Skeletons (18 page)

38

Santana

A
few days after our conversation at the hospital, Mike and I decided to take the kids to Incredible Pizza and to my surprise I actually had a terrific time playing around with them and talking to Mike. It wasn’t forced so the pressure was off of me to try to make us seem like a picture perfect family.

On the drive home, Mya wanted to know why they were staying at their grandparent’s house instead of at home and I told them that I just need some alone time.

“Does that mean that you don’t want us any more mommy?” she cried.

“No I will always want you Mya, it just means that mommy has a lot of pressure on her and I just needed a break.” I said.

“Just like you take a time out from playing, grown-ups need a time out from time-to-time as well.” Mike said softly.

Malik was too busy texting while listening to his iPod to even hear what we were talking about.

“I had a great time tonight.” I smiled.

“Yeah, me too. Do you mind if I drop the kids off first so that they can get showered and settled in for the night?” Mike asked.

“Go right ahead.” I said, “I want to say hi to mom and dad anyway.”

“Mom hasn’t been feeling too well lately.”

“Oh, has she been to the doctor?”

“Yes, but I don’t think that it was good news.”

“Is the cancer back?”

Mike shook his head yes as he looked in the rearview mirror at our sleeping daughter and oblivious son. “This time it is more aggressive.”

I put my hand to my mouth, “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Please don’t mention it you know how private my parents can be.”

Mike turned up the music as we rode to his parents’ house. His mother was happy to see us together again, but the smile on her face didn’t hide the sick that was ravaging through her body.

“It is good to see you.”

“Hi mom.” I said hugging her tightly.

“Well, well, well…” Mike’s father said as he came into the foyer of the large house. “It is good seeing the two of you together as a family, as God intended it.”

“Hey dad.” I hugged him while ignoring the last comment.

“Dad, I am going to put Mya in bed.” Mike said to his father as he carried Mya upstairs, “Malik come on and get in the shower.”

I embraced my teenaged son and said, “I miss you baby.”

“I miss you too mom.” He said without looking up from his important text message.

“Boys and their toys.” Mike’s mother said as we walked into the formal sitting room, “How are things?”

“Things are going okay.”

“Now you know that I don’t normally get busy in you and Mike’s business, but this separation scares me Santana. I love you like a daughter, but Mike is my son and I don’t want to see him get hurt.”

Shocked by her statement I said, “I don’t intend to hurt Mike; we are just working through some problems.”

“Work through them together not apart.” Mike’s father spoke. “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice. And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

Mike walked into the room and cleared his throat, “Mya is in bed and Malik is in the shower; are you ready to go?” he asked me.

“I remember when I first met you; I think that you were fifteen years-old and you were just a shy pretty little thing, but I knew it then that my son had found his wife.” Mike’s father spoke, “You did good son, now keep doing good and you two work this mess between you out.”

Mike’s eyes went to mine.

“I have ten brothers and two sisters and we were all married and stayed married until death did a few of them part. Mike you and Santana made a promise before God, honor that promise son.”

“We are trying dad.” Mike said.

“Good night mom and dad it was nice seeing you again.” I said nervously as I stood to leave.

“It was nice to see you too; hopefully the next time we see one another it will be on better terms.” His mother said as she hugged me. “Good night.”

It was hard going home alone, but I needed more time to sort out what it was that I was doing with Tabitha and what it is that I wanted for myself.

“I need to run in and grab a few suits.” Mike said when we pulled up to our house.

“Mike you don’t have to explain it to me; this is your house too.”

When we got into the house I walked into the kitchen while he went to the bedroom that we once shared and got a few suits out of the closet. I’d poured myself a glass of wine and was standing by the island by the time that he came back down stairs.

“Since when did you start drinking wine?” he asked.

“I have always enjoyed a glass of Moscato or Pinot Noir, Mike.” I answered.

“Well we never kept it in the house.”

I changed the subject, “I had a nice time tonight; we haven’t laughed that much in a long time.”

“We really miss you Santana.” Mike walked over to me with hunger in his brown eyes, “I have really missed you.”

“Mike I…”

Before I could get anything out he pulled me to him and kissed me with the appetite of a starved man and the passion of a lustful mind. Startled, I dropped the glass of Moscato sending it crashing onto the ceramic tile floor where it shattered at our feet. Normally Mike would’ve been livid and like a mad man rushed to clean the broken glass up, but tonight he was someone else. Releasing me for only a moment Mike looked deep into my eyes then down at the buttons on my cashmere cardigan. With a sweep of his hand he grabbed the sweater and ripped it open exposing a laced pink tank top underneath. Kissing my neck and collarbone Mike began working on my trousers as he fumbled with the belt and buttons. I hadn’t seen Mike behave this way in such a long time, but I did not stop him nor slow him down.

Once inside of my pants Mike took his fingers and played with my freshly shaved pussy and smiled. Seeing my usually sedate husband behave this way turned me on; I began undressing while he took off his shirt and pants. We looked like two horny teenagers. Kissing my mouth Mike pushed me against the kitchen island lifting me on top of it where I wrapped my long legs around his body. He dipped low and began sucking my clit first softly then with aggression. With my nails entangled in his curly hair I threw my head back as I could no longer hold in the cries of pain and pleasure that spilled out of my mouth. His dick was as hard as concrete as he slammed into my body vehemently. I backed up, but he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me back to him forcing me to take each and every inch of his manhood and each and every thrust of his dick.

“Oh God!” I screamed, “I am about to come!”

“Come for me baby!” Mike moaned as he pounded my body.

Closing my eyes I could see every color of the rainbow, hear every sound in the heavens and taste the sweet sweat that poured down my forehead onto my lips. I gripped his back as the muscles in my thighs and arms contracted, but that didn’t stop him he only dug deeper. I couldn’t understand the sensations that were running from my spine to each of my limbs, but I didn’t care. Mike burrowed deep inside of me holding my legs around his body; he looked at me like a mad dog in heat as he geared up to explode inside of my body sending his own body into a convulsion.

“Shit Santana!” he screamed. “I love you!”

We laid on the cold, hard floor intertwined in each other’s arms, surrounded by articles of clothing with shallow breaths, pounding hearts and sweaty brows. Looking at me with softness in his eyes my husband smiled and began playing connect the dots with the light freckles that made a path across the face like he has done so many times before. We didn’t speak because there was nothing that needed to be said.

The following day at the office I received a phone call from the company’s bank regarding my Visa card. The representative said that they were concerned by unusual purchases on my account and they needed to see if they were valid.

“Five-hundred, thirty-two dollars and fifteen cents was spent at Saks Fifth Avenue in Frontenac, three-hundred, ninety six dollars and nine cents at BCBG also in Frontenac.” He said.

My mouth hit the floor when he told me the charges for hotels and restaurants that have been made over the past few days. I couldn’t believe that I was so naive as to trust Tabitha with my credit card. Then I remembered the mysterious phone call that I’d gotten a few months before and how I should have taken that as a que to get out.

After telling the representative that I lost my credit card and to deactivate it I went to Tabitha’s desk, but she was gone. Furious I walked back into my own office and dialed her cell phone, but I got her voicemail. I should have known better. Mike wanted us to have lunch together so as I was heading out to meet him for lunch I put a sticky note on her computer screen:

We need to talk.

“What’s wrong, you seem agitated.” Mike asked.

“I lost the company credit card.” I answered.

“Oh, well have them deactivate it until you find it. I’m sure that it is at home. Maybe it is on the kitchen floor.” He winked.

I smiled.

“I miss you so much Santana.” He said holding my hand.

I smiled once more.

“These past few days have been so hard on me and on the kids. I want us to work this out and I want our family back, but I just can’t take the secrets any longer.”

“Mike I understand all of that, but you have to understand that I can’t take feeling unwanted and unloved either.”

“I do love you Santana.”

“You don’t show it.”

Sighing Mike admitted, “I guess that I settled into the comfort zone and was kind of ignoring you lately, but baby I promise you that will change. Just be honest and tell me that you are not seeing another man behind my back.”

I looked him in his pleading eyes and said, “I swear that there is no other man.” In my mind it was not a lie because Tabitha was not a man.

“What about the Visa bill?”

“I am sorry; I’ve been shopping and going out to eat a lot lately. I guess that I have been running from our problems.”

“Baby there shouldn’t be anything that we can’t discuss with one another.”

“I know, but I am tired of arguing.”

“I am sorry for my part in this whole thing, but you are my life and I want to make this work. I am in this for life.”

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Tabitha come into the restaurant holding hands and laughing with another woman. When she saw me looking at her, she whispered something to the woman then made her way over to our table, but not before letting go of her hand.

“Hello.” She smiled, “Hi Mike it’s nice seeing you again.”

Trying to hide my fury I forced a fake smile and said, “Fancy seeing you here.” As my eyes darted from her to her older friend then back to Tabitha again.

“My friend asked me out to lunch and you know that I am not one to turn down a free meal.”

Mike looked at Tabitha with contempt.

“Yeah I know how you are.” I said dryly.

Tabitha’s eyes went from Mike then back to me in an uncomfortable silence, “Well I guess that I will see you back at the office.”

“Is she with that woman?” Mike asked in disgust as he looked at Tabitha and her friend snuggle at their booth.

“I guess.”

“I can’t stand to watch it.” He said beckoning the waiter for the check.

“Watch what Mike?”

“I can’t understand why a woman would turn to another woman or a man to turn to another man. It’s ungodly and disgusting.”

I knew that Mike didn’t care of the homosexual lifestyle, but I never knew how much it disgusted him. The look of disdain was written all over his face.

“If one of my children were to tell me that they preferred the same sex, I’d never speak to them again.”

I swallowed my tilapia with a hard gulp, “I never knew that you felt this strongly against homosexuality Mike.”

“I hate it.” He spit. “Wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God. Do not be deceived, neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with other men no thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” He quoted from the Bible.

“The Bible also says that we are not to judge Mike.”

“Stop defending them Santana.” He pulled money out of his wallet and threw it on the table, “I can’t take this any longer, let’s go.”

The cold weather whipped through my thin shirt as I rushed behind Mike trying to keep up with his fast stride, “Mike slow down.”

“What exactly was the nature of your friendship with that woman, Santana?” he asked.

“She is my assistant.”

“But you have been hanging out with her lately.”

“She is just a friend Mike.”

“Yeah whatever.” He rolled his eyes as we got inside of his car; Mike drove me back to work in silence, I couldn’t tell what was going on in his head, but I know that it couldn’t have been good thoughts.