One with the Wind (15 page)

            She set her tea cup on the table, walked into the bathroom and admired her glowing reflection. Josie turned to the side and studied the bulge that jutted out below her swollen breasts. She looked like she was carrying ten babies instead of just one. She stepped on the scale and saw that she had gained a pound since yesterday.

            Josie looked round the apartment and wondered what she would do today. It was a bitterly cold winter so she avoided going outside unless she had to. She made herself a plate of pickled delicacies; it’s what she craved. If it was pickled, she ate it—olives, dills, sweet gherkins, garlic and small peppers. The baby liked zesty and spicy.

            With her legs propped up on the coffee table, she felt a hard kick in her belly and simultaneously she burped pickled garlic. She laughed at her own lack of couth.
Who cares? I’m sitting here alone in my nightgown and robe
.

            The hardest craving, however, for her to cure, was her sexual desire. She always thought that falling pregnant would calm her sexual appetite, but it was just the opposite. She crossed her legs and tried to ignore the burning desire between her legs.
Maybe I should stop eating peppers.

            When it became too much, she reached between her legs and rubbed, feeling the hard round knob of her clitoris. It couldn’t be harder. Glancing at the clock, she realized Nick would not be home for at least a couple more hours. “Fuck!”

            She remembered the dildo she bought for her class with Madame Tsvetkov. She rushed into the bedroom, rummaged through her lingerie drawer until she found the wrinkled, rubbery shaft. “Ah ha!”

            She walked back out to the living room, kicked her legs up onto the coffee table, as if she were in stirrups, and inserted the rubber dildo into her vagina. It wasn’t Nick, but it will do. She pushed and pulled it out with speed and intensity, and when she was able to bring herself to orgasm, she pulled it out and set it on the table before her. She walked to the kitchen for more tea and pickles.

            After an afternoon of reading and masturbating, Josie finally started cooking dinner.  She was stirring the pot with one hand, while reading Doctor Zhivago for the third time when Nick returned home. He tossed the newspaper on the table, glanced at Josie and the books and dildo on the coffee table. “So, what were you up to today?”

            “Missing you,” she replied.

            He approached her from behind at the stove, kissed her neck and cupped her breast and belly. “I can see that.”

            Josie turned off the stove and tossed her book on the table. She grasped his shoulders. “I can’t stand it any longer!”

            He guided her away from the stove and backed her to the kitchen table. She hopped up, hiked her gown over hips and spread her legs for him. Nick looked down at her and laughed. “Sexy.”

            “Shut up and fuck me hard!”

            Nick unzipped his trousers, letting them fall around his ankles and guided his penis into her. He held onto her belly and gently thrust in and out.

            “Honey, I know you can go harder,” she commanded.

            “God damn woman!” he shouted with a chuckle.

            It didn’t take her long to orgasm and as he headed to the bedroom, Josie hollered out, “I’d keep my pants off if I were you!”

            Nick returned to the kitchen wearing his boxers and sat at the table. “I hope this baby comes soon.”

            Josie kissed him on the head and served him dinner. “Me too.” She sat down across from him at the table. “I’m afraid of what we have lurking inside. The little devil craves his pickles and sex.” She glanced at up at Nick. “It takes after his father.”

            “I don’t like pickles,” he said with a wink and a mouth full of noodles.

            “Are you insinuating this child takes after me?” she asked, rolling noodles onto her fork.

            “I haven’t been sitting around masturbating and sucking down gherkins,” he replied.

            She pointed her fork at him. “Next life, you’re coming back as the wife and we’ll see how you handle it.”

            “It’s a deal,” he said.

 

            It was a few weeks later when Josie passed the point of being able to move easily.  Nick had taken time off work to be with her. He had just stepped out to the store, when she felt a trickle down her leg. Before she knew it, she was standing in a pool of water. “Nick!” He was long gone. Josie stepped over the puddle and searched for her phone. When he answered the phone, she screamed.

            “What’s the matter?” he asked calmly.

            “Baby! Now!”

            Nick hung up the phone, pushed passed the people standing behind him and ran home.  Josie was sitting on the couch panting. “I don’t think I’m going to make it to the hospital. It’s coming now Nick. I can feel it.”

            He ran into the bedroom for her bag, helped her to her feet and put on her coat and boots.  “It’s best we get to the hospital.”

            As they walked out the front door, Nick hailed for a cab.

            “Nick, I’m going to have the baby in the cab. It’s coming now, now, now!” she yelled.

            A cab arrived. Nick guided Josie inside. “Hospital,” he said to the driver.

            Once they arrived at the hospital, Josie was wheeled into a hospital room. The contractions were getting longer and stronger. “It’s coming! It’s coming now!”

            Josie muttered and whined for several hours as Nick offered her water and juice. Occasionally a nurse would enter and check her status. “Not ready yet, Mrs. Markovich.”

            “I want it out of me now!” She grabbed Nick’s arm. “You’re from the fucking future, take us forward a couple hours when this thing is born.” Nick laughed. “What’s so fucking funny? Next time we’re in the hospital it will be for your vasectomy.” She looked at Nick. “Not so funny now, huh?”

             “It’s going to be fine, honey.”

            “Don’t fine me, you bastard! You don’t have an odd shaped bowling ball coming out of your vagina!”

            “I don’t have a vagina,” he replied.

            “I’m going to punch you! You’re never getting sex again—no more hand jobs, blowjobs or anything else! In fact, I don’t even what to see you naked again!”

            He massaged her shoulders. “Now you’re just talking crazy.”

            “I hate you for doing this to me!” Josie banged her fists against the bed and screamed.

            The checked on Josie. “It looks like you’re finally ready.”

            “Well look at that; there is a fucking God!” she yelled.

            The aids wheeled Josie into the delivery room, leaving Nick to pace in the waiting room. Josie was terrified and didn’t want to face this without Nick. She was afraid of being in a Russian hospital and afraid of the stabbing pains. She cried as she pushed and pushed until finally she heard a loud scream. When the doctor pulled out a dark-haired baby boy, tears of relief and happiness washed over Josie’s face.

            Nick ran into the delivery room and kissed the top of Josie’s head. Tears welled in his eyes when he saw his baby curled in Josie’s arms. “What should we call him?” he asked, stroking the baby’s cheek.

            “Yuri,” replied Josie.

            “Yuri?”

            “After Zhivago, either that or we call him Omar after Omar Sharif,” said Josie.

            “Yuri is fine,” he agreed.

            Josie ran her finger down her baby’s face. “Yuri Nicholas Markovich, welcome to the family.”

 

            Yuri was a healthy baby with very strong lungs; he screamed all the time. He never let Nick or Josie out of his sight and if he ever was alone, he screamed until they came running. After Yuri was born, Nick and Josie had little time for each other. They were exhausted, and any energy they did have, was spent on Yuri.

            A few months after Yuri was born, Josie stared at the positive mark on her pregnancy test in disbelief. She and Nick had made love since Yuri was born, but they figured it would take time for her to become pregnant again.

            Her second pregnancy felt different. Although her belly was growing, she could hardly feel the baby move. Often she panicked and rushed to the doctors but was reassured that the baby was healthy.

            Her sexual appetite had also dried up, in fact, she could care less if Nick touched her at all. Nick felt differently so she did her best to keep him happy with regular blowjobs.

            Josie was licking Nick’s shaft when Yuri started crying. She instinctively wanted to rush to Yuri so hurried things along by sticking her finger in his anus, just as Madame Tsvetkov’s had taught her. Nick climaxed quickly and Josie tended to Yuri.

            Josie cradled Yuri in her arms and gave him to Nick. She returned to bed with Nick and Yuri. Exhaustion set in and the entire Markovich family fell asleep.

           

            Alexei Thomas Markovich was born with so much ease; Josie didn’t even feel she was in labor. She couldn’t believe the difference between her two sons. Alexei, or Al, as they liked to call him, was such a quiet and laid-back baby.

            Josie watched her sons play and felt a sudden sense of pride surge through her body. Nick and Josie loved being parents and dedicated every waking moment to their sons.

            Nick loved their bath time routine. Every night, Nick sat in the tub with both boys and played with them as Josie scrubbed their little bodies and hair. Occasionally when one of the boys had to pee, Nick held him up like an airplane over the toilet. The boys laughed and giggled.

            Josie’s favorite time of the evening was what Nick called “naked time”. Yuri would waddle out from the bathroom stark naked and wet. He would wave his arms and jump up and down. Nick would carry Al out of the bathroom and thrust him in front of Josie.

            “Go put some clothes on!” she would yell with a smile. She loved it; there was nothing more precious than naked time.

            Traveling had never been a problem for Nick and Josie until they had to travel with a three-year-old and a sixteen-month-old. Waiting in the security lines in Frankfurt airport, Nick carried two bags on one shoulder and Yuri in his other arm, while Josie pushed Al, her purse and diaper bag, in the stroller.

            When they reached the security check point, Nick tried to put Yuri down, but he kicked and screamed, clinging to his leg. Nick set the bags, his wallet and keys on the conveyor belt and walked through the metal detector, dragging Yuri with him. Josie had it a bit easier; she unloaded the stroller and lifted Al in her arms and carried him through.

            Their four-hour layover was exhausting as they waited for their flight to JFK to board. Nick and Josie leaned against each other in the waiting lounge with the children sleeping in their laps. Thankfully, Nick’s company flew them home business class so both eagerly chugged back their complimentary champagne when the boys were in their seats.

            After the dinner trays were cleared away, Al wiggled urgently in his seat. Josie could tell that he needed to be changed. She removed the diaper bag from the above compartment and leaned over the seat to change him. Afterward, she picked him up and walked him along the aisles to get him back to sleep.

            “What a cute family,” a stewardess said. “Do you need anything?”

            “I could really use glass of red wine.” Josie replied and walked back to her seat. She looked down at Nick who was asleep in his seat with Yuri curled up in the seat alongside him. Josie lifted the blanket from Nick’s lap and unbuckled his seat belt.

            “What are you doing?” he mumbled.

            Josie laid Al down on his chest, covered them both with the blanket and buckled the belt. Nick put his other hand over Al and closed his eyes.

            Josie smiled lovingly at the three men in her life and sat down. The stewardess arrived with a big glass of red wine. “Thank you.”

            “I thought you may want some chocolate,” offered the stewardess.

            “You are so sweet.” Josie reclined in her seat, sipped her wine and took a bite of the chocolate. It was so good; it melted in her mouth. She simply had to share a piece with Nick. She got out of her seat and pressed a piece of chocolate to his lips.

            He opened his eyes and stared at her. “Now what?”

            “This chocolate is great. You should try it.”

            “Honey, I’m sleeping,” he muttered.

            Josie didn’t care; she inserted it in his mouth and kissed him. “I love you sweetheart.” She went back to her seat and enjoyed the quietness of the ride home.

           

            Several hours later, they walked through the arrivals section at JFK and saw her parents waving. It had been almost five years since Josie had seen them. Not only was she returning from Russia, she was returning with children.

            “What beautiful babies,” swooned Josie’s mother, “we bought some things for the children—car seats, high chairs and play pen. We thought you might need them.”

            “Thanks,” Josie said with a tired sigh as she climbed into the back seat of her parent’s SUV. Josie looked at the familiar surroundings passing in the car by and felt glad to be home. It was springtime and everything was new and bright.

            They arrived at their new, semi-furnished townhouse apartment in Long Island. It was so much more spacious and bright than their place in Moscow. It had a patio and a small back yard. The upstairs had a large master bedroom and a room for the boys. It was the perfect starter home for their family in America.