Tess Awakening (26 page)

Jake hoped he could get away with a plain
suit and tie. Tess and Carmen overruled him and dictated that he
was going to wear a beautiful designer tux. His sole responsibility
was to choose between the sleekness of Tom Ford and the dramatic
drape of Giorgio Armani. Considering the elegance of his soon to be
wife, he opted for the Armani. Done deal!

They were married in a Methodist Church on
Park Avenue. Family, friends and a horde of dad’s business contacts
attended. Tess chose the music, Bach’s beautiful
Jesu, Joy of
Man’s Desiring
that was played on the Church’s magnificent
organ.

The reception was held in an 1893 landmark
building. The beautiful interior featured tall Corinthian columns,
a beautifully decorated coved ceiling, and an art glass skylight on
its 65-foot ceiling.

Afterward, the newlyweds retreated to Jake’s
farm outside the village of Sleepy Hollow on the eastern shore of
the Hudson River, 25 miles north of Manhattan. Jake had purchased
the farm a few years ago as a refuge from his stressful job. A
caretaker maintained the place, and even though there were a barn
and a tractor, there were no farm animals except for a couple of
Palomino horses that Jake liked to ride when he was in town.

The newlyweds got out of the Land Rover. Jake
picked up his bride and carried her over the threshold. He kissed
her before putting her down. Tess turned around and saw a beautiful
Steinway grand piano, her wedding gift from her new husband. She
cried in joy and flew back into his arms, kissing him passionately.
He carried her to the bed, laid her down and removed her
clothes.

This was not going to be passionate
lovemaking. Jake was conscious of the baby in Tess’s womb. He
kissed her breasts, buried his head in them and kissed her down to
the slight bump showing on her belly. Tess was unusually docile,
just letting Jake give her pleasure. He finally joined her and
gently moved inside her until they both came. Just like she wanted
it; warm and loving.

They had a quiet honeymoon, enjoying each
other and doing absolutely nothing other than Jake listening to her
play the piano. The stress of the past few months in Iraq, and the
wounds that Jake was recovering from made the farmhouse just the
right refuge for them.

They drove to town to make purchases and for
occasional visits to local restaurants. The world had come to a
stop. All they cared about was each other and the child that soon
would be born. Peace and quiet did not prevent Tess from enjoying a
renewed desire for frequent affection; the pregnancy kicked her
sexuality into overdrive, and Jake was happy to oblige.

Tess selected a crib and furniture for the
nursery and Jake painted and fixed things. They did not commit to a
color scheme because they refused to learn of the child’s gender.
They wanted it to be a surprise.

Tess proceeded to plan for the arrival of the
baby in her usual manner. With military precision, she created
healthy menus, banned liquor from the house and generally imposed
an austere regime. Jake, the avowed gourmet, was not happy. He
grudgingly ate alfalfa sprouts, fish and beans for protein,
vegetable soups, and assorted ghastly vegetarian fare. He looked
forward to the day of the child’s birth when liberation would come,
and they would finally be able to eat real people food.

Chapter 40

Tess followed a sensible exercise routine
until one evening she felt contractions. “The baby is coming, Jake.
Take me to the hospital.”

Jake put her in the car and sped to the
regional medical center. Tess felt the contractions come more
frequently and started to feel true pain. They rushed her to the
birthing room. Severe pain started; Tess thought she was tough, but
she was not prepared for the dreadful intensity that was building
up in her belly. She finally screamed, much to her chagrin. ‘I am
tougher than this,’ she thought. Not really; the pain became more
intense, tearing at her insides.

A nurse had Jake wear a surgical gown and
mask and let him come into the operating room, briefing him on what
he needed to do to witness the birth of his child. Tess let out a
scream, “Jake, get out of here!”

Jake took her hand and kissed her on the
cheek. “It okay, love; I am here with you.”

Tess looked at him, her face twisted in pain.
“Jake, please leave, I don’t want you here. You don’t need to see
this.” She let out another scream.

The nurse led him out and showed him the
waiting room. Jake was visibly upset. He really wanted to be with
her, to hold her hand and comfort her in any way he could. Why did
she throw him out? He held his head between his arms, listening to
Tess scream.

Delivery was relatively quick and uneventful.
The doctor slapped the baby on his little butt, and he started to
cry lustily. He was covered in blood, but that did not stop Tess
from grabbing him and putting him on her chest. The doctor
protested, telling her that they needed to clean the baby. Tess
kept hugging the infant close to her body, refusing to let him go.
She needed to feel the miracle that had come out of her body.
Finally, she gave him up. The nurses cleaned the baby and wrapped
him in warm swaddling clothes.

Eventually, they let Jake back in; he
witnessed the wonder of his wife cradling the baby in her arms.
They were now parents of a beautiful baby boy. Jake gently chided
Tess. “Why didn’t you let me stay with you?”

Tess grabbed his arm with her hand. “I didn’t
want you to see me like that. When you make love to me, I always
want be beautiful for you.”

This was so typical of Tess; Jake did not see
the point in arguing.

They named the baby Morgan, thus enabling
Tess to fulfill the family tradition. Her father was beyond
delighted.

The baby was healthy and soon sported huge,
beautiful black eyes and a mass of black hair. There was no
question in Tess’s mind that little Morgan was Amir’s son. She knew
that eventually this will be confirmed by a DNA test.

Tess carefully observed Jake’s behavior
towards the baby, worried that he would reject the child. On the
contrary, Jake spent every available minute playing with the baby,
cuddling him and showering him with affection.

Finally, after three months of new
motherhood, she wanted proof of his parentage. She requested
without Jake’s knowledge a DNA test. What she suspected was now a
reality: Morgan was Amir’s son. Her emotional and analytical
response was how to break the news to Jake. The first being: would
Jake accept another man’s child? And second, even more problematic,
what would Amir’ reaction be if he found out that he finally had a
son?

Suddenly her hostility to Amir’s game playing
raised to Olympic peaks: should, or could she bring the same havoc
to his life that she had suffered by his actions?

Tess’s honesty was at once her best quality
and her most foolish one. She knew that Jake was tolerant of
secrets, but this was an entirely different situation. She was
aware of Amir’s ability to potentially threaten them if he found
out that she had borne his son. The disclosure that she planned
with Jake needed to be as calm and placid as humanly possible. A
nice, quiet dinner might be the best way to deal with this. Jake,
certainly nobody’s fool, was very surprised at the candlelight and
the carafe of wine. He knew something intense was coming.

“Tess, would you please tell me what’s on
your mind?”

Her answer, as usual, was brief and
devastating.” I took a DNA test for Morgan and it confirmed what I
thought: Morgan is Amir’s child.”

Jake looked pensive and did not respond. Tess
finally asked him if he was disappointed at her bearing another
man’s child. “We both knew that this would be a possibility, but it
does not matter. In Iraq I told you that baby is also part of you;
that’s enough for me. I love you both.”

Chapter 41

Amir al-Saadi had been trying to contact
Tess ever since they had their last conversation in Iraq but had
not been successful until the announcement of her wedding hit the
New York Times. Then she disappeared, which in a sense she did by
going to live on a farm. This blackout was lifted when Tess and
Jake rented an apartment in Manhattan after the child’s birth. One
of Amir’s agents found out their address and phone number and
passed on the information to him.

Amir called Tess and asked to meet. She would
have preferred to stay away from him until she could find a proper
way to break the news of the baby’s birth. Recognizing that she
could no longer delay, she reluctantly agreed to see Amir al-Saadi.
They hadn’t seen each other for a year. They arranged to meet at
her apartment in New York.

Amir was ecstatic with joy. It had been a
long time since he met Tess and was looking forward to seeing her
again. He had been brooding over the separation and was anxious to
be with his beloved again. He still hoped to persuade her to stay
with him.

The driver opened the door of the car and
dropped Amir off in front of the apartment building on 57th Street.
He had an enormous bouquet of flowers in his hand.

He entered the elevator and rang the bell on
the door. Tess opened the door; she had the baby in her arms.

Amir froze. Tess had not told him that she
had a child. In his mind, he was instantly outraged. She had
allowed herself to be impregnated by another man. It could not
be!

Tess welcomed him with a radiant smile,
kissing the baby on the cheek.

“Hi, Amir; meet Morgan, my son.”

Amir tried to get over his shock and forced
himself to be civil. “Good morning, Tess.” He did not smile.

Amir looked at Tess and the baby. She was
still beautiful and radiant, holding the baby in her arms, nuzzling
him. The child was obviously happy, laughing and touching his
mother’s face. Amir froze, still trying to deal with an unwanted
surprise.

Tess put the baby down on a sofa and put
pillows on both sides. Amir got out of himself and made an effort
to take a close look at the baby. He was a spitting image of Aara
at four months: huge black eyes, creamy skin and absolutely
gorgeous.

He looked at Tess, still speechless.

“Yes, Amir, he is your son.”

Amir fell to his knees in front of the baby.
For the first time since he was a child, tears of happiness formed
on his face. There he was; his true son borne to him by his
beloved. He looked at her. “May I?”

She assented by nodding her head, and he
picked up the baby into his arms. He was holding his son, the blood
of his blood. “He is wonderful, Tess; a masterpiece — my son. I am
truly grateful to you.”

Tess pressed a button on the phone. Shortly
afterward, the baby’s nanny appeared. Tess took the child from
Amir’s arms and turned him over to the nanny, who took him
away.

Amir was still trying to calm his emotions.
“Tess, why didn’t you tell me before about the baby?”

“Because I didn’t know if he was yours, Amir.
He could have been Jake’s.

“I will make arrangements to bring you and
the child to one of my houses. Also, I will give him a more
appropriate name.”

“Amir, I am not going with you, and I am
keeping the baby.”

“Tess, you know that I worship you, now more
than ever. You have provided me with a male heir, my first born and
I will honor you for that. We will marry and we will live anywhere
you want. Just tell me what you want and it will be done.”

“Amir, you are not listening. I am not
leaving Jake, and the baby stays with us.”

“The child is mine! He belongs to me! He is
of my blood; his proper place is with his people.”

“It’s not going to happen, Amir. Morgan is
my
child. I have nurtured him ever since he was growing in
my womb; I gave birth to him and he is mine!”

“The child belongs to my house. He will be
raised in a manner befitting the heir to a great dynasty, and you
must come with me. With Aara, you will have two children to take
care of for me. It’s unthinkable to do otherwise.”

“Amir, no; I have granted you access to a
child that we conceived on a night of passion. I feel that it is
appropriate to let you know of his existence because he is part of
us. But we are not going with you.”

Amir could not believe that the two people he
now treasured above anything else in the world would not be with
him. His anger erupted. “Tess, I will not be denied. I may have to
give you up, but the child is mine. I will use all means at my
disposal to take him and bring him to my home where he belongs. He
is mine, mine, mine!”

“Amir, grow up; you are delusional. We are no
longer on your turf. This is a nation of laws and you will not be
able to have your way here. Perhaps I made a mistake to let you
know that we have made a child together. I can see that you are
upset, but not more that I was when you told me that Aara was your
daughter. You said that after I grew to love her, breaking my heart
when I had to leave her behind.”

“Yes, and you broke her heart and mine when
you left us. She still asks if you are coming back. Now it seems
you are getting your revenge by withholding my son from me.”

“I don’t need revenge. I just want to go on
with my life. We both learned much from our time together and we
created a beautiful baby. For once, just accept that things are no
longer going to turn out the way you want them. Get out of yourself
and admit that this time you will not win.”

“When we last talked in Iraq, you said that
you still wanted me.”

“Yes I did Amir, but things have changed. I
will always remember our experience together, but I no longer need
to do it again. I am fulfilled here. I have a man that loves me
deeply without needing to impose your kind of demands on me.”