Chapter 48: Chapter 48
They looked at me with concern, “What?” I don’t answer, “Is he single?”
“Yep, he tells Jeremy and Johnson he doesn’t have time for dating, he’s too busy with work and school. He says he’s got huge goals.”
“Why are you shocked?” Lara asks curiously.
I swallow, “It’s the Nigerian Skating Association. They run: shows, competitions and create the rules for my sport. They can make or break us. I find it hard to believe that this new job is coincidental.” When we finish catching up I excuse myself for a few minutes to get changed into my bathing suit.
I returned to the pool to find Anna and Lara rifling through wedding magazines discussing Anna’s upcoming nuptials while I tried to digest Michael’s new job. I stroll over to the deep end and stand at the edge of the pool with my toes curled around the lip wondering his intent. I can picture him at Anna’s last party manning the music like it was yesterday. He had to be over me, this new job of his was merely a cover-up. The alternative is too scary. I spread my feet so they are shoulder-width apart and bend my legs before popping into a shallow dive. The cold water gives my body a jolt. I stay submerged the entire length of the pool.
It is cloudy early on in the morning and the sky is dark grey with low lying rain clouds that threaten a downpour. We spend the day inside cooking our favorite dishes for the boys. Anna runs to the liquor store just before it starts raining, while Lara and I tidy up. We spread the food out on the dining room table buffet style and bring all the chairs we can find into the living room so we can sit together in front of the television to watch the last few episodes of Sons.
The doorbell rings, and with Anna still gone, I answer it. Johnson and Michael stand soaking wet side by side after running from their car in what appears to be a mix of rain and hail. I smile at them quickly stepping aside so they can come inside. Their clothes are plastered to their bodies as they drip all over the floor leaving puddles at their feet.
“We need some towels!” I call out to Lara.
She comes down with an armful of towels handing each of them one, “Hi guys!” she says casually.
“Hi,” Michael says while staring at me, “I’ll go to the upstairs bathroom, Johnson, you take the downstairs one. Girls, do you think you can you find us something to wear?”
“Sure,” I say heading towards Anna’s room to look for clothes. When I find something suitable, I tap lightly on the door and wait for Michael to answer. He peaks out and then grabs my wrist pulling me in with him, closing the door behind me. He’s already removed his top and his nipples are hard from the cold. The zipper to his pants is open and he stands boldly peeling the rest of his clothes off as I watch. I turned to leave but he places his foot at the base of the door preventing me from opening it without hurting him. I turn to face him and before I know what’s happening his lips are on mine and my entire body responds to him in a way I don’t expect.
I push him away but he pulls me closer. I went to slap his face but he catches my wrist and somehow manages to make me swing and miss a sexy part of his kiss. The more I resist the stronger his hold gets and then I realize I had no choice but surrender to it or he will never let me go, so I go limp in his arms and kiss him back. I try to break free a second time from him, but I’m unsuccessful and he just whispers, “It’s all right to like it,” and keeps kissing me. I hate myself for liking it. He pulls back to look into my eyes, they were filled full of sexual and emotional frustration.
“I’m married,” I remind him.
“He manipulated your choices.”
“How so?”
“His ultimatum, who does that?”
“I chose him.”
“You’re allowed a mistake.”
“He’s not a mistake. You are,” I blurt not meaning to sound malicious.
My words pack him a devastating blow, Michael steps back and I instantly regret saying it.
“Leave,” he whispers. I leave the bathroom just as Scott is walking into Anna’s house.
I run downstairs and straight into his arms. He wraps them around me squeezing me tight, making me feel safe and comforted. He strokes my hair while gently kissing the top of my head, “Is something wrong?” he asks.
“No,” I lie.
The door to the upstairs bathroom opens and Scott looks up to see Michael leave from the direction I came from.
“What were you doing in the bathroom with Michael?” asks Scott. “Nothing,” I say casually, “Michael and Johnson got caught in the downpour and we found them some clothes to wear.”
He grabs my arm pushing me roughly into the closest room we are standing next to. He pulls his phone out and puts it on the camera setting before taking a picture and handing it back to me, “Look at you,” he growls. I look at the phone and see my messy hair and smeared lipstick, damn! “He grabs me and pulls me into the bathroom and then he kisses me. I try pushing him away but he won’t let me.”
“You wouldn’t have told me if I didn’t show you what you looked like,” he accuses me.
“That’s not true,” I deny, but I know it’s true.
“You betrayed me,” he says angrily. “What else did the two of you do?”
“Nothing, I swear!”
“Go upstairs and wait for me, I’m not finished with you yet,” he demands.
I wait in Anna’s room closing the door behind me. I heard thunderous voices downstairs as Scott and Michael begin yelling fiercely at one another. Lara is begging and pleading for them to stop. Then I heard flesh on flesh as the two of them resort to physical blows. Lara yells for Johnson to stop them and then begins screaming and crying hysterically. I’m nauseous with fear contemplating whether I should call the police to break it up when suddenly I notice it gets quiet in the house.
The front door opens and I hear Anna yelling, “What the fuck happened?
What did you do to him? He’s bleeding all over my mom’s carpet! Call an ambulance!”
“I’ll take him, you don’t need to call an ambulance” Johnson volunteers. Then Anna asks Lara, “Where’s Isabella?”
The sound of footsteps starts getting louder as they get closer to the room I’m in. It reminded me of the fights my parents used to have when I was a kid; I hid in my room hoping I wasn’t the cause of their fight. Now I’m cowering on Anna’s bed feeling scared and guilty for causing this. If I had brought the robe to Johnson, none of this would have happened. The door opens and Scott stands there breathing heavily, his right eye is swollen shut, a large cut just above it. Blood is splattered on his shirt that isn’t his, “If you ever let him go near you again, we’re finished for good,” then he turns and walks away.
I have no idea where I stand with him anymore. He refuses to see or talk to me for the rest of the summer. I know why he’s angry, first calling his mother a whore and then catching me kissing Michael. I blame myself for eagerly bringing him the clothes and enjoying the kiss way more than I should have. As time passes, remorse over my foolish decisions grows. The summer is dark and gloomy even on the brightest days. It is a lesson well learned and I swear I’ll never disappoint Scott or allow myself to be put in a vulnerable position again.
September came quickly and when I wasn’t brooding over Scott I was assisting Anna with her wedding plans. She kept it simple, a small chapel wedding, followed by dinner and dancing at a fine Italian restaurant close to the church. The honeymoon is Hawaii for seven nights and eight days before joining us in Port-Harcourt. I promise I will secure an apartment for them in our building. I’m not sure how I’m going to do it, but I don’t want them worrying about it.