt he’s ever been in love with a Latino woman before,” I said, casting her a friendly smile. Watching her and Catalina’s mother chuckling at my reply, Catalina just lightly smacked my arm but was amused as well.
“I shall try; he’s like his father, sweet, kind, and handsome,” Rosa sighed, to which Catalina nodded along in agreement.
“But also a guy, we’re idiots sometimes.” This again got hoots of laughter out of the women.
“So you don’t have a problem with us dating?” Rosa asked shyly as we sat down, waiting for our flight to board.
“No, I don’t; as long as the two of you are happy, that’s all that matters in the end,” I said, feeling my wife’s hand slipping into mine. “However, you hurt my boy; you’ll have to deal with his mother,” I stated, jutting my thumb towards Catalina, who wore that motherly smile oh so well.
“I understand,” Rosa nodded firmly.
“So, how long have you two been dating?” I asked, curious to know. What parent isn’t?
“Since after New Year’s. It’s hard with him being away, and I knew what I was getting into when we started this; I’m just so eager for him to come home for good.” What can I say? So was I.
“I know, we are as well,” I nodded in agreement. “You know he’s going to Duke in the fall.”
“Mmmhmm, and I think that’s great,” Rosa replied, yet I got the feeling she was holding something back from me.
“So you two got any plans for when he comes home in the summer?”
“Oh, I have plans, a great many plans.” With that sultry look I saw in her eyes, I knew my son had better watch out. He might just get eaten.
The moment we saw Carson standing there waiting for us, Rosa dropped her luggage and ran into my son’s arms. Which Catalina and her mother picked up. I had to clear my throat at how passionate that kiss was as they seemed to be in a world of their own. Although, I was impressed that my son’s Spanish had greatly improved since Christmas as he greeted his step-grandmother, Catalina, and Alondra in it. Catalina only gave him some minor pointers when he got the pronunciation of a word wrong like a mother would; otherwise, I could tell she was pleased with his progress. I looked to Rosa, who looked away innocently.
“Hey, Dad,” Carson greeted me with a warm hug.
“How you doing, son?”
“Can’t complain, better now.” I saw how he glanced at Rosa, who blushed like mad when my son pulled away. “I’m going to drop the three of you off at grandma’s, and you two will be staying with Amber and David.”
“What about you?” Rosa asked; I watched how quickly she moved up to his side.
“I am so not going to subject you to my mother; no one deserves that.” This I couldn’t agree more with.
“I don’t care, Carson; I want to spend time with you.” The way she was looking at my son kind of reminded me of how Catalina did when we first started dating; you know, in that over the moon phase, I’m not saying she still doesn’t get that look. Still, it was gradually faded out with that sultry come hither look of hers.
“Rosa, you sure about that? You’re walking into a minefield,” I warned.
“I can handle her, Nathan,” Rosa said with the look I knew the Bitch wouldn’t know what hit her if she pushed Rosa.
“Don’t say you weren’t warned,” I sighed. “Carson, if she gets to be too much, you call me. I’ll straighten her out.”
“You sure, Dad? You know what Mom would do if she knew you were in town?” I noted the worried look on his face when he glanced at Catalina.
“I don’t care what she will do; I’m not about to let her mess up your sister’s wedding day,” I said sternly. I saw from the corner of my left eye at how the three women stared at me in confusion.
“Nat, she would…”
“Sorry, Mom, but you don’t know her; she would do it in a heartbeat if it meant getting to you,” Carson said, looking right at me.
“Okay, why, what’s her fascination with me after all this time?” I asked, finally bridging that inquiry.
“She still thinks she can wrangle you back and keep sleeping around like she’s always done.”
“She isn’t getting my husband, ever!” Catalina growled; I wondered if she finally realized what kind of person the Bitch truly is like.
“That’s never going to happen; she should have learned that the moment I left her that day. Yet seems I must show her that I definitely traded up,” I said, smiling at my wife as I wrapped my arm around her.
“Yes, yes, you did; if you see her, you better tell me,” Catalina said, peering up at me.
“Oh, you think I won’t? Catalina, the only thing I feel about that woman is anger, not at what she did to us, but to our children, nothing more,” I said, reassuring her.
“Good, because I’m not giving you up, ever!”
“Glad to hear it,” I said, watching her cheeks heat as I palmed her ass. Carson led us out of the airport hand in hand with Rosa after taking back the bags she had dropped with Carson carrying the other in his free hand. “Carson, isn’t that…?” My voice trailed off at the sight of the minivan.
“Yeah, David’s mom is letting me use it to shuttle you all around while you’re here,” Carson said from over his shoulder.
“Ah, that was nice of her,” I stated.
“Yeah, she’s a nice lady.” I heard my son’s agreement.
“Oh, no, Rosa, you can’t sit back there; how else are you going to distract my son?” I asked with a devious grin on my lips. Hearing my son’s ‘Dad!’ and the giggling of my mother-in-law and wife from within the van.
“Nathan?!” Rosa gasped bashfully. I was so amused with myself as Rosa’s face turned into a ripe tomato. Yet, she didn’t hesitate to slide into the front passenger seat when I held the door open for her.
“Well, son, we’re waiting?” I uttered once I slid the door closed. Catalina softly chided me for teasing him so much. Although, I could see she was amused as well.
We dropped Catalina’s mother off at Amber’s first all so we could see her. Which as you can guess, there were lots of smiles and tears between Amber and Catalina. David and I shared a manly handshake before turning it into our patented one-arm hug. Thanking Catalina and I for the help in getting everything paid for their big day. Then I stood back as I watched my daughter teasing her brother, asking if Rosa was the one he just couldn’t stop talking about. I have never seen my son’s ears get so red before. I should have brought popcorn with me. Then, when the sibling banter was over, Amber greeted Rosa like a sister. David was his gentlemanly self. Promising Catalina that they would take care of her mother while she was staying with them. Although Amber did voice the same concern as Carson and I did when she learned that Rosa would be staying with him at their mother’s place. Nevertheless, Rosa reassured Amber that she could handle the Bitch. I don’t know about that. We’ll see how she survives the first night there.
Carson and I spoke privately in the driveway of my parents’ home. Seeing him nodding along, getting his reassurances that he would call if something when down during the night. Waving goodbye to them, still, I just couldn’t shake that feeling in my stomach.
I didn’t learn until I woke up the next day that something did indeed happen; however, it wasn’t who I thought would rock the boat. Whoever the Bitch was seeing at the moment though it wise to sample Rosa’s goods when Carson wasn’t looking. From the way my son tells it, he rushed into what used to be my kitchen when the man was trying to forcibly kiss her. Calling Rosa all kinds of names that I knew she wasn’t any of them. I think the man was more of a lover than a fighter, as the saying goes, as Carson dropped him like a sack of potatoes. Now comes the very, very strange part, the Bitch’s reaction to it all. It had me on edge, the moment my son told me as I stood out on my parents’ brick porch. That cunt had to be up to something; I just know she was up to something. What that was, I couldn’t say at the moment. Carson mirrored my thoughts.
“So, what are you going to do?” I asked as my thumb, and index finger pinched my lower lip as I tried to suss out the Bitch’s motives.
“I would get a hotel room, but then I can’t keep an eye on Mom if I did that. She’s too overly nice to Rosa. It’s damn creepy.”
“Tell me about it,” I sighed, rubbing my hand against the back of my head.
“Shit! She’s coming; I’ll call you later.”
“Okay, son,” I got out before the line went dead.
“Everything okay, Amor?” How the sound of her voice always seems to lift my mood whenever I hear it.
“Is now, when my angel appears,” I said sinfully, noting that bashful look as she brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear as she blushed. Wondering if she remembered that night, I know I do. I relive it whenever I close my eyes. However, whatever my wife was about to say was interrupted by the shrill ring of my cell phone. “Carson?”
“Nathan, get out of there! Carson’s mother learned you’re here. I’m sorry, I let it slip. I didn’t mean to. She overheard us, and Carson couldn’t stop her.” I noted Catalina’s worried look on her face when I knew she noted the instant change in my demeanor.
“Rosa, you have nothing to apologize for. It was bound to happen. You just let me deal with her. You and Carson go out for a nice breakfast, alright?” I spoke, keeping my tone as calm as I could. Yet, my grip was tightening on my phone.
“You sure?” I heard her indecision in her voice.
“Very, tell Carson to take you to the spot I used to take him for breakfast when he was a boy. You two just enjoy the morning. Don’t let this moment ruin your time together.” I slid my phone into my pajama pocket, filling that anger I felt seven years ago resurfacing.
“Honey, what’s wrong?” Catalina asked in a concerned tone.
“La desgraciada is coming,” I growled as I marched into my parent’s house. If I was going to speak with her, I would rather do it in pants. I never used that word around her when I referred to the Bitch, so I knew she was taken aback by it.
“Amor, you don’t have to speak with her,” Catalina pleaded with me. However, I knew she would just dog me the next three days if I didn’t. I’d rather get this blight over with as soon as possible.
“It’s now or the…” Biting my tongue to keep my voice low and not to let Alondra hear me curse, “will make a scene at Amber’s wedding or the rehearsal I’m not about to do that to Amber. I’d rather do this on my terms and not hers,” I stated firmly as I tugged down my fresh, clean shirt as I surged from the bed.
“Okay, but why that shirt?” Catalina asked, eyeing me suspiciously. I couldn’t blame her; it did, after all, show off my now defined chest rather well.
“To show her what she threw away and what she will never have again because I already have the perfect wife,” I answered with a coy smile. “And I don’t plan on ever losing her.”
“Then you finish this today; I don’t want to ever see that face ever again,” Catalina said in a loving, tender voice as her hand caressed my left cheek.
“It never will with you around,” I whispered as I lightly kissed the palm of her hand. I watched her eyes quivering as I did. Her lips offered no resistance when I leaned in to taste their velvety goodness. The tips of my fingers ran along her stomach as I eased around her. My footsteps carried my love for my wife. The tension in my muscles burned in the years of our lives together. My resolve to finally get the Bitch out of my life once and for all was the foundation of the faith my wife had in me to see this done alone, and I wasn’t about to disappoint her. Blowing out a breath when I heard the tires squeal as she came to a halt in front of my parent’s place as I walked out the front door.
“Hi, baby?!” the Bitch greeted. I noted how her eyes ran down my chest as she mouthed, ‘Oh my.’
“You do not call me that, understand?! It’s Nathan or Mr. Hal to you. I thought I established that when I left your ass,” I growled as I marched towards her.
“Nat, come on, that’s in the past. Can’t we just get past that and be a family again? I’ve learned my lesson. I promise no more men, I swear.”
“You can’t even stop, can you? Wait, of course, you can’t,” I sighed, shaking my head.
“You’re right. I was a bitch, and I was stupid. But can’t you see it in your…” Her voice died in her throat as I brought up my hand, showing off the platinum wedding band on my left ring finger.
“As you can see, I have a family, and I’m not about to return to that hell you called a marriage so you can go slut around and have someone to support you while you do. You might have fooled me before, but those days are over.”
“Nathan, please, let’s just go somewhere and talk. I know I can refresh your memory of just how good we were together.” I heard her vocally shudder as she touched my chest before I took hold of her wrist.
“Get your damn hands off, my husband!” I heard Catalina shouting from behind me. Smirking at the Bitch when she yanked her arm from my grip.
“You should run along back to the house you like to spread your legs in before my wife steps off that porch,” I spoke, feeling Catalina’s support flooding into me. “And trust me, that is something I’d definitely like to see.”
“This isn’t over Nat, I will get you back; you can count on it! And that bitch can never give you what I can.” I knew she did it on purpose when she pushed her breasts into my chest. It was always her main ploy to get what she wanted from me. Unlike then, she got no reaction from me, nor will she ever. That honor belongs to the woman behind me.
“See, unlike you, I don’t cheat, so you go on living in that delusional world of yours. You couldn’t keep to your vows, and now you have to deal with the aftermath. Now get the fuck off my parents’ property and don’t ever come back,” I growled low.
“Oh, my poor, poor Nat, what has that woman done to you?” It would seem she has indeed lost her bloody mind. Seeing how I don’t think she heard a damn word I spoke. “Don’t you worry, baby; I haven’t given up on us. I know you have to keep up appearance for her sake. But I know you still love me.” Yep, she has definitely lost her mind if she thinks that. “We do have seventeen years together.” I held up my hand to stop my wife when the Bitch ran her finger down my chest. Knowing Catalina, she was about to murder the Bitch, and I would rather not have to visit my wife in prison, seeing how there are no conjugal visits. I would die if that were to happen both physically and sexually. “After all, we have seven years to catch up on, and you do have this hard body for me to ravish. But I’ll go; I wouldn’t want to upset your parents. I’ll be in touch, Nathan. We do have a daughter to see off on her wedded bliss. You never know; we might just have our second honeymoon as well.”
“Yeah, I’d rather cut off my on dick before that even happens,” I muttered as she tried to entice me with that swaying ass of hers.
“You shouldn’t say such things to your wife Nathan its quite hurtful. But I’ll forgive you this time, bye baby, I’ll see you soon.” My skin crawled when she blew me a kiss as she slid into her car.
“Catalina?!” I huffed as her hands tore at my shirt to rip it off my body. Arching an eyebrow as she spat and cursed at my shirt as she stomped it into the ground.
“Let go of me!” Catalina growled as she tried to twist out of my grip. “You still love her!” Her head shot back when I threw my head back and laughed loudly at the absurdity of the notion. “Then why did you…”
“Because I know you, I know every inch of you,” I lightly ran my fingertips down the left side of her face, resting the palm of my hand over her heart. “You would’ve killed her. I know it, and you know it.” Seeing the truth in her eyes. “I wasn’t about to lose you. If me having to defile myself to keep you safe and acting foolish, I’d gladly do it again. You mean more to me than she ever did. Do you feel that?” I asked, resting her right hand over my heart. Letting her feel its frantic beat whenever she was near. Seeing her weakly nod, “You, only you, make my heart race like this.” Taking her other and placing it on my manhood which as it started to harden, like it always does at the feel of her touch. “And only you get this to rise with but a simple touch.”
“Then…”
“She must have gone insane over the divorce because Hell has to freeze over before I even think of ever getting back with that woman. Honestly, why would I? I already have the most perfect woman for me. No one can ever take your place, not here,” tapping my temple, “or here,” I said, resting my hand over hers that still sat over my heart. “In all these years we’ve been together, have I ever given you a reason to doubt me?”
“You promise she’s out of your life, and there are no lingering feelings?” Catalina asked, her eyes searching mine.
“No, the only thing I feel towards her is pity,” I said truthfully.
“I’m sorry, Nat, I didn’t…”
“Shh, it’s okay, you got upset because you love me; I love you too,” I said, hugging my wife close. Feeling her smiling against my chest.
“Get a room, you two,” Amber teased from her open car window when she crawled to a stop. “Dad, why are you standing bare-chested in Papa’s yard?”
“Your mother dropped by.” I saw how Amber’s face paled.
“And the police weren’t called?!” Amber asked, looking at the two of us.
“No, this smart man stopped me from doing something foolish when she laid a hand on my husband,” I rubbed her back when she held me tighter, “as to why your father’s displaying this body to the world. Well, I wasn’t about to let him wear anything she touched.” I was so thankful the Bitch kept her hands above my belt. Otherwise, I would rather not miss my daughter’s wedding for indecent exposure.
“And why aren’t you raving mad?” Amber asked, confused.
“Because how could I be? I have my wife in my arms; how could I be mad when your mother is not even a blip on my radar,” I said; I wasn’t trying to demean her mother in front of her.
“You really mean that?” Catalina asked, peering up at me.
“Of course,” I uttered, leaning down, my hand lightly caressing Catalina’s right cheek. Our lips melded as they always have ever since I’ve had the very fortunate privilege of feeling their touch. “You’re stuck with me; there are no refunds.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Catalina whispered before sucking on her lower lip. “Amber, can you please dispose of this in the garbage for me,” she directed, holding out my shirt to my daughter.
“Wait just a second now, that’s my…”
“I’ll buy you a new one, and the only one you should be showing these off to is me.” I heard the hunger in her voice as she ran her hand down my chest. “This hard body is only for me to drool over,” Catalina said, gazing up into my eyes as she pressed her chest into me.
“True, although I would have thought you would want your eye candy,” I said with a coy smirk.
“Only when we’re alone,” Catalina teased. “Come, Amber let’s have breakfast before we girls jet off to the spa,” she said, holding her arm out to my daughter once she closed the lid of the trash can. “Nat?! Don’t stay out here all morning; you’re my sexy thing to look at.” I simply shook my head with a smile as my wife and daughter walked into my parents’ home.
“Dad?” Carson’s voice called out as I was doing some yard work for my father later that morning in the backyard.
“Hey, something wrong?” I asked when I saw that look on my son’s face, also noting how Rosa had tagged along.
“What did you and Mom get into?” My son had this accusing, quizzical look on his face. Which had me greatly perplexed, I might add.
“Other than she has this crazy idea she can win me back?” Seeing Carson nod, “I told her I don’t cheat and to stay the hell off my folk’s property. Why?” I asked, resting the head of the mattock on the ground while I leaned on the butt of the handle.
“Then you need to hear this,” Carson said, handing me his phone after opening up his voicemail for me.
“Baby! Your father and I are getting back together! Isn’t that great! Oh, my God, he looks so good! You should have seen him, so… hot! I know you don’t want to hear me talking about your father like that. I know these last seven years have been trying on us, with your dad running off like he did. But he’s home now, and we’re going to be a family again. I know he thinks he loves this woman he’s with, but really, we all know who he truly loves. Me!” Instantly my anger burned in my veins at the sound of that giggle of hers. I couldn’t listen to any more without getting sick all over my shoes.
“I have no idea where the hell she got that from, but I assure you there will never be a chance that we get back together, not in this century or the next. Your mother obviously has a screw loose,” I said, handing my son his phone back.
“I just had to make sure, can never be too sure with Mom.” I just nodded when my son sighed and pocketed his phone.
“Don’t let Catalina hear that message; I rather not have my wife in jail for murder,” I said sternly.
“Already deleted it.”
“Good, now come, help your old man, Rosa might like watching you get all sweaty,” I said, grinning madly as I lifted the mattock to my shoulder. I noticed how Rosa’s eyes were giving Carson a once over as she hummed an ‘Mmmhmm.’ I tell you, I have never seen that boy pick up a tool faster than he did that day as we set out to plant a few bushes and clean out my mother’s flower beds. By the time we were done, we both were sweaty and tired. “Don’t wear him out!” I called after them as Rosa hurriedly dragged my son off towards his borrowed van. Chuckling remembering the days of my youth when I was just like the two of them. However, as I turned my gaze to the back door. Standing in the open space was my wife, who had that same look in her eyes as Rosa did. Walking hurriedly towards the door when my wife beckoned me with that finger of hers, knowing we had the house to ourselves for a while, and I was never going to pass up shower sex with her. I’m old; I’m not stupid.
The rehearsal dinner went off without a hitch, how you ask, given how my ex-wife clearly has gone off the deep end? Simple. She didn’t bother to show. Which I enjoyed greatly. Where she was, I didn’t know or care to know. As long as she wasn’t there to ruin anything, I say that’s a win-win in my book. The next night David and Amber were whisked off to have their parties of the last night of their single lives. I just hope the two of them don’t do something they would regret in the morning. Amber stayed at my parents’ house when her friends dropped her off after their bachelorette party, sleeping in my old bed while Alondra slept with her mother, and I being the ever so thoughtful Dad, got the couch. When the time came, Carson pulled up in the van with Rosa and my mother-in-law with him as we set out for the church they were having their wedding at.
“You look, beautiful, honey,” I said while Catalina, her mother, and Rosa all fretted over her. Oddly, her bridesmaids were too busy with their noses in their phones to pay attention.
“Thank you. Daddy,” Amber said, trying not to tear up as she hugged me. “At least some people are paying attention,” she bemoaned, shooting daggers at her friends, who quickly put away their phones. Then the calm before the storm broke as the Bitch’s voice filled the air as the room Amber was given to use opened.
“There’s the handsome husband of mine.”
“Please, Dad, don’t. Not today,” Amber whispered, peering up at me when I knew she could feel how instantaneous my body tensed up at the sound of the slut’s voice.
“Relax, honey, I’m not about to do anything to ruin your day,” I said, smiling down at her as I rested my hands on her shoulders.
“Nat, Nat, Nat, you don’t call, you don’t come to see me, you don’t even text, I’m hurt…” I noted how the bridesmaids instantly brought out their phones again. I also noted how Catalina’s mother had a hand on my wife to keep that temper of hers in check.
“Mamá, who is that?” Alondra asked in that child-like innocence.
“Well, hello…” Her words died in her throat the moment I spun around, causing her to take a few steps back. Okay, I’ll admit the Bitch still looked good, even if I would never fuck her again.
“You do not speak to my daughter, do you understand? What part of I want nothing, I mean absolutely nothing, to do with you do you not comprehend? You. Were the cause of our marriage collapsing. You. Were the one that couldn’t keep those legs closed. You. Were the one that had someone else in our bed on our anniversary and had the audacity to ask when I was coming home to take you out of for it. Has it never occured to you why that was? Because the moment I saw that, I knew I meant nothing to you other than a live-in babysitter, nothing more. You can’t even take responsibility for your own actions; you had to wrangle our children into your schemes! How far are you willing to sink?! Oh, I know for certain how far you’re willing to sink, too. Amber told me all about it. Be very, very glad we’re in a church right now,” I saw the genuine fear in the Bitch’s eyes as I marched up to her. For I am certain if we weren’t, then that Bitch would be lying dead at my feet. “Otherwise, I’d strangle that scrawny neck of yours for trying to get our daughter to sleep with one of your callers for the night. So either shut up and stand over there and don’t say a word or leave this room.”
“There’s the asshole I know; you make me so wet when you do this.” I have to be thankful that she didn’t say that above a whisper, one for my daughter’s sake and two Catalina would have gone ballistic. “Don’t worry, baby, I know it’s all a ploy; I’ll play along.” How my skin crawled and my cock sought to make itself into an innie when she winked at me.
“Mom?! Come on, there are some people that want to talk to you,” Carson said, strolling into the room and taking the Bitch by the hand.
“Of course, baby, I do have to set a good example for my daughter. Have you seen your father; doesn’t he just look so handsome…” I nodded to my son when he mouthed, ‘I’m sorry’ to me as he led her out of the room.
“Sorry, honey, I didn’t….”
“That was awesome!” Amber giggled.
“I think you need to get your mother some help; it doesn’t appear she hears a word I say,” I sighed, rubbing the back of my head.
“Mom’s been like that since… you left, and I know she has been forced to see someone. She kind of went crazy for a while. Mom,” spinning on the ball of her foot, “help make me look pretty like you for my husband.”
“Amber, you’re already beautiful,” Catalina said in a motherly tone. “But I’ll help to bring it out even more, so that wonderful man of yours will know whom he belongs to,” she spoke, yet her eyes were always on me. I had the feeling it was meant for both of us. Of course, I knew who I belonged to; there was never a doubt in my mind.
I thought I’d never do this; I mean walking Amber down the aisle like I was doing at that moment. How I’m so very, very happy that she called me that day out of the blue. Otherwise, I might have still been stubborn and missed this day altogether.
“I love you, honey,” I whispered to her before I gave her away to David. Who nodded to me when I placed a hand on his left arm.
My mother placed a hand on my arm when I sank down between her and Catalina, who was dabbing her eyes as Amber and David ascended the few steps together to stand before the priest. Alondra was nestled in-between David’s parents; what can I say? She’s taken a liking to them as I know they have with her. I could feel the Bitch’s eyes on me the entire time; however, I never once made eye contact with her. I was very glad Carson kept her at the other end of the pew. I knew that mustn’t have been easy for him. The reception after the wedding was very sweet. It hurt to see my daughter all grown up and ready to start her own family; nevertheless, that is life. Nothing stays the same forever. Although the real entertainment for me was watching the Bitch running out of the hall, David and Amber had rented crying like mad. When we all heard clearly when Carson shouted in anger: Why do you think I joined the Army?! To get away from you! You’re nothing but a lying, cheating woman, and everything that asshole did to you is way less than what you deserve for what you did, and made us do, to Dad! I would say I felt sorry for her, but then again, she did bring this on herself.
After the reception, we saw Amber and David off to start their honeymoon. Catalina and I, along with David’s parents, bought them a very nice honeymoon as their wedding present. The next day, after saying goodbye to my parents and my son, the five of us flew back to Charlotte. Where we, too, have to get on with our lives. I only found out about what happened to the Bitch only in passing when Amber made some offhanded comment about having to go pick her mother up from the hospital. It seems that after our departure, the Bitch nearly drank herself to death and was placed in a psych ward for observation. Not that I cared, but she is their mother, so I have to deal with her for the foreseeable future. After all, I do have a son to marry off. Who, by the way, showed up at my doorstep arm in arm with Rosa on May 31st. I was a grinning old man right then as I hugged my son tightly. It would also seem I was to be a grandfather and father almost the exact same time. It seems this old man still has the juice to knock my wife up, and apparently, Amber miscounted her days, and well, you know how those things go. It’s amusing sometimes to watch my three-month pregnant wife chatting away about baby items and whatnot with my equally three-month pregnant daughter. Seems Spain is just going to have to wait a while.
And so, Rosa became a permanent figure in our family. Carson is doing well in school, to which I’m sure Rosa is a great help with. But I’ll let your mind wander on how much. I know Alondra’s never been so happy before with a whole houseful of people she can endlessly talk to. I have to say life is good.
The End.