BOMAW Vol. 10-12 (213 page)

Shanna burst into laughter, "Shawn she went to lunch today with Jake, struggled to get up, and took a nap when she got back."

"That don't mean I'm pregnant!" Vivian denied.

"Gurl please! You are pregnant!" Sylvia sat back shaking her head, rubbing her own mound, looking to Deidre, "What you think?"

"When I was pregnant with Angela, I was so sleepy in the beginning, I could not get up some days, I just slept."

"I'm not that bad. I'm just sleepy cause-..." She paused, blushed.

Everyone knew why and the whole of them burst into laughter, making her blush even more. "I wasn't gonna say what you all thinking! I was gonna say something else!" She lied, blushing.

Shanna was right in the middle of it, "So what were you gonna say then? Huh huh, what were you gonna say?"

Caught so off guard, all she could do was retaliate with, "Forget ya'll - Shawn leave me alone!" She whined.

He was too busy laughing, laying back on the sofa, he was tickled deep, saying, "You're up the duff! Good style, we gotcha! The McMen have struck again!" He was laughing, rolling his head, turning to look at Sylvia, "Baby, let her look through some of those clothes from Mercy James." And then to Vivian, "Nice preggy stuff - check'em out!"

"Forget you Shawn! And Shanna, stop tellin' everything!"

"Oh that's nothing, and you know - that's nothing!" She flexed her brows at Vivian and then to Shawn as well the others.

"Shanna!" Vivian slapped the table.

"Okay okay okay, I'm sorry! I can't help myself, forgive me?" She gave her puppy dog eyes for sympathy.

Vivian crossed her arms, "Depends, you cookin' dinner tonight?" She teased.

"It's your turn!"

"Exactly!" She grinned, "You cook, I'll forgive you."

"Geez Louise, everybody's resorting to blackmail. I guess I'm cookin' tonight."

"You all should come here for dinner," Sylvia spoke up, and then to Charlie and Deidre, "You too, stay for dinner, and call that man in that drives for you, he's invited. Shanna, call Royce, tell him to come, and Vivian, tell Jake."

Shawn sat up, "Ah, Mrs Wife, who is doing the cooking for all of these people, and if you remember correctly, I'll be leaving here at five-forty?"

"Oh yeah, you can't be here then, huh?" She grinned, "I'll feed you early." She was fighting back up from the low her brother took her to and tonight, she didn't want to be alone with just the kids, she wanted adults around her, talk, laughter, life.

"Jeremiah's gonna be here tonight, okay if I bring him back here?" Deidre asked.

"Of course girl! Bring him!"

"Hey, just got an idea!" Shanna stood to announce, "What if we all depart, buy, cook or prepare something and bring it back here? How's that? That way it's not all on Sylvia, good idea?"

Sylvia stood waving her hand, "Here here, fantastic idea! Everyone's in agreement."

Charlie stood smiling, "Come on Dee-Dee - let's hit the deli at the store, cause you know we ain't 'bout to cook didly!"

Deidre smiled standing, "Any specific theme Sylvia?" She asked.

"Let's do, salads, wines, delicate but filling foods - variety - what ever catches your eye." She added - looking for all intent and purposes, animated and happy.

Shawn smiled, watching her, reading her eyes. With so many present, he couldn't talk to her about Lucas and how the visit went, but he would tonight when he got home and they were in bed - however, what he could see, is that she was a bit too eager to enjoy the company. He just hoped she was feeling good and not burying anything.

*

She could hear Victor's car driving up, cutting his engine, opening the door, getting out. She took a deep and long readying breath. She'd showered and gotten ready so that when Shawn arrived for the meeting, she wouldn't be rushing around. She'd finished dinner, which came out beautifully, and - she'd set the dinning-room table. Having made the decision to come back to him, she had to do it right, even if forcing herself to - otherwise, she might as well have packed her things back up and left with Shawn.

When Victor entered the house, he could immediately smell the food, which surprised him. He stepped further in, all his words trapped in his mouth. He'd intended to come in and tell her he'd found a place, but now, he was too stunned by the table set. That he was surprised showed on his face, looking from it, to Crystal.

"Wow, what? What's going on here?"

"I - made dinner, for you, us. Uh, the boys, went back with Shawn."

"Why?"

"He ah, thought that if we were going to really, work things out, we should fix us first. Of course, we can see them, go get them anytime we wish, that's why."

"Wow? He's doing that, for us?" He asked stunned.

No, Crystal knew that wasn't really why, but she wasn't going into that, she only shrugged, "I ah, also - due to something Shawn said, reconsidered you finding your own place. If, you agree, to sleep on the sofa, for now that is - you can stay here. But - I don't want us rushing into anything. And - if I'm gonna stay, if we're gonna make it, we have to get marriage counselling, that is a must - no if's ands or buts - no excuses Victor, or else, we can forget it."

Stunned, he nodded, "Okay - okay - whatever you want, sure, that's fine! I'll sleep on the sofa, that's okay with me."

"Okay, well - we should eat, foods getting cold. I won't be here this evening, because I have to attend a meeting with Shawn, anger management." She explained, taking a seat, as he walked over, taking one as well, looking over everything. He smiled, "Looks good - wow, I'm hungry too."

She was seated, waving towards the food, "Well - dig in, hope you like it. I followed the recipe closely, I also, joined a cooking class. It's really a good one, they teach you about-..."

He cut her off, shaking his head, "There you go again, with all we need to take care of, I don't think that's a good idea, it's too much for you. You're going to get overwhelmed and before you know it, it'll start affecting the way you act. Just leave off of that, and stick with cookbooks." He advised, putting the food on his plate, tasting it. He smiled, "See, this is fine, this is good - you don't need that, skip that - just do around here - okay? One thing at a time, right?"

Crystal stared at him, steeling herself, clenching her jaw, she took her eyes from him, picked up a spoon, started serving herself, saying, "I'll see how it goes first, okay? There were some really essential tips and tricks and ideas on how to make your meals stretch, growing your own healthy food and cooking it, we have plenty of yard space, so-..."

"Emm, well, between taking care of the boys, seeing about them, all of this counselling you expect us to do, getting ready for school, taking care of the house. I mean, this place needs decorating again, don't you think? Look at it. Put it back to the way you had it before, only do it better this time. No more cheap stuff, like before - I know you were trying to save money - but let's face it - it was all pretty cheap, people could tell. I didn't wanna say it to you back then, because well - you know. But hey, we're starting fresh, new, right?"

Crystal sat with wide eyes staring at him, and as if a mechanical robot, she nodded her head, forcing her mind from saying something back to him in her defence, she bit her tongue, her lip, finished filling her plate, and sat eating. She couldn't taste the food, she wondered if he really thought it was good?

"So, ummm, how long - you know - you think I should be sleeping on the sofa? I mean, we are alone, and - it can't hurt - can it? You look so pretty, I always thought you were so pretty." he reached over, took her hand in his, squeezing it, "I love you Crystal, we'll be okay - you just keep this up; like this here, what a pleasant surprise - see, this is the way things should be. This is all I want - see how easy I am to please."

Crystal smiled, nodded, ate - wondering was it time to leave for the meeting yet? She pulled her hand away, placing it in her lap.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"So, what do you think? About what I asked - it's been a long time, hasn't it? Don't you miss me, touching you? Making love to you, I know I miss it. That's apart of making our marriage work too, making it strong."

"Our problem is not in bed Victor, it's out of bed. Let's fix out of bed, before we get in it again."

"We're making the steps right now, I agreed to go to counselling with you-..."

"We - Victor, we - need the counselling, you and I - together."

"That's what I said, isn't that what I said?" He asked.

"Not quite."

"Look, this is so nice, let's not ruin it - I'm happy, you're happy, you are happy aren't you?" He leaned over to touch her small chin, lifting her face, trying to make eye contact with her. "Hey, look at me." He asked softly, his thumb caressing her chin.

She looked at him but pulled her chin away, "Let's eat please."

"You didn't answer me."

"Look Victor, I'm trying okay? I'm trying - like you said, one day at a time. Let's eat so I can do the dishes before Shawn arrives, I don't wanna come home to a dirty kitchen."

"I'll clean the kitchen for you, if you want?"

"In exchange for what?" She asked, knowing him well.

"For this incredible dinner. For you having to clean up this whole place when you got back. That's all." He smiled at her, when she didn't smile back, but looked down again from him, his features transformed, growing worried, "Crystal? Come on, you act like you don't love me anymore - I know that's not true, why are you fighting us? Huh?" He moved from his chair, going to his knees once more, pulling her chair around to lean over her lap, his hand to her waist, going around to her back. Right away her hand was grabbing at his wrist to stop it's progress around her, and the other one, that one too, from stroking over the top of her thigh, heading upward to the juncture of her thighs.

"Victor - don't!"

"You're my wife Crystal, dammit it's been weeks. The boys are gone, we're here alone, you smell so good, look so good, all I want is a kiss, can I at least have a kiss?" He asked, strong arming her. Didn't matter how she pushed at his arms, gripping his wrists, he was a man, and he was much stronger than her, as that particularly moment served to remind her.

"Nooo Victor, I'm not going to bed with you, you can forget that - this is not moving slow! Now stop it I mean it."

He paused, looking up into her eyes, "Where's this coming from? You sure - nothing is going on between you and that Ben?"

"If it were, I wouldn't be here with you now - I'd be there, with him!" - 'Where you should be!' Her mind flashed, she ignored it.

She sat staring at him, looking at him closely, his features - and suddenly hated the thought that went through her mind, she looked back at her plate. If she kept thinking things like that, she was dooming them before they got out of the gate. It wasn't helping either, that instantly, she saw Ben's face again and again. Once more, he was back - his appearance seemed to be happening more now, in her mind, than when they'd been around each other. No matter how hard she tried, she could not get him out of her head.

Victor finally pulled his wrists from her tight grip to keep them from her, and stood back to his feet, looking down at her.

"You've changed Crystal, you've changed, and I must admit, I don't know if I like the change." He spoke honestly.

She glanced up at him then, "Maybe that's a sign Victor, maybe - we should just forget this then, the divorce is final - why put yourself through this."

He leaned down gripping both sides of her chair, looking close into her eyes, "No - fuckin' way! You're my wife - I said I'd go to whatever you want. Our family, our boys, our home, once meant everything to you - meant everything to me - we're not like everybody else - and we're not going to just throw in the towel, like everybody else. At least, I'm not." He reached for her chin again, and this time instead of asking, took a kiss.

With her heart beating like mad, she relented, allowing him to kiss her, even tilted her head back, so his tongue could enter her mouth. She had to lock down her reflexes, check herself because she almost snatched her mouth away from his. Shocking her most of all, was the instant thought and feeling in her stomach, that she didn't want his tongue in her mouth. She thanked God, he kept it simple. He was smiling again, kissing her nose, her forehead, hopeful from her allowing him the kiss. Because he'd broken the kiss first, she could draw away from him, "Finish eating Victor."

He sat back, and did just that - in his mind, he knew it was only a matter of time once more, before he had her right back to the way they'd been before, in bed, making love the way they used to. Now that she was home, away from that Ben - he could start to move things back into his favor. As he sat, he started thinking of all the things he would do - a smile came to his face once more, glancing up at her. She nervously glanced his way, wondering what was on his mind. Catching it, he winked at her.

"You can fight this all you want to, you love me - I know you do - you'll always love me - even when you sit and refuse to say it, like now. But I know, oh I know." He grinned, so sure of himself.

Crystal refused to give comment, she finished a decent portion of her meal, stood and started clearing the table. While doing it, out the front picture window, she saw the SUV drive up. Her heart was elated, Shawn was there for her, she was more than ready to go. Victor sat watching TV, ignoring Shawn as he brought her things to the door, where she picked them up and took them into her room. Even when Shawn stood in his door, glaring his way for the brief moment that it was, Victor ignored him standing there. Shawn turned and walked away to wait for Crystal outside - hoping to God, she got over her need to fix this. He thought by suggesting to her to let him stay, it would drive the fact home a lot faster than if he moved out. How in the hell would he get on her nerves if he was showing up with flowers being Mr. Niceguy? He needed to be there, getting on her nerves, irritating her so she could see, this marriage was over.

As she was about to go, Victor stood walking to her, taking her gently by the arm, "No kiss goodbye?" He smiled leaning towards her, kissing her lips. "I love you, see you later okay?"